Be prepared for a natural disaster

Be prepared for a natural disaster

Severe weather including lightning strikes, floods and fires appears to be becoming the norm

With the increased frequency of storms comes more lightning strikes and more cattle being struck, and usually killed. Even though there is little that can be done to prevent such losses, there are still several things to discuss. Questions to be answered include diagnosing the actual cause of death, determining whether there is insurance coverage […] Read more

Keeping replacement heifers in ideal body condition

Keeping replacement heifers in ideal body condition

You don't want them too thin or too fat — aim for somewhere in between

When weaned dairy calves are released from the calf barn and put into replacement heifer pens, there are different ways of feeding them. Some post-weaned heifers are not well fed and poor nutrition is almost guaranteed to make them struggle throughout their first lactation. Other replacement heifers are fed too well. As a result, they […] Read more


Research shows cows kept in proper
condition in fall and early winter will have a
much better chance of raising high
producing calves the following year.

Cow nutrition now has huge impact on 2023 calves

Keeping animals properly fed this fall will lead to high-performing calves next year

Many beef producers I’ve talked to over the years have improved cow nutrition after their cows are confirmed pregnant, but there still are the diehards that don’t believe they need much nutrition. That’s too bad, because sound research has proven that poor nutrition during the early/mid-gestation months can sharply reduce newborn calf survival and long-term […] Read more

Harvest got underway in late August, first with the peas to be combined and then (above) moving into harvest wheat. Except for one rainy day, so far the weather has been great.

Harvest season is well underway

Eppich News: Well water starts flowing to the garden, while it’s a challenge to keep combine air conditioning running

Early August was a busy combination of working summerfallow and beginning to cut hay in the ditches. On August 7 we had a fun family Sunday. In the afternoon we took the boys and John and Barb out to the pasture at Landis and we had a hot dog and marshmallow roast. It was a […] Read more


Western Canadian yearling prices have strengthened over the past month.

Feeder cattle numbers decline

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Beef demand remains strong

During the last week of August, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis in the range of $180-$181/cwt delivered, up $7-$8/cwt from 30 days earlier. U.S. and Canadian beef production has been running above a year ago, and beef demand has exceeded earlier projections. Inflation pressures on both sides of the border […] Read more

"Dr. Google" may work for an initial search for information, but are those links taking you to trusted websites or organizations?

An extensive list of information resources

Animal Health: It's important to assess the credibility of information you may find online

The answer is probably out there somewhere — you just need to ask. All of us in cattle production run into questions about things we haven’t seen before or don’t understand. There are always questions, whether they’re related to production, genetics, animal welfare or some other facet involving the whole animal production cycle. It is […] Read more


In the most severe cases the hair coat of cattle may change colour, but most copper deficiencies in cattle are subtle in nature, which makes it difficult to spot.

Several symptoms relate to copper deficiency

Poor pregnancy rates and lots of foot rot are common indicators of insufficient amounts

As a beef nutritionist, I have formulated hundreds of cattle minerals. Some are very simple and basic formulas while others are customized to take care of a specific cattle need. Still a few others may contain non-mineral feed additives. Regardless of their final mineral choice, beef producers often request that it be fortified with a […] Read more

Wellen Boring and Well Drilling of Saskatoon is about to install the fibreglass casing on a new water well drilled on the Eppich farm.

Great success in drilling water wells

Eppich News: A busy month as old friends come to visit and haying gets underway

There is no rest for the wicked this summer. The old hayfield that we converted into a pasture this spring had been running short of water and so we were trying to figure out how to best manage our pastures and the low water situation. We were desperately wanting to take some bales off of […] Read more


Livestock nutrition stands as the hub of Bullseye, but around that hub includes herd health, cow comfort, optimized and balanced rations, forage management, calf health and water quality.

Beef marketing closely linked to herd health, nutrition

When to buy, when to sell and how management changes make a difference

So what is a beef marketing specialist doing working with a livestock nutrition company? For the Alberta-based, Prairie-wide More Than Just Feed, marketing cattle is all part of the production cycle. That’s why they’ve recently brought Brian Perillat, former longtime manager with Canfax, on board to work with company consultants as well as directly with […] Read more

The developer of Velcro got the idea from burdock seed heads. While Velcro turned out to be a great thing for consumer products, the burrs that stick to livestock (and humans) are not just a nuisance but can have a negative health and economic impact.

Burdock control is a year-round project

Plants reduce forage production and their sticky burrs can devalue and injure livestock

Burdock is an invasive plant that causes problems for livestock and crops. The tall burdock plant (a native of Eurasia, brought to North America by seed burrs stuck to imported animals) is a biennial. Burdock flowers in late summer, producing a composite seed head which matures by mid-August in southern areas and later in northern […] Read more