Reading Time: 4 minutes Most people don’t associate mechanical engineering with cattle grazing — unless they know Mark Burggren. Although he spent summers on his grandfather’s Strathmore-area ranch in his younger days, Burggren knew little about cattle until retiring as a mechanical engineer in 2007 and buying a quarter section near Condor. But he’s getting nearly 50 per cent […] Read more
Latecomer to cattle business puts the green in greenhorn
Retired engineer takes a shine to controlled grazing — and proves the system can generate amazing results
Making the flight zone instincts of cattle work for you
Vermilion rancher Sean McGrath says a Bud Box makes the job of processing cattle much faster
Reading Time: 4 minutes Thinking inside the box — a Bud Box, that is — can help cattle flow better when working them in a handling system. Being able to work the animals’ flight zones from outside, and having them see you, helps make them flow through the system faster, said rancher Sean McGrath. “We have a portable system […] Read more
Tips to reduce stress and up safety when handling cattle
It starts with keeping cattle calm and identifying hazards in your current handling facilities, say experts
Reading Time: 4 minutes Keep calm when handling cattle — especially if you want safe working conditions. Attitude, confidence, as well as the general mood sets the tone when handling cattle, says veterinarian Dr. Cody Creelman. “I can barely count the number of times I’ve seen situations where things are nice and calm, steady, quiet, and proper,” said Creelman. […] Read more
High-tech feed monitoring can forecast BRD
Reading Time: < 1 minute Bovine fitness trackers aren’t the only attempt to use technology to spot early signs of illness in feedlot cattle. Most efforts are focused on detecting bovine respiratory disease (BRD), the most common (and costly) illness affecting beef cattle and they’re borrowing a page from your mom’s handbook by asking, ‘Why are you poking at your […] Read more
Will the cows of tomorrow all be wearing fitness trackers?
Devices that measure activity levels can be used to tell if cattle are feeling poorly — but there are still some kinks to be worked out
Reading Time: 2 minutes Fitness trackers are all the rage among people these days — but they could catch on with cows, too. But the idea isn’t to start counting cow steps or to up bovine fitness levels. Rather, the goal is to use fitness monitors as a way to detect illness in beef cattle early on. Cattle producers […] Read more
Look past farming — you’re in the food business
FarmTech: Pulse leader says improving health and the nutrition of people who eat your food should be a top priority
Reading Time: 2 minutes Focus on food, not farming. Health is both a huge global issue and a deeply personal matter, and farmers should be focusing on that and nutrition, said Pulse Canada CEO Gordon Bacon. “The variety registration program covers 50 tests to have a variety registered for production — none has to do with nutrition, let alone […] Read more
Beef sector wants cattle producers to speak up
Beef Advocacy Canada says farmers are the best people to engage consumers because ‘no one knows the industry better’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Want to be an advocate for Canadian beef? There’s a program for that. Beef Advocacy Canada is about to launch a new training program for beef producers willing to be the faces — and voices — of the beef sector. “We are looking to empower advocates for the beef industry — people who are raising […] Read more
Agri-Trade awards showcase new and innovative technologies
Keeping spray consistent, reducing plugging in air drills, and a new field app garner Ag Innovation awards
Reading Time: 3 minutes Innovations drive the agriculture industry — and it’s at farm shows like Agri-Trade where producers get a front and centre look at what’s new and different. For the past eight years, the Red Deer show has highlighted that with its Ag Innovation awards program. This year’s winners — chosen by a panel of farmers — […] Read more
There’s lots to look at — and places to chat — at Agri-Trade
This year’s edition of the popular Red Deer exhibition is ‘all about networking’
Reading Time: 2 minutes After a year like this one, we need to talk. And there will be lots of opportunities to do just that at this year’s edition of Agri-Trade. “This year is all about networking — getting people into the show, allowing people the chance to sit, visit and get caught up with their neighbours and friends […] Read more
Carbon storage could equal cash for your grass
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta farmers who practise no-till cropping have been eligible to apply for carbon credits since 2002. We know that grasslands capture and store carbon, so why aren’t landowners with pasture getting paid for their contribution? That’s the focus of a University of Alberta study on the environmental benefits of things such as wildlife habitat and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
