Trailblazers

Waking up early to do farm chores before school, shovelling grain, watching your parents do the financial books, or seeing them running out in the middle of the night to pull a calf are all things kids who grow up on a farm see first-hand throughout their childhood.      Cattlemen’s Young Leaders graduate spotlight For Sabrina…

By Jennifer Allford, for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine While many large animal veterinarians grew up on a farm surrounded by all sorts of animals, Dr. Michel Lévy, DVM — the recipient of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP) Honorary Life Award — did not grow up tending to cattle. In fact, the…

When you have nearly 65,000 followers on Instagram watching you work your magic on the barbeque, you must be doing something right. Mel Chmilar Jr. is an Alberta welder who began cooking for his buddies at the shop in Edmonton. It only exploded from there. “When I was 18 or 19, the guys would come…

Canadian Beef Industry Award winner, Dr. Surya Acharya, sets his sights on sustainable innovations to help tackle beef industry challenges Every year the Beef Cattle Research Council recognizes a researcher or scientist whose work has contributed to advancements in the competitiveness and sustainability of the Canadian beef industry. This year, the BCRC awarded ABP nominee…

When you pull up the driveway to Bob Hahn’s farm, Hahn Cattle Co., you might think it’s a typical angus operation. However, tucked away in an unassuming Quonset is a custom-built storefront with display freezers and a dry-ager that prepares high-end quality cuts of beef for local consumers. Accountant by day, Angus producer by night,…

By Piper Whelan, Canadian Cattlemen The new leader of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council aims to create greater value by capturing and sharing genetic information throughout the supply chain Sandy Russell is skilled at seeing possibilities and turning them into profit. Her career thus far has allowed her to assist different facets of the Canadian…

Keeping track of livestock records doesn’t need to be complicated. A simple school binder is all Sue Giles uses to keep track of health records for their southern Alberta ranch and ensure it meets EU and VBP+ certification. For three years, Giles has kept track of the health information for their almost 1,000-head Black Angus…

For generations, cattle producers have proudly advocated as stewards of the land – protecting native grasslands, watersheds and landscapes in which they reside. In fact, it is quite common for ranchers to profess that our cattle merely play a role in the true focus of our business of growing grass and turning it into a…

By Duane McCartney, for Canadian Cattlemen Magazine Forage extension veteran Grant Lastiwka shares his winter-feeding strategy and explains how it fits into his year-round grazing system Grant Lastiwka eats, sleeps and dreams forages. As one of Canada’s most enthusiastic forage extension specialists, Lastiwka is the go-to man for information on year-round grazing management. Past winner…