animal welfare Archives | Page 2 of 7

Ed Pajor takes the reins at W.A. Ranches

By Piper Whelan December 10, 2018

The donation of W.A. Ranches also kicks off an exciting new chapter for Ed Pajor, who has been appointed the ranch’s first director. Pajor was raised on a tobacco farm in southern Ontario and studied biology as an undergraduate at the University of Waterloo. There, he participated in a co-op program as part of his […] Read more

Fatigued Cattle Syndrome can exhibit in highly finished cattle following transport.

Finishers, Livestock, Vet advice

What we know about Fatigued Cattle Syndrome

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

By Dr. Ron Clarke December 7, 2018

Fatigued Cattle Syndrome (FCS) appeared as a clinical syndrome during the summer of 2013. Scientists described it as a novel syndrome affecting highly finished cattle following transport. FCS became a welfare issue when first described and remains a potential welfare problem if not managed properly. Prevention of FCS appears on many conference agendas covering beef […] Read more

Features, News

Take-aways from the 2018 beef summit, Part 1

This is the first of a two-part series highlighting “take-aways” from the 2018 Beef Summit in Calgary that combined the International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare and the UCVM Beef Cattle Conference

By Dr. Ron Clarke November 30, 2018

Pain mitigation Andrew Fisher, University of Melbourne A number of presentations at this year’s summit dealt with pain in livestock and the responsibility of producers, veterinarians and everyone in contact with livestock to lessen discomfort whenever possible. It’s universally accepted that day-to-day husbandry practices include things that cause pain; procedures such as hot-iron branding, dehorning […] Read more

Comment/Columns, Straight from the hip

Who do you think you are?

Straight from the hip with Brenda Schoepp

By Brenda Schoepp November 2, 2018

The business of agriculture is getting it from all sides. Some folks liken farmers, ranchers and cattle feeders to monsters who are destroying the land and even more so the air. Society has a way of defining those involved in food production by what they do and not who they are. When someone asks us […] Read more

Two-month-old calves were numbered to identify them as they were sampled for blood and weighed through the chute.

Features, Livestock

Pain control in cattle remains a complex issue

The age of the animal is often a factor when considering pain mitigating options

By Piper Whelan October 2, 2018

When it comes to pain mitigation practices for her cattle operation, Cecilie Fleming believes it’s the right thing to do. It’s also proven to be practical and cost-effective, factors that many beef producers consider when deciding whether to implement pain control. Fleming, who raises purebred Angus, Simmental and Charolais cattle with her family at Fleming […] Read more

Curt Pate demonstrates his pressuring technique with cattle in the chute.

Beef Cattle, Features, Livestock

Effective stockmanship adds to the bottom line

... and it’s the right thing to do

By Piper Whelan September 28, 2018

For Curt Pate, handling cattle in an effective manner is vital to a stockman’s success. “What we really need to think about are what the effects of our cattle handling are doing to the performance of our cattle,” he said during the 2018 Western Canada Feedlot Management School in Regina. Pate, who came into the […] Read more

Food consumers increasingly want to know how their food is produced, how animals are cared for, and want guarantees that beef is safe and has been produced in a sustainable way.

Beef Cattle, News, Prime cuts

Tyson leads transparency push on beef production

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

By Steve Kay September 27, 2018

Consumers in the U.S. and Canada increasingly want to know how their food is produced. As far as beef is concerned, they want to know how animals are cared for, they want guarantees that beef is safe and that it has been produced in an environmentally sustainable way. Until now, the beef industries in both […] Read more

A recent study for one of the world’s largest beef companies found respondents indicate that an animal’s diet is directly related to food safety.

Comment/Columns, Straight from the hip

Carbon cut on beef

Straight from the hip with Brenda Schoepp

By Brenda Schoepp September 14, 2018

Will consumers want carbon-neutral and certified cared for beef? Will they determine those to be traits of safe food? Australia has set a goal of carbon-neutral meat production by the year 2030. The focus will be on trees and grasses that cover and sequester carbon for the nation’s 28 million head of cattle, 70.9 million […] Read more

An AAFC study found that while most unfit animals were being dealt with properly, there was room for improvement in terms of assessing cattle prior to transport.

Livestock, News, News Roundup

Better tools needed to keep unfit cattle off the truck

Research: News Roundup from the August 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

By Canadian Cattlemen Staff August 24, 2018

Researchers have found that improving guidelines for identifying compromised and unfit cattle prior to transport could help lower the number of these animals being transported. A study by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) on the prevalence of compromised and unfit cattle coming into Alberta auction markets and abattoirs has found that while most of these […] Read more

General, Reuters

Swiss government urges voters to reject more state help for farmers

By John Revill August 21, 2018

Zurich | Reuters — The Swiss government urged voters on Tuesday to reject more help for farmers and other proposals for agriculture in a referendum next month, saying they would send food prices rocketing and hurt the economy. Switzerland will two hold referendums on Sept. 23 — one on giving more state support to farmers […] Read more

COVID concerns weigh on chicken farmers, processors

U.S. livestock: Live cattle down as slaughter recovers, beef prices sag

U.S. grains: Wheat falls as dollar bounces

GFM Network News