Agriculture Roundup

May 31, 2022

resumptive cases of the avian flu have been found in 11 mammals in Saskatchewan.

Pathologist Trent Bollinger of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine said the bird flu is why some skunks and red foxes have recently died or have been behaving abnormally. He said it’s unusual to have this many cases of the virus.

Bollinger added avian flu doesn’t appear to be transferring to people or pets.

A town northeast of Edmonton has issued a warning to residents after wild boars were seen roaming local streets.

A notice from Lamont, Alta. said people should not corner or provoke the animals if they encounter one.

A researcher said wild boars could soon move from the bush into cities after they were spotted in at least 28 rural municipalities and counties.

Ryan Brook added the animals are smart and can eat almost anything.

Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan and Agriculture in the Classroom will be sponsoring lunch and activities this week to help students and teachers learn more about how food is produced.

The six schools in Prince Albert, Regina, Yorkton, Lloydminster, and Saskatoon will receive a hot egg sandwich with bacon and cheese, along with a carton of milk, a granola bar and beef jerky snacks.

Students and teachers will get a Meals from the Farm bag that includes snacks, activities, pencils, recipes, and seeds for the garde.

Farm and Food Care has also prepared a series of online lessons to help the public gain a basic understanding of some of the main sectors of agriculture.

There’s also an online farm trivia contest for participating schools to test their farm knowledge and win prizes for the classroom.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.