Cattle producers and grain growers who enter into grazing partnerships are urged to write a rock-solid agreement
Working with crop farmers may be one answer for cattle producers struggling with feed shortages. Kevin Elmy told the recent Advancing Organics conference in Saskatoon that he started looking for alternative management practices when he moved back to the family seed operation near Saltcoats, Sask., in 1999. What he came up with was a partnership […] Read moreTag Archives cattle feed
Vertical mixers get their day in the sun
Vertical feed mixers are becoming the tool of choice for producers to combat the rising cost of feed while safeguarding feed quality in dry years.
Vitamin shortage may affect Canadian herd health
A worldwide shortage of vitamins A and E has boosted the cost of livestock feed supplements, forcing manufacturers to reduce the levels of those vitamins in feed formulations. An Oct. 31 fire at BASF’s Citral plant in Germany halted production of the vitamins and it is not expected to resume full operation until late March […] Read more
Better bale storage can improve cattle health
OLDS, Alta. — Quality losses are inevitable in hay left to sit outside in fields over winter. But producers can take steps to better protect them, said Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist at Alberta Agriculture. “You need to do something to protect those bales from weather to optimize the use of that forage, especially […] Read more
Roundup Ready alfalfa moves closer to fields
Seeking registration | Forage Genetics International says it isn’t ready to commercialize the crop just yet
Opponents of Roundup Ready alfalfa fear the crop will be commercialized in Canada this spring, but the crop breeder says it’s too early to say. “We have heard that the industry wants to push ahead this year with Roundup Ready alfalfa,” said Lucy Sharratt, co-ordinator with the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. Mike Peterson, global traits […] Read more
Lasers measure methane to evaluate feeding systems
LACOMBE, Alta. — A meteorologist and a pair of laser beams may hold the secret to reducing methane gas in beef cattle. Special laser beams shot along the edges of a long narrow cattle paddock at Agriculture Canada’s re-search centre at Lacombe can detect and measure the methane gas given off by a group of […] Read more
Drought to affect feedlots
U.S. weather woes continue | The cost of gain is going up due to rising feed prices
Widespread drought in the United States and rising North American feed prices will almost certainly result in more empty pens in Canadian and American feedlots this fall. Anne Dunford, a cattle market analyst with Gateway Livestock Exchange in Taber, Alta., said the number of cattle on feed in Saskatchewan and Alberta could drop below 550,000 […] Read more
Rancher warns feed buyers of ration containing ergot
225 times above allowable limit | Ergot restricts blood flow to extremities
The first sign of trouble, in hindsight, was the unusually excited behaviour of the yearlings, said Alberta rancher Wayne Brost. Then many of them went lame, which he initially thought was due to foot rot, but the condition did not respond to treatment. Then the cattle began to lose their hoofs, ears and tails. And […] Read more
