Farmer walking toward combine.

Tim Lehrbass traded his combine for cattle

Ontario grower decides to graze cattle on his cash crop

Tim Lehrbass was just like any other Ontario farm kid, taking farm cues from his family and doing things the way things needed to be done and, in many ways, the way things had always been done. “I started out cash cropping,” he told a crowd at the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association annual conference […] Read more

Understanding where ticks such as this Rocky Mountain wood tick are and what influences their population will help develop strategies to avoid spreading of tickborne diseases.

A story to make your skin crawl

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Cattle won’t be the only creatures enjoying fresh pasture this spring; so will the Rocky Mountain wood tick and the American dog tick, which can transmit anaplasmosis and other bloodborne diseases. Anaplasmosis was removed from the federally reportable disease list in 2014, so the government is no longer responsible for dealing with anaplasmosis outbreaks or […] Read more



One thing Wilco van Meijl has gained from his experience with the CYL program and his off-farm employment is being comfortable with change.

Getting a global perspective on our beef industry

Young Manitoba cattle producer brings international experiences back to the farm

When Manitoba cattle producer Wilco van Meijl stepped off the plane in Paraguay to attend the International Beef Alliance (IBA) conference in October, he did so with an open mind, a desire to meet new people and to learn more about global beef production. He certainly achieved his goals and a lot more. “What was […] Read more


Cold and abomasal impaction

Cold and abomasal impaction

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Beef cattle on the Canadian Prairies are subject to considerable environmental stress during winter. Starting with the early days of ranching and arrival of U.S. cattle onto the eastern slopes of the Rockies through the mid-1800s, survival of the beef cow meant adaptation to prolonged cold temperatures. Cold and the groundless belief that cattle could […] Read more

Dave Milliner.

Improving livestock traceability key to higher profits

More feedback needed to build better herds

Dave Milliner thinks the upcoming changes to federal regulations on livestock traceability are good but don’t go far enough. He contends that much more could be done in the beef industry to improve the quality of the meat, the productivity of the animals, returns for farmers and choices for consumers. “There’s no feedback loop — […] Read more





(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Prairie feed barley softens as packers bid up cattle

CNS Canada — Feed barley prices in the Lethbridge area are showing signs of softening as the February lull approaches and warmer weather moves into the province. According to Allan Pirness of Market Place Commodities, both feed barley and feed wheat prices are around the $220 per tonne mark, down a touch from the pre-Christmas […] Read more

Food riots grip western Venezuela

San Cristobal/Barinas, Venezuela | Reuters — Hungry mobs ransacked a food collection centre and a supermarket in Venezuela’s western Andean state of Merida on Thursday and reportedly even slaughtered cattle grazing in a field as unrest over food shortages spread through the country. An opposition lawmaker from Merida, Carlos Paparoni, said four people had died […] Read more