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cattle in a feedlot
Livestock, Nutrition

The latest on the nutrient requirements for beef cattle

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

By
Recently, I attended the Western Nutrition Conference in Saskatoon. At this conference there were a number of excellent presentations, one of which was particularly relevant to all beef nutritionists and their clients. That was by Dr. Karen Beauchemin of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, who presented an update on the Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle (NRBC) […] Read more
cows at a mineral feeding trough
Livestock, Nutrition

Understanding your protein supplement

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

By
In my last column, I wrote about what a crazy year it has been for growing and harvesting hay. The variability in this year’s hay crop will force many producers to purchase supplemental feed in order to meet the nutrient requirements of their cattle this winter. Last month we looked at alternate feed sources that […] Read more
cows eating pellets- Glen Nicoll
Livestock, Nutrition

Another crazy year for growing hay!

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

By
Looking back at the spring/summer of 2016, the year was fairly typical in that there was a great deal of variation in growing conditions across the country. Much of Western Canada was blessed with significant moisture that resulted in great growing conditions for pasture, hay and silage crops. However, ill-timed rains forced many producers to […] Read more
Taste-testing during a Canadian Beef Advantage Seminar in Shanghai in 2013.
Livestock, Nutrition

Some thoughts on China’s beef business

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

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Recently I had the opportunity to visit China and spend some time with beef and dairy producers in this vast and truly interesting country. As this article goes to press in midsummer, I thought it would be interesting to provide you with a few insights into beef production in this part of the world. This […] Read more
Health battles heating up
Comment/Columns, Free Market Reflections

Health battles heating up

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In 2014, I was fortunate to speak to Canadian cattle people at the International Livestock Congress in Calgary. I held up a new book, and suggested reading and digesting it, as it held the keys to rescuing our industry from the clutches of 50 years of erroneous dietary-health theory. The book, The Big Fat Surprise: […] Read more
Cost per pound of gain or cost plus — is there a right answer?
Livestock, Nutrition

Cost per pound of gain or cost plus — is there a right answer?

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

By
At last month’s Western Canadian Feedlot Management School, the focus was on backgrounding programs for newly weaned calves. As is often the case at these meetings, an idea for this column pops into my head as a result of discussions with producers or listening to speakers. It was no different at this year’s school where […] Read more
Cow chewing hay
Beef Cattle, Cow-Calf, Nutrition

If you’ve got mouldy hay and grain, what are your options?

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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As the calving season is fast approaching, it is appropriate to address one of the important causes of abortion in cattle that being mouldy feed. Mould can be a result of either fungal or yeast infection of cereals or forages grown for feed. Infection occurs in the field during plant growth or during harvest/storage. Examples […] Read more
Cows coming into calving in poor shape is a consequence of how they are fed over the winter.
Livestock, Nutrition

Sound advice from a new generation of agrologists

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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I attended a producer meeting in Weyburn where speakers addressed issues with winter feeding. One of the speakers, Leah Clark, a livestock agrologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture gave an excellent presentation on body condition scoring (BCS). Her focus was the relationship between a cow’s body energy stores, nutrition program and the subsequent impact […] Read more
Dietary energy levels for backgrounding calves
Cow-Calf, Nutrition

Dietary energy levels for backgrounding calves

Nutrition with John McKinnon, beef cattle nutritionist

By
In my last two columns, I have written about issues regarding starting cattle on feed and with the use of grain screening pellets in backgrounding and wintering diets. With this column, I want to focus on developing backgrounding rations for weaned calves, particularly issues with setting up diets from an energy density perspective. Backgrounding is […] Read more
Beef carcass quality is in the eye of the buyer
Beef Cattle, Features

Beef carcass quality is in the eye of the buyer

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There’s no question that feed can be used to manipulate carcass composition and quality. The ultimate question is what market you want to target. “The definition of quality can change dramatically depending on the buyer,” says Dr. Heather Bruce, associate professor, carcass meat science, University of Alberta. There are buyers in the market for all […] Read more

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