China dangles carrots at U.S. beef industry

China dangles carrots at U.S. beef industry

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay from the December 2017 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

China is getting increasingly adept at dangling carrots to keep the U.S. at bay. Its latest carrot was to announce on November 9 that it had signed US$253 billion of business deals with U.S. companies. News reports quickly questioned whether the deals will turn into actual business. Buried in the massive total was news that […] 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

cattle eating hay in the winter

Stretching your hay supply with straw

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

Travis Peardon, the regional livestock specialist in Outlook, Sask., says few producers were reporting an abundance of hay this year, so he presumes many will be stretching what they do have with straw to get their cows through the winter. That being the case, Peardon recently prepared a short primer on straw-bolstered rations for producers […] 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

Travis Olson and family.

Heifer selection is in the eye of the beholder

Here’s how Travis Olson beholds them

There are many criteria regarding which heifers to keep and which ones to sell. Most producers have certain goals that help guide those decisions. Commercial cattlemen want heifers that will be fertile, productive, long-lived cows that stay in the herd a long time producing good calves. Purebred breeders want heifers that will produce high-quality seedstock […] Read more


Cull or keep? Factors to consider when culling cows

Cull or keep? Factors to consider when culling cows

Plus, culling on temperament and maternal behaviour

When culling cows it’s important to have a plan, preferably one that includes pregnancy testing and close evaluation of every cow. Bruce Viney, a risk management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, recalls that when he ran cattle he culled for a lot more reasons than whether or not they were open. “If they have […] 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

Wintering heifers at Fenton Hereford Ranch

Wintering heifers at Fenton Hereford Ranch

Irma, Alta. operation develops approach that sees cattle thrive during the cold

Al Fenton of Fenton Herefords at Irma, Alta., has raised thousands of replacement heifers and has a pretty good idea about how to feed and grow them into cows. “We use fenceline weaning, which is low stress. We wean in a 10-acre area with cows on one side and calves on the other. It’s a […] Read more