Packers have another record year

Packers have another record year

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

Converting cattle into beef has never been an easy way to make money. Beef processing involves the need for large amounts of cash, the vagaries of the weather, the possibility of a product recall and the headache of running a plant with enough workers. These and other factors apply to packers both in Canada and […] Read more

Finally, a shirt-pocket tag reader that talks to your smartphone

Finally, a shirt-pocket tag reader that talks to your smartphone

Identification: "Herdly" iPhone app aims to be available for the 2018 calving season

A smartphone tag reader and app that the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has had bubbling on the back burner for several years is being field-tested and could become commercially available next year. Mark Klassen, the CCA technical director, says CCA has partnered with software developer Cannon Smith of Synergy Farm Solutions, Hill Spring, Alta., to take […] Read more


meat display in store

Retail beef prices drive cattle sales

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

The North American beef industry lives or dies by how well beef sells in grocery stores and in restaurants. Retail demand right now, at least in the U.S., is stronger than it has been in quite a number of years. Sales have more than recovered from the challenges in 2014 and 2015 when retail prices […] Read more

Thank you k.d. lang

Straight from the hip with Brenda Schoepp

When k.d. lang entered the world of the beef industry, she did so full on. A talented young girl from the little town of Consort, Alta., lang had grown up with cowboys, dust and the soothing voice of Patsy Cline. She originally played small gigs around Alberta and especially in Edmonton at the Sidetrack Café. […] Read more


Putting a value on forages

Putting a value on forages

A new project by the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association will establish protocols for high-performance forage management

With over 70 million acres of dedicated Canadian cropland and a direct economic value of $5.09 billion, forages are the country’s third-largest crop, just behind wheat valued at $5.2 billion and canola at $7.3 billion. There’s no doubt forages are good for the economy. Perennial forages play an environmental role with the ability to reduce […] Read more

Preg-checking scorecard for cow-calf producers

Preg-checking scorecard for cow-calf producers

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Pregnancy checking remains one of the most underutilized management tools in the cow-calf business. Overlooking the chance to gather herd information as cows come off pasture in the fall is a missed opportunity for the cow-calf producer. A trip through the chute in fall should be much more than determining which cows to keep and […] Read more


Comment: Take the long view on CETA

As our Oct. 23 issue of Canadian Cattlemen arrives in your mailbox the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union will have been in force for about a month. Not much has happened since it came into force on September 21, at least as far as the beef industry is […] Read more

Abnormal weather doesn’t grow average forage

Abnormal weather doesn’t grow average forage

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Averages are useful statistics, but sometimes averages can be misleading. As the University of Saskatchewan’s late Iain Christison said, “the average human has one breast and one testicle.” Canada’s rainfall may be close to average this year — but much of the country is experiencing severe drought, and most of the rest is soaked. Either […] Read more


TPP gets a shot in the arm

Trade: News Roundup from the October 23, 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

On September 30 Global Affairs Canada gave the cattle industry a shot in the arm by officially opening consultations with the Canadian public over a renewed agreement with the remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The original agreement among 12 Asian-Pacific countries — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, […] Read more

Closeup of the flags of the North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA members on textile texture. NAFTA is the world's largest trade bloc and the member countries are Canada, United States and Mexico. 3D rendering with detailed textured grunge effect on closeup.

After two rounds

Free Market Reflections with Steve Dittmer

Two rounds of NAFTA renegotiation have been held and the three participants have been sizing each other up. While the three nations laid out their objectives in the first round, the second round was more about consolidating the things all three can agree on and cutting out the things that will be more difficult or […] Read more