Antibiotic alternatives for livestock producers

Antibiotic alternatives for livestock producers

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Antibiotics are a tremendously valuable tool in livestock production. For example, at this time of year, groups of lightweight, freshly weaned, shrunk-out calves with an unknown vaccination or nutritional history arriving at a feedlot after being transported long distances from pre-sort sales in cool, wet, fall weather are likely candidates for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). […] Read more

Photo: File

Six risk factors for BRD in feeder calves

There are many factors to consider to minimize BRD (bovine respiratory disease) when bringing in feeder calves. Knowing the history of the calves at weaning time, distance transported, vaccination and health history, as well as upcoming weather conditions will help you determine the level of risk. In bringing in calves, or for that matter feeding[...]
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(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs falter on profit-taking after two-month high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures eased about one per cent on Tuesday as investors locked in profits after prices earlier climbed to the highest levels in more than two months, traders and analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures were slightly higher and feeder cattle narrowly lower, in largely technically-driven trade ahead[...]
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The economics behind bale grazing

The economics behind bale grazing

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

A lot of farmers only see one type of cost when it comes to feeding cattle. They see the feed cost. However, there are other costs which are often overlooked. This would be the act of feeding, also called the yardage cost. The reason this is not always included is because it is not a[...]
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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Drought-hit tax deferral zones named

Ottawa has seen enough drought in parts of southwestern Alberta, southern and eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec to offer deferrals on their ranchers’ 2016 income tax from breeding livestock sales. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Tuesday released the federal government’s initial list of municipalities designated for the 2016 deferral. In Alberta, those areas include Clearwater,[...]
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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent monitors the Canada/U.S. border near Sweet Grass, Montana, about 100 km southeast of Lethbridge. (CBP.gov)

Guenther: Canada’s beef export sector waiting, watching

As speculation swirls around U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to renegotiate NAFTA, officials with Canada’s beef industry are taking a measured approach. They’re not ignoring the possibility of trade disruptions in the U.S., said Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association — “but neither are we lighting our hair on fire yet at each[...]
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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ranchers under quarantine fear going ‘broke by spring’

Winnipeg | Reuters –– Ranchers in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan whose herds are under quarantine due to the spread of bovine tuberculosis told federal legislators Tuesday they desperately need to sell cattle or receive compensation to avoid financial disaster. Ranchers who raise calves typically sell them in autumn to feedlots, where they are fattened[...]
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Manitoba in the past decade has imposed restrictions on intensive hog production in a bid to reduce the nutrient load on the Red River heading north toward Lake Winnipeg. (Dave Bedard photo)

Investors press meat producers to cut water pollution

Reuters — Forty-five large investors collectively managing C$1.6 trillion in assets are pressing some of the nation’s largest meat producers to set policies for reducing water pollution in their feeding, slaughtering and processing operations. The investors, who are members of sustainability non-profit advocate Ceres and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), sent letters to[...]
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