What you need to know if you’re gearing up to use stock dogs on the ranch Rancher Justin Hozack uses multiple dogs at a time to help him with daily work near Marwayne, Alta. Many people say a good cattle dog can be helpful when working cattle yet for someone new to the idea, there may be a few stumbling blocks to overcome. However, everyone — and every dog — has to start somewhere. Peter Gonnet from Outlook, Sask., is a well-known stock dog trainer, breeder and clinician. Whi

Finding the best way to integrate business studies with farm skills is becoming an educational must It takes a ton of skilled farmers — and workers — to manage Canada’s 40 million acres of grains, 25 million acres of oilseeds, 14 million hogs and 12 million cattle. And, increasingly, that means not just time in the field and barn, but also in the office, in the meeting room and on the road. Of course, the technology is huge. Just think of the machinery, genetics, chemistry, a

Holistic Management is a decision-making process. “The Power of Stock Density” comes from the combination of using four tools (animal impact, grazing, technology, and rest). Proper planned use of these tools can result in moving toward your holisticgoal. This three-part holisticgoal includes: 1) what we want; 2) how we desire to accomplish what we want; and 3) vision of our landscape. The following will explain Allan Savory’s observation of herd effect-animal impact-ultra hig

The third quarter brought opportunities and challenges as strong beef demand warrants cautious optimism for producers who must still contend with a year of drought. The Canadian cattle herd has reportedly increased for the first time since 2017 with beef breeding heifer numbers up on July 1. Beef exports have surged with strong consumer demand in North America and around the world. The incredible demand has supported the fed and feeder cattle prices in the face of record-high

Fed Cattle Canadian supplies are outpacing demand. Even with more slaughter shifts, the fed market remained within a fall low trading range. Fall 2021 saw most trade fall within $155.61/cwt and $158.25/cwt. The mid-November average is $156.38/cwt for fed steers in Western Canada, $22.88/cwt above the same week in 2021. Higher input costs created negative feeding margins in the third and early fourth quarters. In the U.S., cash prices rallied. A tightened market-ready supply c

One of the main objectives of a plant during the growing season is to produce a viable seed head so that the species can develop new seedlings in the next year. Survival is the long term objective. In a normal growing season, plant development follows a balanced pattern for carbohydrates or sugars, protein, and fiber. In dry years, plants mature quicker which reduces the total amount of growth (yield), but fiber increases and protein decreases at a faster rate than normal. T

Hot, dry conditions negatively impact forage quality and hastens maturity. In general, when plants mature, the percentage of high quality cell contents is reduced and low quality cell walls increase. The active growing period can be reduced by as much as 3 to 4 weeks. A mixed alfalfa–grass stand should be cut when the alfalfa is at 10% bloom. That is when there is one open flower on 10% of the plants. This provides a high quality hay or silage. For every week that cuttin

The hay is cut. Is it to be made into chopped / round bale silage or into dry hay? There are advantages and disadvantages of each system and associated costs. How the hay is baled and stored will also impact overall quality. This article discusses some of the factors to consider. Chopped haylage or silage removes most of the uncertainty caused by weather because the crop is harvested within a couple days. Moisture content for chopped silage should be 60 to 65% and 45 to 5

It’s a “forever” debate. On one side of the scrum are the naysayers who claim preg-checking is sacrilege foisted on the industry by unscrupulous, profiteering veterinarians. They maintain that open cows in the spring are worth more, can be wintered profitably, they manage what calf crop is on the ground just fine, and that veterinary input isn’t necessary. On the other side of the debate are those who look at preg-checking as an important time of year for running cows through