Beef producers know to expect the unexpected when cattle are involved.

Choosing safe days to graze

Using the VBP+ Record of Herbicide or Pesticide Use on Pasture or Harvested Feed to maintain food safety

Pesticides are important tools available to control undesirable species on pasture and cropland. Herbicides, fungicides and insecticides can boost forage or crop yields and reduce toxic or unpalatable weeds in a stand. However, producers must pay attention to pesticide labels to avoid risks to food safety and animal health and performance. (see pesticide record sample […] Read more

There’s no need to power your whole farm, says one Alberta rancher. Only electrify the pasture fences the cattle currently use to save time.

Time-saving tips for electric fences

Whether you’re setting up or troubleshooting an electric fence, these tips can make your life easier

Rotational grazing generally makes better use of pastures than season-long grazing, allowing plants time to recover and produce more forage. Temporary electric fencing makes rotation quick and easy, but it’s not without its problems. Steve Kenyon, a rancher near Busby, Alta., has been rotational grazing for a long time and bale grazing for more than […] Read more


A dairy cow takes a close look at a photographer.

The night we painted a Mountie green

Veterinary Case Study: While speeding to an emergency call, Dr. Ron Clarke recruits unexpected help

The day started with an overnight shower followed by a warm May sun. Cows and horses everywhere enjoyed new growth on year-old pastures. A panic call from a good dairy client at Balgonie interrupted supper. Mike, almost inarticulate, pleaded, “Doc, come right away. Two cows have died; another 15 are seriously bloated. I turned the […] Read more

Vos uses temporary poly fencing for interior corridors so she can change configurations based on weather and growing conditions.

An unconventional start to a farming career

You can set aside any notion of ‘typical’ when it comes to this beef producer

Sandra Vos raises cattle in Brant County, Ont., in a way that works best for her and her land. Her story is both inspiring and thought-provoking when it comes to expanding the concept of who can be a participant in the business. Imagine taking on learning the ins and outs of raising cattle as a […] Read more


A relay crop growing after the swath grazing crop has been cut.

Stocking cattle and stockpiling forage

Tim Wray walks us through his family’s plan for the grazing season as they seek to balance forage supplies with cattle inventory

When it comes to handling drought, a little planning and strategy go a long way for the Wray family. Tim Wray grew up on his family’s cattle operation in Irricana, a small town located 50 kilometres northeast of Calgary. Today Tim and his uncle, Doug Wray, operate Wray Ranch, which has endured dry conditions for […] Read more

calf on pasture

New calculator to help analyze Johne’s testing options

The online tool provides producers with a range of possible management scenarios for their herds

With no treatment or vaccine available, the impact of Johne’s disease on beef herds can be a nightmare. “Johne’s disease is particularly challenging to manage because we have so few options,” says Dr. Cheryl Waldner, professor at the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine. To help beef producers make better management decisions about […] Read more


Melissa and Mitch Stuart of Stuart Cattle Station at Edam, Sask.

Hospitality 101: Attracting people to your field day or private treaty sale

There’s more than one way to sell a bull. A Canadian Cattlemen community coffee shop discussion from across the Prairies on how to get it done

If you don’t do the homework, your field day or open house private treaty sales might be the beef producer’s equivalent of throwing a party and nobody coming. However, if you plan well in advance, you could extend your hospitality to an entirely new group of customers, plus show your appreciation to your long-standing ones. […] Read more

“Lupine” calves may be born with crooked limbs, caused by the dam’s ingestion of lupines at a criti- cal stage of gestation.

Lupines and crooked calves

If you’ve seen birth defects such as fused joints, crooked legs or cleft palates in your newborn calves, toxic plants could be the culprits

Lupine calves” or “crooked calves” are an example of what can happen when various plant toxins are ingested by a pregnant cow at a certain stage of pregnancy. Lupines, also known as bluebonnets, are legumes. As legumes, they can enrich nitrogen-poor soil. In Canada, at least 28 species have been recognized, mostly in Western Canada. […] Read more


Reg Schellenberg.

A leg up for young cattle producers

CCA’s new president discusses his priorities, including investing in the beef industry’s next generation, improving market access and risk management, plus protecting Canada’s herd from foot-and-mouth disease

Reg Schellenberg knows what it’s like to be a young rancher, just starting out with the odds stacked against his family. In the early 1980s, Schellenberg and his wife Shannon had become partners in her parents’ cow-calf operation, Perrin Ranching, south of Beechy, Sask. He was always interested in cattle and horses, and he worked […] Read more

An Angus bull wearing a rope halter at a cattle show.

The essentials to achieving anything worthwhile

Veterinary Case Study: The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are hard work, stick-to-it-iveness and common sense

It turned out to be Don’s first day of work. Third-year exams at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine had sapped most of his academic capacity. Now he searched for hard-core field experience and the savvy that comes with being a step closer to being a real veterinarian. I looked forward to someone to relieve […] Read more