What's tall and showy and a new silage option for Alberta ranchers? Sorghum Sudan grass! The crop is a warm season, fast growing, high nitrogen user that, as silage, is capturing the attention of silage users in Alberta, now that varieties are coming along to better fit the growing area. As Vern Turchyn, of Viterra,... Read More
Category: Livestock
Just as energy requirements change as a cow moves through pregnancy, calving and lactation, so to do mineral requirements. The same can be said for a growing calf or yearling — the bottom line is, if you're tweaking a ration based on growth or energy requirements, the mineral type or level may need to change... Read More
Prices are firm, feed costs are looking softer and there's plenty of green grass still late in the year. Let's call it a good place to be before the moving and shaking of the fall calf run. As Anne Wasko, of Gateway Livestock, says in this edition of the Beef Market Update, fat cattle prices... Read More
The Young Cattlemen's Council (YCC) was officially formed on August 12, 2013 with the election of an Interim board at the Inaugural YCC Meeting (and just when you thought you'd finished memorizing acronyms relating to Canadian agriculture). The meeting was held in conjunction with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) Semi-Annual Meeting in London, Ontario. Development... Read More
Want to bury news? Send out your press release late on a Friday afternoon. You get bonus points if it's the Friday before a long weekend, and the spokesperson most versed in the subject takes the next week as holidays (I call that the trifecta of bad news sharing). So, when I saw the Manitoba... Read More
Supplementing cattle rations with mineral may seem expensive at first glance, but the cost of an incomplete nutritional package can show up as quickly as one breeding season where fertility rates plummet. The cost of open heifers or cows adds up far faster than the cost of mineral. When deciding on a mineral supplement, amount,... Read More
In a recent post on the Fast Company website, Comedian Nick Offerman was photographed chewing on a piece of raw meat. I like rare steak but I am not sure I would like this meal. I think the good thing is that even though it is meant to be funny in a series of strange... Read More
After a busy week of networking, mind mapping and proposing solutions to food insecurity at the Youth Ag Summit in Calgary, I am now preparing to leave for Australia to meet up with the Five Nations Beef Alliance. Who is that, now? Allow me to elaborate. Four of the world’s major beef producing nations –... Read More
With the recent decision by Tyson to ban Zilmax use by the use of its supplying feedyards and then Merck deciding to suspend the sale of Zilmax until a further evaluation is completed, many people in the cattle industry are surprised and wondering what will happen next. This week I talked to Kevin Grier, George... Read More
Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, was on hand at Airdrie Alta., yesterday to announce news of $14 million in funding for the Beef Cattle Industry Science Cluster under Growing Forward 2. The Agriculture and Agri-Food (AAFC) funding supports strategic research that will drive the efficiencies that enable producers to realize continuous improvements, while enhancing overall... Read More