Packers have another record year

Packers have another record year

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

Converting cattle into beef has never been an easy way to make money. Beef processing involves the need for large amounts of cash, the vagaries of the weather, the possibility of a product recall and the headache of running a plant with enough workers. These and other factors apply to packers both in Canada and […] Read more

This file photo shows a rack of blood samples being tested for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand dairy cattle. (Lakeview_Images/iStock/Getty Images)

Bovine TB probe expands to Saskatchewan

Updated, Dec. 24 — Some cattle in Saskatchewan are now under federally imposed movement controls as testing for bovine tuberculosis expands to 14 domestic herds in three provinces. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced Friday the tracing of a single case of bovine TB in a beef cow from a farm in British Columbia’s southern […] Read more


When cows bale graze, are they letting good quality forages fall by the wayside?

Bale grazing trial looks at feed waste

Grazing: News Roundup from the December 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Bale grazing is a common winter feeding practice but how much forage are those cows leaving behind? Alberta Agriculture and Food recently shared results from one trial that examined that question. The Lakeland Agricultural Research Association (LARA) measured waste from bale grazing over four winters, from 2008 through 2011. The study was done using the […] Read more

The additional requirements placed on Canada’s processing sector because of BSE created a significant economic disadvantage to others. Now that Canada has achieved negligible risk status, CCA will focus on aligning packing house requirements with international recommendations and removing the remaining BSE era market access restrictions.

In the blink of an eye

Nutrition with John McKinnon

Writing this column is somewhat of a reflective event, as it is the last column I will write as a member of the University of Saskatchewan agriculture faculty. I have been blessed to have worked at the U of S for 32 years, the last 26 of which I have served as the Saskatchewan Beef […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

McDonald’s to curb antibiotic use in its beef supply

Reuters — McDonald’s Corp. said Tuesday it plans to reduce the use of antibiotics in its global beef supply, fueling projections that other restaurants will follow suit. The move by the world’s biggest fast-food chain addresses concerns that the overuse of antibiotics vital to fighting human infections in farm animals may diminish the drugs’ effectiveness […] Read more

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

What we know about Fatigued Cattle Syndrome

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

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


Tuberculosis bacteria under an electron microscope. (Janice Haney Carr photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.))

Bovine TB case turns up in southern B.C.

Federal food safety officials are now looking into the life story of a slaughtered British Columbia beef cow confirmed with bovine tuberculosis. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced it has launched an investigation after a mature beef cow was confirmed Nov. 9 with bovine TB. The case comes a few months after the […] Read more



Brian and Connie Chrisp with their grandchildren.

Make them pay their own way

That sort of sums up Brian Chrisp’s view on rearing purebred cattle

When Brian Chrisp went to college with plans of becoming a veterinarian, he didn’t think he would ever want to come back to the family farm near Vermilion, Alta. But life intervened. “While I was in college I switched course and got an ag economics degree at the University of Alberta. As graduation neared, I[...]
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Two-month-old calves were numbered to identify them as they were sampled for blood and weighed through the chute.

Pain control in cattle remains a complex issue

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

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[...]
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