Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious virus with serious consequences for the beef industry. Effective on-farm biosecurity measures can help prevent the disease from entering, spreading within, and leaving your herd. In this episode, we’ll highlight practical tools and strategies to support disease prevention, along with resources to help you identify the signs of FMD and take action to stop its spread. These efforts ...

The goal of a cow-calf operation should be for each breeding female to deliver a healthy calf to weaning each year. While this sounds simple enough, there is a long list of variables that must fall into place before that can happen. In this episode, we’re breaking down the key considerations to keep in mind when it comes to your beef cattle breeding program. From timing and nutrition to herd health and preg checking - to help you i...

With drought a recurring reality in many regions across Canada, you might wonder what affects pastures more – the drought, or overgrazing during drought? Recent work from the University of Alberta studied how grazing season and intensity affected forage yield and root mass under drought conditions.

Relevant Links: 

Icebergs and Native Forages - What You Can't See Can Sink You (article)

Grazing Management (webpage)

Drought-Related...

Calving season is a busy time, and there are many factors that contribute to a healthy calf being born. While some of these factors are beyond our control, we can prepare for the possibility of difficult calving. In this episode, we’ll review the steps to take when intervening to assist a cow having a challenging calving.

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Calf 911 - How to Intervene with a Difficult Calving (article)

Calf 911 How to Intervene wit...

Are you looking to boost pasture productivity and increase your feed supply? There are several beneficial management practices that can help you achieve these goals. In this episode, we will explore a variety of methods, featuring firsthand experiences from three producers who have successfully implemented the follow: intercropping wheat and Italian ryegrass, tame pasture rejuvenation, forage mixtures for silage, and maintaining op...

Vaccines teach the immune system to recognize what particular pathogens look like, so that it can respond more quickly and effectively if those pathogens are ever encountered in real life. Like any other teaching exercise, repeating the lesson helps it to sink in and establish a stronger memory. Vaccines are the same, so revaccinating or boosting strengthens the immune memory. Listen to learn more!

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Vaccines: Use ...

Carrying capacity is the amount of forage available for grazing animals in a pasture. Accurately calculating it is key to setting the right stocking rate, ensuring animal productivity, and maintaining grassland health. The BCRC Carrying Capacity Calculator includes two methods for calculating carrying capacity: Method #1, using forage estimates from provincial guides, and Method #2, the field-based "clip and weigh" method. This pod...

Forage plays a crucial role in providing annual feed for beef cattle. New varieties enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the grazing season however, selecting the right forage variety to meet the needs of each unique operation and feeding scenario can be challenging. This podcast episode explores the benefits of new varieties and provides key considerations for choosing the best option for your operation. It also highlights ...

The requirement for a “Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship” (VCPR) before all antibiotics could be prescribed or sold came into force in 2018, and was designed to ensure that the right antibiotics are used in the right animals, at the right dose, at the right time. This episode will explore findings from Dr. Cheryl Waldner and colleagues at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine on the impacts of this change on antibiotic us...

Bull Selection to Improve Your Bottom Line (article)

Bull Selection: Using Ec...

With newborn calves comes risk for disease and dehydration. Having the skills to quickly identify dehydration and knowing methods for early intervention can have a meaningful reduction in the rate of calf illness and death on your farm. This episode will review the steps that can be followed to evaluate dehydration and health status of young calves in order to develop a successful treatment plan. 

Relevant Links:

• How to Spot...

A “microbiome” is all the microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes) living in a specific environment, and how they all interact with each other. Imbalanced microbiomes can cause numerous issues for cattle, including rumen acidosis, bloat, bovine respiratory disease, and liver abscesses. To adjust an established microbiome can be challenging, but it may be effective to intervene early in a cal...

With winter taking a foothold across Canada, it is important to monitor how cattle are coping with the cold and how it is impacting their ability to remain productive. Learn six tips for managing beef cattle during cold weather.

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Six Tips for Managing Beef Cattle in Cold Weather (article)

There are many aspects of a producer’s day-to-day life that are out of their control. The weather, including precipitation, winds and plummeting temperatures, can test the best-made plans in the most organized of operations.  

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Ready or Not Calving is Coming – Plan Ahead for a Streamlined Calving Sea...

Are smaller cows more efficient? They need less feed and wean calves that are a higher percentage of their body weight. In contrast, large cows need more feed, more pasture, and wean calves that are smaller relative to cow size. But what is the right size cow for your operation?

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Big Cows and Big Que...