Export and slaughter numbers tell the COOL tale Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Beef slaughter numbers in Western Canada were up a whopping 18 per cent in the last week of January compared to the same week a year before. While slaughter was down in Eastern Canada, the overall change across Canada was still 12.4 per cent. The increase in slaughter numbers is matched by an 18.9 per cent decline in live cattle exports. Market watchers agree that Country-of-Origin Labelling (COOL) in the United States is the reason. Paul Stiles, assistant manager, Ontario Cattlemen's Association, says that Western Canadian plants were working under capacity previously. Operators of the Better Beef plant in Guelph, Eastern Canada's largest, can't get enough cattle to go to a double shift even when they buy from Quebec.The shift away from live slaughter exports is driven by real uncertainty over the COOL Final Rule, which was to take effect Mar. 15, says market watcher Charlie Gracey. President Barack Obama has since put the Final Rule, (an interim version of the law and regulation has been in effect since September) on hold. Gracey says that, before the Final Rule was announced, American packers were discounting Canadian cattle by $16 per hundredweight after dealing with exchange rate differences.Cow and bull exports are up 36 per cent over a year earlier. They get slaughtered in the United States. It's a sign of the dreary outlook for the industry, Gracey says. BF Board cancels dairy production incentive days Swimming in milk, drowning in red ink south of border
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
Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online
Twelve Ontario Agri-Businesses Receive Funding Support Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Bioenterprise Canada has announced the successful recipients of the second call for proposals under the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream. Twelve organizations across Ontario will receive support to bring innovative agri-food solutions to the... Read this article online
Early Career Research Award supports two Guelph research initiatives Tuesday, June 24, 2025 The 2025 Early Career Research Award was presented to two University of Guelph researchers at the recently held Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) symposium. Dr. Kelsey Spence received $40,000 towards her work in on-farm biosecurity research, and Dr. Sam Workenhe was awarded... Read this article online