The Beef Cattle Research Council has a new chair, and three new members from Alberta. Saskatchewan producer Ryan Beierbach is the new chair of the organization while Albertans Garth Porteous, Graeme Finn, and Fred Lozeman are new members. Albertan Chris Israelson returns on the council while Bryan Thiessen, Melanie Wowk, and Darren Bevans have finished […] Read more
The Beef Cattle Research Council is praising Ottawa’s decision to put $14 million in the newest edition of a beef science cluster. The federal funding, part of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the successor to Growing Forward) will be combined with $7 million from the national beef checkoff. The combined $21 million will be dispersed over […] Read more
As of Jan. 1, producers must use pain control when castrating bulls older than six months. The change followed a move in Jan. 1, 2016 requiring pain control when dehorning calves that have horn buds attached (that is, ones older than two to three months). The Beef Cattle Research Council has information on mitigating pain […] Read more
Nominations accepted until May 1
Nominations are being sought for the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. The award recognizes a researcher or scientist whose work has advanced the competitiveness and sustainability of the beef industry. Nominations are welcome from all stakeholders and will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of beef producers, industry experts, and […] Read more
Application deadline is May 1
Applications for the 2018-19 term of the BCRC Beef Researcher Mentorship Program are now being accepted. Three researchers were selected to participate in the program this past year. Each was paired with two mentors — an innovative producer and another industry expert — for a one-year term that ends in July. The program allows researchers […] Read more
For the record: These producers say keeping detailed production and herd records is well worth the effort
The Beef Cattle Research Council recently posted two in-depth articles on record-keeping and benchmarking. The articles look at the benefits, what records to keep, resources, and how good records can boost profitability. But they also note a recent survey found that while almost all producers keep some sort of records (such as birthdates, culling/death loss […] Read more
Now is the time to get ready for when a host of antimicrobials will no longer be available over the counter
The clock is ticking on new rules that will require a prescription for livestock drugs that can currently be bought over the counter. This blog from the Beef Cattle Research Council looks at how to prepare and why antimicrobial resistance needs to be on everyone’s radar. The article has been edited for length, but the […] Read more
Blogs on copper deficiency, pain control products, and drought management strategies topped the most popular list on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s website in 2017. Other most read articles dealt with checkoffs, swath and bale grazing, beef’s environmental footprint, and using body scoring to boost calf profits. The council published 70 blog posts last year, […] Read more
Do you wonder how your cow-calf operation compares with others in your region, province or herd size on matters like conception rate and weaning weight? Producers who participate in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey will receive a complementary report that allows them to compare their own operation with benchmarks. The survey takes about 45 […] Read more
For producers who breed cows in large pastures with multiple bulls, it’s often assumed that all of the bulls will sire roughly the same number of calves. Research shows a surprising variation in the number of calves sired by each bull. A Nov. 16 webinar examines how DNA parentage testing can help determine sire value […] Read more
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