About 20 years ago, Doug Wray drove in from Irricana, Alta., for an informal meeting at the Alberta Beef Producers’ office, where I worked at the time. He asked why the beef industry didn’t fund more forage breeding. Back then, the usual beef industry response to forage breeding proposals was “Let the government and forage […] Read more
Evaluating forage performance in different environments
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Food safety’s history in rocket science
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
Food safety problems related to Canadian beef rarely make the news these days, because they hardly ever happen. That hasn’t always been the case. Canada’s food safety has come a long way over the past century. Researchers Xianqin Yang (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe) and Kim Stanford (University of Lethbridge) recently reviewed this history (A […] Read more
Icebergs and native forages: What you can’t see can sink you
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
In April 1912, the RMS Titanic sank off Newfoundland’s coast after an iceberg tore a hole in her hull 25 feet below the waterline. Only a tenth of an iceberg is visible above the water; most lurks beneath the surface. Forage plants are similar; how things look on the soil surface may not reflect what’s […] Read more
Vaccines: Use as directed
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
Calves are born with a completely naive immune system. Unlike other species, cows don’t pass any immune protection onto their offspring during pregnancy. That’s why it’s so critical for calves to consume at least two litres of high-quality colostrum soon after birth, to give them some protection while their own immune system develops. The calf’s […] Read more
Responsible antibiotic use on Canadian cow-calf operations
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
In 2018, over-the-counter sales ended for the few antibiotics (such as tetracycline) still available in Canadian farm supply stores. The new requirement for a veterinary-client-patient relationship before all antibiotics could be prescribed or sold was designed to ensure that the right antibiotics are used in the right animals, at the right dose, at the right […] Read more
When it comes to microbiomes in cattle, the little things may mean a lot
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
A “microbiome” is all the microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes) living in a specific environment, and how they all interact with each other. Animals have several microbiomes. There’s an oral microbiome (the mouth and all the microbes in it), as well as nasal, respiratory, rumen, intestinal, vaginal, rectal and skin microbiomes. The various […] Read more
Big cows and big questions
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
August’s column talked about how genetic selection for growth rate and carcass merit has resulted in heavier carcasses with better marbling scores. New genetics get to the feeder and packer through the bulls that cow-calf producers buy from seedstock producers. These new genetics also leave fingerprints on the cow herd as they pass through. If […] Read more
Comparing feed performance in pregnant cows
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Last month’s column featured a University of Saskatchewan research trial that used high-moisture corn grain, snaplage or silage to partially replace barley grain or silage in finishing diets. While the steers were in the feedlot, this team wintered cows on the corn stover. See: Performance and ruminal fermentation of second-trimester pregnant beef cows fed short-season […] Read more
Corn in Western Canadian feedlot diets
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Corn acreage is expanding across Canada. There are about 25 acres of corn for every acre of barley in Ontario and Quebec, where temperatures, day length and moisture allow predictable corn yields and feed quality. There are around eight acres of barley for every acre of corn in the Prairies, although ambitious breeding efforts are […] Read more
Analyzing lameness in beef cattle
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Cattle get lame for a lot of reasons, including injury, poor conformation, grain overload, mycotoxins (e.g. ergot) and bacterial infection. Different types of lameness need to be treated differently. Antibiotic treatment only helps if a bacterial infection is involved. Lameness is the second leading reason (behind bovine respiratory disease) that feedlot cattle are pulled and given […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
