The Fossen family of Rock Creek, B.C. — Doug and Erika and daughters
Adele, Jade and Reine operate Bar 7 Ranch. Their commitment to
sustainable ranching practices earned them recognition with The
Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) presented by the Canadian
Cattle Association.

Rotational grazing key to ranch success

The plan is to use each pasture only once during the grazing season

For the Fossen family of south-central British Columbia, applying proper stewardship to forage and water management on their private land as well Crown range pastures not only benefits the environment but ultimately makes good business sense for their ranching operation. As the second and third generation on the Bar 7 Ranch near Rock Creek in […] Read more

Kristian Sorensen, who farms in Western Denmark produces about 4,000 calves for veal calves each year that are marketed to local Danish Crown
abattoir in Holsted.

Beef/dairy crosses fit Danish veal program

Calves are raised under high animal welfare standards

More dairy farmers are starting to use sexed beef semen to crossbreed with their herds to produce a calf with added value. And that’s exactly the animal Danish beef farmer Kristian Sorensen wants to purchase for his Tranbjerg Ostergaard farm located near the town of Arre in Jutland, western Denmark. Each year Kristian produces around […] Read more


It didn't take much of a tumble for James to hurt his elbow, but it was a bit of process to get necessary repairs
made. It will take time to heal, but he is handling it well.

Harvest done in time for Thanksgiving

Dealing with health care was a matter of hurry up and wait

The end of September had a few bumps for us. After the rain on Sept. 19, it was too wet to combine for a few days. Instead, I baled some flax straw while Gregory and the neighbour, Leon, worked on John’s new well. Harvest started again Sept. 24. We worked on John’s oats for a […] Read more

It’s best to apply a ‘one health’ approach

It’s best to apply a ‘one health’ approach

If animals are healthy, then humans are healthy and it works vice versa

This year’s theme for Animal Health Week in October was a good one for the veterinary profession as it blended the idea of “one health.” If we protect the health of our animals and the environs in which they reside, it ultimately protects everyone’s health. This is especially true in farm animal production as our […] Read more


The judges and winner of the first ever Stockmanship Challenge, from
left, judge Paul Kernaleguen, rancher Wolter Van der Kamp who won the
competition, judges Whit Hibbard and Dawn Hnatow, and event
organizer Malcolm MacLean.

Low-stress handling techniques put to the test

Competition required competitors to apply many of the principles developed by Bud Williams

A ranch manager from near Longview Alberta took home the hardware earlier this year at the first-ever Ultimate Stockmanship Challenge held at the Pincher Creek Rodeo grounds in southern Alberta Wolter Van der Kamp, who has worked with livestock in various capacities over his career, won the top two classes of the competition designed to […] Read more



Proper management of cull cows

Proper management of cull cows

Several factors to consider, including animal welfare and economics, when deciding whether to ship

An important aspect of cattle production, often given low priority, is the care and marketing of our cull cows. It’s one of the areas in cattle production where producers need to be particularly aware of animal welfare issues that include decisions about not culling, shipping or putting down cull cows when it becomes necessary. We […] Read more

Different materials can be used to
cover hay, but properly secured
black plastic works well particularly
because snow slides off easily.

Tips for protecting hay quality over winter

Research shows single bale rows are better than a pyramid stack

Several methods can help preserve feed quality and reduce moisture damage in your winter hay supply. Warren Rusche, feedlot and beef management specialist with South Dakota State University, says the ideal way to store hay is under cover in a shed, but this works best for square bales. It’s usually not practical for round bales […] Read more


While feedlot placements are up in the U.S. the opposite is happening in Western Canada
with feedlot placements dropping sharply below year-ago levels through the summer period.

Cattle market digesting many variables

Large Prairie barley crop in 2022, but big shipments of feed to China

As of the third week of September, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis in the range of $180-$183/cwt delivered. Alberta finished cattle prices were rather flat throughout September. For March and April of 2023, feedlot operators have been able to forward-contract fed cattle on a dressed basis at $345/cwt delivered which […] Read more

Backgrounding feeding programs are often tailor-made to each beef
producer’s situation. The rate of gain can be achieved over short-45 day,
medium-90 day and longer-kept 120-day feeding programs.

Pencil out the economics of backgrounding

Working through a "what-if" scenario helps in deciding whether to feed

As most of the leaves have fallen, many spring calves are being weaned. It’s also when many beef producers determine whether their weaned calves are immediately sold or held for further feeding. Regardless of the final choice, backgrounding calves takes a bit of homework and should pay off with increased revenue if the goals, the […] Read more