Cow-calf margins get tighter each time you feed a pregnant cow through the winter, only to have her calf die before weaning. Three leading causes of pre-weaning death loss are diarrhea, navel ill and bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Not all calf illness and death can be prevented, especially when the weather gets bad, but remembering […] Read more
Keeping calves healthy
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Can we replace growth promotants?
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Hormone implants and feed additives such as ionophores (e.g. monensin/Rumensin), beta-agonists (e.g. ractopamine/Optaflexx) and MGA (to suppress heat in heifers) have allowed Canada’s feedlot sector to dramatically improve growth rates, feed efficiency and environmental performance. In-feed antimicrobials to prevent liver abscesses (e.g. tylosin) also have an indirect benefit because healthy cattle grow better. While consumers […] Read more
Johne’s disease — not gone but often forgotten
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Johne’s disease is sometimes compared to an iceberg — the visible cases are only a tiny fraction of the problem. The biggest part is hidden beneath the surface, particularly in the early stages of disease. In the silent stage, cattle that were infected as calves by a manure-contaminated udder, water or feed show no clinical […] Read more
Picking replacement heifers
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
To listen to an audio version of this article, visit beefresearch.ca. Developing heifers is costly because of the feed and time involved and margins on weaned calves are typically narrow. If it takes the first five calves for the average cow to simply pay for herself, culling her before seven years of age is clearly […] Read more
Silage: more than just filler
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
If starch (from grain) is the fuel in a feedlot diet, fibre (from a roughage such as silage) is the engine governor that slows digestion. A backgrounding diet might contain 60 per cent silage to moderate animal growth so that they grow frame and muscle without over-fattening. In finishing diets, grain levels are increased to […] Read more
When the worms come marching in
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
Gastrointestinal parasites are an unavoidable fact of life. Cattle often consume parasitic worm larvae along with the forage they graze. The larvae take up residence in different parts of the digestive system, develop into adults and lay eggs. The eggs are deposited in the feces, where they hatch and release larvae. These larvae eventually leave […] Read more
Strike three? Transport rest stops still don’t show a benefit for weaned calves
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
In 2017, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released draft transport regulations requiring that all cattle receive a minimum eight-hour feed, water and rest break after a maximum of 36 hours in transit. Because there was no relevant science to support this decision, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the BCRC funded a Beef Cluster project […] Read more
Alfalfa for Canada’s climate
Nature doesn’t always provide conveniently severe winters to select for survival
Very few of the alfalfa varieties sold in Canada were developed under Canadian conditions. The CFIA registered 119 varieties in Canada between 2012 and 2022, but only four (AAC Nikon, AAC Meadowview, AAC Bridgeview and AAC Trueman) were developed in Canada. The other 115 came from breeding programs in China, Australia, California, Washington State or […] Read more
Knowledge and Technology Transfer more useful, more relevant
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
When the Beef Cattle Research Council formed nearly 25 years ago, we simply funded research projects and relied on researchers and provincial extension services to help producers learn about and adopt relevant results on their operations. We deliberately didn’t do much extension because we didn’t want to give governments an excuse to reduce their extension […] Read more
Vaccines are cheap insurance — don’t let your premiums lapse
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
After last summer’s pasture conditions and last winter’s feed costs, it’s safe to say that many cow-calf producers are facing the upcoming grazing season with some anxiety. Some are looking for new grazing arrangements, opportunities to trim input costs or both. No single solution can solve every challenge for every operation, but nearly all decisions […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
