Vet advice

On September 22, 2011 in Calgary, the Council of Canadian Academies released a report on Canada s capacity to conduct animal-health risk assessments into the 21st century. The event will go unnoticed by many in the livestock industry and given only a cursory glance by a large number of people who support it; veterinarians included. […] Read more

The argument over the economics of preconditioning has always been out there. The debate has primarily centred around: Who incurs the cost? Who enjoys the benefits? Does it add value? The word preconditioning is implicit in the credo raised right. With greater attention given to beef quality and safety, good animal husbandry practices and a […] Read more

Leptospirosis is an economically important bacterial infection of livestock that causes abortions, stillbirths, infertility, and loss of milk production. Leptospirosis is caused by pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira and is an important cause of abortion and infertility in North American cattle. Leptospirosis is a re-emerging infectious disease that tends to fluctuate in prevalence as […] Read more

Animals unable to stand or walk without assistance are a major welfare issue for the beef and dairy industries. Unfortunately, it took the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company incident in 2008 to sound the need for review. Video footage of downers being dragged or treated inhumanely in processing facilities varnished an entire industry and created an attitude […] Read more

Bruce Vincent, a Montana logger turned activist, recently warned the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association leadership team that agriculture may very well become the next cultural piata for the conflict industry. Through his animated and at times emotional address, he prevailed on professional groups working with agriculture to “show up.” Vincent talked at length how the […] Read more

Animal Welfare was the topic of the Dr. O.M. Radostits Seminar during the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners 20th Annual Conference in Saskatoon, January 13-15. Speakers provided insight into animal welfare from the perspective of sustainable agriculture systems, accountability as a driver of progress, responsible supply-chain management, pain control and public relations. Welfare is […] Read more

A balanced mineral intake is essential for optimal performance. Mineral requirements in cattle vary depending on body type, age, pregnancy, weight gain and milk production. As well, the mineral content of feed varies widely from year to year and the unreliability of guessing what the mineral content might be lies at the root of most […] Read more

Careful observation while in the calving barn and notes kept by producers during calving season becomes an important scorecard for improvement and a management tool for the entire year. As with most things in life, victory lies in planning, a successful calving season among them. Planning starts by understanding where risk resides in an operation […] Read more

2010 was anything but a banner year for forage and hay crops. Incessant rain, early frost and delayed harvesting reduced the quality of most legume stands and the quality of cereals destined for winter forage. Volunteer crops mixed with weeds like kochia are being bailed on land that went unseeded, adding to the inventory of […] Read more

Old garbage dumps litter the Prairies. Through the generations many things were dumped and forgotten by Prairie residents. Unfortunately, some of those things included old batteries, containers of used oil from the days of lead-based gas additives, lead-based paint and elemental lead. Few appreciate lead’s tenacity as an environmental contaminate. A used car battery buried […] Read more