Anyone farming and ranching in the Great Plains is going to have to deal with drought, so it’s best to be as prepared as possible. That was the message from Anneliese Walker at the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference last fall. Walker is a Princeton, Minnesota producer who also works for Maia Grazing, which […] Read more
Plan for drought to minimize the effect on your herd
News Roundup from the May 2023 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Comment: Unpacking the report on packers
The beef processing industry has been under scrutiny on both sides of the border. Low cattle prices coupled with high beef costs elicited a general feeling that cattle producers were getting the short end of the supply chain. But the question, as always, is what are we going to do about it? There’s little appetite […] Read more
Comment: John McKinnon on mentorship
When the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame announced its 2023 inductees earlier this year, I was pleased to see long-time Canadian Cattlemen contributor Dr. John McKinnon on the list. McKinnon’s research career has focused on feed utilization, especially byproduct feeds, but he’s also dedicated a good deal of time to extension. McKinnon was the first […] Read more
Comment: Is Canada ready for a foot-and-mouth outbreak?
Last column I outlined a brief history of the 1951- 52 foot-and-mouth outbreak around Regina, Sask. We haven’t had a foot-and-mouth outbreak in this country since, but it remains a global threat. The World Organization for Animal Health estimates that it affects 77 per cent of the global livestock population, circulating in Africa, the Middle […] Read more
Restoring native prairie in Saskatchewan through reverse auction
Tom Harrison is on a mission to reverse the tide of native prairie being converted to cropland in Saskatchewan. It’s not an easy task. Several factors are working against efforts to conserve, let alone restore, native prairie. Economics favour farming over ranching. Government programs and policies have encouraged farmers to cultivate the land since settlement […] Read more
Comment: A look back at foot-and-mouth in Canada
Foot-and-mouth disease has been a nagging worry for many in our beef industry. The proposed Canadian vaccine bank is regularly on the agenda at industry conferences and the animal health committee meeting during the Canadian Cattle Association AGM (and will likely be again next month in Ottawa). The prospect of a foot-and-mouth outbreak in this […] Read more
Comment: Remembering Reg Schellenberg
I was shocked and saddened to learn that Reg Schellenberg died suddenly in December. He seemed to me like a man who had plenty of time ahead of him. While talking about Reg with a colleague, we wondered whether people fully appreciate how much people like him give to the industry through the boards they’ve […] Read more
Comment: Memories
Perhaps this is because I’m a writer, but sometimes I like to think about the stories we tell ourselves. The stories we tell about our own lives, our families or even big, public events often hinge on our memories (which are subjective). Even our interpretation of other people’s stories may be coloured by our own […] Read more
Comment: CFIA needs to recognize research on long hauls
I am not sure how the folks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) looked at the recent research on rest stops for long-haul trips and concluded it supported the changes to transportation regulations, but they’ve done it. “The study summary on the BCRC’s website supports the current maximum allowed interval without feed, water and […] Read more
No trespass: The public good
This is the final story in a five-part series. Read the first, second, third and fourth stories here. There is not enough time in the day to talk about all the things Tyler Mann loves about hunting. It’s not just about taking home game. It’s about being outside, seeing the sunrise, deciphering waterfowl behaviour and even convincing the […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
