Joe Engelhart believes strongly in taking a low-stress approach to managing over 4,600 cattle at the Spruce Ranching Co-operative southwest of Longview, Alta.

Spruce Ranching Co-operative banks on sustainability

Sustainability strategies are paying off at one of Alberta’s oldest grazing sites, but they also come with challenges

[UPDATED: Jan. 10, 2023] The vast, expansive area along the eastern slope of the southwestern Rocky Mountains is stunning, no matter the time of year, with miles of native grassland, abundant creeks and critters: both cattle and carnivores. However, the 22,500 acres of range at the Spruce Ranching Co-operative — locally known as the Spruce […] Read more

Ranchers herding cattle. Running a ranch business means not only managing production, but also economics and finance, marketing and people.

Profitable ranching — is it possible?

If you’re trying to improve your ranch’s profitability, here are a few things to consider

While not intending to offend anyone, I will express some concerns that may do just that. Most of the conventionally managed ranches on the North American continent are not profitable. A few are. Many are just breaking even when you take an average of good and bad years. And, quite a few are going broke. […] Read more


The Fossen family, Rock Creek, B.C.

Ranching in a tough environment

The Fossen family seeks to improve the environment and cut wildfire risk at their ranch in southern B.C.

It’s the night of the banquet at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) in Penticton, B.C. Cowboy hats are found sporadically throughout the room. Banquet staff have cleared supper plates, and now the crowd’s attention is focused on Duane Thompson with the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) as he lists all the nominees for the Environmental […] Read more

Dave Pratt, past owner of Ranch Management Consultants, teaches a Ranching for Profit workshop at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Penticton, B.C.

Ranching for Profit challenges paradigms

This business management course draws repeat customers from the ranching community

In 2014, Brett McRae was looking for mentorship as he worked to grow his ranch, located near Brandon, Man. He was picked as a mentee for the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Mentorship Program and told his mentor what he was looking to do with his ranch and how he wanted to expand and change. His […] Read more


Bob Lowe and Carley Henniger talk to Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in Ottawa in December 2021. The former CYL mentor/mentee pair asked the minister questions about trade and the status of business risk management programs.

Cattlemen’s Young Leaders help young and older hone their skills

A mentor and mentee in the CYL program look back on years of friendship and how it helped them both

What happens when a young person with an enthusiastic but fledgling interest in the beef industry meets a multigenerational cattle producer with decades of experience under his belt? No, it’s not a pitch for a rural reboot of The Odd Couple. But if you’d like to think of it that way, the “plot” features a […] Read more

Vos uses temporary poly fencing for interior corridors so she can change configurations based on weather and growing conditions.

An unconventional start to a farming career

You can set aside any notion of ‘typical’ when it comes to this beef producer

Sandra Vos raises cattle in Brant County, Ont., in a way that works best for her and her land. Her story is both inspiring and thought-provoking when it comes to expanding the concept of who can be a participant in the business. Imagine taking on learning the ins and outs of raising cattle as a […] Read more


A backburn set between the Thomas ranch and the wildfire on the first night of the fire.

A rangeland up in flames

Another record-breaking summer of wildfires in B.C. suggests the need for a new approach to fire prevention and management

The wildfires that upended Chris Haywood-Farmer’s world last summer are likely still smouldering this winter, deep in the roots of the charred rangeland. For safety reasons, parts of this vast Crown range were closed for public recreation throughout the fall, a reminder of what the fourth-generation rancher and his family faced earlier that year. “We […] Read more

Joe Leathers, general manager at the Four Sixes, has worked for the ranch for over two decades.

The Four Sixes stampedes into the millennium

While this Texas ranch has a rich history and strong traditions, ranch management is looking to the future

As the cow camp cook’s triangle rings before dawn, cowboys jump up out of their bedrolls like biscuits rising in a Dutch oven over a campfire. They amble over to the chuck wagon for a biscuit with a couple of pieces of bacon slapped inside, and a tin cup filled with piping hot coffee. With […] Read more


The Wrights’ calving camera, installed in one of their barns. Because the cameras are connected to Wi-Fi, Jim Wright is able to monitor the cows with his cellphone at work and rush home if needed.

The ins and outs of calving cameras

For producers whose herds calve in the winter, cameras offer several benefits, ranging from fewer trips outside to allowing producers to work off-farm during calving

Using cameras to monitor cows during winter calving saves time and labour, and also saves ranchers trips outside during cold weather. Three ranchers from northwestern Saskatchewan share their experiences with and tips for using calving cameras. Nesset Lake Angus Julie and Ivan Demmans of Nesset Lake Angus have 170 registered Black Angus cows and 100 […] Read more

Six generations of the Hines family have been involved in the Marwayne-area ranch over the last 100 years.

Ranching in northeastern Alberta

In 1918, the Hines family shipped over 800 head of Hereford to Kitscoty by rail, and they’ve been raising cattle in the Marwayne area ever since

The roots run long and deep for the Hines family of Marwayne, Alta. They have been ranching in the Marwayne area for over 100 years. Over that time the family has grown to include many that are well-known in the cattle industry. In 1906, Jim Hine’s grandfather, George (Judge), had come north from Montana to […] Read more