Cattleman’s Corner & Production Tips

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.

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

A couple of steel rims off old wooden wagon wheels can be welded with spacers to create an attractive, useful and history filled firewood holder.

Cattleman’s Corner, FarmLife

Handy firewood holder with a history

New use for steel rims off long-retired wooden wheels

By Heather Smith Thomas January 12, 2022

Here on our ranch, we’ve always stacked a little extra firewood on our porch for easy grabbing. This makes it a lot closer than trudging across the driveway and carrying some in from the woodpile, especially if the weather is cold and snowy. However, this year we made it even better. We created a really […] Read more

When pulling a calf, once you snug the chains up make sure the tail is down and there is enough room.

Cattleman’s Corner, Cow-Calf, Livestock

Tips for delivering a backwards calf

Animal Health with Roy Lewis: If one calf presents backwards, there is a good chance there may be another

By Roy Lewis January 11, 2022

With improved breeding practices nowadays, calving season is more about mothering up, colostrum consumption and keeping calves warm and dry. Cases of calving difficulty have been greatly reduced. However, the backwards calf is still the most common calving malpresentation that require some intervention. With the alignment of the calf and the way the feet are […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

Feeder cattle market poised to rally in 2022

Market Update with Jerry Klassen: Higher barley production forecast, with feed grain prices expected to fall

By Jerry Klassen January 5, 2022

Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis in the range of $163-$165 during the second week of December. This is up $9-$11 from 30 days earlier. Canadian prices have been pulled higher by strength in the U.S. fed market. Fed cattle prices in Texas and Kansas were actively trading in the range […] Read more

Cattleman’s Corner, Dairy Cattle

Vitti: Figure out proper rations for replacement dairy heifers

They need to keep growing, but you don’t want them too fat either

By Peter Vitti December 24, 2021

Many dairy heifer replacements come out of the calf barn in good shape. That’s because many were fed milk and calf-starter diets that supported exceptional growth. Ironically, some of these heifers are not fed well after weaning, and this nutrition gap makes them struggle throughout their first lactation. Such adverse nutrition can largely be avoided […] 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