Livestock Management
Dry conditions squeeze grain availability, but experience from 2021’s drought has made moving corn into Alberta easy
Alberta feedlots are increasing imports of American corn to make up for the lack of local feed caused by the drought. “There’s going to be a lack of barley and wheat for the feedlot,” says Jacob Bueckert, chair of the board of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association. “Most of the feedlots are already purchasing corn […] Read more
Livestock Management
Bone dry on the range: U.S. ranchers in trouble
Cattle producers in Texas struggle to keep their animals fed and watered as they battle drought and extreme heat this year
TENNESSEE COLONY, Texas, (Reuters) — The brown and black cattle of Texas, beloved symbols of the Lone Star state, walk through desiccated grass and stand in shrunken watering holes while their ranchers struggle to get them enough food. For the second summer in a row, drought and extreme heat are stressing the health of cattle […] Read more
Heat, humidity kill hundreds of cattle in U.S. Midwest
CHICAGO (Reuters) — Hundreds of cattle died in Iowa from extreme heat and humidity in late July as the world recorded its hottest month ever. The deaths show the toll of severe weather on farm animals and food production. The losses further trim the U.S. cattle herd, which is already the smallest in decades after […] Read more
It takes a team to protect livestock and producers’ health
Animal Health Week comes around once a year in October (Oct. 1-7 this year), sponsored by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. The week has a theme and this year it is It Takes a Team. This refers to the entire team at your veterinary clinic, and I would like to explain the benefits of the […] Read more
Sask. livestock producers to receive drought assistance
UPDATED – August 21, 2023 – 1600 CST – Drought support is on the way for Saskatchewan livestock producers. The province is making up to $70 million available to help offset the “extraordinary costs” of feeding animals and maintaining breeding herds in Saskatchewan. “Immediate measures are needed as farmers and ranchers deal with significant challenges […] Read more
VIDEO: Struggling ranchers call for fix to disaster relief
Changes need to be made to agricultural disaster relief and business risk management programs to better help beef producers in an era of increasing weather extremes due to climate change, says an industry leader. Producers can’t continue to keep looking for payouts from the federal and provincial governments every year to bail them out, “so […] Read more
Congress eyes overturning animal welfare law
Major U.S. hog pork producers are divided over whether federal lawmakers should overturn California’s Proposition 12
(Reuters) — Some big American pork producers who have spent money to comply with a California law requiring more living space for certain farm animals are lukewarm about legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would overturn the state law. The National Pork Producers Council, the pork industry trade group, supports the Ending Agricultural […] Read more
Hay fields can be turned into pasture
There are strategies producers can use to rejuvenate an old hay field into an efficient pasture system during a drought
There are many ways to create a new pasture, but focusing on grazing strategy, field history and climate makes the options more manageable. For Steven Balzer, there were several factors with a piece of old hay land he purchased two years ago just outside of Langham, Sask . He wanted to intensively graze the land […] Read more
Video game takes young people on a tour of the range
The new game is the Canadian Cattle Association’s latest effort to update its documentary about the importance of grazing
Farm simulations are a popular video game subgenre. Now, the Guardians of the Grasslands teaching tool, produced by the Canadian Cattle Association, has a video game component aimed at middle and high school students for in-class learning. Riffing off the title of the popular superhero series Guardians of the Galaxy, the CCA has been promoting […] Read more
Breeding can help tackle feed requirements
A new body maintenance index should help develop dairy cows that require less feed to maintain appropriate condition
Recently introduced body maintenance requirement evaluations for bulls should help dairy producers maximize production per kilogram of dry matter intake. Speaking at Lactanet’s open industry session, geneticist Dr. Allison Fleming said the body maintenance requirement is not directly related to feed costs per litre of milk. In fact, when creating its feed efficiency tools, Lactanet […] Read more
