Health Canada issued a temporary stop sale order for all Deccox products in Canada due to a regulatory compliance issue with an ingredient supplier said animal nutrition company Philbro Animal Health Corporation.

Deccox, the trade name for decoquinate products sold by Philbro, is a non-antibiotic medication for preventing coccidiosis in calves. It’s administered through feed, milk or milk replacers, according to Philbro’s site.

There are no safety or efficacy concerns with Deccox, the company said in a fact sheet posted to the Ontario Sheep Farmers website. It said the issues are with the manufacturer of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), not Philbro and are procedural in nature. Products are not being recalled.

No other products in the company’s portfolio are affected.

Health Canada hasn’t provided a timeline for the stoppage, Philbro said.

“Philbro is working closely with the API manufacturer to obtain clarification and will communicate updates as soon as additional information becomes available,” it added.

Coccidiosis is a disease affecting calves which is caused by protozoan parasites according to an article from Ohio State University. Infection can cause symptoms ranging from depressed appetite and poor weight gain to bloody diarrhea and death.

Coccidiosis can affect calves as young as three weeks of age but is most frequently diagnosed at stressful times like weaning or entry to a backgrounding operation or feedlot, the Ohio State University article said. Calves usually develop immunity by one year of age.

The post Health Canada stops sales of coccidiosis medication Deccox on procedural issue appeared first on Grainews.

Canadian farmers and ranchers held 11.1 million cattle and calves on Jan. 1, up 2.5 per cent from one year before. Inventories rose across all categories of cattle. Beef heifers for breeding were up 4.8 per cent and beef cows were up 1.9 per cent.

Producers held 3.6 million calves, 4.3 per cent more than a year prior. This was mainly due to a 42.7 per cent increase in international imports of calves between July and December.

In the last six months of the year, slaughter of cattle and calves fell by 6.5 per cent to 1.6 million head, StatCan said. International exports dropped by 8.9 per cent to 361,300 head. Despite decreases, feeder and slaughter cattle prices climbed to record highs over the latter half of 2025 on global demand.

Hog inventories down

Canadian hog farmers reported 13.9 million hogs on farms as of Jan. 1, down 0.8 per cent from one year prior. They reported 1.2 million sows and gilts — up 0.4 per cent. The number of boars was unchanged at 15,300 head.

The pig crop for the second half of 2025 rose by three per cent year-over-year to 15.2 million. StatCan attributed this to an increase in demand from processors and international trade.

International exports of live hogs were up eight per cent year over year at 3.5 million head. Hog slaughter rose by 1.8 per cent to 10.9 million head.

Sheep and lamb inventory up

Canadian sheep and lamb inventories rose by three per cent year over year to 833,000 head.

The sheep breeding herd was up 2.2 per cent as inventories of ewes and replacement lambs both increased. Ram numbers were stable.

Sheep and lamb slaughter fell by 2.9 per cent year over year between July and December. Average producer prices for slaughter lambs fell well below those in the previous six months.

Between July and December, international exports of live sheep and lambs rose by 19.5 per cent to 4,900 head.

The post Canadian cattle herd sees first annual increase since 2018 appeared first on Grainews.

Now when I talk about sheep, I will explain the perspectives with particular regard to Canada. The 8,000 square miles of Wales would fit into each of the three Prairie provinces about 32 times — Alberta is 255,000 square miles, and each of the other provinces is just a little less than that in size.

Wales has essentially a mild, wet climate modified by the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic, allowing farm animals to graze from March until December. The rainfall varies from 30 to 40 inches annually on the coastal areas with up to 150 inches just a few miles inland.

Wales today has a peak sheep population of around 10 million, counting both mature sheep and lambs. This conveniently works out to 2,000 sheep from March to October on each acre of the Welsh landscape. Let’s not forget the other livestock, particularly cattle, numbering more than one million, and horses, at 60,000 or more. That means 2,500 sheep per section or an average of eight sheep per useable acre. That number per acre could vary from four to 12 or more. Remember, over winter the sheep herd, primarily older ewes, from November to March drops down to just more than four million animals. Each early spring from March onward, each ewe averages 1.5 lambs per adult animal.

In the rest of the U.K. — England, Scotland and Northern Ireland — there are about another 12 million sheep. Canada, on the other hand has only around 830,000 sheep, primarily in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Some 550,000 lambs and some sheep are processed for meat in provincially inspected establishments annually. Canada exports and imports sheep and lambs, but imports are by far the most, at around 28,000 tons of lamb and mutton valued at $347 million. Farm cash receipts in Canada for lamb and sheep total $224 million or 0.2 per cent of total farm cash receipts.

Most lamb imports into Canada come from Australia and New Zealand, which have some 75 million and 25 million sheep respectively. These numbers, though, are dwarfed by China’s 175 million sheep, giving that country 14 per cent of the world’s sheep population.

Demand for lamb in Canada is high, but it’s often unavailable in the big box stores. On the other hand, the potential for increasing Canada’s sheep herds is high, but I suspect some prejudice exists for nonspecific reasons. Canadian winters may be cold, but most sheep breeds are ideally suited for our cold weather. And if coyotes are cited as problems, how come Australia can manage its sheep-killing dingoes?

There are more than 200 recognized breeds of sheep, with perhaps some 10,000 distinct types, all the way from dual-purpose wool type to wool-free sheep to milk-producing sheep.

Milk sheep, very common in Europe, are unusual in that some lines can produce three to six lambs at one time. Milk production runs from 170 to 240 U.S. gallons (600-900 litres) in a milking interval (year). Much of this milk is made into up to 70 or more cheeses, perhaps the most familiar in Canada being the sharp-tasting blue French Roquefort.

Lamb as a prime-time meal centrepiece worldwide competes very well with quality beef, particularly on European tables. As with the meat from specialized beef-producing animals such as Kobe from Wagyu cattle, prime lamb roast has its own unique types. Where I grew up in Wales, we farmed on the edge of a huge estuary, second only to the Bay of Fundy in Canada. This estuary had some 5,000 acres of grass-covered salt marsh, traditionally grazed by sheep, horses and cattle. These grass salt marshes are periodically flooded many times a year by the incoming tides which in spring can rise as much as 32 feet. Sheep eating these very saline-tolerant grasses develop a distinctive meat, which, up until not so many years ago, was poorly regarded as off-flavoured. In today’s world, this lamb meat is now very highly regarded by the best of British restaurants as salt marsh lamb. The lamb meat from the salt marsh’s 5,000 acres is sold for up to three times the price of regular farm lamb — a prime example of a niche market.

Affluent consumers seem to be always ready for an unusual food experience. Remember, the world’s best coffee is made from coffee beans that have been previously eaten by wild jungle catlike creatures (civets) in Indonesia. Look it up if it sounds unbelievable.

A secure perimeter

I believe there’s a lot of room for sheep farming in Canada, particularly on the Prairies. Until recently I kept around eight Shetland sheep for 15 years at my acreage. I fenced the outer part of the acreage with four-foot sheep fencing on top of four-foot sheep fencing so it was eight feet tall and essentially coyote-, deer- and moose-proof. The sheep were kept on an acre of land that was a mass of poplar roots, suckers and weeds. After five years all the poplars and weeds were killed off and replaced with a lawn grass mixture that I periodically seeded over this area. Within a few years this was an acre of good grazing land. I have always had a couple of energetic border collies within the acreage, and coyotes or foxes have never been a problem, despite having a few free-ranging chickens.

Back in 2010 on my five acres, next to my sheep pen, I came across the fully eaten remains of a large male white-tail deer. This happened in March, in deep snow that year. It appeared a cougar had chased a deer that jumped the eight-foot fence at the bottom end of my property, consuming the deer over many days and totally ignoring the sheep in the nearby pen enclosed only by four-foot fencing. Perhaps the cougar had an aversion to mutton or was discouraged by my border collie patrol.

So, if Wales can raise 10 million sheep on 8,000 sections, why can the Prairies, 100 times larger in area, only raise around 300,000 sheep? The demand for lamb is there, either for domestic or export purposes. As we say, I am not pulling the “wool” over your eyes.

Do not be hung up, so to speak, by so-called feuds between cattle ranchers and sheep herders. I have many times heard the word “pasture maggots” together with contemptuous descriptions about the taste of lamb. Old mutton may not be the best of meats, but there are many in this country who relish moose, deer, bear, ducks and geese, regardless of age or quality. Try Canadian prime lamb chops, Indian lamb curry or Italian/Greek prepared lamb. You just might like it.

The post Why not a Prairie sheep sector? appeared first on Grainews.

“Canada’s new government is committed to supporting our livestock producers,” said Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald in a news release.

Livestock Tax Deferral allows producers in prescribed areas to defer a portion of their income from sales until the next tax year if they are forced to sell at least 15 per cent of their breeding herd due to drought.

“Buffer zones” have been added to capture producers who are not in the prescribed zones but who may be experiencing similar adverse conditions.

“Weather, climate and production data from across Canada will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the season and regions will be added to the list when they meet the criteria,” the federal government said.

At the end of July, 71 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry or experiencing moderate to extreme drought according to Agriculture Agri-Food Canada data.

In the Pacific region, 91 per cent of agricultural land was classified as abnormally dry or experiencing moderate to extreme drought. In the Prairie provinces, 81 per cent of the agricultural landscape was considered abnormally dry or in moderate to extreme drought.

The post Livestock Tax Deferral regions announced for drought-affected producers appeared first on Grainews.

New Zealand ag biotech company Lucidome Bio was chosen as one of 14 global finalists to pitch at the Animal Health, Nutrition and Technology Innovation USA event in Boston.

Why it matters: the Canadian beef and dairy industries have pledged to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A May 14 news release described the company’s vaccine — which is still in development — as “a low-cost, high-impact tool that could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.”

The pitch night is a global platform for animal health and ag tech companies to present “game-changing” innovations to industry leaders, investors and collaborators. Attendees vote for the most promising ventures.

According to Lucidome Bio, the vaccine triggers an animal’s immune system to produce antibodies in saliva that suppress the activity of methane-producing microbes (methanogens) in the rumen. These microbes are responsible for the bulk of methane emitted by livestock, considered significant contributors to climate change.

“A vaccine that reduces methane would be transformative for farmers worldwide,” wrote Bridgit Hawkins, company chair, in the news release.

“What we’re developing has the potential to fundamentally shift how livestock emissions are managed, offering farmers a practical, cost-effective tool that doesn’t compromise productivity. It’s a solution that works with nature, not against it.

“Being recognized on the global stage affirms not just the calibre of New Zealand science but the urgency and relevance of what we’re building. It isn’t innovation for innovation’s sake — it’s a critical lever for climate action in agriculture and we’re proud to be leading from the front.”

Efforts to mitigate livestock gas emissions have been taking place worldwide ever since they were identified as a sizeable contributor of greenhouse gases in the environment.

In 2023, the federal government made $12 million available to help scientists find ways to reduce these emissions as part of its Agricultural Methane Reduction Challenge.

In 2024, Bovaer, a powdered supplement that cattle feeders and dairy producers can mix with feed, was approved for use in Canada. The developers, Switzerland-based dsm-firmenich, claimed it could reduce methane emissions in beef cattle by an average of 45 per cent and by 30 per cent in dairy cattle.

The post Kiwi startup promises methane vaccine for cattle appeared first on Grainews.

Why it matters: While Canadian poultry farmers have been plagued by bird flu, transmission to other types of animals increases the risk of the disease becoming more widespread

Many different mammals have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus across the globe including bears, cats, dairy cows, dogs, dolphins, seals and tigers.

“The case was identified following routine surveillance of farmed livestock on a premises in Yorkshire where highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) had been confirmed in other captive birds,” Britain’s government said in a statement.

There have been cases among humans which have ranged in severity from no symptoms to, in rare cases, death. But there has not yet been any confirmed transmission between humans.

The sheep that tested positive was a ewe with signs of mastitis, an inflammation of mammary tissue, and no other clinical signs, the statement from the British government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency said.

Ed Hutchinson, professor of molecular and cellular virology, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said the fact that the sheep’s milk also tested positive suggested parallels with the ongoing H5N1 outbreak among dairy cows in the United States.

Bird flu has spread among U.S. dairy cattle since March 2024.

He added, however, at the moment there was no evidence of ongoing transmission from the sheep and the case appeared to have been contained.

The ewe was culled and no further infection was found in the rest of the flock.

Britain’s rural affairs ministry has introduced surveillance of livestock on premises where bird flu has been confirmed in captive birds following the outbreaks among dairy cows in the United States.

“Globally, we continue to see that mammals can be infected with avian influenza (H5N1),” Dr Meera Chand, emerging infection lead at the UK Health Security Agency, said.

“However, current evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses we’re seeing circulating around the world do not spread easily to people – and the risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low.”

— Reporting by Nigel Hunt and Sarah Young

The post UK detects first case of bird flu in a sheep, stoking fears of spread appeared first on Grainews.

Nitrogen is one of the most abundant and important of all elements but misunderstood by the general public. Nitrogen exists in three oxide and gaseous forms: nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and nitric oxide (NO). These three gaseous forms often confused me, despite my chemistry background, so do not blame crop production specialists for getting them cross-wired.

Nitrogen dioxide

NO₂ is a reddish-brown gas that is poisonous and highly reactive. It’s a contributor to the haze often seen in cities with high traffic densities. In the presence of water, it quickly forms nitrous or nitric acid, which in contact with the soil rapidly becomes calcium or magnesium nitrate or other stable nitrate compounds. In nature it’s the usual gas that’s formed from lightning strikes, up to a few pounds per acre, when it’s washed into the soil by the accompanying rain or hail.

Nitrous oxide

N₂O, well known to us as laughing gas, is a gas used in dentistry or medical surgery but its use is becoming restricted since it has become a drug now frequently used recreationally.

Its agricultural story is much more sinister, as the dreaded gas produced by cropland is some 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a contributor to global warming. It’s a very stable gas that takes more than 100 years to break down in the atmosphere. Up to seven per cent of global warming is attributed to this gas, whose significant source of origin is agricultural cropland.

Nitric oxide

Here I could say that NO means “yes.” This is a very important gas in human, animal and plant health. Nitric oxide is the molecule (gas) that regulates many systems in both animals and plants. It not only plays a number of key roles in your body but also in all plant growth. NO regulates such processes as seed germination, root development, grain and fruit production. Both plants and animals are able to synthesize NO from nitrogen compounds. Next time you go to the drugstore you will see very many nutrient supplements that claim to boost the NO level in your body to improve your health. You may expect lots of exciting research in future on the role and use of NO in plants and crop production systems and hence animal health.

It’s confusing, but you must distinguish between N₂ (nitrogen), NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide), N₂O (nitrous oxide) and NO (nitric oxide) — in summary, a group of gases that can so easily be confusing even to specialists.

Nitrogen salts, such as nitrates and nitrites, are the foundations of the whole world’s biological system. Nitrogen is the key element in all foods and food production and as salts they can be totally essential or destructive, both as nitrites and nitrites.

All nitrogen compounds, whether organic or chemical, are basically very unstable. To fix nitrogen either in the form of nitrate, nitrite or ammonia takes a great deal of energy. For this reason, fixed nitrogen is the key element of almost all explosions. Semtex, TNT, dynamite, picric acid and countless other explosives in bombs, guns and rockets are nitrogen-based. The triple bond that holds N2 together is very strong, but the bond between nitrogen and other atoms is very weak and highly unstable, as in explosives.

Nitrates in food and crops

Nitrates are present in very many of the foods that we eat, such as bacon and cured meats where they function as preservatives. Such meats are usually salted with common salt and saltpeter, which is either sodium or potassium nitrate. I remember, as a youth, when a pig was killed on the farm, we had to rapidly cover the hams and sides with common salt and then rub in saltpeter to initiate the curing process. (Remember here that clostridium botulinum bacteria (botulin) produce a toxin that is millions of times more toxic than snake venom.)

In the actual process of curing the meats, the salt draws out the water and surface bacteria on the meat can convert the sodium or potassium nitrates to nitrites. It is these nitrites that are then converted to nitrosamines which are implicated as cancer-causing. Recent research, though, has shown that adding vitamin C (ascorbate) to the meat curing process promotes the conversion of nitrite to nitric oxide. As a consequence, nitrite levels in food have been significantly reduced to less than 100 parts per million (p.p.m.), resulting in much-reduced nitrosamines — the problem compound within the food.

Processed meats are not our only processed source of nitrates in food. Vegetables, such as beets, celery and broccoli, for example, may contain significant nitrate levels. It so happens that toxic nitrosamines can be formed in the human body if we ingest both nitrates and amines in our food, even if you are a vegetarian.

Nitrates, nitrites and livestock problems

Nitrates are present in all horticultural and field crop plants. Normally nitrates are taken up by plants and are primarily converted to plant protein. However, under unusual growing conditions such as a sudden severe frost on a rapidly growing forage crop or crops intended for hay or silage or a severe drought on well fertilized pasture, feeding problems can occur.

Cattle are much more likely than horses to experience nitrate or nitrite poisoning. When consumed by cattle, the nitrate levels, if high enough, cannot all be converted to protein and the excess nitrates or nitrites may enter the bloodstream, where they combine with the blood hemoglobin to produce methemoglobin, a form that cannot transport oxygen. Death can occur from asphyxiation. If you suspect nitrate poisoning, consult a veterinarian immediately for help.

If you suspect high nitrates in hay or forage, the nitrate levels will not dissipate over time but you may ration the amount fed to your cattle. Sheep and goats are also sensitive to high nitrate levels, but seem to be more tolerant than cattle. Horses are much more tolerant than ruminants such as cows, sheep and goats — but there are recorded cases of significant nitrate poisoning in horses. In the spring of 2001 in Kentucky, thousands of mares aborted their foals — and the cause was finally resolved to be the well fertilized pasture grasses in that state. The grass pastures were hit by unusually cold and even freezing weather that stopped grass growth but did not stop the accumulation of nitrates. The pasture grasses became unusually high in nitrates and nitrites that were taken up by the mares. The nitrate damages the hemoglobin in the red blood cells, preventing oxygen circulation, resulting in fetal death.

If harvested hay or forage is suspected to be high in nitrates, have them tested by any of several Prairie laboratories. It is generally accepted that the total dietary nitrate in dry matter should be no more than 5,000 p.p.m. or 0.5 per cent by weight. Over this level, high-nitrate hay or forage should be diluted by 50 per cent with other feed. Levels of 10,000 p.p.m. (one per cent) can cause death in cattle and should not be fed.

Cattle should not be allowed to graze on drought-stricken cropland high in nitrogen, nor on well fertilized pasture or late-seeded well fertilized crops heavily damaged by frost. Both instances can result in nitrite accumulation.

In this discussion on N and its oxides and chemical compounds I hope I have enlightened rather than confused you. Nitrogen, on the other hand, in its biological forms, is so incredibly diverse and complex that it would take textbooks to explain.

The post Nitrogen, nitrates and nitrites appeared first on Grainews.

I’ll discuss Al Oeming’s game farm later in this text. Who would even want to go on an African or Indian safari when the Alberta Game Farm had it all and much more conveniently?

Presently, game farming on the Prairies, and in Canada from coast to coast, has become serious business ventures for thousands of individuals or conglomerates. Bison (buffalo) farming is classified as game farming, with some 150,000 bison on close to 1,000 farms across the country — in actuality, from British Columbia to Quebec. Some 90 per cent of those bison herds are located on the Prairies.

While the term “game farm” brings to mind elk (Wapiti), white-tail deer and caribou, in reality some game farms are licenced to have fallow deer, moose, mule deer, reindeer, bighorn sheep, thinhorn sheep, musk deer and even mountain goats. Those are by no means all of Canada’s game farms; some have 200 or so acres of land for pheasants, quail and partridge. A few of these bird farms allow shooting for hunters with the intention of training retriever dogs.

Alberta has the largest number of game farms, at around 250, and also the largest number of bison and elk. Saskatchewan is close behind in numbers, with lower amounts in Manitoba and British Columbia. Saskatchewan allows game hunting on approved game farms, which collectively offer up to 100 hunts a year from approved animal species including bison. Organizations advocating for “fair chase” hunting such as the Boone and Crockett Club in the U.S. disapprove of such hunts and will not recognize trophy antler sets that originate from game farms.

Alberta game farms have been lobbying for years to allow hunting on game farms but so far, the answer has been a regular refusal. Game hunting can only happen in Alberta on game farms that have fenced-in wild boar. On the other hand, wild boar hunting is legal on all of the Prairies year-round permit-free, with some variations. In Alberta you can turn in a pair of boar ears for $75 a pair but so far to my knowledge there have been no takers.

Game farms’ income is primarily from exotic meat sales and, in the case of the deer family, the harvest and sale of the antlers. Some game farms actually trade in breeding stock such as elk (red deer) for New Zealand. Alberta game farm organizations state that game farm hunting, if permitted, could bring in up to $500 million annually and employ up to 300 individuals.

Noah of the North

Now back to the greatest of all game farms ever: Al Oeming’s Alberta Game Farm and its hundreds of exotic animals. Al Oeming, by the way, was co-founder with Stu Hart of the nationally famous Stampede Wrestling. Oeming sold his half of the wrestling promotion company to devote his time to the Game Farm.

Where else in the world could you walk next to 800-lb. Siberian tigers, lions, cheetahs, snow leopards, jaguars, pumas and leopards, and also know that back then he was the first to successfully breed these wild cat family members? Oeming’s hallmark was a cheetah named Tawana that he took to Canadian high schools from coast to coast. At this time Al Oeming also made documentaries on CBC TV where he was known as the “Man of the North” and sometimes as Noah of the North.

Where else could you view musk ox, Per David deer, European bison and all the camelids of the Americas – alpacas, llamas, vicunas, and guanacos, long before they became popular farm animals in Canada and the U.S.?

I could throw an orange to a 700-lb. grizzly bear and watch it stab the orange with a claw on one paw, deftly peel the orange with a razor-sharp claw on the other paw and finally pop the peeled fruit into his mouth. It was awesome to watch orange after orange.

Could I believe watching an attendant pet and hold a fully mature wolverine on his lap? You could watch huge mountain gorillas run around a walled compound, though they occasionally got loose but fried chicken would bring them back. How about watching a wolf pack behave, or a colony of prairie dogs perform? Well, all good things came to an end, due to operating costs and protestors who constantly campaigned against the game farm. Most of the animals were sold to zoos and private individuals worldwide, and by 1982 he re-opened the facility as “Polar Park,” with only a few hundred animals.

Al Oeming remained at the property until his death at the age of 88 on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2014.

In his extremely busy lifetime, Al Oeming also served in the Canadian Navy (1943-46), worked as a professional wrestler and completed a master’s degree in zoology by 1955.

When Oeming opened the game farm, it became a reservoir for vanishing and even vanished animal species, such as Siberian tigers, snow leopards, red pandas, Przewalski’s horses, Chinese Per David deer, European bison and Siberian lynx. These rare animals were just a few of the 166 species in a collection of over 3,000 animals. In 1964 Al was awarded the Everly Medal for Excellence in Conservation by the U.S. government, and an honorary doctorate by the University of Alberta in 1972, along with numerous awards and citations for his pioneering work. He traded exotic animals with China and other countries, all without any grants or government assistance.

In his final years following the creation of Polar Park, Al amassed probably the world’s biggest collection of horse-drawn vehicles, along with all the paraphernalia and countless sleigh bells of museum quality.

Oeming was a truly remarkable man who collected and successfully bred many of the world’s vanishing animal species — a true pioneer in his field with a remarkable nationwide influence.

It is unfortunate for game farms and zoos of any kind in Canada to face obsessive persistence from small groups of misinformed individuals. Take, for example, the 48-year-old elephant Lucy at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. A group of very vocal so-called animal rights activists has campaigned for years to move Lucy to an elephant sanctuary. This group has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a lone elephant, harassed the City of Edmonton, gone to the Supreme Court and ignored genuine animal welfare proponents such as Jane Goodall. A classic case of what we’d call the ‘tail wagging the dog.’ While Lucy remains in Edmonton today, unfortunately, politicians often change common-sense procedures and laws to accommodate these disparate views. All too often the vocal minority wins over the common-sense majority.

The post Where species conservation was the aim of the game appeared first on Grainews.

That was the message from participants in a demo held daily in the sheep handling area during Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2024.

Michael Richards raises a crossbred Dorset/Rideau flock of ewes and market lambs in Haldimand County.

He was component feeding when he started, feeding dry hay in the morning, top-dressing with grain later in the day, then ultimately cleaning out what was left over in the feed bunk and feeding it to beef cattle.

Seeking cost savings and less feed waste, he bought a Jaylor “mini” TMR mixer. The results have been even better than he expected. Richards told the Wednesday afternoon “Benefits of Feeding With TMR” demo attendees that his feed costs went from $1.50 per head per day to $0.43 per head per day.

Labour savings were also significant.

This came as no surprise to ruminant nutritionist Courtney Vriens. Operator of Arthur-based Vriens Nutrition Consulting, she works with both dairy and meat sheep producers across Canada to fine-tune their flocks’ rations.

“Sheep can consume all these feed components in a very efficient manner,” she said — but not if they’re given the opportunity to sort. If grain is top-dressed for sheep in higher production stages, acidosis risk can increase. But this is mitigated when that same amount of grain is included in a TMR.

Vriens added that TMRs can allow sheep producers to switch away from expensive pelleted feeds and instead use more home-grown or alternative feeds such as corn distiller’s grains.

For the demo, Jaylor supplied a self-propelled, 91 cubic-foot mixer powered by a Honda engine and three hydraulic wheel motors.

“This mixer is quite capable of moving around inside or outside the barn,” explained Ontario/Manitoba territory manager Jerry Van Oude.

Other options in the company’s mini TMR mixer line include stationary, truck-mounted, trailer, or skidsteer-mounted.

A mix of straw, haylage and grain corn was created for the demo. Richards explained he uses corn silage in his TMR for much of the year but currently is waiting for corn harvest. Instead, he’s currently using oatlage, dry balage and some concentrate.

The post Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 2024: TMR’s can save significant time and money appeared first on Grainews.

Australia is one of the world’s biggest agricultural exporters and farmers nationwide are increasingly angry with the centre-left Labor government that has sought to ban exports of live sheep, restrict water use and accelerate construction of renewable power and transmission in rural areas.

“We deserve to be respected,” National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) President David Jochinke told a crowd on the lawn in front of Australia’s federal parliament in Canberra.

“There are alternative voices that are united against us. We don’t think they are the ones that should be setting the policy,” he said. “We feel like we are getting stiffed.”

The government did not send a representative to the rally. Agriculture minister Julie Collins told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) the government was committed to listening and had helped farmers by expanding overseas market access and investing in biosecurity.

The NFF said more than 2,000 people attended what was its first nationwide rally of farmers in the capital since the 1980s.

The protest is part of a wave of unrest in Europe and elsewhere aimed at governments imposing environmental regulation that farmers say burdens them with red tape and higher costs, as well as limiting their ability to farm.

“Our message is clear: talk to us,” Jochinke said.

Federal elections are due in Australia by May next year and farm lobby leaders say they will try to eject Labor by raising money and targeting marginal seats.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton told the rally he would reverse a ban on live sheep exports and the opposition agriculture spokesman said he was against water restrictions.

“We have your backs,” Dutton said.

Australian farmers have seen several years of bumper production thanks to plentiful rain, but pessimism is rife.

“Under this government there’s no future for agriculture in Australia,” said Will Croker, a 32-year-old livestock farmer from New South Wales. “It’s not right.”

The post Australian farmers protest animal, environment policies they say harm them appeared first on Grainews.