Reading Time: < 1 minute More heifers went to market last year. “Alberta beef producers retained fewer breeding heifers for replacement in 2022, suggesting expansion is not in the immediate future,” said provincial livestock economist Ann Boyda. “The Canfax Cattle on Feed reports show a 9.4 per cent increase in heifer placement in feedlots in 2022 compared to 2021. Heifer […] Read more
Heifer exodus a year ago means smaller calf crop coming
The number of heifers being sold jumped substantially in the first half of 2022
Splitting up the nursery can have a big health payoff for calves
The Sandhills calving system is a simple way to lower the risk of scours
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Sandhills calving system can help producers reduce scours during calving season. Eight client ranches are trying the method, which is used south of the border but isn’t too common in Canada, said Dr. Tommy Ware of Veterinary Agri-Health Services. So far, it’s been a success. “Sandhills is our way of managing scours risk. Instead […] Read more
Follow the money: benchmarking can tell you where to look
National cow-calf cost of production network offers insights on boosting profitability
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The Beef Cattle Research Council wants the third and final year of data collection to fill gaps in a national cow-calf cost of production network. The goal is to allow producers to compare metrics with farms in their region that share the same management practices. “Are you competitive and comparable with others […] Read more
More calves in the first round is a winning formula
Research council urges producers to consider the payoff from tightening the calving season
Reading Time: 2 minutes According to experts, the winning numbers in the calving lottery are always the same: 60-25-10-5. And the Beef Cattle Research Council wants producers to test that theory by using its Value of Calving Distribution Calculator. Calving distribution is the percentage of calves born in each 21-day cycle during the calving season (which is 63 days […] Read more
Good calving data can deliver dollars, but first you need to record it
Collecting more info during calving can reveal issues you didn’t know you had, says vet
Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a lot of information that can be collected during calving season. But what data is worth spending time recording? And why should we be collecting data to begin with? A bare-bones record — such as how many cows and how many calves they had — doesn’t get you very far if you’re looking […] Read more
You gotta know how to hold ’em when inserting a feeding tube in a calf
Tube feeding a calf is often a critical intervention but you need to have a good technique
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Beef Cattle Research Council has released a new video called “The Ins and Outs of Esophageal Feeding.” The title is a reference to one of the main points of the video, namely that when tube feeding a calf, the feeding tube should go easily into the esophagus — and if not, you need to […] Read more
When cows have a choice of chow, what tickles their palate?
Knowing forage preferences of free-range cattle could help boost productivity and influence breeding
Reading Time: 2 minutes The dietary preferences of free-range cattle are being studied like never before — and the findings could boost productivity, influence cattle breeding, and lighten the environmental footprint of herds. “This is pioneering work — no one has ever at this scale linked together the productivity and associated economics, genetics and environmental outcomes of free-range grazing,” […] Read more
Matchmaking: Select cattle genetics that are a fit for your operation
Factors such as forage quality or even how far cattle walk can be key when selecting genetics
Reading Time: 4 minutes Putting cattle into an environment that doesn’t suit them is like jamming a round peg in a square hole — you might be able to make it work, but it’s going to take some effort. “Genetic selection is really about putting DNA into production,” said Vermilion-area beef producer Sean McGrath. “You’re buying DNA and you’re […] Read more
Video offers ‘911’ techniques for a newborn calf that’s not breathing
Use a recovery position or some water from a squirt bottle, but never hang a calf on a gate
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new video from the Beef Cattle Research Council demonstrates some simple ways to revive a calf that hasn’t taken a breath after having endured a tough labour. “The day a calf is born is going to be the highest-risk day of its entire life,” Dr. Claire Windeyer says in the video. “So it’s important that […] Read more
The right time for calving depends on your farm — and you
While many producers are calving earlier, some have gone the other way
Reading Time: 4 minutes Calving season looks different on every operation — there is no one right method or time of year to calve a cow herd. While more producers in Western Canada have moved to later calving, some have gone the other way. Here are the experiences of three ranching families. Late summer/fall calving Taralea Simpson has been […] Read more
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