Nutrition with John McKinnon
With this column, I want to continue our discussion on mineral feeding. Last month I addressed questions regarding the adequacy/availability of trace minerals naturally found in tame and native grasses and how effective they were in meeting requirements; the role of sulphur and molybdenum in copper deficiency, and the need to understand your mineral tag […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon
Last month I had the opportunity to attend the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference. As with similar events held across the country, the objective was to transfer current research and technology to beef producers. One of the most interesting aspects of this conference was a bear-pit session hosted by the Beef Cattle Research Council which focused […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon
The winter of 2016-17 is shaping up to be a challenge for cow-calf operators across Canada. While much of October and November were relatively stress free in terms of winter’s wrath, as we moved into the new year, extreme cold and snow has gripped much of the country. Coupled with hay shortages in Eastern Canada […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon
Mineral nutrition is a recurring theme in this column, attesting to the importance of this class of nutrients in the diets of cattle. I have not, however, paid as much attention to vitamins, which, when deficient, can be as limiting to performance and health as many minerals. With this article I would like to specifically […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
In the September issue of Cattlemen, the title of my column was “Another crazy year for growing hay.” In that column I looked at some of the trials and tribulations that hay producers faced this past summer. Looking at this year’s harvest, you can’t blame grain producers for thinking that a similar dark cloud hangs […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
Recently, I attended the Western Nutrition Conference in Saskatoon. At this conference there were a number of excellent presentations, one of which was particularly relevant to all beef nutritionists and their clients. That was by Dr. Karen Beauchemin of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who presented an update on the Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle (NRBC) […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
In my last column, I wrote about what a crazy year it has been for growing and harvesting hay. The variability in this year’s hay crop will force many producers to purchase supplemental feed in order to meet the nutrient requirements of their cattle this winter. Last month we looked at alternate feed sources that […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
Looking back at the spring/summer of 2016, the year was fairly typical in that there was a great deal of variation in growing conditions across the country. Much of Western Canada was blessed with significant moisture that resulted in great growing conditions for pasture, hay and silage crops. However, ill-timed rains forced many producers to […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
Recently I had the opportunity to visit China and spend some time with beef and dairy producers in this vast and truly interesting country. As this article goes to press in midsummer, I thought it would be interesting to provide you with a few insights into beef production in this part of the world. This […] Read more
Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist
Early May was an interesting time, particularly with respect to the pride of the Canadian Beef Industry. I am referring to industry reaction to the announcement by the Earls Restaurant chain to not source Canadian beef for its menu, but rather to look to American beef raised under the banner of “Certified Humane.” Predictably, this […] Read more
MEMBERSHIP
MEMBERSHIP
