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A shortage of a lifesaving bovine product is leaving some Alberta farmers struggling to protect their newborns this calving season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sidney Haeberle, a farmer and farm supply store owner in east-central Alberta, says sourcing enough bovine colostrum has become a recent challenge, despite it never being an issue in the past.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s never been a colostrum shortage. This is kind of new territory and there\u2019s really nothing that can replace it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bovine colostrum is the essential milk produced by a cow within the first few hours after giving birth.<\/p>\n
In an interview Thursday with CBC\u2019s Edmonton AM, Haeberle said the shortage is creating a stressful situation for Alberta’s cattle producers because the colostrum is an invaluable resource for their calves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [call it] \u2018gold in a bag.\u2019 There\u2019s nothing you can change [it] out with to give [calves] if you can\u2019t find colostrum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haeberle said the product is similar to baby formula and can be essential to a newborn calf\u2019s fledgling immune system in the first 24 hours of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe colostrum from a mother is essential for calves to live,\u201d Haeberle said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt provides calves with antibodies and nutrients to get them through life,\u201d she explained. \u201cIf they can\u2019t get colostrum from the cows, farmers will intervene and mix bagged colostrum to give to the calves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bovine colostrum is also vital when a cow rejects its calf, birthing complications arise, the mother dies, or twins are born without enough supply for both, Haeberle said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778996598_115_default.jpg\")
A cow and calf on Sidney Haeberle’s farm located near Vegreville, Alta. (Submitted by Sidney Haeberle)An unprecedented shortage<\/p>\n
Haeberle noted that a colostrum shortage is unprecedented in her experience. Her store, SR Feed and Farm Supply in Vegreville \u2014 about 100 kilometres east of Edmonton \u2014 typically stocks at least 30 bags of the product.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, until this week, Haeberle said her store had been without bovine colostrum on its shelves for three weeks, and has had a particularly difficult time acquiring product for the past two months. She said the shortage is leaving her customers very stressed.<\/p>\n
Now, whatever supply Haeberle receives is flying off the shelves.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Wednesday, I was able to get two cases in, which is 24 bags. But within three hours I was down to 11 bags, because it is calving season,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Haeberle said some farmers have been stepping up to share their supply.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur customers are really good at sharing,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople will even bring extra bags back that they didn\u2019t use.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haeberle said she has heard from suppliers that some of the colostrum is being purchased by people for its purported health benefits.<\/p>\n
According to Health Canada, people may use bovine colostrum to help \u201cmaintain and support the immune system,\u201d though the agency recommends consulting a physician before doing so.<\/p>\n
One of Haeberle\u2019s main suppliers, Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd. (SCCL), said in a statement to CBC News Thursday that it is experiencing a \u201ctemporary shortage of powdered colostrum demand and ongoing supply constraints impacting production timelines.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The company said it is working \u201cto restore inventory as quickly and responsibly as possible,\u201d while expanding plant capacity and production capabilities.<\/p>\n
The office of the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation told CBC News in a statement Thursday it is aware of the concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf producers are concerned, we recommend they get in touch with their local feed supplier to see when they can expect shipments,\u201d the province said.<\/p>\n
Haeberle said she has placed an order for September or December delivery, but is unable to get a firm date.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are just hoping the colostrum shows up,\u201d she said. \u201cMy livelihood, the wellbeing of my animals and my customers depend on it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Haeberle noted that the shortage could have far-reaching effects on the cost of beef.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we are losing calves because we aren\u2019t giving them colostrum, if people think beef prices are high now they are only going to get higher,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf calves are not living, we won\u2019t have the demand to meet what consumers are needing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-674927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}