Reading Time: 3 minutes There are a lot of ways to reduce losses to predators, but what works best and which ones are a good investment? That’s what a multi-year pilot project in Manitoba is trying to determine. Among the items being studied are: special penning, with seven strings of electric wire and predator-resistant gates. game cameras that give […] Read more
What works — or at least helps — in reducing livestock predation?
That’s what a comprehensive pilot project led by Manitoba’s main cattle group hopes to establish
Total ban on killing grizzly bears isn’t working, say cattle producers
ABP wants government to issue permits to kill bears that repeatedly kill cattle and damage property
Reading Time: 5 minutes The province’s main cattle group says producers should be able to get a permit to kill grizzly bears that repeatedly kill livestock and damage property. “Alberta Beef Producers has resolved to lobby the government to provide livestock owners and landowners with permits, allowing them to kill a dangerous grizzly without being charged,” said Brad Dubeau, […] Read more
When a predator attacks, wildlife officers need to solve the whodunit
Compensation is available for livestock producers but first some detective work needs to be done
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s always stressful when a predator injures or kills livestock, and the process for getting compensation can be stressful, too. But attendees at a recent webinar by a provincial wildlife officer got a look at the process from the investigator’s point of view. One of the key points made by Alex Bolland is that the […] Read more
The bear facts: Farming with grizzly bears in your area
Some simple measures can reduce the odds of bears becoming an issue on your ranch or farm
Reading Time: 3 minutes Jim Duncan has his bear stories, but so do all of his neighbours. The Clearwater County rancher has seen bears in his yard looking in the calf sheds, but has never had a calf taken. Wolves, however, have taken two or three animals while cougars — which are out there but rarely seen — have […] Read more
Too close for comfort: Farmers recount grizzly bear encounter
Bear makes sheep farm its hunting ground and wreaks destruction before being snared
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bears can wreak havoc on a farm — Norm and Irene Korth learned this the hard way. The couple has a sheep farm in Clearwater County and lamb about 200 head. “About four years ago, we had a grizzly here, but we never did catch him,” said Irene Korth But things escalated this April, on […] Read more
Predator compensation benefits all of society
Ranchers are key to maintaining wildlife habitat but pay a price because of predator losses, which are on the rise
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ranchers play a key role in conservation by keeping their lands available to wildlife, and it’s important that they be compensated for those losses, says a new study “Our paper makes a case that there are benefits… if those ranchers who have depredation programs see some compensation for wildlife to be on their private lands,” […] Read more
Rover will wander no more thanks to GPS technology
Reading Time: 3 minutes Keeping a dog within the confines of your own farm isn’t always easy — but technology is changing that. Rodney and Tanya Hollman, who raise purebred Gelbvieh cattle near Innisfail, recently put an “invisible fence” around their property to keep their nine-month-old Kangal-cross dog Marleigh from wandering. The couple chose the Invisible Fence Brand from […] Read more
Turkish Kangals give new meaning to the word ‘dogged’
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rodney and Tanya Hollman are sold on the Turkish Kangal breed. Kangals don’t give up on a predator until it’s dead, and can go up to 14 miles chasing an intruder such as a wolf, bear, or, in their native land, jackals. They’ve even been exported to deal with cheetahs and leopards in Africa. Read […] Read more
Preventing conflicts with bears before they start
Reading Time: 2 minutes It doesn’t matter where you are in the province — Alberta is bear country. Bears prefer to be left alone, but tragedies do happen. It was the death of a woman attacked by a grizzly bear in Canmore in 2005 that led to the creation of the Bearsmart program. The voluntary program is a partnership […] Read more
Could a cement mixer have a place on your operation?
Composting deadstock is no different than garden waste — except you need a really big composter
Reading Time: 3 minutes If you’re in a wildlife corridor, the last thing you want to do is attract predators to your place. But that’s not easy if, like Marty Winchell, you’re raising sheep, pigs, laying hens and bees, as well as custom grazing cattle. Which is why there’s an old cement mixer sitting in his yard. His mixer […] Read more
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