Data-driven approaches in livestock health management can significantly enhance decision-making processes, leading to improved animal welfare and productivity in the agriculture sector.
The public comment period is an important opportunity for producers across Canada to review the draft Code and provide feedback on how it applies to their operations. Producer perspectives from across the country help ensure the Code reflects the diversity of Canadian beef production systems and remains practical for producers who raise cattle.
For someone aiming to end the global livestock industry, Bruce Friedrich begins his new book called Meat in disarming fashion: I'm not here to tell anyone what to eat. You won't find vegetarian or vegan recipes in this book, and you won't find a single sentence attempting to convince you to eat differently. This book isn't about policing your plate.
"We're bringing over 20 new products... in the adjuvant space, the crop protection space, seed treatment, as well as the plant nutrition space," Walker states, emphasizing the significant volume of innovations for the upcoming year.
Profitability in the cattle business often hinges on understanding the real cost of production, something that can be difficult to pin down when labour, land, and opportunity costs aren't always clearly accounted for.
When you think of farming, what ingredients do you generally associate with a successful harvest? The basics certainly come to mind: fertile soil, plenty of sunlight and lots of water. But there are other variables that can also mean the difference between a crop of healthy fruits and vegetables and a large heap of organic waste. And it turns out that one of those variables is a very small hawk.
There's strong momentum in the cattle industry right now with tight supply and high demand driving well-earned profitability across North America, though concerns remain about long-term supply without cowherd expansion. Trade is a central theme of this year's conference, with tri-national cooperation among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and the upcoming USMCA review seen as critical to maintaining a "do no harm" approach for beef markets.
Central to this window is the delivery of colostrum, which provides essential antibodies and energy. To ensure success, she recommends following a "two by four" rule. "...getting colostrum in within those first four hours is really critical to getting the best absorption," says Fowler, specifying that calves should receive two litres by four hours of age and an additional two litres by 12 hours. She points out that failure of passive transfer can lead to a 10-kilogram decrease in weaning weight.
My older brother has worked with pigs his entire adult life, managing about 70,000 of them across five counties, Faaborg says. But we got to a point where he went from laughing at me to saying: well, I guess maybe I'll quit my job and help you out. Now he's the most dedicated, says Katherine Jernigan, director of the Transfarmation Project at Mercy for Animals, a non-profit that helped the Faaborgs make the switch and set up their new business, 1100 Farm.