A letter to the editor of Grainews regarding an April 8, 2025 column on the risks of selenium contamination in waterways.
Tag Archives livestock watering
Letter to the Editor: Selenium, science and the risk of overstating harm
Larger cattle need more water
Animal Health: Long-term trends in the beef sector continue to evolve
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
Selenium sits on thinnest line between health and hazard
Agronomy Management: Removing selenium from water is costly and difficult at best
There are increasing concerns about the potential effects of a proposed coal mine development in southern Alberta and the impacts selenium could have on the environment in southern Alberta and into Saskatchewan. The proposed Grassy Mountain Coal project would be an open-pit mine built on a former coal-mining area about seven km north of Blairmore […] Read more
Trips to pasture become adventure time
Eppich News: The weather was good for getting off hay and harvest has commenced
Mid-August was warm with almost no rain. On Aug. 10 Gregory started cutting our hay over at Landis. On the 13th I started baling at Landis while Gregory continued to cut ahead of me. It was drying very nicely and so I was able to bale what he had cut just two days before. On […] Read more
Prepare your ranch and business plan for bouts with drought
A Little Bit Western: There are ways to extend feed and water — but do so with caution and monitoring
In late summer I was invited to the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon to share my perspective on navigating drought. I would prefer covering a more cheerful topic, but as a fourth-generation Palliser Triangle dweller who resides on a ranch abandoned not once but twice by its former occupants, I’ll admit I’ve got experience […] Read more
Creating calf creep water tubs
Calves get their own water source while their trough is out of order
This spring we had to find a way to supply water to our baby calves. The pastures where we have our cow-calf pairs in the spring and early summer are fenced away from the creek, to avoid the risk of having a young calf swept away by high water. When we first moved onto this […] Read more
Energy-free winter livestock waterer showcased at Ag in Motion
For those tired of sick of cutting ice and looking for a lower-cost alternative, Lee Smith has a solution. The Water Box is a livestock waterer producers can insert through the ice of a dugout, slough or slow-moving creek.
For your cattle, the best biosecurity offence is defence
15 plays to keep your beef herd safe
The recent passing of highly pathogenic avian influenza A into bovines in the United States has people talking about the value of biosecurity in beef cattle herds. As humankind evolved from a nomadic hunter-gatherer society into agricultural-based settlement populations, there is a reason domesticated bovine played a major role as a farmed species. Cattle are […] Read more
Quick bacteria test in water troughs could improve livestock treatment decisions
Glacier FarmMedia — Researchers are seeking ways to manage antimicrobial-resistant bacteria on farms, including quicker evaluation of bacteria so treatment can be better targeted. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and University of Saskatchewan veterinary school researchers are studying feedlot water troughs, hoping the water can tell them what sort of anti-microbial resistant bacteria are present. Antimicrobial […] Read more
A handy inexpensive feed bunk
A repurposed water trough and other fencing materials were all put to good use
This fall, we decided to let our two yearling bulls out of the corral for winter and have them eat down some willows. Last winter, we created a new little pasture by clearing out the trees and willow bushes, then piling and burning them in hopes of growing more grass. We grazed that new pasture […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
