Livestock Management
By Theopolis Waters CHICAGO, Nov 20 (Reuters) – The number of cattle placed into U.S. feedlots last month fell four percent from a year ago to their lowest level for October since the government began tabulating the data in 1996, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed on Friday. However, October’s placement results nearly matched […] Read more
Livestock Management
U.S. feedlot cattle placements in October hit nearly 20-year low, meeting trade expectations
Alta. cattle producers not a one-breed family
The Chitticks recently won championships with their Herefords, but they also raise purebred Simmental and Red Angus
EDMONTON — Grant Chittick plays no favourites. The Mayerthorpe, Alta., cattle breeder raises purebred Simmental, Hereford and Red Angus and he loves them all. He may love his Hereford a bit more. On Nov. 11 his Hereford bulls won junior and senior champion in the Hereford Genes gala, a Hereford promotional event at Farmfair. Each […] Read more
Red Angus win top prizes at Stockade show
LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — Judges saw red at the annual Stockade Roundup in Lloydminster Nov. 4-7, and awarded top honours to Red Angus animals. The supreme grand champion female title went to Ter-Ron Farms of Forestburg, Alta., while Redrich Farms, also from Forestburg, won supreme grand champion bull. In the end it was a straightforward decision, […] Read more
Family loyal to breed
EDMONTON — It’s been 45 years since the first Maine Anjou cattle were brought to Canada from France in 1969. For long-time Maine Anjou breeders, there is no point in changing breeds when they already raise the best. Janice and Robert Stenberg said it felt like they won the lottery when they bought their first […] Read more
Online auctions gain momentum
HAZEL BLUFF, Alta. — The graphic showing the dramatic spike in electronic cattle auction sales looks like a finger pointing up from a fist. More than 90,000 head of cattle were sold by electronic auctions in September, up 20,000 from the previous September and 60,000 from September 2011. It’s a trend that Canfax manager Brian […] Read more
Families reign supreme at cattle show
EDMONTON — The two families from Forestburg, Alta., spend summers travelling to cattle shows together. They host a Red Angus bull sale and consider themselves to be close friends . This fall, they’ve been winning together too. They won supreme champion cow and bull at the Lloydminster Stockade Roundup held Nov. 4-7 and now they […] Read more
Disease early in life has big effect on weaning weights
The income that cow-calf producers work so hard to earn is ultimately based on the weaning weights of their calves. Dr. Liesel Schneider and Dr. David Smith of Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently presented interesting information about weaning weights at the International Society of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics conference. The effect of […] Read more
Pro rodeo contract up for grabs
EDMONTON — Farmfair and the Canadian Finals Rodeo have gone together like bread and butter for 42 years. That will change in two years, when the contract ends to hold the rodeo at Rexall Place, which is next door to Northlands, where Farmfair is held. Northlands president Tim Reid said the exhibition grounds is in […] Read more
Producers can take steps to raise better beef
A livestock specialist from Iowa says the health of calves when they arrive at a feedlot can make or break profitability
A basic rule of business is that it costs more to make a high quality product such as a Rolex, Mercedes or Dyson vacuum. However, a cattle expert says there’s an exception to that rule: it’s possible to produce high quality beef without spending more money. Darrell Busby, a livestock specialist with Tri-County Carcass Futurity […] Read moreGenetic revolution coming
The livestock industry is trying to form a Canadian Beef Improvement Network, which would collect data to help make genetic advancements
EDMONTON — Imagine collecting thousands of pieces of data about the life of a single steer from birth to burger. “It is possible and it is happening, but not in Canada,” said Brian Wickham, former chief executive officer of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. Wickham presented the following questions at the October Livestock Gentec conference […] Read more
