Much of Austria is covered in pastoral mountainside fields – beautifully scenic but largely unsuited for agriculture.
But in the mountainous northern regions of the Austrian province of Styria, some entrepreneurial farmers are not only making a living by farming on the alpine pastures, they’re also revitalizing rural communities and keeping ancient traditions alive.

The following article was first published in Ontario Beef Farmer magazine, July 2008:
It sickens thousands of people every year, killing some and leaving others with permanent health damage. But it doesn’t affect the animals that harbour and shed the bacteria, making the disease invisible to farmers.

Now, a new, made-in-Canada cattle vaccine to reduce human risk [...]

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced a recall of beef products on the weekend because it may contain e.coli 0157:H7. This is just the latest food scare related to this deadly strain of e.coli – the same strain that killed seven people and sickened hundreds more in the Ontario town of Walkerton in 2000 [...]

Irraditating food may be the only way of killing the bacteria in your food. Washing fresh fruits and vegetables – a tried and true method for generations – may not be enough to rid them of bacteria like e.coli that cause food poisoning, even if using chlorine disinfectants.
E. coli, salmonella and listeria can all [...]

The record-high prices for soybeans, corn and wheat brought about by the ethanol craze are a boon to long-suffering Canadian grains and oilseed farmers who have struggled in recent years. But what’s good for some farmers spells economic disaster for others as the high prices drive up the costs of livestock feed for cattle, sheep [...]

Meeting the needs of a finicky consumer is hard – but essential for success in the evolving global marketplace. And it’s something farmers need to start committing to, according to a popular agricultural economist from Kansas State University.
“We need to understand consumer needs and how ungrateful they are,” said Dr. Vincent Amanour-Boadu as he [...]

If producers don’t survive, the rest of the industry won’t either.
That’s the blunt message Canadian Pork Council president Clare Schlegel is hoping the government will hear loud and clear. The Canadian livestock industry has been battling an economic crisis since last summer, when Canada’s high-flying currency helped sink cattle and hog prices and drive up [...]