A deer pauses in a hay field. Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are looking at ways to monitor and measure everything from soil carbon to biodiversity on land managed by ranchers.

Moving from planning to action on corporate sustainability

Officials from non-profits, animal health, foodservice and the processing industry discuss the challenges of setting and implementing corporate sustainability goals

When World Wildlife Fund plans to act on its sustainability goals for the Northern Great Plains, partnering with stakeholders in the beef value chain pushes these initiatives further. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) considers the Northern Great Plains to be a critical ecosystem, and to meet its place-based conservation goals, working with beef producers on the […] Read more

This is a good year to start working with a nutritionist if you aren’t already.

Feeding decisions are important breeding decisions

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

When life gets really stressful it can be hard to remember what you already know. This column probably won’t tell you anything new, but it might remind you of some important principles that can be overlooked in the scramble to buy feed and make important financial decisions. Winter feed costs are a key financial make-or-break […] Read more


Coulees were commonly used as dump sites for waste from garages and households, and that waste can still pose risks to livestock.

Toxic dumps in backyards lead to lead poisoning

Bad habits create a backwash of damage in places where people live. Old garbage dumps litter the Prairies. Every farm site at one time had a corner dedicated for refuse. Coulees were convenient places to rid the garage and home of unwanted things — out-of-site, out-of-mind. Through the generations, many items — some harmful — […] Read more



By wintering with their mothers, calves learn skills such as bale grazing.

Wintering calves with the cow herd

Keeping calves on the cows over winter offers many benefits, these ranchers say, but producers may need to adjust their herd genetics and management practices

Winter feeding is one of the highest costs of raising cattle. Some ranchers who keep calves over winter are finding they can winter those calves more efficiently by leaving them on the cows, while also reducing illness and stress in the calves. Canadian Cattlemen talked to two ranchers to find out what it takes to […] Read more

A heifer not only needs to maintain body condition and grow a fetus through the winter, but also grow herself.

Setting up young cows for success

A researcher and a seedstock producer explain why a little extra consideration for heifers and first-calvers through the winter pays off later on, and offer ideas on how to make heifers’ lives easier

Winter can be a tough time for young cows in a so-called normal year, but with drought leaving many producers short on pasture this year, cattle may be going into winter thinner than usual. That means heifers and young cows may need special care this year, says a research scientist. “One of the most important […] Read more


Canadian Drought Monitor map of drought conditions and intensity in Canada at Nov. 30, 2021. (AAFC)

Precipitation eases drought conditions on Prairies

Hardest-hit Manitoba sees 'modest' improvements

MarketsFarm — Varied amounts of precipitation are either maintaining or alleviating drought conditions in much of the Prairies, according to the latest nationwide drought map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Canadian Drought Monitor (CDM). The latest assessment for the period ended Nov. 30 showed very few areas of worsening drought in the region with […] Read more

A commercial herd of cows and calves in Alberta. When selecting a calving season, one consideration is feed quality and abundance during the breeding season.

Selecting a calving season

When considering a different calving season, think about what you want to accomplish and how moving the calving date might affect everything from winter feeding costs to pregnancy rates

In a previous article, I talked about selecting good cows to make a good cow herd. So, what do I expect a good cow to do? Calve unassisted every year in the first 25 days of the calving season. That means that she will breed in the first cycle of each breeding season. Be a […] Read more


Nature likes to throw curveballs. Don’t be afraid of change.

I do everything, sometimes

From the Ground Up with Steve Kenyon

There has been a long-time, ongoing debate on how to regeneratively graze. Which is the right way? Who should you follow? There are many different schools of thought out there by several very experienced graziers on how to properly graze, but which method is the best? I have attended a lot of different schools on […] Read more

Brenna Grant, manager of CanFax Research Services, is leading a nationwide effort to set benchmarks for the cow-calf industry.

Cost of production network set to make its mark on cow-calf industry

CCA-backed project to find benchmarks that make the most sense to individual producers

Benchmarking has become a major part of running a business today. Whether it’s comparing this year’s performance to past performance or looking at your profitability compared to similar operations in your region or province, it’s considered an essential tool for setting production goals. But finding the best benchmarks can be tricky. There are hundreds of […] Read more