Health & Production

Researchers at the University of Calgary are looking at potential ways to manage the health of wild wood bison with a focus on tuberculosis and brucellosis, and they need your help. Drs. David C. Hall and Kyle Plotsky, independent researchers employed by the University of Calgary, are working to understand peoples’ attitudes about wood bison, the disease…

Fall is manure spreading season for many producers, including confined feeding operators, and the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) wants to remind you of a few things. Manure application Under the Agricultural Operation Practices Act (AOPA), you must incorporate manure or compost within 48 hours of the start of application on cultivated lands. If you…

With the ever-changing summer weather in Alberta, producers need to be on the lookout for anthrax. Typically appearing during periods of hot, dry weather following wet conditions, anthrax is a rapid and fatal disease caused by bacteria in soil.  A few isolated cases of anthrax occur almost every year in Western Canada. Animals contract the disease…

Johne’s disease is a sneaky production-limiting disease that damages herd health. We introduced Johne’s in the November 2021 issue. A new digital risk-reward calculator has been developed to help beef producers predict the future spread of Johne’s in their herds, and compare costs and benefits of different management strategies. As cattle herds grow and consolidate,…

Dystocia, otherwise known as a hard calving, is a stressful and painful event for both the cow and her calf. To decrease the risk of dystocia, producers can maintain the cow’s body condition score between 3 and 3.5 and breed for smaller birth weights to reduce the risk of dystocia. However, there is no way…

By Reynold Bergen, BCRC, for the May 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen After last summer’s pasture conditions and last winter’s feed costs, it’s safe to say that many cow-calf producers are facing the upcoming grazing season with some anxiety. Some are looking for new grazing arrangements, opportunities to trim input costs, or both. No single solution…

Ruminant Nutritionist Lynne Girardin provides supplement recommendations to support health in weaning calves. Getting calves off to a healthy start depends on a combination of factors, including good genetics, a healthy heifer, and ample, high quality colostrum. “A healthy cow means healthy milk, and healthy milk means a healthy calf,” suggests Lynne Girardin, ruminant nutritionist…

Where ever your feet are planted – they stand on the future of the beef business.    It is the soil that is foundational to the long-term resiliency of our farms and ranches, supporting healthy herds and cattle feeding operations. Grazing management has to compliment that soil and build it up; be that in hard or…

After a tough, dry year, many livestock producers are struggling to decide how long they can wait to put animals on stressed forage stands. According to David MacTaggart, a University of Saskatchewan Masters student, a general rule of thumb is to try to wait until around the four-leaf stage before turning animals into grass-based pasture…