Reading Time: < 1 minute Giving cattle access to clean water can improve herd health and increase weight gain and backfat. A 2005 study reported that calves whose dams drank from water troughs gained on average 0.09 pound per day more than those with access to a dugout. Because water and forage intake are closely related, as cows drink more […] Read more
They’ll drink to that — clean water boosts weight gain
Providing pumped water can boost weaning weights by 18 pounds and reduce health issues
Single-trait selection can be too much of a good thing
Dairy and beef cattle are amazingly adaptive, but problems arise when we breed for just one trait
Reading Time: 3 minutes As I have travelled the world I have had the privilege of seeing many different breeds of cattle. They come in every colour and shape, from the stocky Belgium Blue to the sleek Zebu. Some cattle can be found on streets eating food waste; others are beasts of burden working fields and transporting goods; the […] Read more
Is artificial insemination better than natural service?
Artificial insemination can put more money in your pockets, but there are several factors to consider
Reading Time: 4 minutes This article has been edited and condensed. For the full article, including price and financial details as well as additional resources, go to the blog on the Beef Cattle Research Council website). As the breeding season approaches, some producers will use artificial insemination (AI) and estrous synchronization in their breeding herd. But others won’t because […] Read more
Farm numbers fall but some sectors in Alberta buck trend
Alberta lost six per cent of farms overall, according to the latest census but some sectors see gains
Reading Time: 2 minutes While the overall number of farms in Alberta declined by the same percentage as the national average in the latest census, there were differences by sector, says a provincial research analyst. The 2016 Census of Agriculture found there were just over 193,000 farms in Canada, a six per cent drop. “Alberta had over 40,600 census […] Read more
Wendy’s to reduce antibiotic use in beef supply
Chicago | Reuters — Hamburger chain Wendy’s Co. laid out plans on Friday to trim the use of antibiotics that are important to human medicine from its beef supply, the latest step by a food company to fight concerns about resistance to the drugs in people. Starting in 2018, the company will buy about 15 […] Read more
Who’s your daddy?
A study that used DNA testing to determine the siring success of individual bulls produced some surprises
Reading Time: 3 minutes DNA testing can help you know which bulls are siring calves and make better management decisions. “There was a lot more variation in what bulls were actually doing and which bulls were siring calves than we thought going into this,” Stacey Domolewski said during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar. As part of a […] Read more
Video offers ranchers’ side of the environmental story
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta’s Kelly Hall and Hugh Lynch-Staunton are among the ranchers featured in a new video on environmental sustainability from the Beef Cattle Research Council. “What beef producers need to know about environmental footprint” offers both a cinematic look at Canadian cattle production and the sector’s response to its critics. Hall, Lynch-Staunton, and three Ontario cattle […] Read more
Age certification for cattle no longer required
Reading Time: < 1 minute The age certification requirement for cows being sold to U.S. buyers has been lifted. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently agreed to the change as the number of cattle born prior to March 1, 1999 has dwindled to virtually nothing. While it remains a requirement that the cattle be born before then, […] Read more
Are your bulls actually siring calves?
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
Expert advice on tap in beef webinar series
There are seven online learning events in this winter’s lineup from the Beef Cattle Research Council
Reading Time: 2 minutes Up your pregnancy rates, reduce forage diseases, and find out which bulls aren’t doing their job. Those are three of the topics in this winter’s webinar series put on by the Beef Cattle Research Council. The council is urging producers to register for the entire series as registrants will receive reminders as well as a […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
