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Cattleman’s Corner

feedlot strathmore alberta
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Feeder cattle prices should remain at historical highs in 2025

The Markets: Heifer retention is expected this year in both Canada and the U.S.

By
At the time of writing this article in the latter half of December, U.S. and Canadian feeder cattle prices were trading at or near historical highs. I’ve received many inquiries from cattle producers regarding the price outlook for feeder cattle in 2025. The benchmark for the western Canadian feeder market is central Alberta. During December […] Read more
Gregory cut the slough hay and I followed right behind with the baler. The slough hay will be used on really cold days for extra feed or bedding.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Forages

Fall work, a visit from family, then snow

Eppich News: The last of the slough hay finally was baled just before the snow arrived

By
The weather was very nice for the end of October and the beginning of November. We had quite a bit of fall work and different projects to do. On Nov. 6 the last of the summerfallow was worked before winter. That same day, Gregory started working on the fence over at Landis. There had been […] Read more
As cattle have gotten larger, their requirements for water grow.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns

Larger cattle need more water

Animal Health: Long-term trends in the beef sector continue to evolve

By
The only constant is change and I have seen a lot of changes in beef production; this article will outline some of them. With lots of evidence of warmer summers, water access is paramount in most of our eyes. There’s more capacity for access by all classes of cattle, including from newly designed water troughs […] Read more
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

By
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

By
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

By
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

By
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

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