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
More calves in the first round is a winning formula
Research council urges producers to consider the payoff from tightening the calving season
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
Beef research council aims to inform, and challenge producers
Not surprisingly, drought figured heavily in Beef Cattle Research Council’s top articles of the year
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s no surprise that drought was the most common theme when the Beef Cattle Research Council put together a list of its Top 10 blogs for 2021. The website of the council was, after all, created to help producers “make informed decisions about their production practices” and so half of the Top 10 articles offered […] Read more
Beef sector launches pair of new consumer outreach efforts
Economic contribution of beef sector highlighted and beef advocacy training revamped
Reading Time: < 1 minute Highlighting how the cattle sector beefs up the economy and training those in the sector to talk persuasively about key issues are the latest efforts to win the hearts and minds of consumers. A new infographic from the Beef Cattle Research Council aims to show at a glance that the cattle sector is a big […] Read more
Crunching the numbers on backgrounding cattle
Should you hold animals or sell some to free up feed for the cow herd?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Drought conditions across the country this year remind us of the importance of a drought-management plan. Diversifying a cow-calf operation with a backgrounding enterprise could be part of a drought-mitigation strategy, as backgrounded cattle can be sold or moved to a feedlot to free up feed supplies or pasture for the cow herd. While backgrounding […] Read more
Beef Cattle Research Council reviews research projects
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council has released its 2020-21 Year in Review, which spotlights some of the key research projects funded during the past year. There were 23 projects reporting activities through the Beef Cattle Industry Science Cluster, as well as 25 priority research projects. While most results will be presented upon completion, the report […] Read more
New edition of beef mentorship program underway
Program key to boosting research impact at a farm level, says beef research council
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s an all-Alberta lineup in the latest edition of the Beef Researcher Mentorship Program. Four researchers working in the province have been paired with eight mentors from the province’s beef sector in the Beef Cattle Research Council program. But it’s not geography, but rather upping the research benefits for all Canadian producers that matters, said […] Read more
Finding treasure by taking a deep dive into cow-calf production data
Cost of Production Network opens a window on how producers like you spend and make money
Reading Time: 3 minutes An effort to create apples-to-apples benchmarking for cattle producers has released its results from 2020 — and has also issued an appeal for more producers to join the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network. “The purpose of the network is to produce benchmarks for different production systems found across Canada,” a newly released Canfax video […] Read more
Beef webinar season starting up soon
Reading Time: < 1 minute Backgrounding basics and crafting a grazing game plan are two of the topics in this winter’s season of webinars from the Beef Cattle Research Council. The first webinar on backgrounding (Nov. 17) features two vets and a livestock nutritionist. It will be followed by ones on collecting data during calving season (on Jan. 12), developing […] Read more
Know what you’ve got is the golden rule when feed is short
Nitrate levels are higher in drought-stressed crops, so testing feed is an absolute must
Reading Time: 4 minutes Testing your feed should top your to-do list this fall and winter. “Get that crop tested,” said Bart Lardner, a University of Saskatchewan professor who holds a research chair in cow-calf and forage systems. “Know what you’re starting with and know what you’re dealing with in terms of energy density, protein density, and anti-quality factors […] Read more
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