December 26 Last week I added a short pole to the little bulls’ feeder to divide the space where one of the upright bars is missing, so they can’t climb into it. I went to the dentist late that afternoon to have a broken tooth prepped for a crown and the dentist put a temporary […] Read more
Community mourns the loss of a longtime veterinarian
Rancher’s Diary: Dr. Cope served his clients for 44 years, working right up until he died
Tips on when and how to check a cow when calving
It’s a combination of art and science to know when to assist in a birth without being too forceful
Most cows and heifers near calving progress normally through the three stages of labour: early labour, active labour with abdominal straining, and expulsion of the placenta after delivery of the calf. Uterine contractions in early labour get the calf aimed toward the birth canal, the cervix dilates, and the calf starts through. The water sac […] Read more
Why you should tune in to ‘Cows on the Planet’
Podcast is intended to inform non-farmers about what’s real in beef production
The livestock industry faces many challenges, including bad press from environmental and animal rights groups that want people to think that raising food animals is unethical or damaging to the planet. Many controversies surround beef cattle production, and many arguments against raising cattle or eating beef are not based on science. To counter some of […] Read more
Important tips on birthing backward calves
You need to confirm their actual position before you start pulling
Most calves are born head first, front feet extended, but a few are positioned backward and may not survive unless you are there to help with delivery. The backward calf usually suffocates because his head is still inside the cow when his umbilical cord breaks or pinches off as his midsection comes through the cow’s […] Read more
Winter conditions made it difficult to travel
Snow and cold weather for trips to buy bulls and pick up a mini excavator
November 26 Last Thursday morning it was snowing hard. Michael called to tell us he was worried about Andrea and me trying to take our trailer to the bull sale Montana the next day. We’d have to chain up the truck and trailer to make it over two of the passes. We realized another problem […] Read more
Canadian visitors head back to Saskatchewan
After nice fall weather, winter shows up in mid November
October 21 Last Saturday, Andrea checked the water in our ditches and discovered we had none. Another upstream user on the system had diverted all the water to their place. We had no water for the heifers in the orchard and horse pasture, which meant we had to haul water to filled a water tank […] Read more
Good weather persists, but rain needed
Dr. Cope makes one more ranch visit to preg-check cows
October 4 Last Sunday Andrea’s washing machine quit working and Jim helped her take it out of her house; he hauled it and our old stove to the dump. Thursday Jeff Minor brought his dad back from the hospital in Idaho Falls and got him situated at Discovery care center here in town. He’ll be […] Read more
Low-stress handling techniques put to the test
Competition required competitors to apply many of the principles developed by Bud Williams
A ranch manager from near Longview Alberta took home the hardware earlier this year at the first-ever Ultimate Stockmanship Challenge held at the Pincher Creek Rodeo grounds in southern Alberta Wolter Van der Kamp, who has worked with livestock in various capacities over his career, won the top two classes of the competition designed to […] Read more
Tips for protecting hay quality over winter
Research shows single bale rows are better than a pyramid stack
Several methods can help preserve feed quality and reduce moisture damage in your winter hay supply. Warren Rusche, feedlot and beef management specialist with South Dakota State University, says the ideal way to store hay is under cover in a shed, but this works best for square bales. It’s usually not practical for round bales […] Read more
Opportunity arrived to help a neighbour
Health issues seemed to dominate September, as the first frost of the season arrives
September 9 Weather continues very hot. The creek is low but Andrea is managing to keep watering some of our fields with just a trickle from a couple of our ditches. She brought Christopher Sunday afternoon and we gave him another ride on Ed. This time he rode past the end of our driveway and […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
