Cattleman’s Corner & Production Tips

It takes some thinking as well as experience to know when to pull by hand, when to use the calf puller jack, or when to call for help.

Tips on using a calf puller

Often it is not needed, but when it is be careful with positioning and pulling pressure

By Heather Smith Thomas February 9, 2022

We don’t see as many calving problems today because most producers try to use bulls that sire lower-birthweight calves, says Dr. Matt Miesner of Kansas State University. But there are still occasional problems, such as backward calves, when a calf puller is needed and cows and calves are injured by improper pulling, especially with a […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Lower beef production driving the feeder cattle market

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Both U.S. and Canadian producers expected to hold on to replacement heifers

By Jerry Klassen February 3, 2022

Canadian beef production for the 2021 calendar year was estimated at 3.258 million tonnes, up seven per cent from the 2020 output of 3.057 million tonnes. U.S. commercial beef production was estimated at 27.950 billion pounds, which is a record high. This is up three per cent from the 2020 U.S. production of 27.174 billion […] Read more

The sole purpose of these cold winter-feeding strategies is to increase the plane of nutrition to help the cowherd cope with frigid weather and to maintain vitality and optimum body condition.

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Cold-weather feeding strategies help overwinter beef cows

Cattle acclimatize themselves by eating more to increase their metabolic rate

By Peter Vitti February 1, 2022

After New Year’s, I was driving just south of the Trans-Canada Highway in southern Manitoba and noticed a 100-cow beef herd swath-grazing just along the fence line. Most of these cows were in good body shape, despite it being -25 C and a 25 kph wind (-40 C windchill) on open prairie. I could only […] Read more

A steel plate set on top of a car tire and rim will hold the spool of barbed wire.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

How to make a handy homemade wire unroller

Some basic materials help take the snarl out of unrolling barbed wire

By Heather Smith Thomas January 28, 2022

When building barbed-wire fence, you need an easy way to unroll the wire spools. Many methods have been used, such as putting the spool on a stationary bar and then pulling the wire along the fence line. People often put a bar or pole across the end of a pickup, putting the roll on it, […] Read more

This shed over a water trough is one example of how CLICR technology can be used to capture information on beef cattle. As cattle outfitted with RFID ear tags enter the shed to get a drink, a transponder reads their identification number.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock

Tracking animal performance with camera clicks

New technology coming to Canada will help livestock producers manage what they can measure

By Bruce Derksen January 27, 2022

Imagine as a livestock producer, whether of beef, dairy or hogs, and being able to get a daily read on animal weights just by checking your cellphone or tablet. You could track whether animals are maintaining their body condition, the average daily gain of a pen of steers or how many pigs have reached market […] Read more

Sucker rod attached to used railway tie posts made for a sturdy and economical laneway fence.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Fencing with rail ties and sucker rod

The materials are relatively affordable and won’t deteriorate any time soon

By Heather Eppich January 25, 2022

Fencing — that is an exhausting and expensive subject. We have found that the price of rails and posts continues to go up while the quality of materials continues to go down. It makes the subject of trying to maintain or complete a corral fencing project very sensitive. One of our projects that has been […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Save your best nutrition for late-gestation cows

Producers share winter rations that work for their cow-calf operations

By Peter Vitti January 25, 2022

Preparing for the calving season used to be simple. The best green hay was saved for the gestating cows about two months before they calved, and most people started to feed a bit of loose cattle mineral. The funny thing is that this simple program worked at the time. As a beef nutritionist, it’s not […] Read more

Cow-calf producers don’t have to be just price takers. They can tap into marketing options that provide improved rates of return.

Cattleman’s Corner, Livestock, Markets

Who makes money in the beef industry?

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: The cow-calf producer does have options for increasing returns

By Jerry Klassen January 20, 2022

Over the past year, I’ve received many inquiries from cow-calf producers regarding the margin structure for packing plants. Wholesale beef prices have been trading near historical highs, but this hasn’t translated into significantly higher feeder cattle prices. Cow-calf producers often believe they are at the bottom of the ladder when it comes to profitability throughout […] Read more

New posts are in place that will be used to create a fence for new spring pasture land on what once was a hayfield.

Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Best of the season from the Eppich household

Eppich News: Work starts to convert hayfield into a spring pasture

By Heather Eppich January 17, 2022

The end of November and December was a time of fence building for us. We have a quarter section in Landis (about 32 km from our home place) that we have been using as a hayfield since we bought it because there is no water source and only the idea of a fence. This year […] Read more

Proper nutrition ahead of breeding season can play an important part in reducing the risk of cows developing cystic ovaries.

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle, Livestock

Cystic ovaries — a crime against good reproduction for dairy cows

Proper nutrition plays a key role in reducing the risk

By Peter Vitti January 13, 2022

Cystic ovaries are much like a case of an unsolved bank robbery — its clues have been extensively studied, but there are no direct causes found for the 10 to 25 per cent of incidences in lactating dairy cows. As a dairy nutritionist, I suspect that there are a number of animal and dietary abnormalities […] Read more

GFM Network News

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle hit contract highs on tight supply

U.S. grains: Soybeans tumble on doubts over U.S.-China trade progress

Alberta harvest wrapping up: report

Cattleman’s Corner