Innovation & Technology

This article was first published in Volume 4 Issue 3 of ABP Magazine (September 2024). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily. With the prospect of high prices in the future, it can be tempting to background. However, factors including current calf prices, cost of gain and projected feeder prices can impact profitability. Additionally, operation-specific…

A two-year research study examines how virtual fencing technology might fit the Canadian landscape. European and U.S. cattle industries experienced an influx of livestock-based technologies lately including virtual fencing. While it appears successful in warmer climates, will this technology hold up in colder, Canadian regions to become a fixture of cattle management? Alexandra Harland, a…

Good-bye plastic! Nature’s Net Wrap, developed on a ranch east of Edmonton, will provide ranchers with a sustainable alternative, eliminating plastic waste. Compostable bale wrap is available for beef producers through CNH Industrial dealers starting May 2024.Nature’s Net Wrap is made from 100 per cent plant-based, renewable resources. Cofounded by Alberta ranchers Austin Ruud and…

The Government of Alberta is providing a $1.2-million grant over three years to the University of Calgary’s Simpson Centre for the Alberta Digitalization Agriculture Program. The Simpson Centre will conduct research to develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with the digitalization of agriculture as part of the program. This research will…

This story was brought to you in partnership with Olds College of Agriculture and Technology. The Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is a specialized division committed to applied research in livestock production. The TACLP uses its resources – which include a 1,000-head capacity feedlot, commercial cow-calf…

I want you to take a moment and think about your “best” cow. She may not be the fanciest, or the stoutest, but I can pretty much guarantee she’s been around the block a few times. Maybe she even has a few daughters or granddaughters in the herd. She’s easily your favourite cow because she…

Following years of drought and a record-breaking wildfire season, pastures across Alberta are in poor condition. We asked rangeland ecologist Cameron Carlyle to bring us up to speed on the situation and provide some recommendations on how to help pastures recover. Across Alberta, wildfires and drought reduced available grazing acres in 2023, resulting in heavy…