The White Lake Hutterite Colony near Nobleford, about half an hour northwest of Lethbridge, Alberta produces both beef cattle along with annual crops, and in recent years they’ve started looking at growing cover crops under irrigation. Cattle manager Jerry Hofer has been trying several different species to be seeded after taking off soft white wheat […] Read more
Experimenting with irrigated cover crops
Program helps to extend the grazing season while also helping to benefit the soil
Make use of portable corrals on pasture
Weaning and timely vaccinations can be done without bringing the herd home
Using portable equipment (some of which is not new but hasn’t been mainstream in the cattle industry) such as portable corrals or a “Bud Box” can make handling much easier when cattle are in large range pastures, says Dr. Tom Noffsinger, a Nebraska veterinarian. Having proper facilities makes it much easier to sort and load […] Read more
Year-round grazing reduces winter feeding costs
Cover crops, swath grazing and double cropping are all ways to produce more forage
The cattle managers at the Copperfield Hutterite Colony near Vauxhall, Alta., northeast of Lethbridge, are using livestock to improve soils and pastures. Phil Hofer and the boys in charge of the cattle are using them in a year-round grazing system that includes intensive pasture rotations on swathed cover crops. “I am thankful to the management […] Read more
Tips for keeping track of newborn calves
A couple simple ideas to find calves during a hectic time of year
One very cold calving season when my son and his wife were calving a large herd, they had to check through the cows very often at night to find the ones that were calving and bring them into the barn. They had to thaw and warm dozens of calves in the little trailer house they […] Read more
Producer closing in on year-round grazing
It’s an ongoing process of learning what works and doesn't work as growing conditions change
Andy Rainforth and his wife Shannon and young son Caed farm near Lacombe in central Alberta not far from where Andy grew up. They raise Angus cattle and various crops. They have been on a journey over the past dozen years or more to develop a more efficient beef herd as well as a more […] Read more
Tips for warming cold calves
Get colostrum into newborn calves, and get them dried off
Calves born during blizzards or any type of cold weather can chill quickly. Calves with body temperature below 38 C need warming. If their temperature is below 36 C, their condition is critical. There are several ways to safely warm calves. Dr. Robert Callan, a veterinarian and professor at Colorado State University in the Department […] Read more
Tips on using a calf puller
Often it is not needed, but when it is be careful with positioning and pulling pressure
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
How to make a handy homemade wire unroller
Some basic materials help take the snarl out of unrolling barbed wire
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
Handy firewood holder with a history
New use for steel rims off long-retired wooden wheels
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
The pros and cons of different preg-check options for cows
Herd size and speed of test can point to the best technique
Pregnancy testing methods include palpation, ultrasound and blood tests. Dr. Don Driedger of Driedger Veterinary Services in Lloydminster, Alta., does a lot of pregnancy testing in his area, and uses both palpation and ultrasound. “The main reason most producers preg-check is to decrease the number of cows that are just freeloading through winter,” says Driedger. […] Read more
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