This older mare foaled on May 11 three years in a row and each time delivered a grey stud colt. Will she follow the same pattern in 2023? Stay tuned.

Livestock records reveal odd pattern in births

What are the odds of a cow family and older mare following the same birthing routine three years in a row?

We keep records to help us make management decisions with both cattle and horses. They help us to make good breeding or culling decisions, and on occasion they make for a good laugh. While going through the records recently, I discovered a funny coincidence. In the 2020 calving records I had recorded how I went […] Read more

bull

Getting bulls prepped for breeding season

Bulls in optimum body condition have high sperm count and sex drive at breeding

Beef bulls are prepared in different ways before the upcoming breeding season. Some are ignored, maybe left on some distant stubble field or in a drylot pen, and inadequately fed. Other bulls are fed too well, so they waddle with fat. The rest are properly prepared for the breeding season, putting them in the best […] Read more


With good observational skills you can correct and save most calves when a cow is having difficulty during calving.

A great video that shows calving techniques

Animal Health: It helps to correct a malpresentation when you know what it looks like

Calving season is here and even though “hard pulls” — difficult deliveries or C-sections — are rare these days, they do happen. The calving cow needs our attention and help the most when there is some form of malpresentation. This is one time where we can make a big difference by recognizing something isn’t right, […] Read more



There will be a sharp year- over-year decline in U.S. beef production in the second quarter of 2023.

Lower cattle supplies will be the theme for 2023

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Consumers keep buying despite inflation and high interest rates

As of mid-February, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in a live basis in the range of $195-$196/cwt delivered, up $10/cwt from 30 days earlier. The market had been percolating higher due to tighter supplies of market-ready fed cattle. Dressed cattle marketing weights have been declining on both sides of the border, giving the feedlot […] Read more

This Jersey cow bred to a new Black Angus heifer bull had no trouble delivering this crossbred  bull calf, indicating a good start to the calving season.

Getting ready for calving season

Eppich News: Milking two cows leads to a wide range of homemade dairy products

January passed by in a blink of an eye. Gregory fed cows every day and usually had to move snow around to either feed or to bed. Overall, the weather was pretty nice, so the boys and I would work on some schoolwork in the mornings, and then go out and play in the afternoon. […] Read more


foot rope on a foal

Getting foals used to handling their feet

Horse Handling: Ease into it with gentle moves that help build trust – Part 2 of a four-part series on training foals

Horses are a useful tool on the ranch and farm and they are wonderful companions and friends if they are handled properly when they are young. A horse is a prey animal that moves away from perceived threats. Their feet are very important to their ability to get away from danger. If a horse trusts […] Read more

Even without increasing the cow herd size, enhanced grazing management can pay dividends by extending the grazing season.

The importance of giving grass a vacation

A properly managed rest period should lead to increased forage production

Often the largest category of costs in a cattle operation is what economists consider fixed costs. These are usually big things such as tractors or land. In most cases, land is the largest cost item in a farm operation. On the other side of this equation are what we refer to as variable costs. These […] Read more


Chris Neufeld, Animal Care and Biosecurity, HyLife, at left, with Karine Talbot, Director of Animal Health, HyLife talk about proper handling procedures with Dr. Temple Grandin.

A better way to handle piglets

This weaning ramp is easy on farm workers as well as on animals as they are processed

A labour-saving innovation developed by a Manitoba hog operation has been recognized with an award presented by a national pork industry conference, and endorsed by an international animal welfare expert. The HyLife weaning ramp developed at the HyLife sow farms in La Broquerie, Man. was honoured earlier this year at the Banff Pork Seminar, and […] Read more

Tightening the calving season

Tightening the calving season

How to increase profitability through calving distribution

A video produced by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) can help producers calculate the benefits of tightening up the calving season, to increase the pounds of beef produced by weaning. According to the BCRC, calving distribution is the percentage of calves born in each 21-day cycle throughout the calving season. Each time a cow […] Read more