AFE130610

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see inside & save! Project looks for antimicrobial growth alternatives » page 32

More purebred cattle headed to Kazakhstan » page 8

HELPING KEEP YOUR HERD HEALTHY, STRONG AND ON YOUR RANCH.

See UFA.com for details. Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

Beef_GTG_Earlug_3.08x1.83_2v1.indd 1

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Client: UFA File Name: Beef_GTG_Earlug_3.08x1.83_2v1 Project Name: Beef GTG Earlugs Docket Number: 110201217 Flat size: 3.08” x 1.83” Publication: Alberta Fx

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The silver lining in BSE crisis Prior to crisis, only a handful of Canadian scientists were researching diseases caused by protein folding — today there are dozens, with many working in Alberta By Alexis Kienlen af staff / edmonton

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here’s no denying BSE was devastating for the cattle industry in Alberta. Yet out of every misfortune, there are positive developments. “It was a terrible event with terrible consequences for the industry and many families,” said Kevin Keough, executive director of the Alberta Prion Research Institute

(APRI). “But some of the things that came from it made things better than before.” The BSE crisis a decade ago led Canada, and Alberta in particular, to create a strong research community that is investigating bovine spongiform encephalopathy and other prion-folding diseases — a development celebrated recently at a small commemorative event at the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases at the University of Alberta.

“In 2003, there were probably about five people in Canada who would be classified with a high degree of scientific knowledge of prions,” said Keough. Today, there are now dozens of researchers in Canada working on prions, including at APRI, which was created by the government of Alberta in 2005. The institute has helped the province recruit 11 prion research scientists, who now work throughout the province, and develop two prion laborato-

ries — the University of Alberta’s centre and a prion research laboratory at the University of Calgary veterinary college. Over 300 technicians, students, and graduate students have been employed in the prion research laboratories in Alberta since 2003. “We have created the capacity we were asked to create,” said Keough. “We have created a worldclass environment, international leadership and we have encouraged interdisciplinary research

and have developed research and industry collaborations.” “This allows us to now push through a pipeline of experiments to deal with prions,” added David Westaway, the director of the U of A centre. “We didn’t have this capability before.” Shirley McClellan, who was provincial agriculture minister in May 2003 when the first confirmed case of BSE was discovered in Alberta,

see BSE } page 6

100 years of 4-H

More than 500 attended a gala to celebrate 100 years of 4-H in Canada in Winnipeg May 30. Among the events was awarding of honorary life memberships recognizing their volunteer contributions to Marguerite Stark from Alberta, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin of Manitoba and Bertram (Bert) Stewart of Ontario. Members of the 4-H Youth Advisory Committee were (l-r) Arin Douglas (P.E.I.); Allyson Barnable (Nfld.); Heidi Pickard (N.B.); Breanne Durie (Alta.); Cindy Jaton (Que.); Jacob Works (N.S.); Katie Hunter (Man.); Valerie Stone (Ont.); Savanah Cheney (Sask.); Kirsten Bevandick (B.C.); Charles Gascon (Que.) and Lexi Tucker (Que.).   Photo: 4-H Canada

wait is over

New pig care code draft released } PAGE 7

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