Some Alberta ranchers will have their cattle euthanized

Nov 02, 2016

A cow from Brad Osadczuk’s herd tested positive for bovine tuberculosis

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

A cattle rancher from Alberta said he and some of his neighbours will have many of their animals destroyed after a cow from his herd tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.

A cow from Brad Osadczuk’s ranch near Jenner, Alberta tested positive for the disease. Now he faces the reality of losing his herd.

“The index herd, the herd the cow came from, will be destroyed,” he told Global News. “(385) cows and calves, cow calf pairs and 51 bulls and every other animal on the farm. Horses cats, dogs – you name it.”

According to Osadczuk, the CFIA said he will receive some compensation for his losses, but he fears it may not be enough.

“There is no compensation for a loss of business – I can’t live on love until my 1,200 cows are replaced and 50 bulls,” Osadczuk told Global News. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I guess I’ll have to go out and get a job off the ranch.”

The rancher said he worries for his neighbours.

He said a shortage of water and feed will make it difficult for them to keep the herds into the winter, and other neighbours will have a combined 500 animals destroyed.

“They are destroying everything that makes us money and it’s going to take years to build that back up,” Osadczuk told Global News. “They’ve put a halt on any cattle movement, sales or anything – on or off our ranch.

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.