A farm in Switzerland. (Funky-data/iStock/Getty Images)

Swiss voters reject more aid for farmers

Zurich | Reuters — Swiss voters decisively rejected more help for farmers in two referendums on Sunday, heeding the government’s warnings that the measures would send food prices rocketing and hurt the economy, projections for broadcaster SRF showed. Opinion polls had shown early widespread support for more farm aid was fading as the vote neared […] Read more


Agropur’s Fromagerie Damafro, now slated to close in April next year, had been known as the developer of Quebec’s first-ever soft washed rind cheese, sold under the Saint-Damase brand. (OurCheeses.com)

Agropur to shut Monteregie fine cheese plant

A Quebec cheese plant formerly known as a top maker of Camembert- and Brie-type cheeses is set to shut permanently in April after five years under Agropur’s ownership. Quebec-based Agropur, North America’s biggest dairy co-operative, announced Friday it will start winding down operations at its Saint-Damase cheese plant in January ahead of the April 2019 […] Read more

Beef cattle feeding in Ontario. (DebraLee Wiseberg/iStock/Getty Images)

Ontario plugs holes in wildlife compensation plan

Ontario’s agriculture ministry has patched a glitch in its wildlife damage compensation program, in which farmers’ claims risked rejection over the validity of their farm business registrations. “We heard livestock farmers’ concerns with the program so we’re making the first changes effective immediately,” Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman said in a release Monday. “We’re also continuing […] Read more



Appearances are deceiving when it comes to water quality as evidenced by the sulphate levels in these 2016 samples: 1,731 mg/l in jug 1; 2,056 mg/l) in jug 2; 21  mg/l in jug 3 and 15 mg/l  in jug 4.

Use caution when testing livestock water quality with hand-held meters

Study compared test results of hand-held meters to laboratory results

Livestock and feed specialists with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture have learned that not all methods of testing water quality are equal, especially when it comes to total dissolved solids and sulphates. Leah Clark, livestock and feed extension specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, took part in a study comparing the accuracy of water […] Read more


Riparian habitat at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. (FWS.gov/refuge/Malheur)

Trump pardons Oregon ranchers who inspired refuge standoff

Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned two imprisoned Oregon ranchers whose sentencing on arson convictions sparked the 2016 occupation of a wildlife refuge, part of a long-simmering dispute over federal land policies in the U.S. West. The armed standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in remote southeast Oregon followed a judge’s […] Read more

The Olds Technical Access Centre aims to spark innovations that improve livestock production.

A Technical Access Centre for livestock production

Key industry issues focus on production efficiency, animal health and welfare and environmental sustainability

The Canadian government has been setting up a number of Technical Access Centre (TAC) research programs to aid several industrial sectors. The first TACs were created in 2011 as part of the College and Community Innovation Program. In September 2017, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced development of a series […] Read more


Although the efficacy of blackleg vaccines is occasionally disputed in North America, there are few veterinary practitioners who would be comfortable convincing producers to stop using the vaccine.

A vaccine that saved the cattle industry

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Blackleg, a disease of many ruminants, is universal. It is most commonly seen in sheep, cattle and goats. Outbreaks have been reported in farmed bison and deer. The acute nature of the disease makes successful treatment difficult. Although the efficacy of commonly used blackleg vaccines has been disputed by the occasional academic based on the […] Read more

(MDurson/iStock/Getty Images)

EU backs plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance

Brussels | Reuters — EU member states backed a plan on Wednesday to combat antimicrobial resistance, an increasing global health issue, that would reduce the use of antibiotics in the food chain and limit certain drugs to humans. Antimicrobial resistance threatens the effectiveness of medicines such as antibiotics to treat infections in humans, as bacteria […] Read more