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Saskatchewan, Manitoba to boost vet college seat quotas

Each province adding five subsidized seats at WCVM

Updated, Sept. 30 — With livestock producers’ needs at top of mind, 10 more student seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan will be spoken for starting next year. The college and the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments on Thursday announced the two provinces will each step up their funding […] Read more

Surgery on a horse at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s equine veterinary medical centre in Saskatoon. (WCVM video screengrab via YouTube)

Saskatchewan’s livestock vet loan plan expanded to bigger centres

Urban vet clinics' work with rural producers noted

Saskatchewan’s program to forgive provincial student loans for veterinarians and vet techs serving livestock producers at rural clinics will now also cover those doing the same work out of bigger communities. The province’s Loan Forgiveness for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technologists program was first announced in April last year, offering forgiveness of 20 per cent of […] Read more


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B.C. doubling seat count at Saskatchewan vet college

Saskatoon veterinary school to take 40 B.C. students

The interprovincial cost-sharing agreement supporting the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) will now allow for twice as many students from British Columbia. The B.C. government and the U of S on Monday announced the province will now put up almost $10.7 million to double the number of provincially subsidized students to […] Read more

Use a cooler with ice or heat packs to keep vaccines at the right temperature.

Make vaccinations work for your cattle herd

When giving a shot, make sure it isn’t a shot in the dark

As ranchers begin another calving season and vets stock their shelves with vaccines and supplies, now is the time to review vaccination protocols and management practices to make sure the herd is protected. Dr. Glen Griffin of South West Animal Health Centre in Swift Current, Sask., has been serving the southwest since 2004, when he […] Read more


By restraining the cow, the substitute calf can nurse without being kicked, stimulating milk let-down.

Tips for grafting a calf

There’s more than one way to encourage cow-calf bonding, but hormones and smell are key

When a cow loses a newborn calf, many stockmen will graft an orphan or twin onto the cow. Sometimes it’s prudent to graft an old cow’s calf onto a younger cow that has lost a calf, so that the old cow can be fattened and sold. But what’s the best way to get a cow […] Read more



VIDEO: Summer pasture concerns for cattle

VIDEO: Summer pasture concerns for cattle

Dry conditions, lack of good forages could see poor conception rates

Nathan Erickson, a veterinarian with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, talks about some of the challenges cattle producers have faced this summer in some parts of the Prairies and two of the high risk periods seen for pneumonia in calves. (recorded at Ag in Motion 2019)

Researchers at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence are comparing the economics and outcomes of feeding calves in conventional feedlot pens and in the field

U of S livestock research centre receives $250K investment from Merck Animal Health

Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence to receive $250,000 over 10 years

The University of Saskatchewan on May 16, 2019, announced details of a 10-year, $250,000 investment from Merck Animal Health for its Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) – a visionary research facility located southeast of Saskatoon. The long-term investment will support the LFCE’s capital build project and underlines Merck Animal Health’s commitment to the […] Read more


Tough questions can face livestock owners. If a calf recovers from illness, what caused the event to occur and what action can be taken to prevent it from happening again?

Getting help from a diagnostic laboratory

Animal Health: Diagnostic testing is geared for disease prevention and control

Veterinarians and their large animal clients find themselves in a new era. Regulatory changes regarding the use and acquisition of antimicrobials through 2018 redefined the need for veterinary-client patient relationships between livestock producers and veterinary practitioners. Increasingly sophisticated electronic communication, the universal use of computers and a changing culture of service opened the doors to […] Read more

Setting up heifers for success in their first breeding season is crucial to earning back the investment in those animals.

Establishing reproductive momentum in replacement heifers

Make sure you take steps to get the most of your investment

Developing replacement females is an investment that can take years to earn back, making it essential to set them up early for reproductive success. Kathy Larson, research economist at the University of Saskatchewan, discussed the financial considerations of developing replacement females in a Beef Cattle Research Council webinar, including whether to purchase heifers or retain […] Read more