Features

The fourth update of Alberta Agriculture’s popular ration balancing and feed management program, CowBytes (version 5), was on track to be released in early December. More than 2,500 ranchers, extension personnel, and feed company representatives in Canada, the U.S. and abroad have purchased the program since it was first released in 1989, while numerous colleges […] Read more

A forward-looking strategic plan has underpinned Border Line Feeders’ growth through some of the most tumultuous years the beef industry has ever witnessed. The strength of the plan is its recognition that the feedlot business is as much about people — dedicated employees, satisfied customers and community support — as it is about feeding cattle. […] Read more

Of the 1.7 million litres of ethanol fermented in Canadian plants in 2009, 67 per cent came from corn and the rest from wheat or a corn-wheat blend. At this level the plants generate about 450,000 tonnes of wheat and wheat-corn DDGS (dried distillers grains with solubles) and about 900,000 tonnes of corn DDGS. On […] Read more

They didn’t get the result they were hoping for, but a trio of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada scientists have discovered feeding flax to cattle makes for healthier beef. The AAFC scientists recently completed a comprehensive project investigating whether long-term flax supplementation in cattle diets could increase the level of omega-3 fatty acids in the beef […] Read more

A series of studies carried out at Lethbridge Research Centre indicates withdrawing feed from beef calves for one or more 48-hour intervals during the backgrounding period is a simple and low-cost way to promote marbling in the finishing stage. In the latest trial, heifers denied feed for one 48-hour cycle just before stepping-up to the […] Read more