For the week ending May 31, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded steady to as much as $10 lower on average. Dryer grass conditions in certain regions of Manitoba and central and northern Saskatchewan may have contributed to the softer tone at certain locations. Many feedlot operators continue to sit on their hands for the […] Read more
Klassen: Feeding margin uncertainty weighs on feeder cattle market
Feed barley under pressure, but opportunities available
Corn downturn likely to keep feedlots looking to extend coverage
Feed barley bids in Western Canada remained under pressure in mid-February amid continued imports of corn from the United States and the relatively mild Prairie winter. However, localized spot opportunities do pop up occasionally.
Research shows controlled bunk feeding improves feed-to-gain ratio
Consistency in feed delivery, feed mix order and mix time improves feed efficiency
Reading Time: 3 minutes Monitoring the behaviour of cattle at the feed bunk can help maintain rumen health and improve efficiencies in feedlots. Given crop production costs, feed inputs and time invested in nutritional inputs and ration formulation, producers want to maximize returns wherever possible. “You don’t want to throw out all that hard work by mismanaging the feed […] Read more
Seaweed saviour? Marine algae touted as fix for cattle burps
Everyone’s hyped over GHG-fighting seaweed, but is it safe and does it make sense?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Cow burps continue to be headline news, with many — from Bill Gates to a Calgary startup — backing seaweed to save the planet from methane-belching cattle. But despite the hype, slipping a little seaweed into cattle feed is unproven science that needs more study, says one of the leading experts on the issue. “The […] Read more
Hybrid rye brings flexibility and vigour for cattle feeders
Still a relatively new crop here, hybrid rye deserves a good look as a feed grain, say proponents
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hybrid rye might just be the closest a producer can come to a one-size-fits-all solution for feeding cattle, attendees at a recent webinar were told. “There’s a lot of flexibility to it,” said Nathan Penner, commercialization manager at FP Genetics. “The thing I like about it is there’s options to use it in multiple different […] Read more
Choosing the right mineral supplements can be daunting
Whether grazing or on a winter ration, cattle need mineral supplements to avoid health problems
Reading Time: 3 minutes What mineral supplementation do I need and when do I need it? Beef producers might know they should supplement their herds with mineral, but trying to wade through all the choices at the livestock supply store can be overwhelming. Commercial suppliers seem to make claims and offer something different, but with tubs and bags of […] Read more
Feed weekly outlook: Barley bids drop ahead of harvest
MarketsFarm — Seasonal harvest pressure is already weighing on the Canadian feed barley market, with most end users covered for the time being and waiting for the new crop. “We’re seeing buyers fill up” on barley, said Susanne Leclerc of Market Master in Edmonton. Bids were dropping on a daily basis from those still in […] Read more
Cattle feeders need ‘urgent’ help, say industry officials
Slowdowns at Alberta’s two big packing plants is already affecting sales of market-ready cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes With Alberta’s big two beef packers reducing production, there’s an urgent need for government support for cattle feeders, say industry officials. Both Cargill and JBS Canada have cancelled second shifts at their Alberta locations after some workers tested positive for COVID-19. And that means a big drop in the number of cattle being processed, said […] Read more
Feed testing is a luxury you can’t afford to miss out on this winter
The first step is to get representative samples — and that can be trickier than it sounds
Reading Time: 4 minutes Just like you can’t always tell if your cattle are healthy by looking at them, you can’t see the quality of your feed at first glance. Luckily, feed testing can help you manage both. “The nutrition program is almost always the culprit when things just aren’t quite right,” said Karin Schmid, research and production manager […] Read more
Now’s your time to catch up on cattle feeding tips
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Cows and Chaos webinar series has wrapped up, but the entire series is available online. Although the series covered timely topics for producers dealing with feed issues, its timing (it started airing in the summer and concluded earlier this month) coincided with harvest and the fall calf run. Each episode, put on by Alberta […] Read more
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