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Research on the Record

forage research plots in Quebec
Beef Cattle, Forages, Research, Research on the Record

Evaluating forage performance in different environments

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
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
The critical control points identified and solutions developed by federal regulators and NASA to address potential food safety hazards have essentially eliminated STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) from beef carcasses.
Beef Cattle, Research, Research on the Record

Food safety’s history in rocket science

Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
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
assorted green grasses on a prairie
Beef Cattle, Research, Research on the Record

Icebergs and native forages: What you can’t see can sink you

Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen

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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
a calf grazing in a green pasture
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research on the Record

Vaccines: Use as directed

Research On the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Calves are born with a completely naive immune system. Unlike other species, cows don’t pass any immune protection onto their offspring during pregnancy. That’s why it’s so critical for calves to consume at least two litres of high-quality colostrum soon after birth, to give them some protection while their own immune system develops. The calf’s […] Read more
a cow and two calves on a pasture
Beef Cattle, Research, Research on the Record

Responsible antibiotic use on Canadian cow-calf operations

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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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
closeup of a cow's head in a feedlot of cattle
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research, Research on the Record

When it comes to microbiomes in cattle, the little things may mean a lot

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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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
close up view of beef cattle in a feedlot
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research on the Record

Big cows and big questions

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
August’s column talked about how genetic selection for growth rate and carcass merit has resulted in heavier carcasses with better marbling scores. New genetics get to the feeder and packer through the bulls that cow-calf producers buy from seedstock producers. These new genetics also leave fingerprints on the cow herd as they pass through. If […] Read more
With appropriate protein (and possibly energy) supplementation, corn stover could be a useful feed for wintering pregnant cows.
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research on the Record

Comparing feed performance in pregnant cows

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Last month’s column featured a University of Saskatchewan research trial that used high-moisture corn grain, snaplage or silage to partially replace barley grain or silage in finishing diets. While the steers were in the feedlot, this team wintered cows on the corn stover. See: Performance and ruminal fermentation of second-trimester pregnant beef cows fed short-season […] Read more
If you’re new to growing and feeding corn to cattle in Western Canada, remember that varieties and growing conditions matter.
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research on the Record

Corn in Western Canadian feedlot diets

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Corn acreage is expanding across Canada. There are about 25 acres of corn for every acre of barley in Ontario and Quebec, where temperatures, day length and moisture allow predictable corn yields and feed quality. There are around eight acres of barley for every acre of corn in the Prairies, although ambitious breeding efforts are […] Read more
Analyzing lameness in beef cattle
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research on the Record

Analyzing lameness in beef cattle

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Cattle get lame for a lot of reasons, including injury, poor conformation, grain overload, mycotoxins (e.g. ergot) and bacterial infection. Different types of lameness need to be treated differently. Antibiotic treatment only helps if a bacterial infection is involved.  Lameness is the second leading reason (behind bovine respiratory disease) that feedlot cattle are pulled and given […] Read more

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