Reading Time: 3 minutes Preg checking your cattle is important — but it’s hard to know if you should cull open ones now or feed them through the winter. Beef economist Kathy Larson of the Western Beef Development Centre doesn’t always recommend feeding open cows. “It’s a costly venture, particularly when we have tight feed supplies,” she said. “In […] Read more
Will feeding open cows cost — or make — you money this winter?
Use an online calculator and pencil in your numbers before deciding to preg check this fall, says beef economist
Innovative tour takes cyclists through the Battle River watershed
More than 70 per cent of the watershed is agricultural but it also has a variety of energy providers
Reading Time: 3 minutes An intrepid group of cyclists recently set out to explore the Battle River watershed on an innovative tour, spending three days travelling to small towns and hidden gems in the area. “The intention of the tour has been looking at all of our different energy options,” said Nathalie Stanley Olson, education and outreach co-ordinator with […] Read more
Trout station does the release, and anglers do the catching
Raven Brood Trout Station is nearly a century old and busier than ever making sure Alberta anglers are happy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Raven Brood Trout Station is an important community resource that few people know about. “The main reason my hatchery is here is because in Alberta, we have a mountain of fishing effort and a mountain of fishing pressure and you have a tiny little resource,” said fisheries technician Brian Charles. The business of ‘hens’ and […] Read more
Higher loonie will have many impacts
MARKET WATCH: A low dollar shielded Canadian farmers from lower commodity prices but it also raised the cost of farm equipment and inputs
Reading Time: 3 minutes While you were busy growing crops and raising livestock this summer, a rising dollar has been taking aim at your profits. The growing season started with the loonie trading under the 75 U.S. cents mark — and many analysts sticking to the theory it would stay low as long as oil prices remained in the […] Read more
Alberta’s newest meadery takes a different approach
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta’s newest meadery is doing things a little differently. Along with a traditional honey wine, Tamarack Jack’s Honey and Meadery also produces a variation that might tempt those who prefer a brewskie to the so-called ‘drink of the gods.’ “We are a small apiary turned into a meadery just recently,” Katie Kingdon, manager of the […] Read more
Keep calm — and stay on the left — when working cattle
Nebraska veterinarian says the top priority is to demonstrate that people — a.k.a. ‘coyotes’ — are not really a threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Stay on the left side of cattle and treat them right. That was demonstrated by Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz during a live animal-handling session at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. “People create the interaction and the guidance,” said the Nebraska veterinarian and consultant who often works with feedlots on animal handling and facility design. What’s important […] Read more
There’s lots of money being left on the packing plant floor
Quality defects exceed $60 per head and reducing those losses will boost the bottom line for producers, says expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes National Beef Quality audits prove that Canadian beef is pretty darn good. But they also show that producers could be putting more money in their wallets by reducing defects that show up at the packing plant, says Mark Klassen, director of technical services with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. The last audit, conducted in 2010-11, found […] Read more
Up and down is becoming the norm for Canadian beef producers
Demand for beef is strong and prices have been good for cow-calf producers, but the market is increasingly volatile
Reading Time: 3 minutes The markets can be a roller-coaster, but one thing is for sure — the Canadian cattle herd is not expanding. “Heifer retention numbers are not enough to drive any expansion across Canada,” Brian Perillat, manager/senior analyst with Canfax said at the recent Canadian Beef Industry Conference. Fewer cattle are being shipped south of the border […] Read more
Efforts to keep out invasive mussels working — for now
A dozen contaminated boats have been found so far this year and officials warn zebra and quagga mussels are cunning hitchhikers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Zebra and quagga mussels are not in Alberta yet, but the threat continues to grow. “This is becoming a huge issue in our world — the more we travel and carry things around — whether we know it or not,” said Janine Higgins, community engagement lead with Alberta Environment and Parks. The two invasive species, […] Read more
Is this the year that winter wheat makes a comeback?
Squeezing winter wheat seeding into a crammed harvest period is usually a big issue
Reading Time: 3 minutes Will there be an upswing in winter wheat acres this year? One of the biggest drawbacks is timing — you have to get your spring-seeded crop off the field before sowing winter wheat. But that won’t be as big an issue in a big chunk of Alberta this year. An estimated 508,000 acres were never […] Read more