Grazing and its likely availability is at the heart of every management decision at Jim and Barb Bauer’s Anchor J Ranch near Acme, in central Alberta. Even after 40 years of grazing on that land Jim still makes a grazing plan, usually in February. “I don’t want two groups of cattle sharing a dugout,” he […] Read more
Flexibility key to surviving drought
Long-time rancher discusses how he adjusts his grazing and feeding plans based on conditions
Start heifer selection when calves hit the ground
You’ve got more than enough to do at calving time, but a little thought and a few notes now could be a great investment in your herd’s future. Do that and a Nebraska researcher figures you will have most of the information you need in your calving notes to choose the heifers you want to […] Read more
Hail beats up southern Alberta for a second year
Southern Alberta has had quite a beating from Mother Nature this summer. The hail season started early with crop-damaging hailstorms during the last week of May in both Lethbridge and Vulcan areas. Storms were particularly violent and widespread over July 5-8, when some motorists reported driving through hailstorms as tough as any winter storm and […] Read more
Don’t hold back when fertilizing winter wheat unless conditions are dry
From the Sept. 12 issue of Alberta Farmer Express Winter wheat has looked awfully good the last two springs, when late snow and rain created muddy conditions that kept seeders out of the fields. Every field of winter wheat means one less to seed when the weather is against you. The extra bushels, generally at […] Read more
Genetic Defects Are Uncommon
If you calve enough cows, sooner or later you’ll see some sort of birth defect — an ugly calf born dead or half-alive with no chance of thriving. For the vast majority, it’s an isolated event and the cause is never uncovered. Some are due to lethal genetic defects, due to a defective gene carried […] Read more
Ed Stronks likes it so much he’s offering it for sale
Ed Stronks finally has a computer system that makes everything and everyone in his feedlot work better, and all his employees love it. The system has been such a success, they’ve formed a company and sold it to other feedlot operators. The computer system wirelessly connects key parts of the feedlot and automatically records ration […] Read more
Speckle Park cattle fit this traditional work routine
Greg Melchior doesn’t have time for cows that need a lot of costly inputs or constant attention, even if it is calving season. As long as there’s ice in the arena, the cattleman from North Battleford, Saskatchewan is busy teaching skating. He’s set up his cattle operation to fit his schedule with the minimum of […] Read more
375 Calves, 2 Assists
“ These days, we need more cows to make a living, but we don’t need more work.” Many cattlemen agree, but Richard Alger is making it work for him on his ranch at Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. The first part is that the calves are almost all born without help. This past spring, Alger had to […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
