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Cow-Calf

A cow disposes of the afterbirth as two young calves lay nearby. Newborn calves are vulnerable to disease, so farmers and ranchers should strive to reduce disease risk during calving season.
Animal Health, Calving, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Reducing disease risk from calving season onwards

Whether it’s scours or Johne’s disease, farmers and ranchers can reduce the chance of transmitting it

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With winter calving almost at a close, grassland producers are preparing for their own spring calving season. Chad Ross calves his herd of 800 to 1,100 cows as close to nature as he can. The owner and operator of L-7 Land and Cattle at Estevan, Sask., switched to grassland calving in the mid-2000s. Unless a […] Read more
Cattle eating hay during the winter
Cow-Calf, Feeding, Livestock

Now is the time to beef up the cow herd

Make sure cows are at their optimum body condition score at calving and keep it going for the rest of the year

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Make sure cows are at their optimum body condition score at calving and keep it going 
for the rest of the year

If your spring-calving beef herd is on the thin side, now is the time to get them back into proper condition before calving season, says a long-time western Canadian livestock nutritionist. Cows in less-than-optimum body condition at calving will not only raise calves with poor performance but it also increases the risk of the cows […] Read more
cows grazing corn on a pasture in winter
Cow-Calf, Livestock, Nutrition

Winter feeding tips for beef cows in late gestation

Transitioning late gestation cows to higher-quality forages is a good strategy

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As we begin the New Year and enter the coldest months, many beef cows are in the final third of their gestation period. This is when the fetus experiences its most significant growth. To support this development and ensure the birth of a healthy calf, it is essential to provide the cow with proper nutrition. […] Read more
tool taking an ear tissue sample for DNA testing
Calving, Cow-Calf, Livestock

DNA samples at calving could be new norm

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

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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
Calving, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Cameras make a difference in winter calving

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

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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
Animal Health, Bovine Respiratory Disease, Cow-Calf, Livestock

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

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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.
Cow-Calf, Vet Case Study

Lead poisoning in calves

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

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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.
Cow-Calf, Feeding, Livestock

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

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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.
Animal Health, Beef Cattle, Cow-Calf, Livestock

The link between stockmanship and animal health

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

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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

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