Reading Time: 2 minutes Profitability was a recurring theme when it came to the most popular articles offered by the Beef Cattle Research Council in the past year. But the most popular blog post by far was a story and accompanying video offering calving tips, including why people shouldn’t hang calves upside down if they need help breathing. “The […] Read more
Show me the money – and how to resuscitate a newborn calf
Profitability was a popular topic on the Beef Cattle Research Council website but not the most-read posting
Lehr new BCRC chair
Reading Time: < 1 minute Medicine Hat area rancher Craig Lehr is the new chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council while Fred Lozeman of Claresholm will serve a second term as finance chair. Lehr’s family owns and operates Short Grass Ranches, which has a 1,200-head cow-calf herd, 7,000-head backgrounding feedlot and a crop operation. Lehr was previously vice-chair and […] Read more
Beef mentorship program a quiet success
Eight years on, a unique program connecting ranches and research labs proves its worth
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been a parade of PhDs, a cavalcade of scholars, an array of academics. Call it what you will, but the number of researchers who have gone through an innovative mentorship program started as a one-year pilot eight years ago is well into the double digits. The tally is now up to three dozen on […] Read more
Long-haul transport rules not supported by science, says cattle sector
Three studies looked for benefits of rest stops on cattle but found none
Reading Time: 4 minutes It turns out that giving cattle a rest break during long haul transport seems to make no difference to their health or welfare. That was the bottom line from a third study that explored a controversial change made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency three years ago. “That’s where we’re at,” said Reynold Bergen, science […] 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
Beef industry honours forage breeder
Reading Time: < 1 minute A federal forage breeder from Nova Scotia is this year’s winner of the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. Yousef Papadopoulos, a research scientist at Ag Canada’s centre in Truro, N.S., “is known across North America for his contributions to forage development and ruminant livestock sustainability,” said the Beef Cattle Research Council, […] Read more
It’s showtime for BCRC webinars
Reading Time: < 1 minute There’s a ‘show me the money’ theme to the Beef Cattle Research Council’s upcoming webinar season. It begins Sept. 7 with a look at the latest numbers from the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network, which has data from 42 farms that allows insights into the difference between “top, medium and low profitable farms.” It […] Read more
Beef or bin? Valuing annual crops for feed
BCRC calculator can help decide the best option for your farm
Reading Time: < 1 minute Beef producers may plant annual crops for the purpose of livestock feed but for many crop farmers, diverting annual crops away from the bin and into beef requires some calculations and considerations. Given current grain prices, it’s important to think through how to value feed for cattle. A late, cool spring delayed seeding in some […] Read more
Don’t count pipelines out as a source for your livestock watering system
Underground pipe may be more economical than you think — especially with federal funding
Reading Time: 4 minutes You can place them wherever you want on your pasture, set up watering stations as you like, and keep your cows out of streams and dugouts. But underground pipe is also costly compared to some other watering options — at least on first analysis. But sometimes a pipeline may be a less costly option, say […] Read more
It’s the Oscars of beef research
Reading Time: < 1 minute Know a great researcher who has helped move the cattle sector forward? The Beef Cattle Research Council is looking for nominations for the Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. The award recognizes contributions in a host of areas such as animal health and welfare, environmental stewardship, feed efficiency, and forage production. Anyone […] Read more
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