Tim, Daniel and Arno Doerksen.

Getting the genetics right

The Doerksens of Gemstone Cattle Co.

On 1,500 acres in eastern Alberta, Arno, Tim and Daniel Doerksen are hard at work getting ready for their Gemstone Cattle Company’s second annual bull and female sale in Brooks, Alta. in December. The sale will include purebred Hereford and Angus bulls as well as Hereford, Angus and Here­ford-Angus-cross commercial heifers. The Doerksen family has […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Federal Tories, NDP press for TB quarantine compensation

Under pressure in the Commons Tuesday, the federal government has committed to “look into options” to compensate Alberta and Saskatchewan producers having to feed cattle they’re prohibited from selling. Federal Conservative and NDP agriculture critics David Anderson and Ruth Ellen Brosseau separately took the government to task this week over the costs producers have to […] Read more

Antibiotic alternatives for livestock producers

Antibiotic alternatives for livestock producers

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Antibiotics are a tremendously valuable tool in livestock production. For example, at this time of year, groups of lightweight, freshly weaned, shrunk-out calves with an unknown vaccination or nutritional history arriving at a feedlot after being transported long distances from pre-sort sales in cool, wet, fall weather are likely candidates for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). […] Read more


Photo: File

Six risk factors for BRD in feeder calves

There are many factors to consider to minimize BRD (bovine respiratory disease) when bringing in feeder calves. Knowing the history of the calves at weaning time, distance transported, vaccination and health history, as well as upcoming weather conditions will help you determine the level of risk. In bringing in calves, or for that matter feeding[...]
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The economics behind bale grazing

The economics behind bale grazing

Grazing with Steve Kenyon

A lot of farmers only see one type of cost when it comes to feeding cattle. They see the feed cost. However, there are other costs which are often overlooked. This would be the act of feeding, also called the yardage cost. The reason this is not always included is because it is not a[...]
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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent monitors the Canada/U.S. border near Sweet Grass, Montana, about 100 km southeast of Lethbridge. (CBP.gov)

Guenther: Canada’s beef export sector waiting, watching

As speculation swirls around U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to renegotiate NAFTA, officials with Canada’s beef industry are taking a measured approach. They’re not ignoring the possibility of trade disruptions in the U.S., said Ryder Lee, CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association — “but neither are we lighting our hair on fire yet at each[...]
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(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Ranchers under quarantine fear going ‘broke by spring’

Winnipeg | Reuters –– Ranchers in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan whose herds are under quarantine due to the spread of bovine tuberculosis told federal legislators Tuesday they desperately need to sell cattle or receive compensation to avoid financial disaster. Ranchers who raise calves typically sell them in autumn to feedlots, where they are fattened[...]
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