Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Group housing a norm for Ontario's veal calves says industry spokesperson

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario’s veal industry supports the work of American veal farmers to switch their animal housing to group pens by 2017.

But unlike the American industry, which is mainly milk-fed veal, the industry in Ontario is predominately grain-fed veal and the animals here are already in group housing, notes Jennifer Haley, executive director of the Ontario Veal Association. The one company that raises milk-fed veal in Ontario has made “huge steps to group housing efforts already voluntarily.”

In the United States, the American Veal Association voted unanimously in favour of a resolution in 2007 calling for all veal farmers in that country to change their operations to group housing. A recent survey reveals that 70 per cent of veal calves raised by association members will be housed in group pens by the end of this year, it says in an association press release.

The American association estimates that U.S. veal farmers will spend $250 million over 10 years on new technology to retrofit or build new barns to accommodate group-housing methods. Veal farms in the U.S. are typically small family farms with 200 to 250 animals. They are generally located in states with significant dairy production where farmers raise the male Holstein calves born on dairy farms and utilize the milk by-products from those farms.

Haley says this is an important issue “in terms of consumer perceptions and understanding in how we raise our animals.” The Ontario industry applauds American veal farmers for voluntarily changing to group housing at their own expense. “It’s fantastic.” BF
 

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Tips for first year university students

Friday, August 29, 2025

The final weekend of summer is here, and students across Ontario will be returning to class next week. That includes at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus, where staff, faculty, and volunteers are preparing to welcome a new crop of first year students. “There’s definitely a... Read this article online

Sterling buckle marks 170 years at Spencerville Fair

Friday, August 29, 2025

For its 170th anniversary, the Spencerville Fair is presenting a distinctive piece of Canadian silverwork that reflects nearly two centuries of agricultural tradition. The 170th Anniversary Spencerville Fair Sterling Silver Buckle was designed and handcrafted by Alex Dordevic of TRIBE, a... Read this article online

Ontario Farmers Share Yield Strategies Amid Drought

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Great Ontario Yield Tour held an event at Petersen Custom Farming in Osgood, Ontario, on Thursday, August 21, 2025. The farmer panel during lunch was one of the highlights of the event. Farmers and industry experts gathered to discuss yield strategies and the realities of this season’s... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top