Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Harvesting, storing and delivering a beef herd’s winter rations are the largest expense for most operations. Even small improvements in a winter feed system can result in significant feed cost savings.

Relevant Links: 

11 Ways to Avoid Feed Waste This Winter (article)

Feed Quality, Testing and Analysis (webpage)

Stored Forages (webpage)

Extended Grazing (webpage)

Body Condition Scoring (webpage)

How to Manage Body Condition of Beef Cows to Improve Profit (video)

With winter rolling in across Canada, you may be turning to extended grazing to help keep cattle out on pasture longer. Grazing standing corn has many benefits, including being a high-energy forage, but can also pose animal health risks if not managed properly.

Relevant links:

Seven Tips for Grazing Corn (article)

Extended Grazing (webpage)

Strategies for Fall and Winter Grazing (article)

Feed Quality, Testing and Analysis (webpage)

10 Tips for Planting Corn (article)

CowBytes Ration Balancing Software 

Beef on the Planet Podcast

Refining Corn Grazing Recommendations (webinar recording) 

Corn is a standard ingredient in feedlot diets in Eastern Canada. With ambitious breeding efforts underway to develop short-season corn varieties, new research has evaluated replacement of barley ingredients with corn in Western Canadian feedlot diets.

Relevant Links: 

Feed Grains for Beef Cattle (webpage)

Nutrition in Beef Cattle (webpage)

Optimizing Feedlot Efficiency (webpage)

The benefits of minimizing stress for beef cattle are wide ranging. The good news is reducing stress is entirely possible. In many cases, inexpensive changes or tweaks can benefit herd – and family – dynamics.

Relevant Links: 

Patience, Silence & Observation – Practical Tips to Reducing Stress When Handling Cattle (article)

Cattle Transport (webpage)

CowBytes Ration balancing Software

The revised Transportation of Animals regulations require longer and more frequent feed, water and rest stops during long-haul transport. Research data suggests that those rest stops may post a risk to calves.

Relevant Links: 

Do Transport Rest Stops Put Calf Health at Risk (article)

Transport (webpage)

Stored Forages (webpage)

Lameness is the second leading reason that feedlot cattle are pulled and given antibiotics. Understanding the cause of lameness is important to making appropriate treatment decisions.

Show Note links:

Lameness in Beef Cattle (webpage)

Transport (webpage)

Mycotoxins (webpage)

Bale grazing is a method of extensive wintering grazing. Cattle graze bales on pastures and hay fields, typically through controlled access by electric fence. Bales can be purchased or grown on-farm and placed strategically in cells or “bale pods.”

Show note links:

Beat Costs and Boost Yields With Bale Grazing (article) 

Extended Grazing (webpage)

Feed Quality, Testing and Analysis for Beef Cattle (webpage)

Winter Feed Cost Comparison Calculator (interactive calculator)

Knowing which production practices producers are adopting in different regions of the country, which they aren’t (and why) helps us target our producer-focused extension efforts better. The official report isn’t out yet, but here’s a sneak peek at some seasonally relevant results.

Show Notes links:

Results of the Inaugural Canadian Cow-Calf Survey (article)

CowBytes ration balancing software

Although many regions of Canada received rainfall this spring, there are still areas that are experience moderate to severe drought conditions. The following tips and considerations can help to get lightweight calves started off on the right foot.

Show notes links:

Tips for Starting Lightweight Cattle on Feed (article)

Weaning (webpage)

Alternative Feeds (webpage)

Preconditioning (webpage) 

Stored Forages (webpage) 

The inaugural Canadian Cow-Calf Survey collected data from six hundred producers across nine provinces on the 2022 breeding season through the 2023 weaned calf crop, as well as reasoning and rationale for some practices. Results will be used to help the BCRC prioritize research and extension strategies funded by the research allocation of the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off to support producers with different types of herds and operations in various regions.  

Show note links:

Results of the Inaugural Canadian Cow-Calf Survey (article)

https://www.beefresearch.ca/survey/

https://www.beefresearch.ca/tools/cow-calf-production-indicators-calculator/