Check floating de-icers and discard any that are cracked or otherwise damaged.

Eliminating the shock factor when livestock watering

Water and electricity can be a deadly combination for livestock at any time of year. Here’s how to prevent and safely troubleshoot problems

This article originally appeared at The Chronicle of the Horse in January 2021. It is reprinted here with the permission of the author.  As a livestock appraiser, I am asked to perform a wide variety of appraisals for insurance purposes. When dealing with death-claim reimbursements, the most common reason I am called is due to […] Read more



There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a mineral for your cattle.

Navigating the commercial mineral market for livestock

Nutrition with John McKinnon

Are you looking for a mineral this spring and summer? If so, be prepared to navigate through an array of commercial options. Differences exist in the concentration of the macro and trace minerals, in vitamin content, the presence or absence of salt, anti-caking and fly control technology and in suggested daily consumption targets. Unfortunately, when […] Read more

(Sollio Co-operative Group video screengrab via YouTube)

Olymel strike talks delayed to mid-month, union says

Quebec hog plant's workers on strike since late April

A two-months-and-counting strike at a major Quebec hog slaughter and processing plant is expected to continue through to mid-July at the earliest due to scheduling issues, the workers’ union says. The Syndicat des travailleurs d’Olymel Vallee-Jonction-CSN — which represents over 1,000 striking workers at Olymel’s plant Vallee-Jonction, about 60 km southeast of Quebec City — […] Read more



This year’s drought conditions are increasing the blister beetle threat to cattle and other livestock.

High numbers of blister beetles in hay pose a danger for livestock

The amount of poison produced by the insects varies by species

This year’s dry weather is increasing the blister beetle threat to cattle and other livestock, North Dakota State University specialists say. “Blister beetles tend to be more numerous when grasshopper populations are high because the immature stage of blister beetles feeds on grasshopper eggs, and we have higher numbers of grasshoppers in drought years like […] Read more



Nestle Canada in June 2021 launched Divine, a reduced-calorie line of Haagen-Dazs ice creams, produced at its London, Ont. ice cream plant. (Corporate.nestle.ca)

More upgrades planned for Nestle ice cream plant

Two more production lines to be added

The southwestern Ontario plant supplying Haagen-Dazs, Real Dairy and Drumstick ice cream and Parlour frozen desserts across Canada is set for another $41.3 million expansion, including two new production lines. Nestle Canada said June 23 it expects to break ground in September for a 26,600-square foot expansion of its London, Ont. plant with “additional buildings, […] Read more


Smoke rises from a wildfire over a hill at Kamloops, B.C. on July 1, 2021, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Nicole Ritter via Reuters)

B.C. presses for ranchers to register before wildfires hit

Premises ID helps protect livestock in emergencies, province says

British Columbia’s provincial ag ministry hopes to shore up ranchers’ participation in the Premises Identification program against the risk of further wildfires this year. About two-thirds, or 5,200, of B.C.’s non-supply managed livestock producers, and all the supply-managed dairy cattle and poultry premises in the province, are registered in the program, the province said Wednesday. […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf to buy four Saskatchewan hog barns

Pork processor plans future upgrades

Two sow barns and two nursery hog barns in central Saskatchewan are set to become the property of meat processor Maple Leaf Foods. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Wednesday it plans to buy the four barns from Polar Pork, a group of farms spearheaded by members of the Possberg family — well known as the founding […] Read more