Debbie Furber

Are you faced with having to reseed alfalfa stands damaged last year by excessive moisture and bale-moving equipment? The upside is you have some new alfalfa genetics to select from that offer improved yield, persistence, disease resistance and feed value. Here’s a short survey of what’s new in alfalfa. PICKSEED Pickseed screens 35 to 45 […] Read more

With the launch of Reclaim last July, Dow Agro- Sciences now has four herbicides specifically designed to control a wide spectrum of broadleaf weeds, shrubs and trees on native rangeland and permanent tame pasture. “Reclaim has become the go-to product for controlling weeds and brush, says Candice Manshreck, the company’s range and pasture territory manager […] Read more

It seems to have been a matter of destiny waiting for design that brought Rosie Templeton and her mentor, Diane Finstad, together in the CYL program. Both come from ranching families and were active in 4-H beef clubs in their southern Alberta communities. Finstad went on to take a radio arts course at Olds College […] Read more

Jason Pollock started the new year with an announcement that he would step down at the end of this month after four years as CEO and general manager of Canadian Western Agribition (CWA). His decision didn’t come as a surprise to the board members of the annual livestock show — they knew his tenure would […] Read more

Cattleland Feedyards, a 30,000-head feedlot near Strathmore, Alta., is pulling out all stops to find top-quality calves with a specifigenetic trait through its Genetic Breeder Alliance. The concept evolved from studies by Quantum Genetix of Saskatoon exploring the value of the obese (leptin) gene. Calves from Cattleland’s 1,200-cow breeding herd and 5,000 cows in three […] Read more

The West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative (WHL) slipped into fourth gear in December with the start of round-the-clock monitoring of livestock traffic from west to east and vice versa. Zoning is a proactive disease management plan approved by the OIE, the World Health organization for animals. It’s a way of locking a country into health […] Read more

Though Ricki Fleming has offi- cially completed the requirements of the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) program, she and her mentors, doctors Craig Dorin and Mike Jelinski, managing partners of Veterinary Agri-Health Services at Airdrie, decided from the get-go that there’s would be a lifelong mentorship. She now counts them among her network of support people, […] Read more

Recent developments have made artificial insemination (AI) more convenient for commercial beef operations. Advanced synchronization protocols and sexed semen are the real game changers for the commercial sector, says Sean McGrath of Vermilion, Alta. He’s been using AI extensively on his commercial herd for the past five years and now helps teach a farmer course […] Read more

Dr. Reuben Mapletoft, professor of theriogenology with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, is among the research scientists who have been working to eliminate the major obstacle affecting the widespread use of AI — the need for observing heat. Not only is heat detection time consuming and, therefore, costly, but it’s terribly inefficient. […] Read more

A well isn’t just a hole in the ground that only needs your attention when something goes wrong. It is a direct conduit from the surface to the aquifer that supplies your water. A little TLC will maximize your well’s working life and help protect it and your groundwater source from contamination. “Be proactive,” says […] Read more