File photo of a fall rye crop plot at Ag in Motion in 2024.

Rye silage: From the field to feedlot

Nutrition: Evaluating how barley silage and rye silage compare in feed quality

Acres seeded to hybrid rye as a source of silage for feedlot cattle in Canada and the U.S. have increased in recent years. Increased use of hybrid rye as a forage source may be driven by greater yield potential relative to conventional rye and the early harvest may allow for double cropping. In some areas, […] Read more

cattle eating from a trough in a feedlot

Reducing ration sorting by feedlot cattle

Cattle sort their feed based on a variety of factors

Diets fed to finishing cattle in Western Canada typically consist of more than 80 per cent barley grain and less than 15 per cent forage on a dry matter (DM) basis, along with minerals, vitamins and byproducts. These diets are inherently dry, enabling separation of individual ingredients at the time of delivery and as cattle […] Read more



Pasture near Acme, Alta., in early July. As perennial forages mature, 
protein concentration drops, fibre concentration increases and the 
energy concentration decreases.

Supplementing cattle on pasture: The multi-tool of the cow-calf industry

You may have heard the oft-repeated quote, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It’s a cautionary comment about having a narrow perspective to address challenges. Quite often, supplementing cattle on pasture bears negative connotations due to added labour, cost and logistical challenges with supplementation. Perhaps we could think of supplementation […] Read more


Nutritional considerations for the cow-calf herd during drought

Nutritional considerations for the cow-calf herd during drought

News Roundup from the August 2015 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Lower-than-normal seasonal rainfall this spring and summer has led to severe drought conditions throughout much of Alberta and Saskatchewan resulting in poor growth of annual cereals, crops for hay and pasture. This will have obvious implications on the nutrition and management of the cow-calf herd during the grazing season and into the winter as preserved […] Read more