Research into how barley rolling method and undigestible NDF levels affect animal performance and digestive health in finishing diets
Research
Unwinding the fibre in feedlot cattle diets
How barley rolling methods and undigestible NDF affects feedlot cattle
Methane-reducing solutions for beef cattle have a ways to go, say Canadian scientists
Developers struggle with complexities of cattle rumen, logistics of cattle on pasture and lack of incentives for Canadian producers
Companies developing vaccines that inhibit methane (CH4) production in cattle are facing challenges, say experts, and in the process finding their development is more complex than first thought.
Research shows rest stops of no benefit to feeder calves during long hauls
A recent research trial has confirmed earlier studies showing rest stops offer no health or welfare benefits to beef calves
Three Canadian transport trials showed that providing a rest stop during long-distance transport provided no clear or consistent benefits for the health or welfare of feeder calves.
Alberta researchers study potential of native plants to clean water in feedlot run-off
Researchers have found some native plants are effective at removing nutrients and minerals from feedlot run-off.
Olds College researchers look at how native plants can help clean water in feedlot run-off ponds.
Evaluating forage performance in different environments
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
About 20 years ago, Doug Wray drove in from Irricana, Alta., for an informal meeting at the Alberta Beef Producers’ office, where I worked at the time. He asked why the beef industry didn’t fund more forage breeding. Back then, the usual beef industry response to forage breeding proposals was “Let the government and forage […] Read more
Food safety’s history in rocket science
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
Food safety problems related to Canadian beef rarely make the news these days, because they hardly ever happen. That hasn’t always been the case. Canada’s food safety has come a long way over the past century. Researchers Xianqin Yang (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lacombe) and Kim Stanford (University of Lethbridge) recently reviewed this history (A […] Read more
Icebergs and native forages: What you can’t see can sink you
Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen
In April 1912, the RMS Titanic sank off Newfoundland’s coast after an iceberg tore a hole in her hull 25 feet below the waterline. Only a tenth of an iceberg is visible above the water; most lurks beneath the surface. Forage plants are similar; how things look on the soil surface may not reflect what’s […] Read more
Food scientist says farmers are leaders in nutrition
Farmers and ranchers are feeding the world, but misconceptions about red meat and sustainability are holding them back
Anneline Padayachee often finds herself amazed at the work farmers and ranchers do. “It’s an amazing product, what you guys produce,” she said while presenting at the banquet of the Western Canada Conference on Soil Health and Grazing in Edmonton, Alta., on December 11, 2024. Padayachee is a food scientist and nutritionist from Melbourne, Australia. […] Read more
Responsible antibiotic use on Canadian cow-calf operations
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
In 2018, over-the-counter sales ended for the few antibiotics (such as tetracycline) still available in Canadian farm supply stores. The new requirement for a veterinary-client-patient relationship before all antibiotics could be prescribed or sold was designed to ensure that the right antibiotics are used in the right animals, at the right dose, at the right […] Read more
When it comes to microbiomes in cattle, the little things may mean a lot
Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen
A “microbiome” is all the microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes) living in a specific environment, and how they all interact with each other. Animals have several microbiomes. There’s an oral microbiome (the mouth and all the microbes in it), as well as nasal, respiratory, rumen, intestinal, vaginal, rectal and skin microbiomes. The various […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
