Lice may not be the only culprits causing itching. Environmental sensitivities, premature seasonal shedding and dry skin could also drive cattle to scratch.

Itchy cattle? It may not be lice

Everything from nutritional deficiencies to mites can trigger scratching in cattle

A spike in complaints about its product’s ineffectiveness against itchy cattle drove Solvet, a Canadian veterinary pharmaceutical firm, to investigate the potential causes and to look for relief. “This has become a bigger problem than it used to be,” says Dr. Denis Nagel, a consulting veterinarian with the company, as well as with Alberta Veterinary […] Read more


The price of yearlings coming off grass has increased steadily through the last month.

Good buyer demand pushes feeder cattle prices higher

The Markets with Deb McMillin, from the September 27, 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

Fed cattle The Alberta fed cattle average set new highs each week as the market entered September. This contra-seasonal price pattern is a result of manageable summer supplies, solid demand and a softer Canadian dollar. It is encouraging to see beef demand and retail sales remain strong as consumers navigate inflation across North America. At […] Read more

Checking cattle at a feedlot. Researchers are working on a new test to identify the type of bacteria behind individual cases of bovine respiratory disease.

Eliminating guesswork with an accurate chute-side BRD test

Researchers are working on a simple test that would detect the presence of three common BRD-causing bacteria

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) has long been the most serious respiratory challenge facing the beef industry, causing half of all cattle deaths from disease in North America. Its identification in individual animals almost always comes after the bacterial infection has established itself, causing an antibiotic response to play from behind. During a networking event in […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Steady demand underpins feeder cattle complex

Compared to last week, Alberta yearling markets traded $2-$4 on either side of unchanged; however, 800-pound-plus cattle in Manitoba and Saskatchewan appeared to trade $4-$6 higher. Yearling prices across the Prairies are now relatively even with no freight discounts from major southern Alberta markets. Calf markets are becoming more defined with larger volumes on offer. […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Weaker Canadian dollar supports feeder market

Weather optimal for bringing in fresh replacements

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings traded steady to $2 higher on average while calves traded $2 higher to $4 lower. The calf market was hard to define due to limited numbers while larger supplies of yearlings were on offer in Manitoba this past week. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed […] Read more


Calvin Gavelin (centre) is surrounded by field day attendees as he talks about his cover crops during the Prairie South Holistic Management field day.

Saskatchewan family shares passion for cover cropping

The Gavelin family finds their cover crops perform well even under adverse conditions

Dark clouds roll in as a charter bus drives down gravel roads near McCord, Sask. Marla Gavelin, one of the people hosting the field day from the Prairie South Holistic Management group, speaks to the people in attendance. She compares the Gavelins’ farm to the Sahara Desert with a fond laugh, and the 70-plus people […] Read more

A side of beef. The grading system is the common language of the industry, writes Charlie Gracey.

Show us the money, Part 2: Balancing beef carcass quality and yield

Only by sharing grading information can the industry signal market demand to cow-calf producers

In my previous column, our editor kept me on track when she titled it Show Us the Money. That was appropriate because I have noted that cattle producers do follow the money. That is to say, they absolutely do respond to market signals, but when no such signal exists, they can’t. In this column, I […] Read more


Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts taken from a human. Producers dealing with a crypto outbreak should keep in mind that the parasite can infect both cattle and people.

Introducing outside calves heightens crypto risk

Cryptosporidium parvum is a disease that’s easy to introduce and hard to manage in a beef herd

In the cold, wet pastures of a gruelling Manitoba spring near Oakville, Man., Garth McCormick needed a calf to put on one of his cows who had lost her calf, but didn’t have any he could use on his own farm. His hired man brought a calf from his own place to McCormick’s. Immediately, the […] Read more

CME April 2023 live cattle (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

Klassen: April live cattle futures pull nearby cash feeder market higher

More feedlots switching back to barley

Compared to last week, western Canadian yearling markets traded steady to $3 higher on average. Quality yearling packages of larger volume traded $2-$3 above week-ago levels. The calf market is becoming more defined. Larger calf volumes were on offer in Saskatchewan and Manitoba but smaller numbers were noted in Alberta. Therefore, we can’t accurately compare […] Read more