Reading Time: 3 minutes When feed is tight and times are tough, early calf weaning is an option — albeit an unusual one, says one of the country’s leading cattle experts. “Early weaning is talked about a lot, but not many people do it,” said Dr. John Campbell, a professor of large-animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and an […] Read more
Weaning calves early isn’t normal but is an option in a time of drought
There's some clear benefits for the herd, but what do you do with the calves?
The basics for handling freshly weaned calves at feedlots
Rest and getting them on feed and water are simple things but they take planning and management
Reading Time: 5 minutes Stress can have a big impact on calves and if not managed properly, freshly weaned calves heading to a feed yard can be very susceptible to pneumonia and other illnesses. While herd health veterinarians and feedlot production specialists can each have slightly different approaches to getting new feeders ramped up to the intended full-feed ration, […] Read more
There are extra challenges in wintering cows this year
Early weaning, supplement feed, and feeding vitamins earlier should be considered
Reading Time: 2 minutes With feed quality and quantity “all over the map this year,” producers face challenges weaning calves and maintaining cows, says a provincial beef and forage specialist. “If calves were not provided with creep feed over the summer, weaning weights will be lower than in most years — as much as 150 pounds per animal,” said […] Read more
When feed is in short supply, it’s time for extra culling
Beef 911: Downsizing the herd will be profitable if you have good records and good reasons for culling
Reading Time: 4 minutes With the shortage of feed across Western Canada, this may be a good year to downsize by extra culling. The question of what the next wave of culls should be goes beyond reproduction — the fall is also an ideal time to consider culling problem cows. The yearly cost to maintain those cows is at […] Read more
Who’s your daddy?
A study that used DNA testing to determine the siring success of individual bulls produced some surprises
Reading Time: 3 minutes DNA testing can help you know which bulls are siring calves and make better management decisions. “There was a lot more variation in what bulls were actually doing and which bulls were siring calves than we thought going into this,” Stacey Domolewski said during a recent Beef Cattle Research Council webinar. As part of a […] Read more
Producers wanted for cow-calf survey
Reading Time: < 1 minute Do you wonder how your cow-calf operation compares with others in your region, province or herd size on matters like conception rate and weaning weight? Producers who participate in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey will receive a complementary report that allows them to compare their own operation with benchmarks. The survey takes about 45 […] Read more
The fall run is tough on calves but we can do better
The health problems seen in the feedlot don’t come out of the blue and careful handling should start at the home ranch
Reading Time: 3 minutes With the fall run underway, cattlemen and women are faced again with the challenge of morbidity and mortality in calves. By the time calves land in the feed yard, they have often been handled and transported several times. How they fight off disease during that extraordinarily stressful period is related to their age and weight. […] Read more
First-calf heifers need some extra love
Keep a close eye on the conditions of these young females, that require more energy and nutrients than mature cows
Reading Time: 4 minutes Replacement and first-calf heifers need extra management, but producers can take different paths to get to the same destination. Beef producers like Alberta’s Darren Bevans, Tyler Fulton in Manitoba, and Murray Shaw in Ontario know replacement and first-calf heifers need some extra attention heading into winter, but that doesn’t mean over-the-top management. Bevans and Fulton […] Read more
Preconditioning is good for the entire cattle industry
Beef 911: There are a multitude of benefits but producers need to be compensated for the extra work and risk
Reading Time: 4 minutes Older producers may remember a preconditioning program implemented by the provincial Agriculture Department in the 1980s. There were criteria for procedures and shots, while veterinarians certified that procedures such as dehorning and castrating were done properly and correct pre-immunization shots were given properly. Two categories of calves (either pre-immunized or pre-immunized and weaned a specific […] Read more
What’s good for calves is good for your pocketbook
The benefits of low-stress weaning are clear — higher weight gains and a big drop in treatments
Reading Time: < 1 minute Calves that are fenceline weaned vocalize 50 per cent less, walk less, and have higher weight gains in the first 10 weeks post-weaning compared to conventionally weaned calves. Fenceline weaning is nearly as effective as two-stage weaning at reducing signs of stress. With this method, cows and calves are separated by a fence but can […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
