Pasture management is always important, but it is especially important following a drought. During these challenging periods, pastures may suffer and degrade, resulting in the loss of valuable forage, soil erosion and diminished fertility. Drought effects linger, affecting land and plant life productivity even after the rains return. Effective management strategies are essential to support […] Read more
Why post-drought pasture management matters for beef farmers
Knowing how perennial plants function can help producers make better decisions
Structure underpins bull power
Two ranchers explain how they think a herd sire should be put together and why
What does a good bull look like? It’s a perpetual question during bull buying season, so Canadian Cattlemen asked a commercial producer and a seedstock beef producer how they evaluate bull conformation. Rawes Ranches A family member regularly reminds Philip Harty, owner of Rawes Ranches at Strome, Alta., that cattle producers should be in the […] Read more
Manitoba trials address livestock predation in farmyards
Sheep and beef cattle producers tried everything from solar fox lights to predator-resistant penning to reduce predation in the farmyard
Manitoba’s Livestock Predation Prevention pilot continued its 2020-23 assessment of various predation risk mitigation practices focused on cattle and sheep populations in and around farmyards. More than 100 total trials were completed on 48 farms during the three-year project with approximately 75 per cent of the costs covered by the project. Predator-resistant penning Seven high-tensile […] Read more
Counteracting livestock predation risks on pasture
A three-year study in Manitoba tested several methods of preventing predation of cattle and sheep
Predators such as coyotes, wolves, bears, cougars and foxes have been threatening and killing young, weak and compromised cattle and sheep in Manitoba since domestic farming began. Financial losses range between minimal to potentially devastating depending on location, workforce numbers, operation size and nearby habitat. To counteract and help mitigate these challenges, in 2020 the […] Read more
Genomic tool identifies hybrid vigour levels in cattle
A made-in-Canada tool reveals breed composition and scores cattle on hybrid vigour
"We found over 25 years the amount of vigour in the commercial beef production sector was decreasing. We needed a tool to monitor the situation and indicate the degree of crossbreeding. This tool would offer workable practices to reinstate hybrid vigour levels.”
Shifting to the Sandhills calving system to cut scours in young beef calves
While it’s not for every operation, the Sandhills calving system can reduce diarrhea in young calves
Cow-calf producers across North America face wide-ranging challenges each calving season but scours and neonatal diarrhea often top the list. Various systems are used to help prevent what can become devastating losses when these pathogens gain a foothold. An established approach still growing in popularity is the Sandhills calving system, designed to separate newborns and […] Read more
Using reproductive tract scoring to pick replacement heifers
A project at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence is comparing conception rates of replacements to earlier reproductive tract scores
In Canadian beef cattle systems, increased efficiency accompanied by higher levels of performance is largely dependent on the female herd delivering live calves within a desired time frame. Most commercial operators retain and develop heifers for potential replacements. When adding numbers and quality to the herd, these yearlings become a critical piece of the puzzle. […] Read more
Investigating feed efficiency and climate tolerance
Researchers at the University of Alberta are looking into whether there’s a link between feed efficiency and weather tolerance in cattle
Research and trials have confirmed feed efficiency varies from one animal to another. It’s also true climate extremes influence a cow’s thermoregulation, but are they connected? Are more feed-efficient cattle better at weathering the peaks and valleys of climate challenges? These questions formed the basis of a recent trial at the University of Alberta’s Roy […] Read more
Linking the supply chain through modular processing plants
A new company aims to disrupt the meat processing industry and deliver the kinds of cuts customers want through modular buildings
When representatives from the meat industry, microbrew marketing, and feedlot sectors come together, the pieces of a new- to-Canada enterprise begin to snap into place. Almost literally. Larry Dalton, James Bradbury and Jeff Ball combined their unique viewpoints to create a new method of branding and marketing beef, specifically building small processing plants on local […] Read more
Research into pain management and animal health
North American researchers are studying how pain mitigation affects the health and performance of calves, as well as the economics
Castration, and to a lesser extent dehorning, are routine and necessary procedures on cattle farms, ranches and feedlots across the nation. These stressful events deliver varying levels of concentrated pain to their recipients which fade over time but in doing so, also create extended ripples of influences throughout an animal’s life. Dr. Michael Jelinski of […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
