
Tag Archives Meat industry

Get rid of your cattle if they’re getting too big
Heavier cattle — particularly ones with small frames — can develop feet problems, especially if they suffer heat stress
Don’t keep big, fat cattle around because it could increase animal welfare problems. Animal welfare icon Temple Grandin has recently been sounding alarms about more lameness in beef cattle and part of that is related to heavier weights and genetics. “There are certain genetic lines of beef cattle that are repeating a mistake the pig […] Read more

Bov-Innovation: Putting Theory into Practice
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
There is no shortage of beef industry conferences, workshops and meetings for Canadian beef producers to attend throughout the year. These have included the Canfax forum, the Canada Beef forum, Cattlemen’s Young Leaders forums, industry golf tournaments, tours, national, provincial and breed association meetings, the International Livestock Congress, and many more. Although they are valuable […] Read more

Canada sets the bar for feedlot animal care
Buttons were bursting with pride at the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) with the recent release of the first national certified program in North America for assessing the care of beef animals in backgrounding and finishing operations. Officially known as the Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program, it is an auditable seal of approval for […] Read more
History: Retirement of Wilbur McKenzie
Reprinted from the March 1947 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Retirement of Wilbur McKenzie By C.F. Steele, Lethbridge, Alta. W.C. Wilbur McKenzie, managing director of the Alberta Co-op Association, resigned his position with the Lethbridge organization and will retire the first of April. Mr. McKenzie, one of the best-known livestock-marketing men in the West, will look after his personal interests in the city and district […] Read more

Expect cattle market volatility to continue
Prime Cuts with Steve Kay, from the February 2016 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
The North American meat and livestock industry got a welcome pre-Christmas present when Congress repealed the beef and pork parts of the country-of-origin labelling law. The move brought relief and a certain rejoicing in all three countries. Not only can normal movement of livestock resume without costly segregation, potentially disruptive retaliatory tariffs were avoided. The […] Read more

The environmental hoofprint of Canada’s beef industry
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Our industry is maligned for producing greenhouse gas. Practically every living organism produces greenhouse gas, even plants, but cattle produce more than other livestock because rumen bacteria produce methane as they digest feed. Additional greenhouse gas comes from manure (methane and nitrous oxide) and fossil fuel use (carbon dioxide). However, like the industry’s “water footprint,” […] Read more
Cattle identification agency refines its database
News Roundup from the December 2015 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) added a few new reporting fields to its Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS) database, a key component in the national livestock traceability system. As of November 20, the database now accepts 15-digit 840-series USDA tag identification (ID) numbers to keep track of imported animals as they move through the […] Read more

Beef Watch: Canadian herd shows no growth
Prepared by the staff of Canfax and Canfax Research Services, divisions of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
U.S. herd expansion in 2015 means more calves are available south of the border this fall. In contrast the Canadian herd continued to contract. As U.S. beef production rebounds in 2016, there is potential for beef and cattle prices to decline. Current prices are being supported by a lower exchange rate. Has Canada missed out on […] Read more

Comment: WHO got the black eye?
I can’t help but wonder if the scientists at the World Health Organization were surprised by public reaction to their linking processed meat and red meat to cancer. Within hours the hashtags #FreeBacon, #Bacongeddon and JeSuis Bacon exploded to the top of the twitterverse with negative tweets outnumbering the positives by seven to one. German […] Read more

Blame it on the rain, not the beef industry
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
This summer has seen unusual rainfall patterns, low river levels and drought in large parts of Western Canada and the Western States. Some people blame water shortages on the beef industry and are ready to answer the question, “how much water does beef production use?” Unfortunately, these answers are often wrong, highly misleading and based […] Read more