Something special is created when we choose to share our lives with animals.

Our animals give us such a precious gift

We have something very special when we share our lives with companion and food animals

Reading Time: 3 minutes I was visiting with a friend who has had a rough life. His mother and dad worked hard to provide, but they did not know how to love each other or their children. Babies were not rocked or held, and little ones were on their own. There was never a goodnight kiss, a story, a […] Read more

Horse boots can offer physical protection to the delicate foot structure.

Boots help horses maintain and improve footfall

These accessories can’t be used long term but can help the horse deal with discomfort and weakness

Reading Time: 3 minutes Hoof boots have become one of the fastest-growing accessories in the equine marketplace since their inception nearly two decades ago. Even at that time the most primitive of hoof boots fashioned with duct tape and inner tube and/or Styrofoam cut-outs were found to bring a high level of comfort and functionality to horses with sore […] Read more


China needs what we can supply — but it’s a challenging customer

When markets get back to normal, expect China to continue its protein buying spree

Reading Time: 3 minutes China has been unfortunate in the past few years in experiencing both animal and human disease that has been costly in terms of life and the economy. Often, China is thought of as an exporter of almost anything, but the table has turned when it comes to food and to protein supplies. Until the coronavirus […] Read more

There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but horses have weight limits

There’s no hard-and-fast rule, but horses have weight limits

There are, however, some good guidelines and common sense goes a long way

Reading Time: 3 minutes To date there exists no scientific studies or simple mathematical equations that determine what is — or isn’t — too heavy for a ridden horse to comfortably carry. Current research would seem to suggest that once the combined weight of a rider and tack falls into the range of 15 to 20 per cent of […] Read more


Young folks are willing to be part of a long day, but maybe not the whole of it. This may require two people with a flexible schedule to fill one job description.

The all-too-common pitfall of successful businesses

Growth brings rewards but also stretches the founder — especially if he or she hasn’t developed their team

Reading Time: 3 minutes What does success look like to you? For many, success is measured in terms of net profit, wealth or an accumulation of assets. For others, it is the ability to put children through school, travel or to own a cabin. However measured, success is often tied to money and people. In my Nuffield travels and […] Read more

The days of the ‘hired hand’ are gone. Now we must create a place of care so those who work for us can care for those who depend on them.

In business, starting small doesn’t mean thinking small

As in any other enterprise, a farm’s success is the cumulation of a multitude of small acts

Reading Time: 3 minutes One cannot look at a vast ocean without realizing that it just does not come into being. It takes a thousand raindrops, so goes the saying, to start the flow of water to make the sea just as it takes millions of microbes to build soil. And so it is with a farm or farm […] Read more


To truly sleep, a horse cannot be standing.

A good sleep is as important in horses as in people

Let sleeping horses lie

Reading Time: 3 minutes All land mammals require deep sleep for proper physical, mental and emotional functioning. Yet equine sleep is rarely considered as a significant contributor to the well-being of the horse. Perhaps this arises from the flawed presumption that horses can ‘sleep standing up.’ Unfortunately this misunderstanding can have serious implications to the well-being and welfare of […] Read more

Producers who pay attention to teat and udder conformation rarely encounter a cow with mastitis.

Now is a good time to check udders of cows and bred heifers

Paying attention to teat and udder conformation greatly reduces the odds of having a cow with mastitis

Reading Time: 3 minutes Before calving is a good time for scrutinizing the udders of cows and bred heifers. Occasionally chronic infected quarters (probably emanating from the year previous) are highly visible as large swollen quarters compared to the other three. They will often flare up a few weeks before calving as the colostrum is being formed. Usually the […] Read more


Too often, people view inquiry or asking for opinions or solutions as weak.

We’re often afraid to ask questions, but it’s a key skill

Being curious and asking lots of questions is a good thing but for some reason, we tend to hold back

Reading Time: 3 minutes The little boy was curious and always asking questions. Over and over again he would ask his increasingly impatient mother why, how come, how far, how long, when, where and what. But his grandfather would gently smile and say, ‘That is a wise boy; for you are only one question away from being a better […] Read more

pregnant cow

Inducing cows is always a risk-and-reward scenario

Many factors need to be considered and no two cases are exactly alike

Reading Time: 3 minutes There comes a time in cow-calf production to induce cows to calve for a number of reasons. This may be because there is an abnormal pregnancy, the cow has a life-threatening condition, the pregnancy has gone on too long leading to health issues or other reasons. All require careful thought and examination as every case […] Read more