It’s a nightmare no livestock producer wants to experience; watching as your entire herd is put down. The devastation is written across the hardened faces of the farmers featured in a National Film Board of Canada documentary on the 1952 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in southern Saskatchewan. The emotional toll of your cattle becoming infected […] Read more
Preparing for a foot-and-mouth outbreak
Outbreak planning resources, training opportunities and the establishment of a Canadian vaccine bank all in the works to help the cattle industry prevent or respond to the disease
Aerow fits the bill for drying hay swaths
Wet haying and harvest conditions in northwest Saskatchewan drive producer to create machine that aerates swaths
When you can’t find the solution you need, sometimes you have to build it yourself. This was true for Ryan Sommerfeld, who took it upon himself to create the haying solution needed for his operation’s wet conditions, resulting in a promising innovation. “Where we live, we have heavy dews and frequent rains, and we often […] Read more
Canfax Research Services launches Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network
The program will benchmark 26 production systems in different eco-regions from across the country.
There’s no such thing as ‘one size fits all’ when setting cost of production benchmarks for the variety of systems used on Canadian cow-calf operations. This is the idea behind Canfax Research Services’ launch of the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network. By identifying the range of production systems used across the country, Canfax aims […] Read more
Preparing for a serious livestock disease outbreak
Four-year project primes the livestock industry for a disease such as foot-and-mouth.
If preparation is everything, an ongoing animal health program is on track to ready the Canadian livestock industry for a highly contagious disease outbreak. The Animal Health Emergency Management (AHEM) project is “intended to enable Canada’s livestock industry to be a good partner with first response agencies in responding to a serious animal disease event,” […] Read more
Food system transparency vital in post-pandemic world
Industry stakeholders see a window of opportunity to build public trust, but the industry must act before the public’s attention on food production wanes
The importance of transparency isn’t a new concept at Chop Steakhouse, but it’s certainly become amplified this year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian consumers were already asking more questions about food production, something Marcel Blais, president of Chop Steakhouse, anticipates will become more common. “We’ve always had really strong practices on food and safety; we’re […] Read more
Manitoba researcher questions filtration potential of riparian areas
Colder climate and limited area for nutrient uptake restrict how much riparian areas can filter nutrients on the Canadian Prairies
One highly touted benefit of riparian areas may not be entirely accurate in a prairie context. Research conducted in southern Manitoba shows that riparian areas in the Canadian Prairies are not as effective at filtering nutrients in runoff from agricultural lands as in other regions. “Over the past couple decades, much attention has been given […] Read more
A deeper look into A&W’s grass-fed Canadian beef initiative
A&W’s announcement to source 100 per cent Canadian grass-fed beef drew criticism from some while providing a new marketing opportunity for many Canadian producers
In challenging economic times, it can pay to diversify your business model. For Ross Macdonald of 98 Ranch, this was a strong case for marketing cattle into grass-finishing supply chains. Building resiliency into your business, especially when traditional markets have been challenged, is what Macdonald sees as “probably the least discussed and least understood opportunity” […] Read more
A broad perspective on nutritional science
Any discussion of the merits of grass-fed beef invites scientific comparison to grain-fed beef. One noteworthy difference between the two production systems is how long it takes to finish an animal. “Because of the lower energy density, it typically takes longer for animals to reach slaughter weight when they’re grass-fed,” says Dr. Tim McAllister, principal […] Read more
Ongoing study suggests value of backgrounding calves in the field
University of Saskatchewan research explores the possibility of increasing the province’s backgrounding capacity with lower input costs
Early results in a three-year study suggest field backgrounding your own calves could be an economically viable option for your operation. Ongoing research at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence is comparing the backgrounding of steers in a field setting to that of a traditional feedlot system to investigate the potential […] Read more
Grass-based production research challenging to conduct, says researcher
More variables, northern winters make grass-fed system studies more challenging to conduct in Canada than feedlot-based systems
Although nutritional and carcass quality research exists on grass-fed production systems, why aren’t there more studies in a Canadian-specific context? The answer, according to one of Canada’s top ruminant nutrition researchers, lies in the number of variables involved in these studies, including our northern climate. “From the perspective of a scientist, it’s much more difficult […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
