These mats woven from recycled tires are made to protect cattle from injury in high-traffic areas.

They have a mat for that

Double D's customers include packing plants, feedlots, ranches, and many other locations

Little did Dale Goetz know that his idea for weaving treads from old tires into mats to prevent cattle injuries in high-slip areas at the family’s feedlot would eventually become the footing for Double D Family Mat Shop as well. He established the mat shop in 1995, at first hand-cutting used tires to make anti-fatigue […] Read more

Fall prospects for feeder cattle

Fall prospects for feeder cattle

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

Markets are understood looking backwards but must be traded looking forwards. — Larry Williams I’ve received many inquiries over the past couple of weeks in regards to the feeder cattle market. The recent price activity has surprised many producers and analysts, including myself. After a rather bearish outlook earlier in winter, the feeder cattle market […] Read more



The challenge with Ontario calves

Calves from Ontario generally continue to miss the quality mark for larger feedlots in the province which continue to rely on cattle from Western Canada for the uniform lots of vaccinated cattle they need.“We need 200, 300, 400 head together because that’s our pen size,” says Steve Eby, who runs a feedlot near Kincardine. They […] Read more


Eby’s barn provides a great environment for cattle and workers.

Three stops at Ontario feedlots

Carl Frook’s biogas digester has had far-reaching effects on his business, while reducing his environmental footprint. Frook feeds cattle at his feedlot near Elmwood, Ont., for McCall Livestock, but the real interest for farmers visiting on a recent beef tour was his biogas digester, one of the only ones operating on a beef farm in […] Read more

cattle eating at a feedlot

Taking notice of the drivers in cattle markets

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

When markets behave unexpectedly, it’s valuable to look back and see what the key drivers were to create such conditions. That’s just as true for cattle and beef markets as it is for financial markets. In the case of the first two in the U.S, aggressive feedlot marketings and better than expected beef demand at […] Read more


Dr. Tye Perrett, Feedlot Health Management Services.

Calves from vaccinated dams did better in the feedlot

Canadian study looked at protection from respiratory and viral diseases

A uniquely Canadian study provides the first comprehensive look at feedlot health outcomes for calves from dams vaccinated before conception with Express FP. Dr. Tye Perrett, a managing partner with Feedlot Health Management Services, Okotoks, Alta., oversaw the project that reviewed Canadian feedlot records on 1.4 million calves born between 2007 and 2014 to compare […] Read more

cattle in a feedlot

Feedlots bounce back in the West

Cattle Feeding: News Roundup from the May 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

The feedlot sector in the West is growing again, according to the Canfax annual demographic survey of finishing feedlots in Alberta and Saskatchewan with a minimum one-time bunk capacity of 1,000 head. As of January 1, 2017, there were 158 feedlots of that size on the Canfax list, which translates to eight more finishing lots […] Read more


cattle feeding

Musings on how much cattle eat and drink

Charlie Gracey looks at grain and water usage in cattle

Conventional wisdom holds that beef cattle are wasteful users of grain and in direct competition with humans for finite supplies of food grains and water. Thus the large acreages devoted to feed grains might better be deployed in the production of crops directly consumable by humans. This observation may appear logical on the surface but, […] Read more

The feed barley outlook

The feed barley outlook

Market Talk with Jerry Klassen

It’s that time of year when I receive many calls from cattle producers with regard to the price outlook for feed barley. This past winter, feed barley in southern Alberta has readily traded in the range of $155/mt to $165/mt delivered, while values in central Alberta are usually a $10/mt discount. The 2016-17 crop year […] Read more