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Take-aways from the 2018 beef summit, Part 1
Features, News

Take-aways from the 2018 beef summit, Part 1

This is the first of a two-part series highlighting “take-aways” from the 2018 Beef Summit in Calgary that combined the International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare and the UCVM Beef Cattle Conference

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Pain mitigation Andrew Fisher, University of Melbourne A number of presentations at this year’s summit dealt with pain in livestock and the responsibility of producers, veterinarians and everyone in contact with livestock to lessen discomfort whenever possible. It’s universally accepted that day-to-day husbandry practices include things that cause pain; procedures such as hot-iron branding, dehorning […] Read more
This array of solar panels was installed this summer at the KCL Cattle Company feedlot near Lethbridge.
Beef Cattle, Features, Finishers

Alberta feedlot harnesses the power of sun

Solar panels supply some power on this feedlot, but they probably wouldn’t be here without government funding

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Feeding cattle in sunny southern Alberta offers an opportunity to producers interested in alternate energy sources. Les Wall and his family saw this potential with their bright location and have recently installed solar technology to help power part of their operation. Les and his wife Lisa started KCL Cattle Company in 1999, beginning with their […] Read more
Jeffrey Fitzpatrick-Stilwell from McDonald’s Canada, Jennifer Lambert of Loblaws, Carl Dean of Cactus Club Restaurants and Heather Tansey of Cargill with moderator Crystal Mackay of the Centre for Food Integrity brought their message on selling sustainable beef to the Roundtable annual meeting in Calgary.
Beef Cattle, Features

Better communication needed to sell consumers on sustainably raised beef

Misconceptions and false information about the beef industry further complicates what consumers know about beef production

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When you make your living in the cattle business, it’s difficult to imagine what the beef industry looks like from an outside perspective. This gap is a challenge when trying to gain a true sense of consumer perceptions of beef production. “One of the phrases I really like is that you can’t see the label […] Read more
Armitage’s irrigation line doubles as an electrified fence during the fall and winter grazing season.
Features, Livestock

Electrified irrigation wheel line offers several benefits

“The electrified wheel line has been a big asset to make our haylands last longer...”

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A rancher in southwestern Alberta has created an innovation that allows an irrigation wheel line to perform double duty. David Armitage, who ranches on his family’s operation at Mountain View, Alta., close to Waterton Lakes National Park, discovered that rather than continually move conventional electric fences to rotationally graze his hayland, he could work with […] Read more
A mild winter is great for access to feed, but make sure you have enough quality snow for a water source.
Beef Cattle, Features, Forages

Strategies for year-round grazing

With careful forage management, cattle can harvest their own feed year-round

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Winter feeding is the biggest input cost when raising cattle, so many producers try to minimize the number of days they have to feed hay. In some situations, with careful forage management, cattle can harvest their own feed year-round, especially in mild climates. Even in northern climates with cold weather and snow, year-round grazing can […] Read more
Protein kick needed for mature, dry forages
Beef Cattle, Features, Forages

Protein kick needed for mature, dry forages

Nutrition: Supplementation will be important this year in many parts of the Prairies

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In the fall and winter, most native forages and tame pastures are low in protein (unless fall rains have stimulated new growth), yet many stockmen try to extend grazing as long as possible through winter because winter feeding is the most expensive part of raising cattle. Depending on the protein source, adding a protein supplement […] Read more
Preg-checking identifies fertile cows early but culling early doesn’t always pay.
Cow-Calf, Features, Livestock

Does preg-checking cows pay?

Perfection is not possible in the cattle business, but excellence can be achieved

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It’s a “forever” debate. On one side of the scrum are the naysayers who claim preg-checking is sacrilege foisted on the industry by unscrupulous, profiteering veterinarians. They maintain that open cows in the spring are worth more, can be wintered profitably, they manage what calf crop is on the ground just fine, and that veterinary […] Read more
Dr. Nora Paulovich draws water from the dugout into a solar powered Kelln waterer on her family’s ranch. Freezing around the inlet has been a concern.
Beef Cattle, Features, Livestock

Winter water systems for cattle

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Keeping livestock water ice-free can be a challenge during colder months. In some pastures water availability is also an issue. Dr. Nora Paulovich with the North Peace Applied Research Association (NPARA) in northern Alberta says her family ranch uses a system that brings water from a dugout into an insulated trough nearby. It uses a […] Read more
Low-stress weaning for calves
Cow-Calf, Features

Low-stress weaning for calves

A less stressful weaning process makes for healthier calves

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Weaning time has traditionally been traumatic for calves, mama cows and ranchers, but it doesn’t need to be. “There are better ways to wean calves, says Bart Lardner, a beef and forage research scientist at the University of Saskatchewan. “Abrupt weaning is the most stressful, for both the cow and calf. The question has been […] Read more
Canadian and U.S. calf preconditioning trends
Cow-Calf, Features

Canadian and U.S. calf preconditioning trends

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Conventional preconditioning programs generally include at minimum — castration, dehorning, vaccination against clostridial and bacterial diseases, parasite control, weaning for a period of 30-plus days, and acclimation to feedstuffs, bunks and water bowls prior to sale. The term itself is not narrowly defined and can mean different things to different people including a combination of […] Read more

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