Frank Zhang says when he talks to his colleagues about silage, they all are familiar with barley silage — but none are familiar with rye silage. “It’s very rare to find people using the rye silage,” Zhang says. “But thinking about the environment changing, just like the drought this year … this might provide an […] Read more
Researchers hope hybrid rye silage can help plug feed gap
With less ergot risk than conventional rye, hybrid rye may be a good option for some cattle feeders
TESA winners focused on stewardship and succession planning
The Wray family aims for sustainability in everything from grazing practices to transitioning the ranch
After winning the Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for Alberta, Doug and Tim Wray were already happy with the success they’d had. They only had to travel an hour to the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, hosted in Calgary, Alta., in mid-August to see who won the national award, so making the trip was an easy decision. […] Read more
Data shows retail share of beef dollar growing
High retail prices have made consumers question why beef is so expensive. A joint project between BetterCart Analytics and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association aims to provide some answers. The project looked at pricing data in 39 different cities and a variety of different retailers within Canada. Melanie Morrison, CEO and founder of BetterCart Analytics, […] Read more
Retired police officer finds passion in ranching
PEOPLE: Sean LaBrie found a second career as a rancher, and a zeal for restoring the land on his Didsbury-area ranch
When Sean LaBrie started his career with the Calgary Police Service, he likely didn’t realize that by the time he retired he’d be on a ranch an hour outside of the city, raising cattle on 640 acres. At that point in his life, cattle were barely more than a passing thought. Now, they’re his way […] Read more
Canola meal project sees more dramatic results in second year
News Roundup: Research will continue for one more year with yearlings
Results are in from the second year of a project feeding canola meal to cattle, and the weight gains were even more impressive in year two. In 2021, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) started a project where they looked at using canola meal as cattle feed and the results […] Read more
Program connects students to ranchers
To Shirley Bartz, getting students involved with agriculture is one of the most important things she does. “It is extremely important to have kids aware of and active in and kind of personally invested in the ranching process,” Bartz says. Bartz is the education co-ordinator for the Prairie Conservation Action Plan and helps operate their […] Read more
AUDIO: Researchers create ‘grimace scale’ for pain and stress in cattle
Dr. Maria Camila Ceballos has been researching animal welfare her entire career. Now, she’s a beef cattle welfare assistant professor at the University of Calgary. Along with her PhD student Mostafa Farghal, Ceballos is researching animal welfare by identifying and measuring pain in Angus beef calves. Ceballos says currently, the way to identify pain in […] Read more
From pro rodeo to auctioneer champ
Jesse Lawes talks about growing up at the Provost Livestock Exchange, selling cattle and getting serious about the craft of auctioneering
The stands are packed and have been for hours in May at the Olds Auction Mart. The morning wanes into noon, and people file in and out of the auction arena, leaving with empty hands and returning with food. The afternoon brings some of the first high temperatures of the year, and someone opens the […] Read more
University delves into motivations behind preconditioning calves
"Different strategies, different management"
How do preconditioned calves perform when mixed with auction animals? That question sparked a study in 2020 at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine. Researchers found that preconditioned calves still outperform auction animals when mixed, and even when mixed at different ratios, such as 50/50, or three to one. “This data was extremely […] Read more
Auction marts face changing industry
As the national cow herd shrinks, demographics shift and technology disrupts marketing, auction marts are figuring out how to adapt
As the national cow herd shrinks, demographics shift and technology disrupts marketing, auction marts are figuring out how to adapt
Western tradition is on display at the auction mart conference in Olds, Alta. People in cowboy hats and boots fill the conference room at the hotel. And the residents of Olds are very familiar with Western culture — even some of the town’s “welcome” signs depict bull riding. But as important as those traditions are, […] Read moreCanadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
