Reading Time: 2 minutes Funding cuts and restructuring mean organizations such as the Beef Cattle Research Council need to change their research approach and be proactive, says the organization’s chair. Change and downsizing is affecting both government and university research, partly because of funding woes but also because research priorities are changing, said Tim Oleksyn, a mixed cattle and […] Read more
Beef Cattle Research Council looking to stretch research dollars
Council chair says move to a ‘science cluster’ approach provides more bang for the research buck
‘Breeding to feeding’ builds better dairy bulls
Crossbred Jersey-Limousins could be the answer to rebuilding North America’s cattle herd
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta dairy producers may favour Holsteins on their farms, but down in the heart of America’s Midwest, Jerry Wulf milks around 30,000 “smaller, more efficient” Jersey cows — over half of his total dairy herd. But Jerseys have just one problem, he said. “That stray Jersey bull calf that she was raising was a liability, […] Read more
Thinking of expanding your cattle herd? Here’s a to-do checklist
Successful expansions depend on assessing risk, knowing how per-unit costs will change, and having a marketing plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to deciding on expanding a cattle herd, or taking over an existing one, there are a few critical checkpoints to be considered. “In recent months there has been a lot of talk about the potential for beef herd expansion due to the historically high beef and cattle prices the industry is experiencing,” […] Read more
Doing a better job of turning grass into grain — and saying so
Growing more forage is the right thing to do. Is the beef industry prepared if it happens?
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re looking for proof that there is no such thing as bad publicity, beef may be a good example. For years it’s been painted as a public health and environmental villain, and recently there were more reports on how bovine frontal and rearward methane emissions are a major source of climate-altering greenhouse gas. All […] Read more
Swath grazing cereals saves half of overwintering costs in beef cattle
With new higher-yielding, higher-quality forage cereals in the works, there has never been a better time for beef cattle producers to try swath grazing cereals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Swath grazing cereals could save producers almost half the cost of overwintering cattle, says a federal forage researcher. “Extended grazing practices like swath grazing, bale grazing, and grazing second-cut grasses in the fall are one of the most effective ways to reduce your overwintering costs of beef cows,” Vern Baron said at the Lacombe Field […] Read more
Study on dark cutters aimed at boosting the bottom line
The goal is to figure out which animals are most prone to this costly condition and how to better manage them
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the quest for ever-improving beef quality, scientists are taking a new look at an age-old challenge: dark cutters. Those are the animals that get the B4 grade and discount, and exhibit the unsightly darker-red colour and associated toughness in the meat, along with reduced shelf life. Dark cutting shows up more often during the […] Read more