Reading Time: < 1 minute Do you wonder how your cow-calf operation compares with others in your region, province or herd size on matters like conception rate and weaning weight? Producers who participate in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey will receive a complementary report that allows them to compare their own operation with benchmarks. The survey takes about 45 […] Read more
Producers wanted for cow-calf survey
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
Three tips for swath and bale grazing this winter
Match your cows and your feed, leave a ‘snowshoe’ if mud is an issue, and make those swaths wide and high
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re planning to swath or bale graze cattle this winter, here are three pieces of advice from Agriculture Canada research scientists Vern Baron in Lacombe and John Duynisveld in Nappan, N.S. Match animal and forage Successful extended grazing matches the energy requirements of the cow with the true quality of the forage and/or supplement […] Read more
The fall run is tough on calves but we can do better
The health problems seen in the feedlot don’t come out of the blue and careful handling should start at the home ranch
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the fall run underway, cattlemen and women are faced again with the challenge of morbidity and mortality in calves. By the time calves land in the feed yard, they have often been handled and transported several times. How they fight off disease during that extraordinarily stressful period is related to their age and weight. […] Read more
Three approaches to managing first- and second-calvers
Their methods differ, but these three ranchers are all focused on maintaining body conditioning
Reading Time: 2 minutes Because they graze year round at Deseret Ranches near Raymond, Darren Bevans manages first- and second-calvers separately from the cow herd on winter swath grazing. “Managing these groups separately allows us to provide a little bit of extra nutrition, which can make all the difference to body condition and future pregnancy rates,” said Bevans. “Really these […] Read more
First-calf heifers need some extra love
Keep a close eye on the conditions of these young females, that require more energy and nutrients than mature cows
Reading Time: 4 minutes Replacement and first-calf heifers need extra management, but producers can take different paths to get to the same destination. Beef producers like Alberta’s Darren Bevans, Tyler Fulton in Manitoba, and Murray Shaw in Ontario know replacement and first-calf heifers need some extra attention heading into winter, but that doesn’t mean over-the-top management. Bevans and Fulton […] Read more
Alberta cattle numbers are no longer falling — but herds are on the move
Some counties are seeing a major increase due to bigger herds, but crops are replacing cattle in other areas
Reading Time: 3 minutes While the Alberta cow herd has stopped shrinking, it has not yet rebounded. “The positive returns for the cow-calf producers over the last few years indicate the Alberta cow herd has finally stopped shrinking,” said Herman Simons, a farm business management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “In fact, the total beef cow numbers for […] Read more
The door to Europe isn’t quite open yet
The EU trade deal is now a go, but ‘very few producers’ have signed up for a program that makes their cattle eligible
Reading Time: 3 minutes The European Union has the potential to be a big marketplace for Canadian beef producers, but it’s going to take some effort to get them here. “We are concerned that to date very few producers are enrolling their cattle in the EU program,” the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said in a recent edition of its e-newsletter. […] Read more
Get as much health information as you can when buying cattle
Beef 911: Producers are doing a good job of caring for their cattle but often this information is not passed on to buyers
Reading Time: 4 minutes When purchasing or selling livestock, their health status — preventive shots given, deworming, and other relevant information — can be determined by a few simple questions. But these questions are seldom asked in cattle transactions these days. With cattle being of higher value, and often traversing long distances through different geographic areas, this information is […] Read more
College opens state-of-the-art dairy centre
The $9.5-million facility will be used by hundreds of students annually and also offer short continuing education courses
Reading Time: 2 minutes Anew $9.5-million dairy facility at Lakeland College will offer students cutting-edge learning opportunities in areas such as calf management, feed and nutrition, cow comfort, dairy-specific software, and manure management. About 500 people turned out for the recent official opening of the 46,600-square-foot facility at the college’s Vermilion campus. “The Dairy Learning Centre replaces Lakeland’s previous […] Read more
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