Alberta harvest nears end, forage and feed reserves seen adequate

Alberta crop conditions as of October 31 (FINAL)

Reading Time: 2 minutes Harvest is virtually complete across the province, with 98.6 per cent of the crops now in the bin. While harvest in the Southern and Central Regions has been completed, good weather conditions over the last two weeks also allowed northern producers to make good harvest progress. About 98 per cent of the crops in the […] Read more

Swath grazing reduces feeding expenses, but can cost you if not done right. Agriculture Canada scientists Vern Baron and John Duynisveld offer tips for successful swath and bale grazing in a Beef Cattle Research Council webinar.

Three tips for swath and bale grazing this winter

Match your cows and your feed, leave a ‘snowshoe’ if mud is an issue, and make those swaths wide and high

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re planning to swath or bale graze cattle this winter, here are three pieces of advice from Agriculture Canada research scientists Vern Baron in Lacombe and John Duynisveld in Nappan, N.S. Match animal and forage Successful extended grazing matches the energy requirements of the cow with the true quality of the forage and/or supplement […] Read more


James Hargrave (second from right) in September 2016 with provincial Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier, Medicine Hat MLA Bob Wanner and Environment Minister Shannon Phillips. (AlbertaGrazingLease.ca)

Communities rally around producers in wildfires’ wake

Ranchers, farmers and rural residents who suffered losses, injuries and more in recent wildfires in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan are seeing support from neighbours and beyond. Alongside a number of online campaigns launched in support of affected farmers and families, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association on Monday launched a wildfire relief fund to help […] Read more

Sending a replacement or first-calf heifer into winter in poor condition will cost you later on as pregnancy rates, calf weaning weights, 
and successful pregnancies will be lower.

First-calf heifers need some extra love

Keep a close eye on the conditions of these young females, that require more energy 
and nutrients than mature cows

Reading Time: 4 minutes Replacement and first-calf heifers need extra management, but producers can take different paths to get to the same destination. Beef producers like Alberta’s Darren Bevans, Tyler Fulton in Manitoba, and Murray Shaw in Ontario know replacement and first-calf heifers need some extra attention heading into winter, but that doesn’t mean over-the-top management. Bevans and Fulton […] Read more


Harvest nearly complete in southern Alberta, weather slows northern producers

Alberta crop conditions as of October 17

Reading Time: 2 minutes Despite weather which was not ideal, producers were able to make good harvest progress this past week improving the harvest percentage in the province to 86 per cent completed, up 9 points on the week though lagging the 5 year average of 93 per cent. Harvest is virtually complete in the South and nearing completion in […] Read more

Feed testing now can pay big dividends over the winter. 

Feed testing now can save you money

Testing is especially important this year as supplies are tight and quality down in many areas of the province

Reading Time: 3 minutes Doing feed tests now, at the start of the feeding season, will allow producers to develop a strategy to ensure all categories of cattle in the herd are fed to their production goals and extra costs are avoided. “Livestock feed supplies are going to be tight in some areas of Alberta, while in other areas, […] Read more


Seventy-seven per cent of crops harvested, soil moisture conditions improve

Alberta crop conditions as of October 10

Reading Time: 2 minutes Harvest is complete in the Southern Region and nearly complete in the Central Region, while the northern regions in the province are still in mid-harvest. This past spring, the northern regions had some challenges with the harvesting of over-wintered crops which led to late seeding. As well, for these regions, rain, combined with snow and […] Read more

A 2018 Ram 1500 pickup. (FCANorthAmerica.com)

U.S. stance on autos sows more doubt about NAFTA overhaul

Arlington, Va. | Reuters — The Trump administration on Friday demanded that U.S.-made content account for half the value of the cars and trucks sold under the North American Free Trade Agreement, raising further doubts about any potential deal to renew the pact. Three sources briefed on the protectionist U.S. proposal, which is in line […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Insurer SGI Canada sets up farm unit

The property and casualty arm of Saskatchewan’s Crown insurance agency has set up a new unit zoned strictly agricultural. SGI Canada — the Regina-based property and casualty insurance provider which operates in tandem with the Saskatchewan Auto Fund, the Crown auto insurer — on Wednesday launched a new Farm Business Unit with “a specialized team […] Read more

Advanced Education Minister Marlin Schmidt and Baljit Singh, dean of veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, tour the UCVM’s Spy Hill campus. (Gov.ab.ca)

Alberta to reallocate veterinary school funding

Alberta is set to gradually pull its $8 million in annual funding from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and instead expand the vet school at the University of Calgary. The province announced Thursday it will expand enrolment for the University of Calgary’s Veterinary Medicine program (UCVM) from 130 students currently […] Read more