It’s calving season. You waited – we’ve delivered! Our second podcast is up and available for download! This podcast features an interview with Travis Peardon, a livestock specalist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, about how last year’s harsh winter is still affecting ranch management. The rest of the podcast is a blur of activity,… Read More
Category: Livestock
While the fundamentals seem to hint at conditions being right for the Canadian cow herd to begin an expansion phase, it’s not happening. Cull rates of about 10% would signal ranchers building their herds; 2013 numbers will end up somewhere about 15%, a number more synonymous with liquidation than expansion. According to Brian Perillat, senior… Read More
ATB is celebrating its 75th anniversary and as a part of that they are sharing some very special memorable belt buckles. The commemorative limited edition buckles were handcrafted by Alberta native Troy Fisher. Each farmer or rancher was nominated by their regional relationship manager based on their contribution to the local community and agriculture; size,… Read More
Research out of the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) suggests that radio frequency identification (RFID) tags inserted into an animal’s ear cold not only require more strength to install, they are also much weaker than those installed at room temperature. These findings will no doubt be a warm message on a cold day to producers… Read More
Competition to get you to a grocery store is higher than ever before. With a fierce marketplace and incredibly diverse set of consumer demands, grocers are working hard to get you to their store and make you a loyal customer. Retailers’ most common weapon in the battle for loyalty seems to be providing murky information… Read More
The Beef Straw Man trio published a recommendations report at the end of December, 2013, based on the outcome of meetings held over the last year. The report signals the end of the Beef Straw Man process and provides recommendations based on three strategic priorities: industry profitability, competitiveness, and synergy and alignment. Learn More: Beef Straw… Read More
In the battle for agriculture song parody supremacy, Derek Klingenberg has released his newest track. This time it is a spoof on the Miley Cyrus’s hit Party in the USA. This new parody transforms the song into one about feeding cattle. I betcha Miley did not have this version in mind when she wrote the… Read More
We took the opportunity while at Canadian Western Agribition this year to find a different kind of farmer for our Talking to Farmers feature. It wasn’t hard to round up enough cowfolk to cover some of the basics of showing cattle. And, between being asked to be filmed and starting the interview, many of the cattle fitters… Read More
Change is constant. The year of 2013 has brought significant changes to the market conditions for feedyard operators and ranchers across Canada. Not only have prices for fats and feeders risen, but the Canadian Dollar and feed prices have dropped lower. When you add all this up it means that margins for producers are in… Read More
Inspired by the Masters of Beef Advocacy program offered in the United States, Canada’s Beef Advocacy Program will be available to the public in the new year, and will be comprised of two levels. The first level will be for anyone with interest in the beef industry, providing information “right from genetics and breeding all… Read More
Where do you go for the latest in beef production information? What drives you to make changes on your operation? The Beef Research School is one of these tools, yes, but most ranchers and feedlot operators draw knowledge from conferences, extension staff, neighbours and online and hard-copy research. See more: Click here for more episodes… Read More
There has been many challenges that have faced the Australian beef industry in recent years, from floods and drought, record high currency, political challenges and global economic slowdown. However, despite all these issues, Australia’s beef export footprint has expanded into developing nations, helping to offset the slowness into traditional markets. Shaun Haney was at the… Read More
The business of food retailing is undergoing significant changes. There is significant consolidation happening, new entrants like Whole Foods, the growth of WalMart and all of this is happening while the consumer market is not growing overall. Just like farming technology is allowing food retailers to lower costs and gain more insight into its operations… Read More
If you have no idea what to get the rancher in your life, you’re not alone. And if your rancher has been dealing with all kinds of snow and winter stress already, it’s very likely that whatever you decide to buy/make for the holidays will be set aside for at least twelve months. After the… Read More
Canada’s beef production system is working at an improved feedback-mechanism to cow-calf producers on carcass quality traits. Why? Because, ultimately, it’s the cow-calf producer making genetic pairings and selections, but it’s the feedlot operators seeing the results and often receiving the feedback on carcass quality. As the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) 2.0 moves into place,… Read More