Livestock Health
Ergot rears its ugly head on the Prairies
May 11th, 2012
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A fungus that’s linked to human poisoning in the Middle Ages and even the 17th century Salem witch trials is affecting cattle in Western Canada today. Claviceps purpurea is a fungus that mainly grows on rye, wheat, barley and triticale and causes ergot — a disease of grasses and cereal crops. Ergot is most common in European countries and parts …
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Disease investigation unit’s funding renewed
Renewed support from the Saskatchewan government will allow a team of people at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) to continue investigating unusual outbreaks of disease among the province’s livestock herds until 2015. In February, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud announced that the provincial government will provide up to $50,000 per year to the WCVM’s Disease Investigation Unit (DIU) …
March 27th, 2012 Full story »
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Lead poisoning perennial problem in cattle
Every year, Dr. Barry Blakley watches the number of confirmed bovine lead poisoning cases spike during the months of May and August — peak times for seeding and harvesting on the Prairies. “About two days after farmers start seeding, we see a jump in the number of lead poisoning cases,” says Blakley, a toxicologist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine …
January 15th, 2012 Full story »
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Why are iodine levels rising in milk?
It’s a warm, muggy July morning at Dalvoorde Dairies – a dairy farm owned and operated by Jason Wildeboer in Warman, Sask. With the sweet smell of wet grass in the air and the chants of mooing cows breaking the quiet, Patty Tulloch arrives at the dairy farm at five a.m. to observe Wildeboer’s morning milking routine. As Wildeboer rotates …
September 01st, 2011 Full story »
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Stress-free livestock handling
6:30 a.m. I pack my coveralls and rubber boots as I get ready for my day at the Goodale Research Farm – an 840-hectare farm that’s owned and operated by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). Located a few kilometres southeast of Saskatoon, the farm supports more than 230 head of beef cattle and specialized livestock. Many of the …
August 11th, 2011 Full story »
