Reading Time: 3 minutes Despite record-high cattle prices and strong demand for beef, margins remain tight for cattle producers who are battling the high price of land and feed. But cattle feeders can widen their margins as they head into winter by taking measures to improve feed efficiency and reduce waste right now. “To prepare your cattle for winter, […] Read more
Building winter cattle rations without wrecking your bottom line
Improving your feeding efficiency and reducing waste can help you save money overwintering your cattle this year
Officials at Red Deer hog facility vow animal abuse won’t happen again
Western Hog Exchange chair says he doesn’t like animal rights group’s tactics but says its undercover video will result in ‘very positive changes’
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Western Hog Exchange has one message for the pork industry in the wake of animal abuse allegations at its Red Deer facility. “What we saw is not acceptable,” said Brent Moen, chairman of the farmer-owned exchange. “We’re introducing changes, and we’re taking responsibility for this. And we will make improvements to our process.” An […] Read more
Better animal welfare is also better for your bottom line
Consumers are beginning to demand higher animal welfare standards for livestock — but improving welfare isn’t ‘rocket science’
Reading Time: 2 minutes Animal welfare and beef cattle productivity are “inseparable,” says a federal research scientist. “Sick animals are not productive animals,” said Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein. “Incidences of sickness and lost performance are really heavily linked to welfare.” Stressors like castration, transportation, weaning, and handling have been linked to things like slower rate of gain, greater chance of […] Read more
Permaculture advocate says work with nature, not against it
Ferintosh producer Takota Coen says carefully designed mixed farms are the way of the future
Reading Time: 4 minutes The first thing you’ll notice as you drive by Grass Roots Family Farm is the orchard — an unlikely sight in rural Alberta, but somehow it seems right at home beside the sprawling vegetable garden. In a paddock near the house, a sow nurses a handful of nearly newborn piglets, and just down the lane […] Read more
It takes more than sunshine to make high-quality and high-yielding hay
Cutting at the right time, giving stands a chance to recover, and investing in nutrients can make a big difference to the bottom line
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers are becoming increasingly aware of how hay quality and productivity affect their bottom lines — whether they’re selling hay or feeding it to their livestock. The biggest factor in achieving these goals is the timing of cutting, says Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “For every week a […] Read more
Find a tick? Submit it to your veterinarian or public health office
Ticks can transmit Lyme disease to humans and dogs, but also anaplasmosis to cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Spring brings sunny days and barbecues, but also nasty creepy crawlies, including ticks. Provincial officials are running a tick surveillance program, and urging anyone who finds a tick to contact their local veterinarian or public health office so it can be tested. “Ticks can do a number of things — the biggest concern we have […] Read more
Ranchers have no beef with new antibiotic restrictions
Health Canada pushing to end of routine use of antibiotics important in human medicine because of resistance threat
Reading Time: 4 minutes Health Canada’s move to end the use of “medically important” antibiotics as growth promotants won’t hurt livestock production, say an Alberta producer and industry experts. “There won’t be as much restriction as we first thought,” said Camrose rancher and Canadian Cattle Association president Dave Solverson. “(But) there will be a little more consultation with veterinarians […] Read more
Grass-fed farms get stamp of approval
Animal Welfare Approved label a boost for sales
Reading Time: < 1 minute Two grass-fed Alberta livestock operations have recently been given a stamp of approval by an influential U.S. organization called Animal Welfare Approved. Don and Marie Ruzicka raise Angus, Galloway and Red Poll cattle on 600 acres of pasture at Ruzicka Sunrise Farm near Killam, while John and Kelsey Beasley raise North Country Cheviot sheep at […] Read more
Don’t get mad, give your critics something to think about
It’s easy to be offended by critics of modern farming, but there are ways to challenge their thinking and provide new perspectives
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Watch what you eat. Wherever possible, avoid food grown with pesticides, in feedlots, or by agribusiness. It’s an easy way to use your dollars to vote against the spread of toxins in our bodies, soil and water.” This is the fourth principle in the consumption manifesto issued by the World Watch Institute, an environmental research […] Read more
Many factors to consider with cattle price insurance coverage
There’s a learning curve for the Cattle Price Insurance Program
Reading Time: 3 minutes You’re finally making money. Do you part with some of it to insure the bottom line? The Cattle Price Insurance Program (CPIP) was launched by Agriculture Financial Services Corporation four years ago. The program offers prices insurance on finished cattle in the feedlot or feeder cattle, as well as for calves sold in the fall. […] Read more
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