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
AUDIO: Researchers create ‘grimace scale’ for pain and stress in cattle
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 more
Cattle sector weighs in on new traceability regulations
While some changes are seen as practical and positive, industry officials are concerned about others that could add complications and cost
It’s 2003, and a crisis is descending on the Canadian cattle herd. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) has just been found in a black Angus cow in Alberta. Chaos follows: borders slam shut and the government pledges millions in aid. The border to the United States will remain shuttered until 2005, when it opens for young […] Read more
Canadian company to launch anaesthetic-infused castration bands
Solvet’s new castration bands will release lidocaine slowly, providing long-term pain relief for animals during and after castration
Journalists pack the room at Solvet’s operations in Calgary, Alta., hands in the air as they pepper Anders Olson with questions. A table holds Gatorade and donuts for the media tour, part of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress held in Olds, Alta., this summer. Anders Olson, product manager and sales support for the […] Read more
Electronic logs in trucking industry raise concerns for fall cattle run
A shortage of drivers combined with regulations around rest times could add up to complications for truckers and auction marts this fall
Truck drivers have always travelled for long hours — especially when hauling livestock over the prairie or into the boreal forest of northern Ontario to their destination. Such trips illustrate the tricky balance between ensuring drivers get enough rest, yet complete the trip as quickly as possible for the sake of the animals they’re hauling. […] Read more
The drive to monetize environmental sustainability
While some are moving to create voluntary environmental goods and services markets, moves to bring in environmental accounting standards worry many in the industry
Does the push to link environmental sustainability to commerce present opportunities or risks to Canada’s beef producers? The answer, it seems, is: it depends. On the one hand, there is a grassroots movement to reward producers who are voluntarily providing ecosystem services. Ecosystem services include a variety of things: provisioning services (for example, flow of […] Read more
Bringing cattle to the classroom
Julie Mortenson’s ‘Classroom Cattle’ program encourages students to ‘adopt’ a calf from her family’s ranch and watch it grow
Julie Mortenson grew up in the heart of cattle country. Today, she’s found a way to share some of that experience with students who don’t have the chance to spend time on farms and ranches. Originally from north of Grand Prairie, Alta., Mortenson spent her childhood on the land as she helped on her parent’s […] Read more
Livestock investigator joins Sask. RCMP
Corporal Owen Third worked at the RCMP for 18 years before taking on the role of livestock investigator, a role new to the RCMP. With two in Alberta and one in British Columbia, he says it was time Saskatchewan had one, as well. “When I started at the beginning of October, it was number one, […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
