A Western blot analysis, used to detect specific proteins in tissue samples, is used to confirm BSE in cattle. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

OIE ruling turns page on BSE in Canada

Canada's BSE status upgraded to 'negligible risk'

The international body overseeing countries’ animal disease control measures has assigned Canada the lowest level of risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) — a move which stands to help clear away lingering trade barriers against Canadian beef. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on Thursday announced it has delivered “negligible risk” status for BSE […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market heating up

Wholesale beef prices climbing

Compared to last week, quality yearling packages were $2-$5 higher while calf values were unchanged to $2 higher. A surge in buying interest surfaced for yearlings last week as fed cattle prices continue to trade near 52-week highs. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $162-$165 delivered and breakeven pen closeouts are […] Read more


Alltech has recognized Shipwheel Cattle Feeders of Taber, Alberta, as a recipient of the Alltech Canada Planet of Plenty Award.  (Photo: Supplied by Alltech

Shipwheel Cattle Feeders receives environmental award from Alltech

Alltech Canada has awarded its inaugural Planet of Plenty award to Shipwheel Cattle Feeders of Taber, Alberta, as well as Burnbrae Farms, egg producers based in Ontario.  In a release, Alltech notes that the Planet of Plenty awards are meant to acknowledge “those who are furthering a world of abundance through nutritional and digital technologies, innovation and sustainable management practices in […] Read more

File photo of a steak sandwich with chimichurri sauce at a street food market in Buenos Aires. (Aleksandr_Vorobev/iStock/Getty Images)

Tensions build over Argentina’s beef export ban

Rural associations pledge pause in livestock trading

Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentine farm groups will halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports aimed at bringing down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said in a joint statement Tuesday. The South American country’s centre-left Peronist government unveiled the ’emergency measure’ to tamp down high […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Drier conditions will influence feeder market

The feeder market was hard to define this week. The quality of yearlings was quite variable. Fleshier types were heavily discounted while quality packages were unchanged from seven days earlier. Calf prices were mostly unchanged; however, values were down $4-$6 in drier pockets of southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Southern Alberta barley prices were quoted […] Read more

Sweet clover is grown extensively for forage, but mould can create an anticoagulant in hay or silage.

Beware sweet clover poisoning during calving

As one producer discovered, sweet clover poisoning can trigger widespread hemorrhaging, especially during calving season

Pilgrim Winslow’s life had mainly been in the fast lane of oil exploration, successful businesses and high-level finance. He retired early and bought a half-section farm east of Regina. Winslow had built a small barn, a set of corrals and spent his days looking after 16 two-year-old Hereford heifers, bred to calve near the end […] Read more


Greg and Trish Tetz bring complementary experience and skills to their meat business.

Crafting a new meat business

Trish Tetz shares how she and her husband Greg launched a new business at the start of the pandemic

Starting a niche marketing meat business is no small feat, but launching it at the beginning of a pandemic takes the challenge to a whole new level. For some time, Trish and Greg Tetz of Three Hills, Alta., had the dream of “opening the conversation between producers and consumers. We wanted to be transparent and […] Read more

Filming Guardians of the Grasslands.

Live launch for Guardians of the Grasslands draws over 500 viewers

After 18 months on the film festival circuit, Guardians of the Grasslands is now publicly available on YouTube.  The short documentary, produced by Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, outlines the role of cattle in preserving Canada’s Prairie ecosystem. Between September 2019 and March 2021, the film was […] Read more