The Canadian beef industry is rolling out an update on its 2020-24 National Beef Strategy, highlighting achievements over the past two years. The National Beef Strategy was brought to fruition by Canadian Beef Advisors to collectively capitalize on opportunities. It has offered guidance despite supply chain challenges such as droughts, feed shortages, and post-pandemic recovery….
This article was originally posted on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s website on February 22, 2024. Alternative or non-conventional feeds, such as grain screenings, cull potatoes or distillers’ grains, can be an economical means for beef cattle producers to supplement forage and grain inventories while continuing to meet animal nutritional requirements. However, due to variability…
Beef Producer National Check-Off Investments in Research The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is Canada’s industry-led funding agency for beef, cattle and forage research and extension. The BCRC is directed by a committee of 16 beef producers from across the country including six members from Alberta and one member at large. It is funded primarily…
This article was originally posted on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s website on September 13, 2023. Understanding the cost of developing replacement heifers is crucial for informed decision making. The most significant factor in heifer development cost is the opportunity cost of foregoing revenue from selling calves at weaning. Each heifer kept for the breeding…
The literal act of completing ‘hands-on’ body condition scoring (BCS) is often thought of by commercial beef producers as a procedure done strictly in academic trials, research studies, or by seedstock operations. Many bypass the practice altogether, choosing instead to rely on experience, assessing their herd’s degree of condition from the feed truck or tractor…
By Jeff Melchior, Alberta Farmer Express Primary producers and agriculture researchers have a shared goal: to find the best and most profitable ways to produce crops and livestock. So why does it often seem the two groups speak different languages? More than ever, science is becoming part of the language of agriculture, but a lot…
By the Beef Cattle Research Council Drought has been a common occurrence on the prairies and many producers are familiar with the long-term consequences of dry conditions. Dry weather and feed shortages can have consequences that last beyond the summer season. “Drought is not just an issue when you are on pasture,” says Dr. John…
Beef producers seeking a user-friendly program to balance rations can once again turn to a familiar, trusted software. Now available through the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), CowBytes ration-balancing software helps producers improve their herd’s nutrition and reduce feed costs by formulating their own rations in a customizable, easy-to-use format. To begin, producers select the…
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is welcoming more than $12 million in funding from the Government of Canada for Canada’s Beef and Forage AgriScience Cluster under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership – AgriScience Program. Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, made the funding announcement on July 12 while attending…
By the Beef Cattle Research Council This summer producers across the country are experiencing extreme dry conditions, drought and wildfires. While the elements themselves cannot be managed, there are six decisions that can be made on-farm to reduce the impact of dry conditions. Read More ‘What We’re Reading‘ is a quick look at some of…
Producers add pain medication to their routines and benefit their herds By the Beef Cattle Research Council Pain management for beef cattle has evolved significantly in the past two decades. Scientists have gained a greater understanding of what pain looks like in an animal and how reducing pain can affect an animal’s well-being. The beef…
Opportunities to unlock premiums through production data are growing, but it’s not a sure thing yet. It can be challenging for cow-calf producers to properly leverage this data when marketing their calves, even as more feeders are sourcing calves based on production data. “The downside is that in the current environment and the current market…