cow drinking water at a dugout

How to detect polio in cattle

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Polio, or polioencephalomalacia, in cattle is not considered infectious, but rather a pathological condition — a diagnostic term describing necrosis of the brain’s grey matter. Clinical signs include: When first described, polio existed primarily as a thiamine deficiency but is now recognized as a metabolic disease involving several factors. Animals exhibiting signs of polio suffer […] Read more


L-R: Eric Bienvenue, Cargill manager Lui Paolini and Canada Beef executive vice-president Mark Klassen at Cargill facilities in Guelph, Ont.

Promoting the Canadian beef advantage

Keeping Up With Canada Beef

Fall is one of the busiest periods in the Canadian beef industry, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to experience this part of the cattle cycle first-hand. At the end of September, I toured Lethbridge County, home to some of Canada’s largest feedlots and situated near some of the country’s largest meat packers and processors, […] Read more



Atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) before they see it is a deadly disease that often plagues cattle in feedlots, but the cause of this illness is largely a mystery.

Serotonin may be key to solving pneumonia puzzle in cattle

Data regarding serotonin with the human form of the disease could pave the way for research into AIP in cattle

Pen riders move through the feedlot corrals on horseback, watching the cattle with a sharp eye. They are looking for illness, weaving through the herd day after day. They hear the animal with atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) before they see it. There’s a rattle in the heifer’s breathing and loud grunting. When they locate the […] Read more

John Duynisveld and daughter, Maria, winners of the national TESA for 2024.

Nova Scotia beef producers take home The Environmental Stewardship Award

Holdanca Farms emphasizes importance of wildlife, rotational grazing and sustainable farming

The Canadian Beef Industry Conference is the biggest of the year, and one of the biggest awards gets announced here too. The lights in the conference centre are dimmed and the hall buzzes with conversation and the clinking of cutlery, but also with excitement as The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) announcement draws closer. The crowd […] Read more



Cow herd recovery remains elusive

Cow herd recovery remains elusive

News Roundup from the November 2024 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Despite high cattle prices, there are few signs that producers are preparing to increase the size of their herds. High calf prices have been a good news story for cow-calf producers, but they’ve done little to help Canada recover its diminished beef herd. “According to Statistics Canada, we’ve seen a decrease in total cattle inventories […] Read more



Biological clocks play an important role in animal behaviour.

Evolution and circadian rhythms of cattle

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

DNA analysis has shown that domestic cattle descended from wild ox in southwestern Asia some 10,500 years ago. An international team of scientists from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and National Museum of Natural History in France, the University of Mainz in Germany, and University College London in the U.K. conducted the study by […] Read more