Features , Latest & Featured - Canadian Cattlemen

The 200th calf born on the Ramsey ranch in January 2021.

Withstanding extreme cold while winter calving

While many producers prefer spring calving, Matthew Ramsey shifted his calving season to January to avoid Manitoba’s wet April weather

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan January 16, 2023

Matthew Ramsey would much rather calve in January than in April. At least in January, he says, you know what you’re getting into. “We got to the point where April sucked every year,” he says. “Eventually, we came to the conclusion that we weren’t happy with April, we’re either going to go earlier or later […] Read more

Calving, Cow-Calf, Features, Livestock

Contracted and lax tendons in newborn calves

A look at the potential causes and treatments of limb problems in new calves

By Bruce Derksen January 12, 2023

Thankfully, most calves are born unassisted, out of sight and out of mind. They nurse independently and quickly take their position as one of many productive herd members. But sometimes things don’t go as hoped, and the occasional calf is born with leg issues — namely contracted or lax tendons. Contracted tendons exhibit as “knuckling […] Read more

Joe Engelhart believes strongly in taking a low-stress approach to managing over 4,600 cattle at the Spruce Ranching Co-operative southwest of Longview, Alta.

Features

Spruce Ranching Co-operative banks on sustainability

Sustainability strategies are paying off at one of Alberta’s oldest grazing sites, but they also come with challenges

By Tracey Feist January 9, 2023

[UPDATED: Jan. 10, 2023] The vast, expansive area along the eastern slope of the southwestern Rocky Mountains is stunning, no matter the time of year, with miles of native grassland, abundant creeks and critters: both cattle and carnivores. However, the 22,500 acres of range at the Spruce Ranching Co-operative — locally known as the Spruce […] Read more

Stock photo of Corriente cattle. Whether buying roping steers or breeding stock, basic biosecurity is a must. Photo: flariv/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Features, Livestock, Reproductive Diseases

Cheap steers bring more than bargained for

Veterinary Case Study: An effective biosecurity plan is essential to prevent infectious diseases from entering your herd

By Dr. Ron Clarke December 30, 2022

Jim visited the office one morning and asked if we could talk. He looked worried, a bit like a child that had gotten into the Halloween candy early. Two years ago, Jim had started team roping with a local club. Good crops and strong cattle prices allowed Jim to build his own small arena. His […] Read more

A soil infiltration ring, shown here on a producer’s field in the Peace region, is used to measure how quickly rain water infiltrates on a field.

Features, Research

Peace Region Living Lab includes learning cluster

The Living Lab, which spans the Alberta and B.C. border, has the potential to create a community of producers interested in trying new things

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan December 28, 2022

[Updated Jan. 3, 2023] When most people think of British Columbia, they think of white-capped waves on the Pacific Ocean off the Sunshine Coast, the sweeping, snowy Coast Mountains of Whistler, or trees hung heavy with fruit in the Okanagan. Most people wouldn’t think of a landscape very similar to Alberta, with gently rolling hills […] Read more

B Bar/VLE Matrix, an embryo calf resulting from a partnership with B Bar Cattle from Lucky Lake, Sask., and the 2021 Grand Champion Limousin bull at Canadian Western Agribition. Wayne is on the halter and Anne is on the far left.

Beef Cattle, Features

Partnering to produce high-end purebreds

This Alberta couple is working with seedstock producers from across the country to buy pedigreed females with potential to be donor cows

By Lois Harris December 23, 2022

An Alberta couple’s passion for investing in top breeders has helped produce high-quality Limousin and Hereford cattle in Canada and they don’t even own a farm. “We didn’t have the capital to buy a place and cattle,” says Anne Brunet-Burgess. “We started slowly, but got really involved in 2015, with Wayne’s nephew Justin, who was […] Read more

Cow-Calf, Features, Livestock

The next generation of cow vets

Dr. Blake Balog created Bow Valley Livestock Health with a vision for the future of the cow-calf industry

By Lexie Reed December 22, 2022

For some, a career is a calling. They are compelled to pursue it, even in times when it isn’t enjoyable, or even profitable. This describes many beef producers. Those who work with primary producers often do so because it is their calling as well. In this way, veterinarians and producers are a lot alike. Running […] Read more

Depth of Field, Features

VIDEO: Letting go and shifting gears

Depth of Field with Kelly Sidoryk

By Kelly Sidoryk December 16, 2022

Sometimes we need a nudge, push or out-and-out shove to get unstuck. Consider this column a shove. Sell the cows or get rid of an enterprise. When we significantly reduced our cow herd several years ago, it was mostly a financial decision. Markets, drought, BSE and, of course, some of our own choices, resulted in […] Read more

Graeme Finn’s pasture with alfalfa, Glenview sainfoin and cicer milkvetch, all legumes that help boost fertility.

Cow-Calf, Features, Livestock

Feeding cows for fertility

The right vitamin and mineral package, and high-quality forage, can boost a herd’s conception rate

By Melissa Jeffers-Bezan December 12, 2022

The year is 1993 and Graeme Finn is saying goodbye to the blue skies and heat of Australia, replacing them with the gentle hills and crisp winters of Madden, Alta. Here, he starts a beef operation with his wife, Heather and their two daughters. With 2,800 acres of pasture rented, Finn is passionate about using […] Read more

Colleen and Dylan Biggs of TK Ranch, with locations near Calgary and Hanna, Alta.

Beef Cattle, Features

Direct marketing in the COVID age

Two Alberta businesswomen talk shop about how the pandemic has shaped the direct marketing landscape for beef producers

By Kelly Sidoryk December 7, 2022

It is a changed world. The time spent in pandemic lockdowns has completely altered consumer behaviour. Perhaps it has sped up trends that were already in place, such as concerns about how food was grown or raised, convenience and ease of online purchasing. According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review on Marketing […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle drop sharply, hogs mixed

Pulse Weekly: Talk arises of India ending duty-free period

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn, wheat ease, traders eye USDA crop report

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