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Having experienced researchers available to mentor new researchers helps shorten the runway to productivity and success.
Livestock, Research

Succession planning in the world of research

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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There’s been a lot of talk about succession planning in agriculture recently. Succession planning is just as important in research. Here’s an example. Surya Acharya started with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 1989. He and his teammates developed two new cicer milkvetch varieties (AC Oxley II and AC Veldt), two sainfoins (AAC Mountainview and AAC […] Read more
The Olds College Smart Farm team getting the floating islands assembled and into the water.
News, Research

Olds College floats native plant-based solution to contaminated water

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With Olds College’s floating island technology project entering its third phase, researchers hope to find a more cost-effective way for livestock producers and feedlots to mitigate water contamination. Olds College is becoming known for its Smart Farm, which started in 2018, to provide a commercial-scale venue for applied research. One of the research projects at […] Read more
The deep roots in many forage plants significantly improve soil structure and soil moisture absorption and retention.
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research

Forages offer protection from flooding

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre predicted a major risk of spring flooding along the Red River a few days before this column was written. Spring floods are an annual concern in Manitoba. High precipitation, heavy soils and a flat topography mean that floodwaters can spread with devastating consequences, especially when ice jams prevent meltwater from flowing […] Read more
Identifying genes that play key roles in stress tolerance will help to breed alfalfa that is more resilient to environmental challenges.
Livestock, Research

Improving alfalfa’s flood and drought tolerance

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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One of last year’s research columns bemoaned the fact that only four out of 119 alfalfa varieties registered in Canada between 2012 and 2022 had been developed in Canada. The rest were from China, Australia or the U.S. Since then, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved nine more varieties originating from Washington, Wisconsin, […] Read more
One study used laboratory measurements and eight trained sensory panellists to compare the eating quality of 100 dark-cutting steaks to 100 normal steaks.
Livestock, Research

Can Canada reduce dark-cutting discounts?

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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When cattle are severely stressed before slaughter there’s an increased risk that the rib-eye will remain dark red instead of blooming to a bright red colour. This phenomenon is called dark cutting. Extremely dark fresh beef isn’t visually appealing to consumers and has a shorter shelf life, so Canada’s grading system assigns these carcasses to […] Read more
Recent research from the University of Alberta finds that adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing can speed the carbon cycle.
Cow-Calf, News Roundup, Research

AMP grazing speeds carbon cycling, researchers say

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A new paper published by the University of Alberta discusses how adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing can increase soil nutrient availability, soil bacteria and fungi and quicken the carbon cycle. The lead researcher on this paper, Upama Khatri-Chhetri, has been involved with many different projects at the university looking at the benefits of AMP grazing. For […] Read more
Stress matters as it depresses a calf’s immune system and increases the risks of disease.
Animal Health, Bovine Respiratory Disease, Cow-Calf, Livestock, Research

Keeping calves healthy

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Cow-calf margins get tighter each time you feed a pregnant cow through the winter, only to have her calf die before weaning. Three leading causes of pre-weaning death loss are diarrhea, navel ill and bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Not all calf illness and death can be prevented, especially when the weather gets bad, but remembering […] Read more
A variety of alternative growth promoters have been marketed as natural replacements for conventional productivity-enhancing technologies.
Livestock, Research

Can we replace growth promotants?

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Hormone implants and feed additives such as ionophores (e.g. monensin/Rumensin), beta-agonists (e.g. ractopamine/Optaflexx) and MGA (to suppress heat in heifers) have allowed Canada’s feedlot sector to dramatically improve growth rates, feed efficiency and environmental performance. In-feed antimicrobials to prevent liver abscesses (e.g. tylosin) also have an indirect benefit because healthy cattle grow better. While consumers […] Read more
A soil infiltration ring, shown here on a producer’s field in the Peace region, is used to measure how quickly rain water infiltrates on a field.
Features, Research

Peace Region Living Lab includes learning cluster

The Living Lab, which spans the Alberta and B.C. border, has the potential to create a community of producers interested in trying new things

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[Updated Jan. 3, 2023] When most people think of British Columbia, they think of white-capped waves on the Pacific Ocean off the Sunshine Coast, the sweeping, snowy Coast Mountains of Whistler, or trees hung heavy with fruit in the Okanagan.  Most people wouldn’t think of a landscape very similar to Alberta, with gently rolling hills […] Read more
If you suspect a cow in your herd has Johne’s disease, have your veterinarian collect fecal samples for testing as soon as possible.
Livestock, Research

Johne’s disease — not gone but often forgotten

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Johne’s disease is sometimes compared to an iceberg — the visible cases are only a tiny fraction of the problem. The biggest part is hidden beneath the surface, particularly in the early stages of disease. In the silent stage, cattle that were infected as calves by a manure-contaminated udder, water or feed show no clinical […] Read more

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