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Cattleman’s Corner

Acidosis, whether subclinical or acute, can have significant effects on a dairy herd’s health.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Dairy Cattle, The Dairy Corner

Dear Dairy Diary: SARA in lactating dairy cows

Dairy Corner: Changing the effective forage fibre resulted in subtle but important improvements

By
Dear Dairy Diary, June 24, 2024: I received a call from a dairy producer who milks about 200 dairy cows. Several of his lactating cows were lethargic, quit eating and milking and had severe diarrhea. The producer moved a bubbly loose pile with his boot and noticed a lot of undigested corn and what seemed […] Read more
new world screwworm fly
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Lots of unknowns keep cattle market interesting

The Markets: Several trends have a floor under the cattle feeder complex, for now

By
During the last week of November, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis at $243-$244 per hundredweight, f.o.b. feedlot in southern Alberta. The fed market has been relatively flat over the past month. The Canadian slaughter has been running below year-ago levels but the year-over-year increase in fed cattle exports has kept […] Read more
There’s more labour needed to manage artificial insemination, but it can improve the rate of genetic gain.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Increasing AI use has many advantages

Animal Health: There are improved technologies for breeding and synchronization, for which AI makes more sense

By
Over the last decade or so, artificial insemination (AI), not to be confused with the other AI (artificial intelligence), has seen an upsurge in the commercial cattle population. This has been happening for a lot longer in the purebred cattle industry and a lot of the reasons are the same. If one is considering AI […] Read more
Gregory and his mare, Reba, go around the cows as we round them up to sort their calves off to take to market or take home for weaning.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Good weather holds through harvest

Eppich News: Wandering cows and calves made rounding them up a challengee

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On Sept. 30, Gregory drove John and Barb to Saskatoon because Barb was experiencing severe pain in her side. She’s had trouble with her gall bladder for quite a while, but this time it was too much. She was supposed to have emergency surgery that day but ended up being pushed off until the next […] Read more
Beef cows need to have a good body condition score going into the winter.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Early-gestating beef cows need good nutrition

Better Bunks and Pastures: Two-stage use of minerals over the fall and winter can help cows maintain body condition at a better cost

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Late autumn is when many spring calves are weaned and removed from their moms. The remaining cow herd is now in its earliest weeks of gestation and requires a modest level of nutrition. It is an opportunity to feed some of the most cost-effective forage diets. But as time goes on, beef cows’ nutrient requirements […] Read more
Cattle
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

The fall run: the rancher’s sprint

A Little Bit Western: Most of the revenue, data and calf movement come in the fall

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I like to joke that ranching is a marathon, except when it is a sprint, and then it’s that too. There are certainly times when you are racing from one urgent task to another. While it feels like the rest of the working world has three to five business days to respond to a request, […] Read more
cattle in alberta feedlot
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Feeder market trades at or near historical highs

The Markets: Larger supplies by numbers and weight will mean more beef supply year over year

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During the last week of October, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a dressed basis in the range of $403-$408 per hundredweight ($242-$245/cwt on a live basis). This was unchanged from a month earlier. Breakeven pen closeouts are in the range of $250-$255/cwt, so margins are in negative territory for the time being. The […] Read more
ergot floret
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner

The hidden hazard of mycotoxins

The toxins can be associated with low performance before they have a clinical effect on cattle

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Mycotoxins can be present in virtually all forages and other feedstuffs that cattle consume. A hidden hazard, mycotoxins can create a variety of problems, including impaired immune response, which can lead to secondary infections, compromised growth rates, reduced reproductive performance, lameness and gangrene. Illnesses caused by mycotoxins can be difficult to identify, and treatment with […] Read more
Bull scrotal size is important to measure before purchasing a beef sire.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Finding ideal scrotal size important in sire purchasing

Animal Health: Be careful not to buy a bull with too large of a scrotal size

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If there’s something the market desires, there’s no doubt that purebred beef breeders can make it happen. A few years ago we did notice breed averages for scrotal size coming up a bit, so the minimum accepted scrotal sizes were adjusted up just a bit (one centimetre) in some cases. I think that is about […] Read more
Once calves are weaned, there are options for when they can be marketed.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Pencil out the investment in a background feeding program

Better Bunks and Pastures: Knowing the numbers can help dictate whether calves should be sold or retained

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As most of the leaves have fallen, many spring calves are being weaned. It’s also the time when many people determine whether their weaned calves are immediately sold or held back for further feeding. Record-high prices, especially on the weaned calf side of the market, should have everyone penciling out the feasibility of continued backgrounding […] Read more

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AGCanadaTV: In case you missed it; your national ag news recap for Sept. 5, 2025

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