Reading Time: 3 minutes Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral that plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of horses. It is essential for more than 350 biochemical processes in the body of the horse, including generation of cellular energy and decoding genetic information. Understanding the importance of magnesium at the cellular level and its impact on health […] Read more
The critical role of magnesium in horse health
Short-changing a horse on magnesium can impact both physical health and temperament
Schoepp: Putting solar farms on good land is a misguided way to go green
The amount of arable land is finite and shrinking. Covering it with panels that could soon be obsolete is wrong
Reading Time: 3 minutes Farms hold promise for generating biofuel and clean biogas to power us into the future, and they also have the land base for building energy systems. But there is a vast difference between the capture of methane on site to produce gas and the permanent use of food production land for solar panels or wind […] Read more
Often a tranquilizer makes things easier for cattle and their owner
There is a non-prescription product that has many uses and can be administered by producers
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are many times when tranquilization makes it easier on both cattle and the operator. The main tranquilizer I am talking about is acepromazine, a member of the phenothiazine tranquilizer family. It is not a prescription product and producers can be trained in its usage and in the way it is delivered. Since the dosage […] Read more
Schoepp: Misconceptions about manure fly in face of common sense
It is a valuable commodity and using it as an energy source offers a host of benefits
Reading Time: 3 minutes Last month, the Guardian had an article on biogas titled ‘Brown gold: The great American manure rush begins.’ It seems I am not the only one to believe our regenerative future rests in water and manure. The story was about California dairy farmers entering into long-term contracts to sell their manure to the energy industry […] Read more
Schoepp: Bullying takes many different forms and occurs in all walks of life
Nearly half of us will experience bullying at some point — asking for help is the healthy thing to do
Reading Time: 4 minutes Once a schoolyard term, bullying has now razed a path through all of society. It happens in our homes, on our farms and at work. Children suffer to the point of taking their lives and tens of thousands of them stay home every day from fear. In Canada, 40 per cent of adults report that […] Read more
Slow and steady movement is what keeps horses healthy
Modern day horses suffer from many of the same health problems as modern day humans
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cinema portrays wild horses to be ‘running free,’ but the truth is that they spend hours and hours a day ‘walking free’ — moving slow and steady as they graze, browse and forage. Step, bite, chew, repeat. Horses were designed to move and it keeps them physically healthy and mentally content. The No. 1 function of […] Read more
Schoepp: We are always only a moment away from life-altering change
On farms across the country, pain and grief are all too familiar, but so are stories of perseverance and miracles
On farms across the country, pain and grief are all too familiar, but so are stories of perseverance and miracles
Reading Time: 3 minutes It is calving time on many farms. It’s normally a joyful time of the year as we receive new lives into the fold and look with hope to a season of warmer weather and green grasses. But for some families, it is also a brutal reminder of challenge, broken bodies and long recoveries. These past […] Read more
Schoepp: With political will and good policy, you can accomplish a lot
The impressive growth in Quebec’s greenhouse sector is an example of what can be accomplished
Reading Time: 3 minutes This past year Quebec reached a milestone in being able to supply a full 50 per cent of greenhouse vegetables consumed in the province. The veggies that are widely grown in the province’s greenhouses are tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and lettuce. I have been in vegetable fields and greenhouses throughout Canada and abroad, and the abundance […] Read more
It’s more rare these days, but grain overload has a big impact
Mixed rations and better storage have cut cases, but take care when increasing grain in a ration
Reading Time: 3 minutes Grain overload has been drastically reduced over the years thanks to nutritionists, total mixed rations and fewer incidents of accidental ingestion. But I want to review the condition, treatment and, most importantly, the ways to prevent it. Grain overload occurs when there is over-consumption of a carbohydrate source, most often grain. I have treated severe […] Read more
Schoepp: We need to get past the perception that ag is ‘just farming’
The sector has to attract bright young people but first we need to get rid of old stereotypes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Just what is agriculture to youth who are looking at career choices? That was one of the questions asked by Nuffield Scholar Claire Peltzer, whose 2020 report focused on attracting youth into agriculture. The short answer is that agriculture is considered “farming” and does not include the existing plethora of career opportunities. The fields of […] Read more
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