Reading Time: 2 minutes Aiming to prevent “wolf-livestock conflicts” in the region, Saskatchewan’s environment department will again offer a wolf hunting season along the provincial forest fringe starting Saturday. The wolf hunt, running from Oct. 15, 2016 through to March 31, 2017, is to be allowed in wildlife management zones 43 (Melfort, Tisdale), 47 (North Battleford, Turtleford), 48 (Preeceville, […] Read more
Saskatchewan to thin out wolf pack along treeline
Bill to tighten cruelty laws downed in Commons
Reading Time: 3 minutes A federal private member’s bill meant to tighten animal cruelty laws in Canada — alarming farm organizations and energizing animal welfare groups en route — has gone the way of most private members’ bills. Bill C-246, introduced in February by Toronto Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and given first reading, died Wednesday in the House of […] Read more
Where have all the hog farmers gone?
They’ve gone to Manitoba, where they’re enjoying some good years in the face of a long list of challenges
Reading Time: 9 minutes Despite losing nearly 14,000 pig farmers since 1971, Manitoba still produces more pigs than any other province, accounting for just under a third of Canada’s total pork production, and well over half of its exports. For nearly three decades, Manitoba has had a front row seat on the peaks and valleys of Canada’s hog industry. […] Read more
The business of beef in Canada
There’s no such thing as commodity beef anymore, says Alberta feedlot producer Ryan Kasko. It’s an attitude that is transforming the heart of Canada’s beef country
Reading Time: 13 minutes Canada’s beef industry seems like it’s built on a contradiction. It’s a sector living right on the edge of the future. Every aspect of production is undergoing change. New technology is revolutionizing how herds are raised and managed, and new consumer preferences are raising the bar in their own way too, perhaps faster in beef […] Read more
Making hay of environmental goods and services
Researchers wrestle with turning an abstract concept into concrete profits for producers
Reading Time: 5 minutes If you were to ask most cattle producers about the goods and services their grasslands provide, it might seem like an obvious question. Most would say that quality forage promotes the health of their cattle, provides high-quality protein and boosts their bottom line. Others might talk about how their grazing practices promote biodiversity and overall […] Read more
U.K. review calls for urgent cuts to antibiotic use in livestock
Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters –– Massive use of antibiotics in farming poses a critical threat to global public health and should be reduced dramatically to an internationally-agreed target, according to a British government-commissioned review. Agreeing and implementing a global target for agricultural antibiotic use won’t be easy, the review, led by former Goldman Sachs chief economist […] Read more
McDonald’s investor wants it to cut antibiotics in all meats
Reading Time: 2 minutes Los Angeles | Reuters –– A McDonald’s Corp. shareholder group is renewing its call for the fast-food chain to stop buying any meat from animals raised with antibiotics vital to fighting human infections. The move from the Congregation of Benedictine Sisters of Boerne, Texas, comes amid growing concern from public health experts that the overuse […] Read more
Study alleges U.S. fast food still mostly raised on antibiotics
Reading Time: 2 minutes Los Angeles | Reuters –– Most large U.S. fast-food chains still serve meat from farm animals that have been routinely fed antibiotics, consumer groups said in a new report, which concluded that many companies have not yet laid out plans to curb the practice. Subway, Starbucks, KFC and Domino’s Pizza were among the industry leaders […] Read more
Quebec plans new legal status for animals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Quebec’s agriculture minister has tabled a new provincial government bill to raise the legal status of domestic and farmed animals in the province beyond that of “furniture.” Pierre Paradis on Friday introduced Bill 54 in the provincial assembly, with the stated goal of enshrining animals in Quebec’s Civil Code as sentient beings — that is, feeling and […] Read more
Wal-Mart urges meat suppliers to curb antibiotic use
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Wal-Mart Stores is pressing meat, seafood, dairy and egg suppliers to reduce the use of antibiotics, becoming the first large retailer to take a stand against the excessive use of drugs in raising farm animals. The guidelines announced on Friday would limit suppliers to using antibiotics to treat and prevent disease, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
