Animals that receive proper supplementation show higher rates of conception, calving and weaning, as well as increased weaning weights.  |  File photo

Trace minerals need precision

Feeding the wrong mineral can compromise cattle immunity and take a bite from the next calf crop. The more attention producers pay to mineral sources, management and supplementation, the healthier their herds can be, says an industry expert. Laurentia van Rensburg, global head of commercial nutrition with Alltech, was at the Manitoba Beef and Forage […] Read more

A Moonsyst Smart Rumen Bolus is inserted at MBFI’s Brookdale Farm north of Brandon.   |  MBFI photo

Studies aim to improve heifer selection

Glacier FarmMedia – A research project underway at Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) north of Brandon might help cattle operations across the Prairies take their replacement heifer game plan to the next level. MBFI is one of three western Canadian sites feeding data into a four-year study aimed at evaluating how various novel technologies […] Read more

Brett McRae, who has planted soybeans and hairy vetch with his grazing corn, hopes the field will benefit from added nitrogen fixation along with the purported other benefits of intercropping, such as erosion prevention, green cover and weed suppression.  |  Alexis Stockford photo

Corn-soybean intercropping put to grazing test

Brett McRae is spicing up his corn grazing system this year. He’s got more than one variety growing — a grazing-oriented option and the typical silage corn — but the real experiment is happening beneath the canopy. This year, the corn shared space with forage soybean and hairy vetch. The beans were “very impressive,” he […] Read more