Health & Production

A tighter calving season can make a noticeable difference in calf performance and overall herd profitability. Concentrating births into a defined period increases average weaning weight, improves marketing opportunities, and can simplify herd management. If a tighter calving window could add pounds at weaning and dollars to your bottom line without extra cost, what’s holding…

Producers are encouraged to provide their feedback from April 13 to June 12  The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) have announced that the public comment period for the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle is now open.  Head to cattle.ca/beef-code to see a list…

The leptin gene in mammals is called the obese gene and was first discovered in mice.  This gene produces a protein/hormone created by fat cells. The hormone signals the brain to regulate hunger and body weight, and is often called the “satiety hormone” because it helps you feel full and tells your body it has…

Agrivoltaics may be at the ‘tip of the iceberg’ stage in Alberta, but examining the concept ‘below the surface’ is well underway. The term is new to the vocabulary for many in agriculture but it simply means the dual-purpose use of land – for both solar energy and agricultural production. It turns out the two…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The purpose of proactive investment in veterinary and medicine (vet and med) costs is to have better health outcomes, avoiding costly treatments and reducing death losses. However, as noted in the Optimizing Productivity fact sheet, there comes a point where more dollars spent do not…

Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off dollars that beef cattle producers allocate to research fund a variety of studies: from keeping cattle healthy and improving pasture productivity to boosting feed efficiency and ensuring high quality beef. This post is part of an ongoing series that highlights recent research results. You can find all BCRC research summaries under…

A new pilot program aimed at strengthening rural veterinary services in Alberta will help connect veterinary students with livestock practices across the province. Funded through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Veterinary Student Recruitment and Retention Pilot Grant Program will invest $250,000 over two years to encourage veterinary students to gain hands-on experience in rural communities…

Over the past several decades, reproductive technologies like artificial insemination and embryo transfer have gained popularity in the beef industry by allowing producers to magnify the impact of high-profile genetics. Lately, the suite of reproductive services has evolved to offer cloning as another option for producers to further their use of top performing cattle.  While…