Reading Time: 3 minutes General Motors declared bankruptcy in June of 2009 after steadily losing money since 2005. GM’s plight has become a case study and is often used in education programs for directors on boards, but it also holds a lesson for farmers. During the time of its decline, GM was scrambling to produce a vehicle for everyone […] Read more
Schoepp: A solid foundation is key to resilience and can’t be neglected
This summer spoke volumes about the need for rotational grazing and regenerative practices
The pandemic taught us many lessons in the animal health field
The supply chain stayed strong and co-operation made it stronger, and that’s very important
Reading Time: 3 minutes The direct contact between veterinarians and producers and pharmaceutical reps and technical services veterinarians has begun to open up again. Each pharmaceutical company had different restrictions on travel and rules on in-person contact and, of course, are fully abiding by the local health rules of the different provinces. The good news is that during the […] Read more
Keep watch and take quick action when it’s sizzling out
You can help your horse beat the heat with a few simple steps
Reading Time: 3 minutes Extreme bouts of hot weather are particularly stressful for horses and for some, even more stressful than extreme bouts of cold weather. Thus it becomes particularly important to identify the individuals at a greater risk for heat stress and what factors can provide extra care for them when necessary. Those particularly prone to heat stress […] Read more
Schoepp: In a changing world, a host of new questions need answering
Data ownership and who pays for sustainability measures are just two of many issues farmers must grapple with
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is a lot of pressure on farmers to adopt sustainable practices, digitize, understand carbon, conserve water, and add value. What are the top five areas in which all farmers should be asking questions? And what might those questions be? Carbon credits Although Canada’s goals are towards net-zero carbon emission, there is just as great […] Read more
Schoepp: Unshakable faith and unrelenting hope in the face of adversity
Farming is full of stories of people who find ways to move ahead despite incredible challenges
Reading Time: 3 minutes James Brown is Australia’s Farmer of the Year. He and wife Sarah were selected because of their sheer determination to survive a huge market collapse, widespread disease and a flood that took them from four million growing units down to 70. Their product? Pearls. Pearl farming is an ancient practice and each seeded pearl takes […] Read more
Things to consider after a drought has hit
The drought and intensive heat wave have created a lot of issues that producers must deal with
Reading Time: 3 minutes Droughts always teach (or remind) us of things we need to be prepared for to maintain health and production in our herds, including ways to access feed and, if need be, marketing. The Beef Cattle Research Council recently put on a very good question-and-answer webinar relating to drought concerns and cattle health (a recording of […] Read more
Schoepp: The power of innovation is fuelling farms everywhere
Whether big like canola, niche like pig’s milk or unexpected like stinging nettles, there’s much to celebrate
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’ve seen and eaten some really amazing foods over the years. Cheese made from sow’s milk, rattlesnake, guinea pig, camel baked in cinnamon, insects and curious fish products. All made for memorable experiences — some that were more pleasant than others. I still cannot stomach camel or Vegemite, nor am I rushing out for grilled […] Read more
Preparing the horse to learn
A myriad of factors under the control of the human can affect the horse’s ability to develop
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Dorrance brothers, Bill and his younger sibling Tom, are widely known for their eloquent and effective communication with horses and are often credited as the founders of the modern-day revolution in horsemanship. The human/horse bond runs deep. Horses seek to appease or make peace with their domesticators and are willing learners. ‘Thought’ leaders and […] Read more
There will be more heatwaves, and we need to be prepared
Extreme heat is no different than any natural disaster, so get an emergency checklist ready
Reading Time: 3 minutes By the time you read this, one of the longest heatwaves to hit the Prairies should be ancient history and you’ll be assessing what the ramifications were. If this becomes an event we see every few years (global warming?), we need to explore how we can potentially initiate emergency measures to help cattle cope. For […] Read more
Schoepp: A promise with no timeline is not a succession play
The people in these four tales are very different but they all believed in a promise never fulfilled
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are seven days in a week and someday isn’t one of them. This popular saying could be made into a hit single — for farm succession. A man I’ll call Rick is in his mid-60s and still ranching on the same land his grandfather homesteaded. And while that might sound ideal, he has no […] Read more