Oscar Lopez Campos explains the potential for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

X-ray beef grading

Developed by researchers to quickly estimate 
carcass composition, it could some day usher in 
robotic cutting into beef processing plants

Five years, 334 beef carcasses, 212 pork carcasses and 155 lamb car­cas­ses later, the meat science team at Agriculture and Agri-Food Can­ada’s Lacombe Research and Development Centre has proof that dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) technology is capable of accurately estimating carcass composition. DXA units might best be described as oversized scanners. Their use in […] Read more





A process to mass-produce penicillin was discovered by USDA scientist Andrew Moyer, shown here in his lab in Peoria, Ill. (Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Vet Advice: New regs to preserve old and new drugs

I’m often asked why even older antimicrobials are still considered medically important to human medicine. The premise, right or wrong, is to preserve antibiotic effectiveness by reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance attributed to wholesale use in animal agriculture. While debate still rages over the impact new legislation will have on preserving antimicrobial effectiveness in […] Read more

Former 4-H Canada president Rob Black will be stepping down from his role as CEO of the Rural Ontario Institute to take his place in the Senate. (Photo courtesy ROI)

Rural Ontario leader appointed to Senate

A leader in Ontario’s agriculture and rural community is one of Canada’s newest senators. Rob Black, executive director of the Rural Ontario Institute and a former president of 4-H Canada, was named Thursday as one of two new senators from Ontario by Governor General Julie Payette. Why is this significant? It has been a long […] Read more


University of Guelph president Dr. Franco Vaccarino (right) and Ontario Agriculture Minister Jeff Leal sign a new research partnership agreement, with Guelph-area MPP Liz Sandals. (John Greig photo)

Ontario, U of Guelph renew ag research partnership

Up to $713 million in agriculture research will be funded at the University of Guelph over the next 10 years through a renewal of the university’s agreement with the provincial ag ministry. The new agreement has been updated to manage digital data and is aimed to provide a base from which to leverage more research […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan, B.C. areas up for livestock tax deferrals

Livestock producers in several more parched municipalities in Saskatchewan and British Columbia will be able to defer income from sales of animals on their 2017 tax returns. The federal government on Tuesday announced its final list of designated regions for 2017, including 20 more municipalities in Saskatchewan and seven in British Columbia. The initial list, […] Read more


Jason Desrochers and family.

Grass lures beef production to Northern Ontario

Raising cattle in the rural outreaches has its benefits and challenges

Ontario cattlemen and the province have begun several programs to encourage more farmers to start raising beef in northern Ontario — where it is colder and the land is more suited to bush and cattle than corn and soybeans. Interest from producers considering a move north has been gaining momentum, and in mid-August 2017, the […] Read more

Understanding the new drug regulations

Understanding the new drug regulations

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

New regulations governing the purchase and use of antimicrobials (antibiotics) necessitate time spent between veterinarians and producers. Everyone has an opinion. Phrases like “prudent use,” “veterinary-client-patient-relationships,” “veterinary-pharmaceutical stewardship,” “veterinary oversight,” and “documented evidence” pepper the pages of government, academic and veterinary documents issued around antimicrobial use. There is a new vocabulary to be learned, the […] Read more