tool taking an ear tissue sample for DNA testing

DNA samples at calving could be new norm

Alberta cattle producer says it’s time for the beef industry to catch up

For seed stock producers, taking DNA samples from newborn calves is becoming more common. Most seed stock herds calve in the winter when the temperature can dip to around -30 C or beyond, snow sparkling under a harsh winter sun. At that time of year, there is already so much to do, and adding another […] Read more

cattle in a corral in the winter season

Cameras make a difference in winter calving

Winter calving can be a challenge, but cameras make it easier

Winter is here in full force, and freezing temperatures, large dumps of snow and short days can make winter calving a challenge for seed stock producers. However, technologies such as calving cameras can help make it much easier by saving time and labour. For many, it has become a necessary tool on their operations. Winter […] Read more



calf in a barn stall

Stress, biosecurity and bovine respiratory disease

Bovine respiratory disease isn’t going away, but there are things ranchers and farmers can do to reduce disease prevalence

Shipping fever. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Whatever name you give it, it remains the number one cause of death in feedlots. It pops up on cow-calf operations, too. The Beef Cattle Research Council’s website notes that BRD is a leading cause of death, illness and antibiotic treatment in calves from three weeks of age to […] Read more


Lead paint removal underway at an old church. Food animals that have ingested lead represent a food safety risk for people and so should be euthanized.

Lead poisoning in calves

Veterinary Case Study: Oddly, young animals readily consume these materials when they encounter them

Jim called one morning upset about two three-month-old Holstein steers he had bought at the local auction market two weeks earlier. “I’m really sorry about calling. I know you have warned me about doing this, but calving season is over for me and everything went to pasture. They are really sick. Can you come out […] Read more

Calves creep feeding on a commercial beef operation in the U.S. Producers with fall-calving herds may want to consider creep feeding calves.

Creep feeding when fall calving

For producers who are fall calving, creep feeding might be a viable option to supplement the diet of nursing calves

For cattle producers who are fall calving, supplementing the calves’ diets is often important, given the state of forages at that time. This is where creep feeding comes into play. For some cattle producers, while their grain-producing neighbours are in the fields taking the crops off, they are walking on foot through their pastures, searching […] Read more


When working cattle, look for the animal with its head up, and change angles every time it raises its head, says Sinclair.

The link between stockmanship and animal health

Lee Sinclair has dedicated much of his professional life to teaching producers about low-stress cattle handling

When Lee Sinclair would come home from college and university in the summers, he worked at feedlots, which is where his interest in low-stress cattle handling started. “Nobody had ever told me position, distance and angles make the difference. All we were taught is, we’ve got to get this done,” Sinclair said. “So you use […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

Klassen: Feeder cattle market stabilizes

For the week ending August 31, Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. Finishing feedlots are exuding a cautious sentiment. While order buyers had a full deck, there were upside limits. Pen-sized strings of quality yearlings traded at a premium to average values. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle […] Read more


One of the bulls at Pharo Cattle Company. Pharo focuses on sound, moderate-sized, easy-fleshing cattle.

Production and profitability on cow-calf operations

Shifting focus from production per cow to production per acre adds up to a more profitable cow-calf operation, says Kit Pharo

Shifting focus from production per cow to production per acre adds up to a more profitable cow-calf operation, says Kit Pharo


Which is more important, increasing profits or production? This is the question rancher and seedstock producer Kit Pharo posed at a recent holistic management gathering in Valleyview, Alta. Pharo has strong opinions, speaks his mind and says he doesn’t care what other people think. “I may not always be right, but I am never in […] Read more