The heart of sustainability for three Saskatchewan ranch families is the deep desire to make a living from the land. While many have chosen to move on to other careers with a steady income, these families have found ways to stay in farming. For Arlette and Allen Seib of Watrous, the journey toward sustainability meant […] Read more
The basics of farm sustainability
Three farm families from Saskatchewan offer their approach to sustainable farming
Keeping visitors to your farm safe
Strike a balance between enjoyable and safe
If you operate a farm store, market garden, agri-tourism venue or host a family celebration summer brings a lot of visitors to the farm, providing a unique opportunity to promote agriculture right where it happens. But along with the fun comes a responsibility to make it a safe experience for everyone. “You can’t assume that […] Read more
Good riddance to roundworms on pasture
Deworming programs typically target roundworms in the gastrointestinal tract, when in fact it takes a live host and grass for roundworms to complete their life cycle and perpetuate infections. This makes grazing season an opportune time to deworm because the only way cattle pick up new roundworm infections is by ingesting third-stage larvae (L3) and […] Read more
Guardian dogs earn their keep at Candll Ranch
A mix of breeds work best on the Lockharts' year-round pastures. Some stay within the flock while others go after predators
Cody and Liesl Lockhart didn’t know a thing about livestock guardian dogs (LGDs) when they started ranching with Cody’s parents in southern Alberta. That all changed five years ago after moving to their own place near Debden, Sask., where they now own a flock of 1,200 sheep and custom manage 750 cattle year round with […] Read more
When to fertilize your forage crop
Fertilizing forages pays off in the long run and could be a game changer if the race gets called on account of weather. Like any crop, forages need a significant amount of nutrients during the growing season to replace the nutrients removed with the crop, says Charlotte Ward, a forage specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry […] Read more
Winterfat, a protein-rich forage for cattle
Well-adapted to the Prairies, this native shrub withstands extreme cold and severe drought
The native grassland shrub, Krascheninnikovia lanata, is known as winterfat for good reason. Its protein level holds steady around 14 per cent into fall and ranges from nine to 11 per cent throughout winter, with year-long digestibility running between 55 and 65 per cent. That’s more than enough protein to meet the seven per cent […] Read more
All barley is not created equal when it comes to livestock feed
Improving the quality and efficiency of feed was the topic of the day at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference workshop put on by the Feed Coalition, an alliance of Alberta producer associations and research organizations. Alberta alone grows more barley than all of the U.S. and not many know barley quality better than researchers with […] Read more
Radish to the rescue
The last seven-inch rain reduced Elmy's cover crop options to one – Tillage Radish
Seven inches of rain in one shot late last June left Kevin Elmy with little choice but to throw out the notion of generating income off some of his land that year. Instead, he planted the waterlogged fields to Tillage Radish in hopes of at least conditioning the land. Elmy’s Friendly Acres Seed Farm near […] Read more
Canada’s First Look at Residual Feed Intake EPDs
Canadian Hereford breeders have long believed in the breed’s feed efficiency and now they’re collecting the numbers to back up that claim. Exceptional breeder participation in the Canadian Hereford Association’s (CHA) residual feed intake (RFI) research project has led to Canada’s first-ever expected progeny differences (EPD) for RFI and a related trait called residual intake […] Read more
Locking in purebred cattle traits
The Lafrentz family relied on planned matings and linebreeding to lock in their genetic package
Denise and Vern Lafrentz started out on their own 20 years ago with a goal of raising commercial-style purebred Simmental and Simmental-Angus breeding stock to meet the needs of commercial cattlemen. Along the way, their foresight and commitment to their breeding plan has put their ranch, Wheatland Cattle Co. of Bienfait, Sask., in the limelight […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
