Beef

The requirements can be challenging for producers and the numbers are still small, but proponents see the ability to demonstrate that vaccination and other protocols have been followed as a valuable marketing tool

by MARY BAXTER

You could really hear the pride in his voice when Dan Darling, president of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), began talking numbers relating to regional feeder enhancement clubs.

Ontario has been slow to embrace online bidding, but now pilot projects undertaken by the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association may accelerate the trend

by MARY BAXTER

Live cattle auctions broadcast on the Internet and offering online bidding might be commonplace in the United States and Western Canada, but they’re still a novelty in Ontario. That may be changing.

Using his iPhone and computers to keep tabs on his herd from afar gives this busy Glencoe farmer peace of mind. But video surveillance isn’t the answer to everything

by JAMES CARELESS & DON STONEMAN

Whenever he wants, Matthew Zwambag can view his purebred Limousin herd on his iPhone via strategically placed still and video cameras in his barns and feedlots.

According to the World Bank Development Prospects Group, beef prices have risen 30 per cent in the last year. But the Canadian herd is not expected to expand rapidly and prices for other commodities have increased even more.
 

by MIKE MULHERN

In nearly 50 years watching the cattle business, Charlie Gracey has never seen the convergence of a high dollar, high beef and high corn prices  . . . until now.

A three-year exemption from restrictions under the Endangered Species Act is in the works for normal farming practices in areas where the Bobolink is struggling to survive

by DON STONEMAN

Farmers taking their first cut of hay this year shouldn’t have to worry much that they will be charged under the provincial Endangered Species Act for destroying Bobolink habitat.

And a federal-provincial pilot project to break down trade barriers is the means it is hoping to use to do so

by DON STONEMAN

Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Inc. opened its doors for business last February. But, from the get-go, the producers backing the provincially inspected plant that sold meat locally had higher aspirations.

Supply and demand, says one industry insider. Cow-calf operators are cashing in on 
good prices and exiting the industry

by DON STONEMAN

Stocker cattle and calf prices have taken a jump upwards that hasn’t been seen in a long time. Cattle feeders are raising their bids at the auction ring at an odd time, when grain prices are also high.

So says one livestock executive about the penalties levied on producers who inadvertently market untagged cattle. Moreover, he says, the technology isn’t there yet to match the regulations


by DON STONEMAN

The new Beef InfoXchange System will share information on carcass yield and quality grade among all members of the value chain, helping to identify the animals in demand


by DON STONEMAN

Wellington County beef producer Bob Wilson is excited about the possibilities offered by the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS), launched in September.

“The beef industry is seriously broken and it has been for some time,” Wilson says.

With the start date less than 18 months away, concerns remain about the accuracy in reading the tags and who will bear the costs

by DON STONEMAN

With the target date for a mandatory cattle identification system at sales barns using radio frequency tags less than 18 months away, a lot of questions remain unanswered.