The recent article in Time proclaiming cows as the new coal must have been discouraging to ranchers and beef farmers, never mind the segment on CBC’s The Current that included cutting red meat as a way to fight climate change. At one point on The Current, Lloyd Alter, who has a background as an architect […] Read more
Cows ain’t coal
Comment: The time is now
Last month, I touched on the opportunity to flip discussions around methane and the beef industry into a positive. However, it occurred to me afterward that some readers might have walked away with the impression that I have no qualms about the potential effect of government regulations and policy around methane on the beef industry. […] Read more
Labour strife and packing plant concentration
I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling a little sick this week watching the deteriorating negotiations between Cargill and the union at its High River plant. Earlier this week United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 conducted a vote on Cargill’s latest offer, and workers rejected that offer by a 98 per cent […] Read more
Comment: The whole picture
A few years ago, a friend and I came upon an accident on the highway just after dusk. A car and tractor had collided head-on. We were on the scene ahead of the first responders, so we stayed to help. The tractor had broken in half, which gives you an idea of how much force […] Read more
How to sample feeds
From bales to silage to swath-grazing, experts share tips for getting representative samples
While high nitrates in feeds are more commonly seen in frost-touched plants, Saskatchewan Agriculture staff have been seeing high levels in drought-stressed crops this summer, highlighting the importance of feed testing this fall. “We’ve seen a really wide variety of test results come in, some as high as five per cent (for nitrates), which is […] Read more
Comment: Keep your pencil sharp
“The most important tool on the farm is the pencil.” That was the best farming advice Mike Buis ever received, and it came from his grandfather. Buis recently conducted a virtual tour of his family’s Chatham, Ont., beef farm for the Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation. Coincidentally, a day or two before the Buis Beef tour, […] Read more
Timing key when managing high-nitrate feeds
News Roundup from the October 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
You’ve tested your feed and you’ve got some high-nitrate crop in the field or the feedyard. What exactly are the risks to your cattle and what can you do to manage them? High nitrate levels can affect reproduction, and this time of year is especially risky for herds calving in May or June, says Barry […] Read more
Beware vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the cow herd during drought
News Roundup from the September 27, 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
As ranchers pull cattle from parched pastures this fall, veterinarians and livestock nutritionists advise watching for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. “This year we’re going to be seeing a lot of guys feeding some alternative feeds, maybe a little bit more straw in their rations, so it’ll be important to balance off those important macro minerals […] Read more
Comment: Benchmarking Canada’s cow-calf operations
We are facing a very real winter feed shortage in Western Canada due to the drought, and some people are making tough decisions around culling cattle. We’ve also been facing a lack of profitability, especially in the cow-calf sector, and I think that ranch-level economics are compounding what would already be a tough situation with […] Read more
Cows and Wildlife
It’s World Habitat Day today, and that made me think about an observation I’ve been ruminating on for several months. When I’m not at my desk, I’m often outside, and in the warmer months, I spend a lot of time riding my horse down backroads and through bush trails. I live in the Parkland-Boreal transition zone of northwestern […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
