It was fun while it lasted — the new burger family served in tidy little foil bags; the frosted mug of root beer; the carhops delivering orders to the window. It was 1956 and A&W came onto the Canadian food-service scene with a flare that captured the fancy of the postwar generation. By 1972, when […] Read more
We want to market more beef
A&W explains its marketing plan to producers
Twice-over grazing leads to herd makeover
Better native grasses management improves biomass growth and breeding
When Gerry Bertholet signed up for a workshop on grazing native grasslands, he certainly wasn’t expecting to learn that he was doing everything wrong. According to the professor’s theories, they were overgrazing, their cows were too big and they were calving too early. It was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. He, Linda […] Read more
Fee-for-service conservation
Ranchers engineered it now they are testing it out to see how it works in the real world
It’s been 80 years since respected American professor, ecologist and author, Aldo Leopold, recognized that conservation would ultimately boil down to rewarding private landowners who preserve the public interest. The southwestern Saskatchewan ranchers who formed the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc. (RSAI) in 2010 believe that day has arrived. As to how it can be done, […] Read more
VG Meats debuts tenderness-tested beef in Canada
VG Meats is marketing Canada’s first tenderness-tested steaks. Kevin Van Groningen says they started with 100 per cent sensory-panel tasting for steaks sold to Jacob’s Steak House and expanded April 30 to provide 100 per cent tenderness sampling for steaks sold through Longos 27 retail locations in the Toronto area. He and his three brothers, […] Read more
A farm built for two
700 cows, a feedlot, two people… and it works
A picture-perfect scene of 700 black cows set against a canvas of white transforms to pairs on a collage of gold and green as Bryce and Dawn McKenzie put the final touches on their calving season. They have the strokes down pat after 38 years in the beef business and share some insights on how […] Read more
NCFA settles into its role
As the National Cattle Feeders Association (NCFA) settles into its eighth year of operation, chair Jeff Warrack says the group is now having an impact on government decision makers in Ottawa. “Our specific focus is on national issues that affect feedlots and with our presence in Ottawa people recognize we have made contributions and want […] Read more
No hay here
The evolution of grazing on A7
The southern Alberta foothills back of Nanton have long been known as prime ranch land, distinguished by productive clay soils with great water-holding capacity, plentiful springs and a reasonably amicable climate. That’s just part of the story behind why you’ll no longer find hay on A7 Ranche, now in the hands of the third and […] Read more
An AI Cowculator
Dr. Cliff Lamb, University of Florida, launched his AI Cowculator app as a free download from iTunes or Google Play last August and an online version this March. There’s also a Facebook page to get answers to questions as you work through the “what ifs” when comparing the impact of fixed-time artificial insemination versus buying […] Read more
Deflating fixed-time AI myths
Conception rates in these three herds averaged 62, 65 and 76 per cent for an overall average of 67 per cent compared to an industry average of 50 per cent with a range of 40 to 60 per cent
If the advantages of using fixed-time artificial insemination in your breeding program aren’t enough to convince you to give it a try, turn it around and ask yourself, “why not?” Three Saskatchewan producers who had never used fixed-time AI put that question to the test last spring as part of a fixed-time AI project sponsored […] Read more
Back patches improve visual heat detection
When you’ve got a lot of females to inseminate do you use estrus synchronization or visual detection with the new heat patches? It doesn’t have to be either/or, says Charles Munro, the owner-operator of All-Around Livestock Sales and Services of Standard, Alta. Some of his clients may want to go with synchronized fixed-time AI for […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
