Closeup of a herd of Hereford cattle grazing in a Saskatchewan pasture.

How the livestock industry can implement better disease surveillance

We may never be truly ready for the next wave of livestock disease, but more can be done to ensure we are as prepared as possible

Mike McMorris of the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation says the livestock industry needs far better surveillance to know as early as possible when a disease outbreak is imminent or happening, better biosecurity on all farms across all sectors, and better information sharing across organizations and agencies.



Ataharul Chowdhury

Two winners of Early Career Research Award named

University of Guelph researchers aim to improve GRIP and disease readiness

For the first time, the 2024 Early Career Research Award will benefit two researchers, Drs. Ataharul Chowdhury and Sam Workenhe. The award is designed to acknowledge the value of livestock research conducted by young scientists on behalf of the livestock industry, said Deborah Whale, Grand River Agricultural Society’s first vice-president and member of the project […] Read more

High schoolers from Iowa got hands-on journalism experience interviewing producers at Canadian Western Agribition. Pictured: Jake VanderHeiden, Hannah Grantz, and Katlin Truelsen, with Lexie Girodat of Rocking G Land and Cattle out of Gull Lake, Sask. (Becky Zimmer photo)

At Agribition: Iowa school group looks in on Prairie ag

Media program students, alumni gather participants' stories

Fresh faces and new blood were injected into the usual cadre of journalism veterans this week at Canadian Western Agribition. Students from Iowa’s CAC Media Group ventured to Regina for hands-on agricultural journalism experience. Hannah Grantz, Jake VanderHeiden and Katlin Truelsen, students from high schools across Clinton County in eastern Iowa, interviewed, photographed and videotaped […] Read more


Jason Cardinal talks market gardens and tech to attendees of the Indigenous Ag Summit at Canadian Western Agribition in Regina. (Lisa Guenther photo)

At Agribition: Northern community integrates tech, education into market garden

Flying Dust working to improve operation's food distribution

Riverside Market Garden, operated by Flying Dust First Nation, started in 2009 with two people and an old alfalfa field. Today it employs about 20 people, plus summer students; provides food for the community and some wholesalers; and gives youth a chance to learn about agriculture. Over the years the First Nation, just north of […] Read more

File photo of cattle on pasture northeast of Calgary. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)

Report aims to show animal agriculture’s interconnections

CAPI hopes to broaden policymakers' perspective

A new report for the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute seeks to educate policymakers about the impact of animal agriculture on economic, social and environmental levels. The report, titled Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture In Canada: A Synthesis, delves into the issues surrounding cattle, dairy and poultry production in the country and how it is interconnected within […] Read more

Jersey Cow on a sunny afternoon

Editorial: Finding a solution to the deadstock dilemma

It’s a truism that when you have livestock, you will have deadstock. No matter how well you look after animals, they will expire from old age or medical reasons. It’s an unsavoury and challenging part of managing livestock, whether you do it for the joy of looking after animals or for profit. In the past, […] Read more


Farm Health Guardian’s Protocol facial recognition controlled barn entry system being shown to attendees at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.

Ontario company launches facial recognition for barns

The system will prevent entry by workers or suppliers who shouldn’t be in the barn

An award-winning Canadian tech start-up that enables livestock producers to protect against entry by disease-risky vehicles has launched a new service to do the same for human visitors. Protocol is billed by Guelph-based Farm Health Guardian as a “system us(ing) facial recognition technology to proactively control livestock and poultry barn entry points, enabling farm managers […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Funding set to improve Ontario deadstock removal, disposal

Application intake open as of Sept. 21

Ontario’s livestock producers could see more and improved options for pickup and sustainable disposal of deadstock through a new federal/provincial program now on offer. The Ontario and federal governments on Thursday opened the intake for applications under what they’re calling the Increasing Deadstock Capacity Initiative, budgeted for $1.5 million over two years. The program, to […] Read more