Reading Time: 5 minutes Biosecurity, vaccines, vitamin injections and colostrum — veterinarian Roy Lewis runs down how beef farmers can keep newborn calves free from disease and gaining weight fast.
CALVING 2026: Keep those newborn beef calves healthy
The 2026 calf crop is, or will soon be, hitting the ground on beef farms across Prairies — here’s an overview of how to keep those calves healthy and growing
Don’t let winter deplete your cows vital vitamin A reserves
Fortify gestation diets with this essential vitamin to ensure a healthy calf crop and peak reproductive performance
Reading Time: 3 minutes Boost your calving season success: prevent weak calves and maintain gestating cow health by fortifying winter beef diets with vitamin A.
Health Canada stops sales of coccidiosis medication Deccox on procedural issue
Deccox, a medication to prevent coccidiosis in calves and other livestock, is temporarily off the market after Health Canada issued a stop sale order earlier this month.
Biosecurity during calving: What’s your farm’s risk?
A well-designed plan for winter confinement period is essential to reduce disease risk for your herd
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cow-calf producers in Western Canada should have a well-designed plan for winter confinement period to reduce disease risks to herd.
Top 5 Alberta Farmer Express stories of 2024
Here's some of the stories that captured the attention of Alberta farmers this year
Reading Time: 2 minutes As 2024 flew by, it can be tough to keep on top of all the news. Here’s a few stories that struck a chord with farmers in the Wild Rose province. 1. Alberta doubles down on rat strategy Alberta has maintained its rat-free status for 70 years and the province wants to keep that streak […] Read more
Uterine amputations a routine occurrence in calving season
Cows can still be lost, but these days its a rarity
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most uterine prolapses are uneventful for an experienced veterinarian, and the owner ends up with a lively cow that breeds again without missing a beat. Producers will often ship these cows, but any veterinarian will tell you this isn’t a heritable trait and should not reoccur. If the cow rebreeds, there is no greater likelihood […] Read more
A ‘miracle’ in calving season
Rare act of science plus expert cattle handling save a calf and its mother in central Alberta
Reading Time: 4 minutes Calving season can be a stressful and dramatic time on the ranch. There’s a lot of new life but there is often death as well. Every once in a while, however, something happens that seems like a miracle. Just ask Chris Paulencu with Green Acres Cattle Company, a seedstock operation in central Alberta’s Lamont County. […] Read more
Preparation is key to smoother calving season
Making checklists, preparing equipment can help producers navigate stressful season
Reading Time: 4 minutes Calving can be stressful for both people and animals. Preparation far in advance is one way producers can better ensure success for a safe and productive calving season. “Some of that preparedness starts well before calving season, if you think about herd health programs or nutrition, or making sure cows are in good shape coming […] Read more
The importance of pairing up at calving
A little extra effort to foster mothering can pay big dividends
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Calving season always comes with anticipation about the incoming calf crop, and great cow-calf managers have tips that help them save more calves and improve productivity . For the spring calver, great observation skills combined with the ability to go the extra mile will generally be rewarded. It pays to check for […] Read more
Keeping your cool in calving season requires planning
Reading Time: < 1 minute As calving season gets underway for beef cattle producers, an abundance of sleepless nights can be expected. Cows will be calving around the clock, leaving little leeway if anything goes wrong. Careful planning becomes important, not only to help calves hit the ground healthy but also to benefit producers physically and mentally when dealing with […] Read more