Celebrating Stan’s induction into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame in Winnipeg in November 2021. Left to right: Steve Eby, Trudy Donaldson, Ron Beirnes, Sandra Beirnes, Islay Eby, Stan Eby, Jeff Eby, Sherri Eby, Dave Westerveld, Kate Beirnes.

Working together works: Talking leadership with Stan Eby

Eby reflects on his leadership experience during two crises: the E. coli water contamination in Walkerton, Ontario, and BSE

Stan Eby may have forgotten more of his volunteer roles than most people take on in a lifetime. There were 4-H and church groups and the hospital board. County commodity boards and various agricultural organizations. Community fairs and plowing matches. He almost forgot to mention his four-year term on municipal council when he was in […] Read more

The CVMA considers telemedicine a complementary tool for veterinary medical practice, meant to expand the care a veterinarian can provide.

Growing opportunities for veterinary telemedicine

A veterinarian shares when and how to use technology for virtual consultations

After almost two years of relying on virtual meetings, many people cringe at the thought of another Zoom call. For veterinarians and their clients, however, the value and popularity of virtual consultations are only growing. While veterinary telemedicine isn’t new, the practice is evolving from clients sending photos and videos via text to the use […] Read more


After cleaning the mucus from the nose and mouth, tickling the calf’s nose with a clean piece of straw can stimulate it to breathe.

Tips for handling calving problems

While difficult or prolonged births are less common these days, it’s important to know when and how to intervene

Dystocia, a term meaning difficult or prolonged birth, is not as common today as in the past, according to Dr. Jennifer Pearson, assistant professor in bovine health management at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine. But there are still a few problems that require human intervention. Pearson surveyed producers in Western Canada, asking […] Read more

A deer pauses in a hay field. Organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund are looking at ways to monitor and measure everything from soil carbon to biodiversity on land managed by ranchers.

Moving from planning to action on corporate sustainability

Officials from non-profits, animal health, foodservice and the processing industry discuss the challenges of setting and implementing corporate sustainability goals

When World Wildlife Fund plans to act on its sustainability goals for the Northern Great Plains, partnering with stakeholders in the beef value chain pushes these initiatives further. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) considers the Northern Great Plains to be a critical ecosystem, and to meet its place-based conservation goals, working with beef producers on the […] Read more


Coulees were commonly used as dump sites for waste from garages and households, and that waste can still pose risks to livestock.

Toxic dumps in backyards lead to lead poisoning

Bad habits create a backwash of damage in places where people live. Old garbage dumps litter the Prairies. Every farm site at one time had a corner dedicated for refuse. Coulees were convenient places to rid the garage and home of unwanted things — out-of-site, out-of-mind. Through the generations, many items — some harmful — […] Read more

By wintering with their mothers, calves learn skills such as bale grazing.

Wintering calves with the cow herd

Keeping calves on the cows over winter offers many benefits, these ranchers say, but producers may need to adjust their herd genetics and management practices

Winter feeding is one of the highest costs of raising cattle. Some ranchers who keep calves over winter are finding they can winter those calves more efficiently by leaving them on the cows, while also reducing illness and stress in the calves. Canadian Cattlemen talked to two ranchers to find out what it takes to […] Read more


A heifer not only needs to maintain body condition and grow a fetus through the winter, but also grow herself.

Setting up young cows for success

A researcher and a seedstock producer explain why a little extra consideration for heifers and first-calvers through the winter pays off later on, and offer ideas on how to make heifers’ lives easier

Winter can be a tough time for young cows in a so-called normal year, but with drought leaving many producers short on pasture this year, cattle may be going into winter thinner than usual. That means heifers and young cows may need special care this year, says a research scientist. “One of the most important […] Read more

Sandy Russell sees great potential in standardizing how genetic data is captured.

Translating beef cattle genetic data into profit

The new leader of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council aims to create greater value by capturing and sharing genetic information throughout the supply chain

Sandy Russell is skilled at seeing possibilities and turning them into profit. Her career thus far has allowed her to assist different facets of the Canadian beef industry in finding greater value. Now she’s poised to lead a major initiative to capitalize on untapped opportunities to capture value from genetic data across the entire beef […] Read more


A commercial herd of cows and calves in Alberta. When selecting a calving season, one consideration is feed quality and abundance during the breeding season.

Selecting a calving season

When considering a different calving season, think about what you want to accomplish and how moving the calving date might affect everything from winter feeding costs to pregnancy rates

In a previous article, I talked about selecting good cows to make a good cow herd. So, what do I expect a good cow to do? Calve unassisted every year in the first 25 days of the calving season. That means that she will breed in the first cycle of each breeding season. Be a […] Read more

Dr. Gleise Silva hails from Recife, Brazil and earned her PhD in Florida before being named the BCRC-Hays research chair in beef production systems at the University of Alberta.

From Recife to Edmonton: Dr. Gleise Silva takes the helm of new research chair

Silva has a reputation for creating opportunities and an interest in connections between multiple research areas

Growing up in Recife, Brazil, an Atlantic port city criss-crossed by bridges and waterways that draws comparisons to Venice, Gleise Silva may have seemed like an unlikely candidate for a future beef cattle research chair. But Silva knew she wanted to work with animals one day. Her interest in agriculture and animals persisted through high […] Read more