(Town of Taber via Facebook)

Police help round up Alberta ostriches on lam

Several wander into Taber, become social media stars

Most of a flock of farmed ostriches that got free of their pen near the southern Alberta town of Taber have been rounded up, but not before grabbing their proverbial 15 minutes’ fame. Taber-Vauxhall RCMP said in a release Thursday afternoon that they began receiving reports shortly before 8 a.m. that day of ostriches on

(Baranozdemir/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario seeking new rules on scope of vet services

Changes also considered to veterinary sector oversight

Updated Nov. 23 — Ontario’s government is considering new legislation to more clearly spell out who can provide what kinds of animal care in the province’s veterinary sector. The provincial ag ministry on Monday launched a round of public consultation on the Veterinarians Act, which governs licensing of veterinarians and accreditation of veterinary facilities in


File photo of Upside Foods’ chicken product. (Upsidefoods.com)

Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator

FDA's review not technically approval

Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption, the agency announced on Wednesday. Upside Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks,

Photo: Thinkstock

U.S. livestock: Supply concerns drive CME live cattle to new contract high

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher and reached a new contract high on Wednesday amid concerns about tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. Strong recent gains have left the market technically overbought and due for a setback, brokers said. “We’ve had a nice rally here,” said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker


(DusanPetkovic/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan, Manitoba to boost vet college seat quotas

Each province adding five subsidized seats at WCVM

Updated, Sept. 30 — With livestock producers’ needs at top of mind, 10 more student seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will be spoken for starting next year. The college and the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on Thursday announced the two provinces will each step up their funding

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau views damage to lobster boats from Hurricane Fiona at Stanley Bridge, P.E.I. on Sept. 27, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Phil Matusiewicz)

Trudeau tours storm-hit Atlantic Canada as power outages persist

Flooding may hit P.E.I. potato crops

Port aux Basques, N.L. | Reuters — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday started a tour of Atlantic Canada, where thousands were still without power after record-setting storm Fiona ravaged the country’s east coast, tossing homes into the sea and killing at least three people. Fiona recorded the lowest barometric pressure ever for a storm


Daniel Wuergler, co-owner of the Gallipool Frasses farm, walks among 18,000 Lohmann Classic laying hens at Les Montets, about 45 km northeast of Lausanne, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/Denis Balibouse)

Swiss reject initiative to ban factory farming

Voters back narrowly back rise in women's retirement age to 65

Geneva | Reuters — Swiss voters on Sunday rejected a proposal to ban factory farming in a referendum on whether the wealthy country’s strict animal welfare laws need to be tightened yet further. The government’s VoteInfo App showed a provisional result of 62.86 per cent of votes against the proposal, put to a referendum under

Wrecked structures float in the water in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona at Rose Blanche, N.L., about 45 km east of Port aux Basques, on Sept. 25, 2022. (Photo: Reuters/John Morris)

Cleanup work begins for Eastern Canada after Fiona

Five provinces assessing damage from 'unprecedented' storm

Port aux Basques | Reuters — It will take several months for Canada to restore critical infrastructure after the powerful storm Fiona left an “unprecedented” trail of destruction, officials said on Sunday, as crews fanned out in five provinces to restore power and clean up fallen trees and debris. One 73-year-old woman died during the


Soldier fly larvae like these can convert waste food into high-protein feed.

Comment: Bugs for cows

Feeding insects to cattle could make meat and milk production more sustainable

The world’s population is growing, and so is the challenge of feeding everyone. Current projections indicate that by 2050, global food demand could increase by 59 per cent, which is 98 per cent above current levels. In particular, there will be increased demand for high-quality protein foods such as meat and dairy products. Livestock producers

Editor’s Take: Planning for the unplannable

How do you plan for — and manage — the kind of weather risk Manitoba farmers have suffered through lately? First it was years of prolonged drought, including last year’s acute blast. That crippled crop production, all but halted forage growth and raised the serious risk of some rural communities running out of drinking water.