
Author Archives

A small cow-calf herd built with pride
In 1969 Dave Grist’s parents bought a farm in Erin Township, Ont. Dave was 30 years old at the time and his father, Ken, had just retired with no pension. He thought he would buy a few cows to give his father something to do while earning him a bit of income. The thought of […] Read more
Byproducts Cut Costs In This Feedlot
It s late September and all of the desks are empty in the head office at Sharpe s Farm Supplies near Guelph, Ont. Paul Sharpe hesitates a moment before choosing a place to sit down for an interview. He decides on the desk in his dad s office, the one with the big picture window […] Read more
Mastitis — To Treat Or Not To Treat?
When it comes to deciding whether or not to treat mastitis in a beef cow, safety may just trump both economics and cow comfort. Convincing a cranky cow that you’re there to help her can be risky and might be more trouble than it’s worth. That advice applies only if you’re seeing a straightforward case […] Read more
The mother of animal behaviour science, Temple Grandin brings her cattle-handling message back to Canada
Imagine looking at a paragraph in a book, taking a mental photograph of that paragraph, closing the book and reading the paragraph from the photo in your mind. That’s just a glimpse of what it’s like to see the world with autism and according to Dr. Temple Grandin it’s very similar to the way animals […] Read more
Clearing The Airways
There’s not much time to make a difference to a calf that’s not breathing. Hopefully the calf has a heartbeat; the objective then becomes getting it to breathe on its own. At that moment you’re on the spot and you’ve got to use what you’ve got handy. You need to clear the mucous from the […] Read more
Holding back calves this year? We’re here to help. Feeding & backgrounding info relevant to your operation, all in one place. Get tips from the experts to get you through the season in Canadian Cattlemen: The Best of Feeding & Backgrounding.