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
Is artificial insemination better than natural service?
Artificial insemination can put more money in your pockets, but there are several factors to consider
Nominate an outstanding beef researcher
Nominations accepted until May 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
Innovative rancher recognized for leadership
Reading Time: < 1 minute Madden-area rancher Graeme Finn is the 2018 recipient of Alberta Forage Industry Network’s leadership award. It recognizes individuals showing leadership “in the areas of research, extension or promotion of the economic and environmental benefits of native rangeland, seeded pasture or hay land,” the forage network said in a press release. The organization cited Finn’s passion […] Read more
Beef researcher mentorships available
Application deadline is May 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute 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
Three cattle producers say keeping track pays off
For the record: These producers say keeping detailed production and herd records is well worth the effort
Reading Time: 7 minutes 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
BE PREPARED: How new drug rules will affect your ranch
Now is the time to get ready for when a host of antimicrobials will no longer be available over the counter
Reading Time: 6 minutes 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
Don’t risk a wreck in your cow’s reproduction this spring
Breeding timing makes a difference in open rates and so do vaccinations and copper deficiency
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you want to make sure that you get calves on the ground, pay attention to body score, when you calve, and vaccinations. That was the message from Cheryl Waldner, a professor in large-animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. “You need to get the cattle cycling […] Read more
Online town hall on cattle checkoff
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency will be hosting an online town hall on the cattle checkoff on Feb. 27. The agency, which oversees Canada Beef and the Beef Cattle Research Council, said the town hall will examine how the checkoff is collected, remitted and invested, and give “concrete examples of the return on investment for […] Read more
National cattle checkoff on its way up this spring
The national levy used to fund marketing and research is going up by $1.50 — the first increase since 2002
Reading Time: 3 minutes Come spring, more than the grass will be rising — the national cattle levy is going up $1.50 per head on April 1. “The impetus for us was the national beef strategy,” said Rich Smith, executive director of Alberta Beef Producers. “The national beef strategy is a plan for us for the next five years […] Read more
What’s in a name? Quite a lot for young female cows
‘Second-calf heifer’ doesn’t sit right with some, but the important thing is recognizing they’re different from mature cows
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cattle producers, there seems to be some disagreement as to what a female is called after she delivers her first calf and is pregnant with her second. Is she a cow? Is she still a heifer? Is she something else? What do you call her? A Twitter poll with 144 respondents revealed that 39 per […] Read more
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