Eighty per cent of employee turnover in the first year is the result of hiring and interviewing errors that in the long run can end up costing you a lot more than a departed employee’s annual salary. The most obvious cost is the time and money spent recruiting replacements. Then there’s the negative effect high […] Read more
We’re hiring… five steps to get it right
Cull cow transport study offers some surprises
A recently published Alberta study on the transport of cull cows during winter upturns some previous findings on causes of bruising, as well as common industry beliefs about boarding over some of the ventilation holes in stock trailers during cold-weather travel. The study gives the first indication that issues in cull-cow transport may be related […] Read more
Patch-burning pastures can also benefit cattle
Prescribed burns come in all shapes and sizes
Wildfires have two faces: the nemesis of mankind since settlement, and Mother Nature’s way of renewing aging, infested grasslands and forests. The unintended consequence of widespread suppression of wildfires coupled with the trend toward grazing systems that promote uniformity has been the loss of plant and animal diversity within native grassland ecosystems, according to rangeland […] Read more
What to expect in a feedlot animal care audit
Canadian feedlot animal care assessment – Part 1
The Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program reduces the audit process from overwhelming to manageable by laying out exactly what producers, processors and their customers agree upon. By following a supplied checklist and scoring system, trained auditors provide a snapshot of animal care and handling practices at your feedlot. Self-audits should be done at least […] Read more
Protecting your cattle from theft
Corporal Christian Reister, one of Alberta’s two RCMP officers dedicated to livestock files, offers some tips on how to protect your herd on pasture: 1. Branding is the single biggest deterrent and the greatest single piece of evidence the RCMP can use in court because a brand can’t be altered or removed. 2. Watch out […] Read more
A full-time commitment to stewardship
The transition from a tobacco farm to Texas Longhorn ranch in southern Ontario’s foremost tobacco-growing region wasn’t without turmoil for Cathy and Bryan Gilvesy, but the rewards far outweighed regrets as they reinvented the farm to better reflect their philosophies on agriculture and life. The latest material reward came in the form of Ontario’s environmental […] Read more
Canada sets the bar for feedlot animal care
Buttons were bursting with pride at the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) with the recent release of the first national certified program in North America for assessing the care of beef animals in backgrounding and finishing operations. Officially known as the Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program, it is an auditable seal of approval for […] Read more
Cattle identification: Branding is back
Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia are the only provinces in Canada with cattle brand registries and associated brand inspection services, all of which have reported a surge in new brand registrations with the rising prices for cattle last year. Last spring, Bob Miller, general manager of Ownership Identification Inc. (OII) in British Columbia, noted a […] Read more
Rustlers take more than your cattle
Be sure you can identify your animals
Nearly six years after 10 bred heifers were stolen from them, Glenn and Christine Strube still feel the lingering stress of the long, drawn-out court process that ended with a guilty verdict. Most disturbing is knowing that the crime wasn’t committed by a fly-by-night thief, but by a neighbour who blatantly lied about it. Little […] Read more
Less stress and more hay in a day
Launch of the IntelliCruise feed-rate control system in 2016 marks the latest advancement in forage harvesting technology from New Holland after introducing its CropRFV last year and CropID in 2013. IntelliCruise does exactly what the name implies. It’s a variable cruise control for the tractor that adjusts ground speed according to a set rate for […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
