Reading Time: 4 minutes From weaning practices to health care and calving success, national Beef Cattle Research Council survey pegs what cow-calf producers are doing on their farms and why.
Survey dishes out most common cow-calf practices: Where does your farm fit?
From weaning practices to health care and calving success, national Beef Cattle Research Council survey pegs what cow-calf producers are doing on their farms and why
Alberta program offers cost of production benchmarks
AgriProfits designed to help farmers optimize costs with relevant provincial data
Reading Time: 3 minutes You can’t manage what you don’t measure” is a refrain among agricultural producers of all stripes, and the right measurement tools usually come in the form of benchmarks. However, there’s a shortage of benchmarks that specifically measure cost of production, so the provincial agriculture department has developed a program exclusively for Alberta farmers. It’s called […] Read more
Benchmarking cow-calf producers
Reading Time: < 1 minute A new report presents the multi-year business performance of cow-calf producers who participated in the AgriProfit$ Business Analysis Program. Ian Ryan, senior livestock economist with the Alberta government, says this report has a multi-year summary of the economic, productive and financial performance of Alberta cow-calf producers. Participants received a customized business analysis of their operations […] 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
AFSC reaches out to cow-calf producers for input
Pilot project a chance for ranchers to address risk management discrepancies
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sixty-six per cent over 11 years. That’s how much extra support Alberta cow-calf producers would have received had certain feed and pasture costs been fully covered under a major business risk management tool. However, the Agricultural Financial Services Corporation, which delivers the AgriStability program in Alberta, wants to change that by getting ideas from cow-calf […] Read more
Updating cow-calf management benchmarks
Survey closes March 31
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is asking cow-calf producers to share insight into their on-farm management practices and production methods. The 2023 Canadian Cow-Calf Survey is an online questionnaire that will collect data to help understand trends in production practices and efficiencies over time. Producers’ identities and information will remain anonymous and be held […] Read more
Taking the angst out of cow-calf record keeping
BCRC course designed to help cow-calf producers choose most relevant traits to track
Reading Time: 3 minutes When some beef producers see the amount of record keeping done by purebred operations or participants in VBP+, they may thank their lucky stars that they don’t have to do the same. But experts at the Beef Cattle Research Council would say that genetic record keeping doesn’t have to be cumbersome for cow-calf or commercial […] Read more
Automatic syringes a better solution
Retire those old guns that have done their duty, and get better results
Reading Time: 3 minutes Vaccinations are a cornerstone biosecurity practice for cow-calf operations and feedlots. It is not uncommon for two or more vaccines to be given twice a year. There has been lots written about proper vaccination techniques, vaccine storage, maintaining the chain of refrigeration and other things that affect the way these vaccines perform. I want to […] Read more
Low emitting cow-calf farms move in step with profitability
The variability of the cow-calf sector means there are many levers to pull to increase financial, environmental sustainability, says researcher
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – A study benchmarking cow-calf profitability against greenhouse gas intensity suggests profitable farms tend to have lower emissions, but there’s a lot of room to work on both sides of the equation. “There’s a lot that we can do to provide support to producers who are willing to try things … and I […] Read more
Can Canada see beef herd expansion in 2023?
Reading Time: < 1 minute The short answer to cattle herd expansion is that it depends if there’s any money in it, says Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. “Any expansion will be dependent on this year’s weather, feed costs and conditions in the second half of 2023,” says Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with the Alberta government. “Expansion is dependent […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
