BSE not linked to farmed fish Tuesday, August 4, 2009 A Canadian prion expert says that humans have nothing to be worried about when they eat farmed fish, contradicting a report published in mid-June in the Journal of Alzheimer's Diseases. Neurologist Robert P. Friedland of the University of Louisville warned that farmed fish, eating byproducts rendered from cows and contaminated with the prions associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, may spread Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) in humans."It is a fish story," says Neil Cashman, scientific director of PrioNet Canada. Cashman, Canada Research Chair in Neurodegeneration and Protein Misfolding Diseases at the University of British Columbia, says he has "worked in the prion field for 20 years" and fish do not contract the BSE prion. "You can feed them until the cows come home."Fish could be contagious, he allows, if they had consumed BSE-infected material and someone ate the intestines before the material was digested. "Typically, we don't eat the intestines of fish. The idea is far fetched."On its own, CJD in general, not the new variant caused by eating BSE-infected food, affects more people than generally acknowledged – one in 10,000 over a lifetime, or one per million people per year. Cashman says that, despite claims that CJD is more common in Kentucky than elsewhere, this is not the case. And it is not due to the consumption of squirrel brains, a favourite local treat. Quebec study shows 'local' label works How do you say 'milk the cows' in Spanish?
Ontario crops respond to summer heat Wednesday, July 2, 2025 According to the OMAFA Field Crop News team, Ontario field crops are showing rapid development as summer-like temperatures have dominated late June early July. The warm spell has accelerated growth and helped reduce the heat unit deficit from a cool spring. Corn fields have seen a burst... Read this article online
Canada’s Place in Global Food System Resilience Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Canada’s food system is facing serious pressure due to global supply chain issues, climate change, and rising food prices. According to a KPMG report, bold and united action is needed now to make Canada’s agriculture sector more resilient and self-reliant. With the global population... Read this article online
Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth Monday, June 30, 2025 Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online
Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility Friday, June 27, 2025 Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online
Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost Friday, June 27, 2025 The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online