Vaccine reactions are normal — to a point

Vaccine reactions are normal — to a point

Proper injection practices help avoid infection, contamination

Noticeable reactions to a vaccine injection are becoming more common, as more vaccines are now given subcutaneously and especially with vaccines using oil-based adjuvants. The adjuvants are designed to protect the vaccine and give a much higher immune response, but reactions in the form of lumps are an expected albeit undesirable result. As many of […] Read more

photo: courtesy quiet wean.

Two-stage weaning reduces calf stress

Capturing ‘win-win’ benefits in an area where new knowledge and options are emerging

Two southern Alberta ranches are among those who have found a two-stage calf weaning program is not only much less stressful for livestock and improves rate of gain, it also makes for a much quieter weaning week. The two-stage weaning system involves processing calves about a week before the actual weaning day to apply a […] Read more


file photo

Strategies for reducing parasite resistance

We heard years ago about insect resistance developing with with fly tags. I believe the first ones on the market were called Bovaid. With no other competing products, after a few years researchers noticed resistance developing in pests the tags were supposed to repel. Soon other companies were making tags using different chemical families as active […] Read more

cattle on a pasture

Proper mineral supplement can prevent grass tetany

Follow these management tips to help protect against deficiencies

Many parts of western Canada suffered through one of its longest and coldest winters in decades. It’s anybody’s guess that arctic temperatures and belly-high snows predispose beef cows to grass tetany when green lush grass sprout across pastures. However, proper nutrient supplementation to the cows’ early spring diet eliminates risk of this highly preventable magnesium-deficiency […] Read more


The era of collaborative competitors

The only new money that enters the beef production chain comes from the consumer. There are a couple of ways this can happen. The first, and I would propose the most positive way, is through product purchase. The second, and not quite as positive, is through tax dollars. Beef demand is based on price versus […] Read more

Four men standing together in front of a hopper of grain.

What’s the secret?

What makes three farms operating as one such a success?

What’s the secret?’ is a question the Weichel family is often asked. With three generations and multiple families working together as a unit, everyone wants to know what the secret is to keeping three farms operating like one. For 85-year-old Mike Weichel and his wife Babe, 80, the secret lies in the history of the […] Read more


Pride and joy of the dairy farm

Ancestry of Holsteins dates back seven generations


The Flamans talk about their cows as if they’re family. There’s Erin, Lila, Prestige, Mazing and Mary. And then there are the Donnas. The Donnas are the pride and joy of this dairy farm. With ancestors dating back seven generations, the “D-line” of purebred Holsteins includes great milk producers like Dolly, Daffodil and Desire. The […] Read more

Cattle in a fenced area.

Handling system easy on cattle and people

Graeme Finn has come up with a low-manpower cattle-sorting system that allows him to sort about 200 head in an hour, is easy on the livestock, and perhaps equally importantly brings harmony to the processing day workforce. Anchored around a partial wagon-wheel layout, the sorting system enables one person to stand in the “hub” of […] Read more