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Silage is more than “just” fibre, but not all fibre is created equal when it comes to cattle feeding.
Beef Cattle, Livestock, Research

Silage: more than just filler

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
If starch (from grain) is the fuel in a feedlot diet, fibre (from a roughage such as silage) is the engine governor that slows digestion. A backgrounding diet might contain 60 per cent silage to moderate animal growth so that they grow frame and muscle without over-fattening. In finishing diets, grain levels are increased to […] Read more
Pay attention to what the cows can tell you — they’re likely all carrying worms, but the ones that have a high body condition score probably aren’t carrying as many worms.
Beef Cattle, Comment/Columns, Parasites, Research

When the worms come marching in

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Gastrointestinal parasites are an unavoidable fact of life. Cattle often consume parasitic worm larvae along with the forage they graze. The larvae take up residence in different parts of the digestive system, develop into adults and lay eggs. The eggs are deposited in the feces, where they hatch and release larvae. These larvae eventually leave […] Read more
Research shows that weaned calves that start a long trip in good condition likely won’t benefit from a rest stop.
Livestock, Research

Strike three? Transport rest stops still don’t show a benefit for weaned calves

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
In 2017, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released draft transport regulations requiring that all cattle receive a minimum eight-hour feed, water and rest break after a maximum of 36 hours in transit. Because there was no relevant science to support this decision, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the BCRC funded a Beef Cluster project […] Read more
Close-up file photo of an alfalfa plant in a Canadian field. (Jennifer Seeman/iStock/Getty Images)
Forages, Research

Alfalfa for Canada’s climate

Nature doesn’t always provide conveniently severe winters to select for survival

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Very few of the alfalfa varieties sold in Canada were developed under Canadian conditions. The CFIA registered 119 varieties in Canada between 2012 and 2022, but only four (AAC Nikon, AAC Meadowview, AAC Bridgeview and AAC Trueman) were developed in Canada. The other 115 came from breeding programs in China, Australia, California, Washington State or […] Read more
Traditional extension services have declined significantly.
Livestock, Research

Knowledge and Technology Transfer more useful, more relevant

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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When the Beef Cattle Research Council formed nearly 25 years ago, we simply funded research projects and relied on researchers and provincial extension services to help producers learn about and adopt relevant results on their operations. We deliberately didn’t do much extension because we didn’t want to give governments an excuse to reduce their extension […] Read more
Vaccination is far less costly than even a few more open cows or a few more abortions, and much less costly than a reproductive disaster.
Livestock, Reproductive Diseases, Research

Vaccines are cheap insurance — don’t let your premiums lapse

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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After last summer’s pasture conditions and last winter’s feed costs, it’s safe to say that many cow-calf producers are facing the upcoming grazing season with some anxiety. Some are looking for new grazing arrangements, opportunities to trim input costs or both. No single solution can solve every challenge for every operation, but nearly all decisions […] Read more
Climate models predict that the Prairies will see less precipitation, with most of it falling in winter and spring.
Livestock, Research

Adapting to a changing climate

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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I had a National Geographic poster of “Ice Age Mammals of the Alaskan Tundra” on my bedroom wall when I was a kid. It showed herds of prehistoric muskoxen, horses, wolves, lemmings, bears, lions, mammoths, camels, sabre-toothed tigers, mastodons and humans marauding across a vast, grassy expanse 12,000 years ago. The muskoxen, bears, wolves and […] Read more
Your calving records can help identify cows that are less likely to rebreed this summer, or that might fail to calve successfully next year.
Livestock, Research

Calving records will be especially valuable in 2022

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Last month’s column profiled a beef cow productivity study that coincided with the massive 2001-02 drought that had an impact on most of Western Canada. That study got less attention than it deserved, because Canada’s entire beef industry became preoccupied with BSE in 2003. But research is an investment, and the lessons learned from research […] Read more
File photo of Black Angus cattle.
Livestock, Research

Cut costs in your herd carefully

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Research that’s underway now won’t solve this year’s drought, but it should help us deal with the next one. By the same token, research done during the big drought of the early 2000s provides some valuable lessons about managing the cow herd in today’s drought. Dr. Cheryl Waldner of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine […] Read more
Talk to your veterinarian about a calving health plan as soon as possible.
Livestock, Research

Protecting one of your greatest investments – your calves

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

By
Producer surveys suggest that five to eight per cent of calves typically die before weaning. High winter feed costs mean you’ve already invested a lot in the 2022 calf crop. That investment is lost when calves die before weaning. Scours and respiratory disease are two leading causes of preventable disease and death in young calves. […] Read more

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