Innovation & Technology

University of Saskatchewan WCVM Today by Lianne Price Johne’s disease is an incurable enteric disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis. The pathogen causes extreme diarrhea with severe weight loss resulting in death. Over 67 per cent of Canada’s dairy herds are infected with this chronic infectious disease, which spread quickly throughout dairy herds as…

A new pilot project has been launched to help conserve native grasslands, one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada, which remain under pressure from development. The “Retaining Canada’s Grasslands Using Carbon Offset Markets” is a two-year pilot that will allow landowners and ranchers to generate carbon offsets for carbon stored in conserved grasslands in…

As someone who follows the BCRC Blog, you’re almost guaranteed to be what we call a ‘Canadian beef industry stakeholder’, meaning you own or manage beef cattle, conduct research on beef, cattle or forages, are a large animal veterinarian, own or work for an abattoir/beef processor, are a government employee in a beef-related role, work or…

Canadian Cattlemen by Lisa Guenther A recent two-year trial examined the effects of 3-NOP, an additive developed by Royal DSM, in the diets of both finishing and backgrounding cattle. Recent research out of Alberta has confirmed that a novel feed additive cuts methane emissions from feedlot cattle by as much as 80 per cent, depending…

RDAR has announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Redmond as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 1. Dr. Gerald Hauer has filled the role of interim CEO since the organization’s inception and will continue to assist in the transition. Dr. Redmond joins RDAR with over 25 years of experience in business, research and academics…

More than $2.9 million dollars will be invested by beef producers into new research and technology transfer projects in 2021 through the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off.  Proposals for twenty-nine more projects have been approved for funding by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) to advance Canada’s beef sector. Matt Bowman, BCRC Chair and a producer…

Successful Farming by Bill Spiegel Billy Beane upended professional baseball in the early 1990s when he added unprecedented levels of data analysis to traditional player scouting metrics of running, fielding, throwing, hitting, and hitting for power.   The general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s use of data – called sabermetrics in baseball jargon…

Moose Jaw Today by Ron Walter New technology changed agriculture when global positioning service (GPS) first became available about 20 years ago. GPS allows farmers to map fields for fertilizer and chemical needs and reduce or increase these inputs as necessary. The year 2021 may become known as the year agriculture once again adopted new…

BEEF by Willie Vogt When discussing greenhouse gases, a critical measure is methane. The gas has greater impact than carbon dioxide on climate science, and often livestock are considered the key culprit. A Dutch company may have found the answer for cattle contributions with a feed additive that cuts methane emissions from livestock by as…

The Western Producer by Mary MacArthur It took farmer, inventor and recycler Danny Farkash about 2 1/2 years to figure out how to build a machine that turns used agricultural plastic into fence posts. Using old oilfield pipe, an anhydrous ammonia tank, a straw chopper, parts of a swather and other bits and pieces, Farkash…