Dr. Tommy Ware became a fan of the Sandhills calving system after learning about it from one of its creators when he was at veterinary school at Mississippi State.

Splitting up the nursery can have a big health payoff for calves

The Sandhills calving system is a simple way to lower the risk of scours

Reading Time: 4 minutes The Sandhills calving system can help producers reduce scours during calving season. Eight client ranches are trying the method, which is used south of the border but isn’t too common in Canada, said Dr. Tommy Ware of Veterinary Agri-Health Services. So far, it’s been a success. “Sandhills is our way of managing scours risk. Instead […] Read more

Dr. Claire Windeyer’s demonstration of ways to get a newborn calf to take its first breath was a highly popular item on the BCRC website in 2022.

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

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


The system learns to identify normal animal movements and sends a message if it detects lameness or other unusual activity.

A computer program called BETSY could be your next ranch hand

It’s AI, but the other kind — an artificial intelligence system for detecting abnormal activity in animals

Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s arrived: facial recognition and 24/7 video monitoring of every movement. That may sound like a science fiction movie, but don’t worry. It’s not for you. It’s for your cattle. An artificial intelligence system named BETSY has been developed by OneCup AI, an Alberta-based tech startup. The company is offering it to producers willing to […] Read more

Take care to avoid the big three nemesis’ this calving season: scours, pneumonia and navel infection.

Get out your calving season to-do list — and check it twice

Being well prepared not only saves headaches during calving but can prevent future problems

Reading Time: 3 minutes For the vast majority of you, calving is underway or will be shortly, so a quick review of a few points may lead to more live calves and minimizing disease problems. First, review your list of calving supplies and make sure you have extra on hand. You know what you have needed in the past, […] Read more


More calves in the first round is a winning formula

More calves in the first round is a winning formula

Research council urges producers to consider the payoff from tightening the calving season

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

Collecting some additional info doesn’t have to be onerous and the effort can pay significant dividends, says Dr. Jennifer Pearson.

Good calving data can deliver dollars, but first you need to record it

Collecting more info during calving can reveal issues you didn’t know you had, says vet

Reading Time: 4 minutes There is a lot of information that can be collected during calving season. But what data is worth spending time recording? And why should we be collecting data to begin with? A bare-bones record — such as how many cows and how many calves they had — doesn’t get you very far if you’re looking […] Read more


This scene from a new video on esophageal feeding illustrates a couple of points — the calf’s head is in a neutral position and the animal is backed into a corner so it can be properly restrained.

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

Records sought for economic impact of assisted calving

Records sought for economic impact of assisted calving

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cows that have an assisted calving can have a higher risk of postpartum injuries, pain, decreased milk production, and infertility. To estimate the economic impact, U of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine is seeking historical records (2015-20), specifically calving records, treatment, mortality and sales records, and the reproductive performance. That data will be analyzed and […] Read more


Not getting enough colostrum may lead to the first case of the three main calfhood diseases.

Focusing on the big three calf conditions will pay dividends

Scours, pneumonia or navel infections are commonplace but their incidence can be reduced

Reading Time: 3 minutes Most experienced cattlemen will have had an increased incidence in one of the three main calf diseases we see on ranches across Western Canada. These can be smouldering problems and occur year after year. I have spent many a time over my career discussing treatment of scours, pneumonia or navel infection (and then, ideally, working […] Read more

Keep a close watch for these issues when calving

Keep a close watch for these issues when calving

Recognizing the signs of trouble and acting quickly can be a true lifesaver

Reading Time: 3 minutes With spring approaching, I am going to attempt to summarize the many ways we can collectively (and hopefully) maximize calf survivability and productivity starting at calving time. Each of you will have different management styles, strategies, and numbers — but if there are one or two new things, techniques, or observations you can learn from, […] Read more