Wanted: more info about Ontario cattle pricing Monday, May 9, 2016 by SUSAN MANNA change in how beef farmers market their cattle has prompted Beef Farmers of Ontario to renew its calls for producers to report sale prices voluntarily.Beef Farmers communications manager LeaAnne Wuermli, said the organization has been collecting sales information provided voluntarily by producers for the past 10 years.“We’ve really just recently promoted a communications effort to see if we can’t increase the number of producers that forward us pricing on a voluntarily basis,” she said.The farmers’ information is kept confidential and Beef Farmers doesn’t share who provides the prices with anyone, she explained.Wuermli didn’t have an exact number for the producers who currently report pricing details. “I would say it’s a handful of producers (who) would report their prices.”Furthermore, there isn’t a specific number for how many more producers Beef Farmers would like to see report prices. “We just want to be able to have a consistent and frequent reporting of data.”Beef Farmers of Ontario does its own reporting of rail grade prices three times a week.Wuermli said there has been a change in how cattle are being marketed. Sales are negotiated on a live weight or dressed (carcass) weight basis and in the past there were more live weight-based sales. Now “more producers are selling dressed. We’re looking for dressed information.”Live prices are traditionally taken from auction markets and “that’s how we access that information. Dressed prices are negotiated with the packers,” she said.Farmers have a number of different ways they can report prices to Beef Farmers, including:by phone at (519) 824-0334, extension 235;by email at markets@ontariobeef.com;by direct message on Twitter @OntarioBeef; andby fax at (519) 824-9161. BF Watch poultry carefully and keep following those biosecurity plans, Ontario poultry industry told Government and dairy officials to meet soon to work out solution on milk protein imports
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