cattle drinking water

Less rain equals more danger for cattle on your ranch

Reading Time: 3 minutes Polioencephalomalacia, fog fever, blue-green algae, and vitamin A deficiency. Those are just four potential health threats to cattle when conditions are extremely dry. “The biggest problem we have on the Prairies is water that is high in sulphates,” said Dr. John Campbell, professor in the department large animal clinical sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. […] Read more



Beef research council adds grazing resources

Beef research council adds grazing resources

Here are factors to consider when creating a grazing management plan for your operation

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Beef Cattle Research Council is expanding the grazing management section of its website. This example, which has been slightly condensed, was posted on the website last month. Effective grazing management on pastures not only ensures high forage yield, sustainability, animal health, and productivity — all of which impact cost of production, it also benefits […] Read more

This map shows the Bighorn Country proposals. There would be one large provincial park (Bighorn Wildland) along with three smaller ones (David Thompson, Ya Ha Tinda, and North Saskatchewan River). The largest area on the map is the proposed West Country Public Land Use Zone. A second such zone, Kiska/Willson, already exists but would have enlarged boundaries. Within the Kiska/Willson zone would be four provincial recreation areas: Bighorn Dam, Snow Creek, and Shunda (in the upper part of the zone) and Hummingbird in the middle.

Alberta Beef Producer’s view on Bighorn Country proposals

Cattle group supports conservation of sensitive lands, but the details raise concerns

Reading Time: 3 minutes Editor’s note: This is a condensed version of an ABP briefing note. The full PDF version can be found at the Alberta Beef Producers website. The Bighorn Country proposal by Alberta Environment and Parks consists of four provincial parks, four recreation areas, and two Public Land Use Zones (PLUZs). There are several beef producers who […] Read more


The picturesque Waldron Ranch offers 65,000 acres 
of grazing for 13,000 cattle.

It’s all about the grass at this all-inclusive cattle resort in the Rockies

Waldron Ranch has been a paradise for cows for 
over a century — and will be for centuries to come

Reading Time: 5 minutes Ranchers along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains watched her as she made her way through the foothills, walking for miles and miles and forcing her way through every fence until she reached her destination. That old cow just had to get back to Waldron Ranch. “She does it every year after weaning,” said […] Read more

Getting more out of fewer acres while lowering risk prompted Ryan Boyd, pictured with daughter Piper, 
to try regenerative agriculture.

Regenerative agriculture: A better way to farm?

Modern version of mixed farming model is attracting producers focused on ‘the long game’

Reading Time: 4 minutes Twelve years ago, Ryan Boyd faced a wreck that changed the way he farms today. “I had big plans,” said Boyd, who farms with his wife and parents north of Brandon, Man. “We had a nice crop coming, and then the weather went against us and the markets dropped. “The long and short of it […] Read more


Start animals slowly on cover crop fields and closely monitor their grazing, says forage specialist Karin Lindquist.

Specialist offers tips for grazing cover crops

Stocking rates are going to be fairly similar and be alert to nitrate and bloating potential

Reading Time: 2 minutes When you graze cover crops, you have to look at things differently, says provincial beef and forage specialist Karin Lindquist. “Management means leaving behind enough of a residue on a light graze versus a heavy graze,” she said during a recent West County Ag Tour. “It’s not just the above material that tells you a […] Read more

This sight is becoming rare in many parts of the province and after two dry years, 
will only get worse.

Province-wide farm aid unlikely, says Alberta Beef Producers chair

While many producers are in dire straits, feed shortage is not technically ‘a disaster’

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Beef Producers is gathering the facts on the feed shortage in the province and preparing a case for government aid for drought-stricken ranchers. But although the federal government has now made much of the province eligible for its tax deferral program, direct aid is unlikely, said ABP chair Charlie Christie. “My gut feeling right […] Read more