It can be tough to keep up with the latest in Canadian cattle news. In case you missed them, here are the stories that drew the most attention in 2024.
1. U.S. facing crucial beef shortages
As the U.S. faces a shrinking beef herd, observers wonder whether there will be enough cattle in the next two years to fill feedlots and beef processing plants and enough beef to satisfy consumer demand. There are no signs that producers have stopped sending more beef cows to slaughter or have begun to retain more heifers.
Read Also
Canada Beef keeps its foot on the gas with market development
With the recent Canadian election now behind us and trade discussions set to resume between Canada and the U.S., Canada…
2. Cattle markets
Rather than one story, per se, number two is our monthly cattle market summary, with data provided by Canfax and Beef Farmers of Ontario. Is it the break-evens, the table listing prices over the last 12 months, or some other information that contributes to the popularity of this evergreen page? I’m not sure, but it just goes to show there’s plenty of interest in cattle markets this year.
3. Limb problems in newborn calves
Whether it’s contracted tendons, broken legs, or “windswept” legs that will straighten out on their own, we’ve got you covered in this 2011 article that remains a reader favourite online, year after year. For a more recent piece on contracted and lax tendons, check out this 2023 article.
4. Production and profitability on cow-calf operations
Is it more important to increase profits or production? It’s a question rancher and seedstock producer Kit Pharo posed at a holistic management event last year, as Kelly Sidoyk writes in this widely read article.
5. Dealing with diphtheria in calves
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory problem in cattle, thought to be caused by eating abrasive feeds or even tube feeders on young calves. An infection takes hold in the vocal folds and can restrict the airway. This article, which outlines causes, symptoms and treatment options, remains one of our most popular pieces, even after nearly six years online.
6. Researcher examines straw-based cattle diets
Given the severe drought many ranchers and farmers have been dealing with over the last several years, it’s not surprising there’d be plenty of interest in straw-based cattle diets. Our field editor, Melissa Jeffers-Bezan, talked to grad student Beatriz Montenegro Gonzalez about her research into supplementing straw with flax and canola screenings.
7. Saskatchewan cow tests positive for bovine tuberculosis
In mid-December, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a cow raised in Saskatchewan had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. Stay tuned for developments.
8. Big cows and big questions
Are big cows less efficient than smaller cows? Reynold Bergen, science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council, looked at the research.
9. Backing the Bonsma principles in today’s beef industry
Jan Bonsma’s ideas on selecting breeding cows and bulls have been around for decades. Do they still hold water and if so, how are ranchers applying them today? Bruce Derksen dove into these questions in this article, still popular with readers since it was published in August 2023.
10. Tips for grafting a calf
One always hopes things go smoothly during calving season, but some problems are inevitable. If you find yourself needing to pair an orphan or twin with a cow who has lost her calf, here are a few tips to encourage that bond. And, if you’ve got a heifer rejecting her calf, writer Heather Smith Thomas has covered that, too.
