Cattleman’s Corner & Production Tips

By early March calving was well underway with two or three new calves every day.

The Eppich family welcomes a baby boy

Eppich News: Babies are arriving on all fronts, so not much sleep these days

By Heather Eppich April 20, 2022

February was an exciting month for our family. The weather continued to be a roller coaster with freezing rain followed by days of -40 C with a bitterly cold wind. We did a little bit of work on our bull corral, moved quite a bit of snow around and Gregory did quite a bit of […] Read more

The Flokk hand held transponder reads the electronic ear tag, but also can hold a wide range of information about each animal in the herd.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

New herd record-keeping technology being tested

A simple hand-held device collects on-the-go information

By Heather Smith Thomas April 19, 2022

Modern technology has provided some easy methods for keeping accurate track of cattle. Flokk is one new system for beef herd management and traceability reporting, and is currently undergoing initial testing. It’s designed for the cow-calf producer — large or small. Bill Leask, a rancher near Dog Pound and Mark Olson of Carstairs, two communities […] Read more

To keep this calf growing and healthy, this cow needs a properly balanced diet so she can produce milk but also maintain or re-build her own body condition so she is ready for re-breeding in a few weeks.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Keeping calved cows in top condition

Four producers describe their cow-feeding program once calves hit the ground

By Peter Vitti April 13, 2022

I took this photo of a beef cow that had just calved in a drylot holding area. She is in good shape and health so I would expect that once her newborn calf is up on wobbly legs, it will get its first taste of colostrum. Within the next few hours, this new mom will […] Read more

Beef demand appears to be somewhat softer compared to January.

Cattleman’s Corner, Feed markets, Markets

Cattle market contends with softer demand and rising grain prices

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: As Russia and Ukraine ban grain exports, Canada may become a major supplier in some markets

By Jerry Klassen April 8, 2022

Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range $272-$275 during the second week of March, relatively unchanged from 30 days earlier. Live bids were reported at $161 f.o.b. the feedlot in Alberta. The Alberta cash trade continues to trade at a $13-14 discount to the U.S. However, this spread had […] Read more

Hunter Goliath turnips can be an excellent forage cover crop, although as the White Lake Colony learned one concern with turnips, especially if there is a high percentage in the forage mix is that the high protein crop “runs through the cattle too fast; the cows get very loose manure”.

Cattleman’s Corner, Crops

Experimenting with irrigated cover crops

Program helps to extend the grazing season while also helping to benefit the soil

By Heather Smith Thomas April 6, 2022

The White Lake Hutterite Colony near Nobleford, about half an hour northwest of Lethbridge, Alberta produces both beef cattle along with annual crops, and in recent years they’ve started looking at growing cover crops under irrigation. Cattle manager Jerry Hofer has been trying several different species to be seeded after taking off soft white wheat […] Read more

There is all kinds of “stuff” on the farm — stuff you need, stuff you want — and sometimes stuff that is a great invention. Above the writer’s son Billy McGrath looks over a riding mower he outfitted with a spot spraying system to control dandelions as he mows the lawn. The sprayer involves a scrap section of boom, a five gallon pail and a 12 volt pump... Apparently it works very well. His mom is quite impressed with improved weed control around the yard.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Important to critically think about ‘stuff’

Before spending, ask yourself if some new tool or capital purchase is a need or a want

By Sean McGrath April 5, 2022

I bet that most of us have a lot of “stuff” on our ranches. The stuff I am referring to is anything that is not water, grass or cows. These could be considered the three parts of the ranching picture, and the stuff is what helps us manage those three parts. Stuff includes things such […] Read more

Bulls can lose up to 300 pounds during the breeding season, so they need to be in good body condition and in good health (proper nutrition) before heading out to pasture for the season.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Producers share ration tips for breeding bulls

It’s important to prepare bulls for the demands of breeding season

By Peter Vitti April 1, 2022

Beef bulls make up only a small portion of the average beef herd, yet contribute to nearly all its genetic progress. Such responsibility dictates that we want to give bulls the best possible chance to be fertile and healthy, just before being released onto breeding pastures. This means that certain nutritional goals must be met […] Read more

In all of Western Canada, total beef cows as of January 1, 2022 were 3.089 million head, down only 23,500 head from last year. This isn’t significant enough to say that producers liquidated cows due to the drought. This is a minor change due to market influences.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner

Stats Can survey updates the beef numbers

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Drought impact was less than expected, but what will the war in Europe mean to beef markets?

By Jerry Klassen March 25, 2022

Feeder cattle prices across Western Canada have been quite volatile due to geopolitical issues. I’ve received many calls from cow-calf producers and backgrounding operators regarding the timing of feeder cattle sales. Prices have varied significantly from week to week. For example, the price of 600-pound steers in Alberta varied recently by as much as $15 […] Read more

You need some patience, but the positioning of this cowboy to the side of the heifer will gently encourage her to move forward without a lot of yelling and stress.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Make use of portable corrals on pasture

Weaning and timely vaccinations can be done without bringing the herd home

By Heather Smith Thomas March 24, 2022

Using portable equipment (some of which is not new but hasn’t been mainstream in the cattle industry) such as portable corrals or a “Bud Box” can make handling much easier when cattle are in large range pastures, says Dr. Tom Noffsinger, a Nebraska veterinarian. Having proper facilities makes it much easier to sort and load […] Read more

Understanding bull EPDs is important when making selection decisions, and Roy Lewis asks if there should be some adjustments made to scrotal circumference measurements.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf

A few key points on producing livestock

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: A mixed bag of things to consider, and important topics to discuss with your local vet

By Roy Lewis March 22, 2022

With my training and experience as a veterinary practice owner, later in the pharmaceutical industry and also as a beef producer myself, I question things from several different angles. If there is a more practical, safe or cost-effective way of doing things, that’s the road I take. When veterinarians give advice. it’s also important that […] Read more

Daily Network News

Trump tells farmers that tractor companies should lower prices

Get farmers in on federal water security strategy planning, CFA says

U.S. finalizes biofuel blending quotas for 2026-27, cuts RINS for foreign feedstocks

Cattleman’s Corner