Of the many concerning developments in food and agriculture over recent years, one stands out as being particularly perplexing and disturbing. It is the widespread disappearance of honey bee colonies throughout the North America that has come to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Some beekeepers began to report unusually high losses of 30-90 percent of their hives. As many as 50 percent of all affected colonies demonstrated symptoms inconsistent with any known causes of honeybee death: sudden loss of a colony’s worker bee population with very few dead bees found near the colony. The queen and brood (young) remained, and the colonies had relatively abundant honey and pollen reserves. But hives cannot sustain themselves without worker bees and would eventually die. This combination of events resulting in the loss of a bee colony has been called Colony Collapse Disorder. Certain pesticides are harmful to bees. That’s why we require instructions for protecting bees on the labels of pesticides that are known to be particularly harmful to bees. This is one of many reasons why everyone must read and follow pesticide label instructions.

It has not been said that is is directly related to pesticides however, it shows us how delicate our ecosystems are and knowing how important bees are to our crops we must do everything we can to prevent the spread of CCD. 

It has ruined livestock farmers and unleashed famines that in turn have fuelled turbulence and war.


Stamping it out, a quest that can be traced back to 1920, brought together the World Organisation for Animal Health, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and national veterinary agencies. Their prime weapons have been vaccines as well as routine surveillance, in which outbreaks are swiftly spotted by veterinarians and then circumscribed.


What is this you are probably thinking, well its rinderpest, also called cattle plague.  Highly contagious and often fatal among bovine species but not infectious for humans, the rinderpest virus has a destructive history going back two thousand years. 


Ann Tutwiler, said  "We have a tremendous success that we can count today. It's a success that's born of cooperation, collaboration and partnership and most particularly knowledge,"  

We can make sure this doesn't happen again.

If we can control the spread and end a disease of this magnitude it really speaks for the worlds farmers and how important quarantines are when it come to preventing the spread of diseases.    

Better yet what would it be like if you did not have to weed trees around the yard.  Or could control the amount of spray you apply to the crops, instead of spraying the entire crop you could target only the weeds, saving money on herbicides and reduce the environmental impact.


With robotics we can advance our ability to obtain higher  profits, reduce environmental impact and reduce the amount of waste.  

The European Union is keen to reintroduce practices banned on farms since the 'mad cow' scandal broke.


Member of the European Parliament will vote this week on whether to lift the ban on feeding animal by-products to pigs, chickens and farmed fish. They have been urged to back the move by an influential EU committee, which called in a recent draft report for the feed ban to be revised.

Cattle feed may be protected because cows are vegetarians

The document, from the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, stops short of altering the status quo on cattle feed, pointing out that because cows are vegetarian they should not be fed so-called "processed animal proteins" 


The potential U-turn comes as concerns escalate about how the world will continue to feed itself against a backdrop of rapidly inflating food prices and a soaring population. 


This is interesting, will North America follow suit or will shake our heads. Food scarcity is a problem and I see that people will look for alternatives when they are needed. 

Mr. Gates’ first major address was on agriculture, to high-level members of the Obama administration. Over the past five years, the philanthropic foundation named for Mr. Gates and his wife, Melinda, have spent $1.7-billion in pursuit of food security by helping small farmers in struggling nations.  


The Conservative government’s 2010 budget outlined $1.8-billion in cuts to planned foreign assistance by 2014-15. Official assistance to Africa, the continent most in need of agriculture-related development assistance to combat malnutrition and hunger, has also been scaled back in recent years as Canada shifted its list of priority recipients to more Caribbean and Latin American nations.


The citizens have a voice, I believe that when it comes down to charity and governments giving money they must be very careful, after all a country would not be rich if they did not have the citizens backing them.  Community involvement is very important to me and I feel that we must give back, to feel good about ourselves and to help people in need, but I think it is a bit scary that a few leaders can decide were the money we have given government goes. That high fuel price that is full of tax and the GST, not to mention income taxes. If any one needs help it is the people here, like the people of Slave Lake who have no house left or the farmers in Manitoba that have lost their farm land due to a flood. If people feel that it is important that people in Africa get school then they should individually donate, but that do not mean our government should decide what charities outside of canada need our tax money we work hard for. 

In Canada, an average of 115 people are killed and 1,500 hospitalized because of farm-related accidents each year. By taking precautions to make your operation safer, you could save money, time and lives. Now with seeding and farmers working the field as well as finishing up calving more then ever we are hurrying to get everything done. It is still very important to stand back and make sure that we are still being safe. I am not a a person who will not lift a object over 50 LBS but I just do not want to know one of those 115 people who are killed because of an avoidable accident. I hope you to take a extra minute to be safe because it is worth it.     

The CFIA is an integral part of the federal government's capacity to respond rapidly and effectively in the event of a food safety emergency or a threat to agricultural or forest biosecurity. Agency surveillance and inspection programs are designed to detect the presence of hazards in food, animals and plants and their products, and provide an early warning for problems whether they are accidental or intentional.
In addition, stringent border controls, enhanced surveillance and early detection activities, and increased laboratory capacity enable the CFIA to rapidly identify disease agents or substances associated with agro-terrorism, tampering and vandalism.
CFIA works closely with federal and provincial governments to share expertise, and collaborate with the international community for intelligence sharing, to identify risks posed by foreign plant and animal diseases and pests.

Equine herpes virus is a contagious disease and may spread quickly among horse populations although EHV-1 is not transmissible to humans. Horse-to-horse contact, aerosol transmission, and contaminated hands, equipment, tack and feed all play a role in disease spread. Treatment may include intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatory drugs and other appropriate supportive treatment. Immediate separation and isolation of horses suspected to be sick are key elements for disease control. Equine herpes virus that was been transmitted to some California horses at the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah April 30 through May 8.


The California Department of Food and Agriculture has contacted all exhibitors from California who participated in the  event and asked them to isolate and monitor their horses for clinical signs of EHV-1. A rectal temperature in excess of 102 degrees Fahrenheit commonly precedes other clinical signs, including nasal discharge, lack of coordination, hind end weakness, depression or lethargy, urine dribbling, and decreased tail tone, all neurological impacts.  Therefore, horse owners with potentially exposed horses are urged to take temperatures on each individual horse twice a day.


If they find that horses not at the show are getting sick, then the strain "is not acting as we know it to act, and we probably are working with an emerging disease," said Bruce King, Utah's state veterinarian. 


The sickness is located in the western states, but it is important to always be aware of your livestock and now especially with this disease out brake. 

Cows are usually thought of as a source of food or a fabulous clothing accessory. Some of the most supple leathers in the world come from cows and are used by the likes of Gucci, Prada, and Coach. Such food products that generally come from cows are hamburger, steak, and milk. What most consumers do not know is that all parts of the cow are utilized for other products from the ears to the hoofs. When a cow is slaughtered, most of its meat is used for human consumption. However, if you were to try to reconstruct a cow piece by piece, you would have to look in places like your garden, medicine cabinet, and parts of your car to find parts of the beast. When you go in your bathroom and glance around at your toothpaste, shaving cream, shampoo, lotion and soap. These all contain cow parts in some way, shape or form. When a woman puts her makeup on in the morning she is possibly applying cow parts along with her eyeshadow and lipstick. Zits may not be the worst of a teenager’s problem when he treats himself with his zit cream at night. He also could be rubbing peaces of a cow into his face. Herapin is a frequently prescribed anticoagulant drug. Thousands of people take it everyday. This, is made from the lungs and bovine mucosa of the cow. The adrenal gland is used to make steroid drugs and the pancreas is used to make insulin, a drug that millions of diabetics take on a daily basis. The dura matter of a cow is also used as an implant in brain surgery. It is important that we are utilizing every part to reduce waste.  Ultimately, every last scrap of cow gets used somewhere, somehow. The blood of a cow and its cells are in many industrial and household products. Plywood glues and adhesives have these cells in them because it helps bind the molecules that make the adhesives stick. Fertilizer for flowers also contains cells from the blood of cows. Many gardeners do not even realize that they are sprinkling their gardens with bovine serum from the blood of cows. Fatty acids are also utilized in many products such as tires for cars and lawnmowers and candles. The fatty acids used include oleic acid, azelaic acid, and stearic acid. Crayons also have fatty acids from cows in them.  Fishing line, face wash, chewing gum, food packaging, sweetener, antifreeze, synthentic oil, toothpaste, and sugar. These are everyday items that all of us use. If one realized the mass amounts of products they themselves were using with cow parts, they might think twice about saying what a waste it is to eat cattle. All parts of a cow truly are used to make our everyday lives more convenient and productive.

Jonathan Fox, Jr. of Lloydminster

While I was eating a homemade hamburger I saw the stock market report on the TV. I looked down at my hamburger and I thought how much of this uses oil to be produced. I have broken it down for you to see.  
First off we have the bread, some farmer around the world would have to plant the cereal,  This would be put in using a diesel run tractor. First the farmer would have to plow the fields, harrow the fields , finally we can plant the seeds using the drill. After that we have to worry about applying chemicals like pesticides which are composed of petroleum based products. And chemical fertilizers derived from natural gas. Once the cereal is ready it needs to be harvested. Then it is shipped off using big trucks using even more diesel. It then is processed in a large automated building that is powered by oil and natural gas. 
Then we have the beef that requires even more energy.  Cattle are feed on grain, requiring vehicles to feed them and move them. 
Lastly we have salad that was either shipped in, flown in or grown in green houses.

All in all you can easily see the farmers and the worlds food supply is dependent on fossil fuels. It is important to realize that we cannot continue to depend on fossil fuels because of the increase in price and the decrease in availability.  Until the farmer can control the price of oil or the price of product he sells it will be hard for him make a decent profit. 






  

Artificial insemination has the potential to increase calf crop uniformity and weaning weight, reduce birth weight and calving difficulty, shorten the calving season and even produce calves of a known sex. On Saturday I bread my heifers using  artificial insemination, the neat part about this method is, you have the ability to use cattle from all over the world. I think that science has made our industry a better place, and has given us the opportunity to advance our herds very quickly. Sometimes you may not have access to a bull or you have too many cows for one bull to breed and in these cases it would be more practical to use artificial insemination. For example when the border was closed, it offered US ranchers the ability to get Canadian genetics even though cattle were not actually moving. 

And I think you will like this picture from toonpool.com

According to public perception, organic food is the healthy option. Sales of organic produce have rocketed over the past few years with the organics industry sending out messages of safer, healthier food created by farming practices which are better for the environment. But is it really as good as we think? Critics argue that organic farming leads to the risk of contamination with potentially dangerous bacteria and mould toxins, and increased levels of 'natural pesticide' found in organic produce could even be as dangerous as synthetic chemicals.  I think that it is important to reduces the chemicals and other nonessential farming practices that could be harmful to our environment. For example we have implemented some things of our own we  pioneered "swath-grazing" in 1961. Since then, we have eliminated 70 per cent of fertilizer costs with their swath-grazing practice and do not have to harvest grain, I say it is a win win. It is important to use technology to protect food but also to protect the environment. 

As most of you all will know after reading my blog about the bell L brand, our cattle made us who we are and have helped us develop our future. In 1943 my great grand parents bought our first purebred Hereford herd, this came with their homestead at Symons Valley just north of Calgary.  Since then we have made great leaps forward, We were the first people to export Hereford semen to Australia in 1973. In 1976 we were on the leading edge of embryo transplanting and flushing. It was important to my Grandparents to start our own annual production sale in 1972 selling our hereford bulls. We continued on with our purebred Herefords until 2001 were we sold them to Adams Hirsche Herefords. At this time my father took over the cattle and purchased commercial cattle, a herd made up of Hereford and Angus cows. We use the strong Angus characteristics like strong udders and combined them with the hardiness of the Hereford breed. For 7 years we grew our hereford influence herd to over 500 head. Then we sold our herd and now we are custom grassing cattle. The interesting part is that now, I have purchased two purebred Hereford heifers from Hirsche Herefords last fall. One contains almost all of the Hanson genetics and the other contains only a bit of our genetics. I also have a small commercial herd of my own containing Hereford influence genetics.         

A Cowboy entered a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going to Paris for an international rodeo for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000 and that he was not a depositor of  the bank. The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan, so the Cowboy handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was parked on the street in front of the bank. The Cowboy produced the title and everything checked out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as collateral for the loan and apologized for having to charge 12% interest.

The Conservatives have also pledged to place a continued emphasis on market access and trade. During the campaign, Stephen Harper also spoke about completing the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement by 2012 and the Canada-India Free Trade Agreement in 2013. The Conservatives have also promised to continue to stand up for supply management in all international forums and bilateral negotiations.

With calving season in high gear, I am sure the cost of the RFID tags has crossed the Supper table more then once this season. After doing some research of my own I have begun questioning the cost of these little chips. 


First off lets look at just how they work. Passive RFID tags rely entirely on the reader as their power source. These tags are read up to 20 feet away, and they have lower production costs than battery powered active and semi-active tags. Most passive RFID tags cost between 7 and 20 cents each [source:RFID Journal]. 

What I am trying to understand is how a chip that cost 20 cents max can be costing farmers $3.00 to $3.50 for a little more plastic and large numbers. Don't get me wrong I think that a strong identifying system is key especially when it comes to tracking diseases and other hazards to the industry, but I think that the price has been inflated due to the farmers dependence on the tag to sell livestock. let me know what you think of the price and the reason why they are so expensive.   

The Bank of Montreal on Thursday forecast that Canada’s agricultural sector will grow by between 3.5 and 4.0 percent this year barring major flooding that may hurt crop yields.


The experts think that the crop segment is expected to grow faster than its livestock counterpart, where activity will be limited by smaller breeding herds and high feeding costs. Canadian farmers are likely to continue to experience solid financial performance this year, with crop and livestock prices expected to remain buoyant and output rising on stronger demand and improved yields.


I think that this is very good news!  However, I am still very concerned that the corporate agricultural business will take most of it, if not all of the increase in the market, leaving the farmers once again without an increase in profit.  

 Conservatives

Green

Liberals

NDP

I am very exited to vote and I think that I am going to vote Conservative because their platform is focused on helping farmers and the industry rather than food and the environment. I hope that this post will help you make a decision with your food supply in mind.