When it comes time to replace cows in the herd, one of the biggest questions producers face is whether to raise their own heifer calves or buy in bred-heifers or young cows. Kathy Larson, research associate and extension economist at the University of Saskatchewan, recently joined RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith to discuss the factors to consider… Read More
Tag: Kathy Larson
Thanks for tuning into Tuesdays with Lyndsey on RealAg Radio, hosted by Lyndsey Smith. On the show: Learn about Moo to Do and VETSon digital management tools; Kathy Larson of University of Saskatchewan on keeping vs. buying heifers; A clip from The Agronomists on applying seed and fertilizer by drone with Reuben Stone and Felix… Read More
Without a little office time, it’s almost impossible to know which enterprises are profitable, and which aren’t. As a result of collaboration with the federal government, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC) has developed templates to help producers in the process of calculating cost of production. RealAgriculture’s Debra Murphy sat… Read More
When penciling out the cost of replacement heifers, it’s easy to think of all of the obvious costs, the cash costs. But Kathy Larson, research economist with the Western Beef Development Centre, encourages producers to consider the opportunity costs of raising animals as well. “Opportunity costs are essentially non-cash costs. The biggest one being the money… Read More
Cattle producer organizations, provincial governments and beef research agencies are conducting a survey that will portray how the cow-calf sector has changed since the 1990s. For the first time ever, cow-calf producers from B.C. through Manitoba are invited to participate in a survey about production practices on their farms. The Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey is based… Read More
It’s fall again. That means three things: preg-checking, weaning and deciding on replacement heifers. Deciding on replacement heifer numbers should be a process that’s repeated yearly. The overarching goal of an operation should have a bearing on your decision (that is, are you hoping for herd expansion in the long run? Or are you maintaining, or… Read More