Tenderness is one of the key factors affecting beef eating quality. A 10 per cent improvement in tenderness will increase eating quality by more than a 10 per cent improvement in either flavour or juiciness. Youthful beef is more tender than cow beef, but there is no easy way to know whether one youthful carcass […] Read more
Research – for Feb. 14, 2011
Keeping Up With Johne’s
Johne’s disease can increase feed costs and reduce cow longevity. There has also been long-standing speculation that the organism that causes Johne’s may also be associated with Crohn’s disease in humans. Researchers have not established a conclusive cause-and-effect tie between the two diseases, and to the best of our knowledge, neither the World Health Organization […] Read more
Johne’s Disease
The potential link between Johne’s disease in cattle and human Crohn’s disease has made Johne’s disease a research priority for the beef industry. Johne’s disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP). It is believed that cattle are most prone to MAP infection early in life, probably through the consumption of contaminated […] Read more
Research – for Dec. 6, 2010
Background The Mycoplasma bovis bacterium is involved in the bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) as well as the chronic pneumonia and polyarthritis syndrome (CPPS). These diseases are responsible for 25-40 per cent of feedlot calf mortality, and are a leading cause of death loss in high-risk fall-placed feedlot calves in Canada. There are several theories […] Read more
Dark Cutting Beef
Dark cutting beef is purplish black rather than bright red in colour. Dark cutting beef actually resembles vacuum packed beef. However, vacuum packed beef will brighten up (or “bloom”) after the package has been opened, but dark cutting beef will not. Dark cutting beef looks unappealing to consumers, may spoil faster, and is not sold […] Read more
RESEARCH – for Oct. 4, 2010
It is a common assumption that using antimicrobials for livestock is an important cause of antimicrobial resistance in humans. This has led consumer and medical groups in the U. S. and Canada to ask their governments to restrict the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in livestock. Ionophores such as Rumensin, Bovatec and Posistac are […] Read more
Antimicrobial Resistance – for Sep. 6, 2010
Antimicrobial resistance is once again a hot topic among regulators. Here’s a brief introduction to antibiotic resistance. Future columns will summarize some antimicrobial use and resistance research supported by the checkoff-funded Beef Cattle Research Council. In 1929, Professor Alexander Fleming reported that Penicillium mould produced a substance that could kill the bacteria found in strep […] Read more
The Results Of Transport Research – for Aug. 9, 2010
Negative stories about livestock transportation are commonly followed by demands to harmonize Canada’s transport regulations with those in Europe. But will this actually benefit the animals? Alberta Beef Producers and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association each funded large-scale research studies to find out how standard industry transport practices affect cattle. What they did In Alberta, Agriculture […] Read more
Beef Science Clusters Funded
In the late 1800s it took three to five years for forage-finished cattle to reach market weight and condition. Since then, applied research, development and technology transfer by scientists and progressive cattle and beef producers has helped improve the efficiency and quality of Canadian production to the point that we have become one of the […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
