You may run a good beef farm, maybe even a great one. Making yourself remarkable, however, is another matter in the age of explosive artificial intelligence (AI) technology. That was the message from one technology expert speaking to the Alberta Beef Industry Conference earlier this year. Shawn Kanungo, a globally recognized innovation strategist based in Edmonton, argues that the future of beef must be more than maintaining the status quo. The new business strategy, he said, should include questions like “what is our bold ambition?” or “how do we become remarkably different, a freak, or uniqu ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia—Domestic birds that live in and around barns have been confirmed as the avian hosts of an outbreak on dairy farms in the United States of highly pathogenic avian influenza. An April 16 update from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the avian host in this outbreak wasn’t migratory birds, as has been common with confirmed North American outbreaks on domestic poultry farms, but rather pigeons, grackles and blackbirds. Investigations are ongoing about the exact vectors taken by the virus that led to deaths in several barn cats, a mild infection in one ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia – Beef cattle producers in Alberta and Manitoba are taking biosecurity measures should the bird flu strain infecting some U.S. dairy herds jump the border and into Canadian beef cattle. “We’re certainly encouraging producers to keep security in mind during this time,” said Karin Schmid with Alberta Beef Producers (ABP). Recommendations include minimizing contact between cattle and migratory birds where feasible. Any cattle coming from affected regions should be separated out and monitored for symptoms. ABP is also asking producers with new animals on the farm to change and di ..read more

Southern Alberta has received over 200 percent of normal precipitation over the past 30 days. Pen conditions are rated poor to very poor in the main feeding pockets of Alberta. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have received less than 40 per cent of normal while Central Alberta has normal to below normal precipitation. For the week ending April 13, replacements in Southern Alberta over 750 pounds were down a solid $10/cwt from a week earlier. In other areas of Western Canada, backgrounded yearlings were unchanged to down $5/cwt. Calves under 750 pounds were unchanged to down $10/cwt across the prairie ..read more

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has not detected highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. Producers can protect their animals and themselves against spread of disease by monitoring cattle for clinical signs, including a sudden decrease in milk production; contacting a veterinarian with any suspected cases; practicing good biosecurity measures; and contacting the provincial or national associations for any enhanced biosecurity protocols that may be available. Affected cows have lower milk production and thicker milk. Risk of HPAI transmission to ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia – The strain of bird flu infecting U.S. dairy herds could become a problem for the beef sector, but it may not have the same effects as it did in the dairy barn, according to New Mexico’s state veterinarian. The main economic impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle has been reduced milk production, Dr. Samantha Uhrig noted. Most infected cattle have recovered. “There’s been very few mortalities reported and they’re often associated with a secondary issue,” she said. For the beef producer either in or just weeks past the calving season, reduced milk ..read more

The fundamentals still look strong for cattle prices, despite recent hiccups in the futures market, says a market analyst, but for those buying stockers, a little risk management can go a long way. The bovine influenza A virus has infected one person so far but the risk to people and cattle seems low, says Brian Perillat, agribusiness specialist at Bullseye Feeds. However, it has introduced unwanted risk to a red-hot cattle market. “Some of these people have bought very expensive calves anticipating much higher prices. And now there’s some question as to whether those high prices will actually ..read more

The Canadian Cattle Association has initiated an update to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle. The National Farm Animal Care Council is involved, and the update will be in line with the National Farm Animal Care Council’s Code Development practice. The Code Development process will begin with a survey to capture welfare concerns from all stakeholders. Results from the surveys will help the Code Committee understand the issues stakeholders want to see in the update. Everyone can participate in the survey. The Code update will bring the industry into alignment with res ..read more

Most uterine prolapses are uneventful for an experienced veterinarian, and the owner ends up with a lively cow that breeds again without missing a beat. Producers will often ship these cows, but any veterinarian will tell you this isn’t a heritable trait and should not reoccur. If the cow rebreeds, there is no greater likelihood it will prolapse again. Uterine prolapses seem to increase in harder calvings and when cows get positioned with their back ends pointing downhill. The pull of gravity may help the uterus push out the back. If the animal is left quiet or caught ever so gently in a mater ..read more

Glacier FarmMedia – A recent outlook released by Farm Credit Canada says there’s room for optimism in the dairy sector. “It has been a volatile few years for dairy producers, but 2024 is shaping up to be calmer — a return to a more normal environment, if you will,” FCC senior economist Graeme Crosbie said in a recent FCC report. Between increased production and slightly higher farm gate prices, “total farm cash receipts for the dairy sector are forecast to increase 3.7 per cent this year” nationwide, and continued strong culled cow/bull calf prices in 2024 will provide an additional boost to f ..read more