(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Worker shortfall a three per cent hit for farms: Study

Having the Canadian economy’s highest job vacancy rate has cost the country’s primary ag sector three per cent of its value, new research shows. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council on Tuesday released labour market information (LMI) research which, based on data for 2014, pegged primary agriculture’s annual farm cash receipt losses at $1.5 billion, […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. COOL rules formally off beef, pork

The U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has formally patched a long-sore spot in cross-border trade relations by pulling its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) regulations off beef and pork. The AMS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), published its amendments Wednesday in the U.S. Federal Register. The changes, which took effect upon publication, mean […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

Cargill to supply Alberta carcass data to BIXS

One of Canada’s biggest beef packers is set to supply the specs on beef carcasses processed at its Alberta plant to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s (CCA) BIXS information-sharing system. Cargill and BIXSCo, the CCA-backed operators of BIXS (Beef InfoXchange System), announced Thursday that the multinational agrifood firm will provide its past three years of beef […] Read more



Key players at the news conference announcing the new company to deliver BIXS include (from left) Larry Thomas, national co-ordinator of BIXS; Rob McNabb, general manager of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association; Hubert Lau of ViewTrak, CEO of the new company; and Ted Power, president of ViewTrak.

BIXS being rolled out to the launch pad

New private partnership to take over pasture-to-packer tracking

A service established by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) over the past four years to carry information back and forth along the entire beef production chain is about to shed its training wheels. The Beef Information Xchange System — commonly known as BIXS — is about to begin a new era following the December announcement […] Read more

Key players at the news conference announcing the new company to deliver BIXS include (from left) Larry Thomas, national co-ordinator of BIXS; Rob McNabb, general manager of the Canadian Cattleman’s Association; Hubert Lau of ViewTrak, CEO of the new company; and Ted Power, president of ViewTrak. (Lee Hart photo)

New company set up to deliver BIXS livestock data system

A new company — a partnership between the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) and livestock technology company ViewTrak — plans to bring the newborn unsteadiness of an information exchange network to a full gallop for all Canadian livestock sectors. The as-yet unnamed private company was formed to bring the CCA’s beef information exchange system, BIXS, to […] Read more