Darren Wolchyn says the use of solar power on Smart Paddock’s ear tags sets the product apart from others.

GPS system for cattle brings individual animal management to the range

Smart Paddock can measure behaviour of animals far from home

An Australian company with a Canadian connection, Smart Paddock won the Rising Star category in the Canadian Animal AgTech innovation competition at Agribition in late 2024. Smart Paddock’s founder and chief executive officer, Darren Wolchyn, moved his family from Alberta to Australia and ended up working on GPS-tracking golf carts. Ranching friends in Alberta suggested […] Read more

Bull scrotal size is important to measure before purchasing a beef sire.

Finding ideal scrotal size important in sire purchasing

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

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


canola development illustration

Pipeline offers promise

Some of the country’s leading canola seed companies discuss what comes next — and what’s driving those decisions

A wise man once said the times change and if you don’t change with them you get left behind. While he likely wasn’t talking about canola, the industry’s ability to change with the times has been a key factor in its continued success in this country. It’s been estimated Canada’s canola value chain generates around […] Read more

First-calf cows need to be able to feed their calf, continue to grow and become ready for breeding, which means they need special treatment.

Take care of first-calf beef cows after calving

Keep them separate from older cows and a different ration could make sense

Despite some market volatility, the good value of all cattle is holding for the time being. That’s a good thing because last year, many cow-calf operators bred more replacement heifers that are now calving or about to calve. Some of these producers told me they throw them into their main cowherd if they are big […] Read more


Courtney Welch says Canterra Seeds works with a number of different genetics partners to develop new varieties of canola, which presents the company with a unique opportunity.

What’s in the canola pipeline?

Product managers of some of the country’s leading seed companies share their insights

Canola has been called a Canadian success story, and for good reason. It’s estimated the country’s canola value chain generates nearly $30 billion in economic activity annually. But even the best success stories sometimes must change with the times. That’s why the agriculture industry spends millions of dollars each year to develop new canola varieties […] Read more

Under rainy skies on July 18, 2023 at Ag in Motion, Justine Cornelsen of Brett Young Seeds discusses soybeans’ evolving Canadian acreage base. (Glacier FarmMedia video screengrab)

At Ag in Motion: Soybean proponents still eye western expansion

Crop seen as a good add to rotations -- if conditions are right

While canola is king of the Canadian oilseed market, the same can be said of soybeans in the United States. However, the big pulse crop south of the border has made inroads in the western provinces. Manitoba has seen the biggest growth in soybean acres with well over a million planted annually in recent years, […] Read more


bull

Getting bulls prepped for breeding season

Bulls in optimum body condition have high sperm count and sex drive at breeding

Beef bulls are prepared in different ways before the upcoming breeding season. Some are ignored, maybe left on some distant stubble field or in a drylot pen, and inadequately fed. Other bulls are fed too well, so they waddle with fat. The rest are properly prepared for the breeding season, putting them in the best […] Read more

Mink

B.C. calling halt to mink farming

Live mink on farms to be banned in 2023

British Columbia’s remaining mink farmers are “devastated” by the province’s proposal to phase out their industry over risks related to COVID-19. The province announced Friday it’s starting the process toward a permanent ban on mink farming — beginning with a ban on mink breeding, followed by a ban on live mink on farms by April […] Read more


File photo of equipment tracks over a field in England. (Georgeclerk/E+/Getty Images)

Regulations on gene-edited crops to be eased in England

London | Reuters — Britain’s farming and environment minister George Eustice announced Wednesday that regulations related to gene editing in agricultural research would be eased in England following a public consultation. Rules will now largely be aligned with conventional breeding methods for research and development into plants although scientists will still be required to notify […] Read more

(Freder/iStock/Getty Images)

Don’t count chickens before they hatch: Tyson bet on wrong rooster

Meat giant books unexpected decline in hatching

Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods is laying off a certain type of rooster from its U.S. chicken business after a surprising discovery that eggs fertilized by the male bird hatch less often, resulting in fewer chickens. The world’s largest meat producer by sales will install a replacement across its breeding program by this fall […] Read more