Canadian cattlemen by Farm Business Communications

Project2:Layout 2

1/21/2010

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH FEED FOR WINTER? THE BEEF MAGAZINE

October 26, 2015 $3.00

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Jordan and Janelle Kowal,

Crooked River, Sask.

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

GRASSERS hit the spot PLUS

Don’t waste expensive feed 16 In search of healthy livers 34

4:06 P

One Breed Every Need

For

Heterosis Harness the power of hybrid vigour! Heterosis is most fully expressed when using bulls and cows with known performance (EPD’s) and ancestry. With a closed herd book Hereford cattle have remained unrelated to all other breeds giving that true outcross to maximize your profitability. The greatest benefit (herd productivity increase of 20%-25% and 15% more pounds of calf/cow exposed) is realized when mating a pure blood bull with an F1 cow (first generation cross) with the advantage falling dramatically when F2 or greater cows are used. Reproductive traits respond the most to heterosis.

.ca

The Breed You Can Trust

Canadian Hereford Association • 5160 Skyline Way NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6V1 • 1-888-836-7242 • herefords@hereford.ca

Congratulations to the 2015 KGF Scholarship Recipients! Cassandra Gorrill, ON Cody Garrett, SK Heather Fisher-LeBlanc, BC $2500 Hereford Youth Scholarship Recipients

Heather Fisher-LeBlanc, BC Morgan Heidecker, SK Allison Mastine, QC Adam Smith, ON $1000 CJHA/KGF “Future of the Breed” Scholarship Recipients WWW.KEITHGILMOREFOUNDATION.COM

Established 1938 1938 ISSN ISSN 1196-8923 1196-8923 Established Cattlemen Editorial Editorial Cattlemen Editor: Gren Winslow Winslow Editor: Gren 1666 Dublin Dublin Avenue, Avenue, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB MB R3H R3H 0H1 0H1 1666 (204) 944-5753 944-5753 Fax Fax (204) (204) 944-5416 944-5416 (204) Email: gren@fbcpublishing.com gren@fbcpublishing.com Email: Field Editor: Editor: Debbie Debbie Furber Furber Field Box 1168, 1168, Tisdale, Tisdale, SK SK S0E S0E 1T0 1T0 Box (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) (306) 873-4360 873-4360 Email: debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com Email:

Contents canadian cattlemen · october 26, 2015 · Volume 78, No. 10

 M A NAG E M E N T

Sales Advertising Sales Advertising Sales Sales Director: Director: Cory Cory Bourdeaud’hui Bourdeaud’hui (204) 954-1414 954-1414 (204) Email: cory@fbcpublishing.com cory@fbcpublishing.com Email: National National Sales: Sales: Mike Mike Millar Millar (306) 251-0011 251-0011 (306) Email: mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com Email: Rick Dibben Dibben Rick (403) 393-7493 393-7493 (403) Email: rick.dibben@fbcpublishing.com rick.dibben@fbcpublishing.com Email: Head Office Office Head 1666 Dublin Dublin Avenue, Avenue, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB MB R3H R3H 0H1 0H1 1666 (204) 944-5765 944-5765 Fax Fax (204) (204) 944-5562 944-5562 (204) Services Co-ordinator: Co-ordinator: Advertising Services Advertising Arlene Bomback Bomback Arlene (204) 944-5765 944-5765 Fax Fax (204) (204) 944-5562 944-5562 (204) Email: Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com ads@fbcpublishing.com Publisher: Lynda Lynda Tityk Tityk Publisher: Email: Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com Publisher: John John Morriss Morriss Associate Publisher: Associate Email: john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com Email: Director: Laura Laura Rance Rance Editorial Director: Editorial Email: laura@fbcpublishing.com laura@fbcpublishing.com Email: Production Director: Director: Shawna Shawna Gibson Gibson Production Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com shawna@fbcpublishing.com Email: Circulation Manager: Manager: Heather Heather Anderson Anderson Circulation Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com heather@fbcpublishing.com Email: President: President: Bob Bob Willcox Willcox Glacier FarmMedia FarmMedia Glacier Email: bwillcox@farmmedia.com bwillcox@farmmedia.com Email:

grassers hit the spot  gra zing

FEATURES Grassers hit the spot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Don’t waste your expensive feed. . . . . . . . 16

Contents of Cattlemen are copyrighted and may be reproduced only when written permission is obtained from the editor and proper credit is given to Cattlemen.

What’s with winter water?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Cattlemen and Canadian Cattlemen are Trade Marks of Farm Business Communications.

Do you have enough feed this winter?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cattlemen is is published published monthly monthly by by Farm Farm Business Business Communications. Communications. Cattlemen Head Head office: office: Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Manitoba. Printed Printed by by Transcontinental Transcontinental LGMC. Cattlemen Cattlemen is is printed printed with with linseed linseed oil-based oil-based inks. inks. LGMC.

In search of healthy livers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Subscription rates rates in in Canada Canada — — $41 $41 for for one one year, year, $61 $61 for for 22 years, years, Subscription $87 $87 for for 33 years years (prices (prices include include GST). GST). Manitoba Manitoba residents residents add add 8% PST. PST. U.S. U.S. subscription subscription rate rate — — $35 $35 (U.S. (U.S. funds). funds). Subscription Subscription 8% rate outside outside Canada Canada and and U.S. U.S. — — $55 $55 per per year. year. Single Single copies copies $3. $3. rate We acknowledge the financial support of the Governm m ent of ent of We acknowledge the financial support of the Govern Canada Canada through through the Canada the Canada Periodical Periodical Fund Fund of the the Department Department of of Canadian Canadian Heritage. Heritage. of Publications Mail Mail Agreement Agreement Number Number 40069240. 40069240. Publications Canadian Postmaster: Return undeliverable Canadian Canadian Postmaster: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses (covers only) to: Circulation addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., Dept., PO PO Box Box 9800, 9800, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB MB R3C R3C 3K7. 3K7.

U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., PO Box 9800, addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., PO Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7. Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7. PRINTED IN CANADA PRINTED IN CANADA

Monensin trials and troubles . . . . . . . . . . . 38

What’s with winter water?

 N UT R I T I O N

Verified Beef Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Carcass quality is in the eye of the buyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

DEPARTMENTS

Member Member LIVESTOCK PUBLICATIONS LIVESTOCK COUNCIL PUBLICATIONS COUNCIL

Our commitment to your privacy: At Farm Business Communications we have a firm commitment to protecting your privacy and security as our customer. Farm Business Communications will only collect personal information if it is required for the proper functioning of our business. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may share this personal information with other strategic business partners. For more information regarding our Customer Information Privacy Policy, write to: Information Protection Officer, Farm Business Communications, 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1. Occasionally we make our list of subscribers available to other reputable firms whose products and services might be of interest to you. If you would prefer not to receive such offers, please contact us at the address in the preceding paragraph, or call 1-800-665-1362.

Satisfy the protein needs of pregnant cows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Rumen microbes and bloat. . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Circulation inquiries: inquiries: Circulation Call toll-free toll-free 1-800-665-1362 1-800-665-1362 Call or email: email: subscription@fbcpublishing.com subscription@fbcpublishing.com or U.S. subscribers subscribers call call 1-204-944-5766 1-204-944-5766 U.S.

The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Canadian Cattlemen and Farm Business Communications attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists, Canadian Cattlemen and Farm Business Communications, cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and the editors as well as Canadian Cattlemen and Farm Business Communications assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader for this publication based on any and all information provided.

Satisfy the protein 42 needs of pregnant cows

Congratulations! To our October 26 survey winner, William Lee of Camp Creek, Alta. This month’s survey is on page 60. Cover photo: Debbie Furber

Comment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Newsmakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Our History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Vet Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Holistic Ranching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 CCA Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Research on the Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 News Roundup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Purely Purebred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 The Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Market Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Sales and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 COMMENT

By Gren Winslow

Is it time to raise the national checkoff?

or much of this year you have read or heard about Canada’s national beef strategy, but this fall the attention of the cattle associations across the country will swing around to paying for the strategy. A campaign is being put together for provincial cattle organizations to present the argument for raising the national mandatory checkoff from $1 to $2.50 per head to producers at their fall meetings. That seems like a big jump but the people putting this material together point out a $3 provincial levy and $2.50 national levy would have a producer paying 0.43 per cent of the receipts from a calf at 2014 prices to pay for all the lobbying, marketing, promotion and research supported by the cattle industry, 0.27 per cent on a fed animal. Still checkoff discussions at provincial cattle meetings don’t always hinge on the amount of dollars involved. Not everyone agrees with this proposal so it is bound to generate some discussion before it comes to a vote across the country. This is a provincial decision. Each province has a national levy for beef on the books so they could conceivably increase the national portion of their checkoff and pass it on to Canada Beef Inc. If every province passed the increase it could become a national levy and be applied against imported beef. Last fiscal year the national checkoff agency brought in $900,000 on beef imports. If it isn’t approved by enough provinces there will be little choice but to start cutting back on the work of Canada Beef and the Beef Cattle Research Council, the two main arms for carrying out the national strategy. A combination of inflation, declining cattle numbers and changes in government funding have reached the point where the status quo won’t be enough to even maintain the current services let alone reach the lofty goals established in the national beef strategy. Just one example: the second five-year Beef Research Cluster has shared funding of $15 million by the federal government and $5 million from the national checkoff plus some provincial and private sources. It’s projected the industry could not afford to sign a third Research Cluster agreement without an increase in the national checkoff. As you may recall the four pillars of the national strategy focus on beef demand, competitiveness, productivity and connectivity. The goal of the beef demand pillar is to enhance beef demand and as a result enhance carcass cut-out values by 15 per cent over the next five years. This was to be

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

achieved by focusing on domestic and global marketing, market access, validating and enhancing the Canadian Beef Advantage, consumer confidence and social licence. All worthy goals but the target may need some retooling. In August the cut-out value on AAA carcasses was already up 16 per cent on last year. Of course the way the market has been correcting in the past few weeks we could be below that level by year-end. The goal of the competitiveness pillar was to reduce production cost disadvantages compared to our main competitors by seven per cent over the next five years. This will be achieved by focusing on reducing the regulatory burden, access to competitively priced inputs, maintaining and enhancing key research capacity, and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The goal of the productivity pillar is to increase production efficiency by 15 per cent, through focusing on genetic selection, research and development, technology development and adoption, and enhanced information flow. The fourth pillar, connectivity, may in fact end up being the most significant leg in this four-legged strategy. The goal here is to enhance industry synergies, connect positively with consumers, the public, government, and partner industries by actively addressing industry issues. The creation of this national strategy alone has been a major exercise in connectivity as it brought all the different sectors to the table to hammer it out. That is something that even a couple of years before didn’t seem possible. McDonald’s sustainable beef project is another example of where this new-found sense of co-ordination within the industry is already paying off. Now we will find out if they can bring this same sense of unity to raising the money needed to keep this plan on the rails. The $2.50 figure comes directly from this same planning process. Last summer the associations involved first hammered out the strategy, then went through each step in the four pillars to budget what would they need to put this plan into action. That came to $9.5 million for marketing and promotion ($18 million to $19 million in total), $3.3 million for research ($11 million to $12 million). Depending on the activity as much as $6 in government or industry money can be leveraged for every $1 of checkoff collected. If you want to learn more or have your say about this increase in the checkoff this would be a good year to show up at your provincial organization’s regional or annual meetings. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Whether mowing, baling, loading or pulling, Case IH has the equipment you need to keep your operation running. You’ll find everything from do-it-all Puma,® reliably flexible Farmall® and simply productive Maxxum® series tractors to balers, windrowers, mower conditioners and more. If there’s a job to be done on your operation, there’s only one equipment brand you need to turn to. Learn more at your local Case IH dealer or online at caseih.com/livestock.

BE READY.

©2015 CNH Industrial America LLC. All rights reserved. Case IH is a trademark registered in the United States and many other countries, owned by or licensed to CNH Industrial N.V., its subsidiaries or affiliates. www.caseih.com

 THE INDUST RY

NewsMakers Tom Lynch-Staunton of Edmonton has taken on the joint position of government relations manager for Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and issues manager for the Canadian Tom Lynch-Staunton Cattlemen’s Association effective October 5. He has a bachelor of business administration degree from Simon Fraser University, specializing in marketing and international business and is currently working part time on an MBA in sustainability and public policy. As a previous owner/manager of a family-run cattle ranch in southern Alberta, former ABP delegate and his most recent posting as director of industry relations for Livestock Gentec at the U of A, he is well versed in the current issues facing both associations. While the CCA and ABP are based in Calgary, Lynch-Staunton will continue to work out of the Livestock Gentec office at the University of Alberta (U of A). The general manager of Vétoquinol N.-A. Inc. Diane Bourassa has been elected the 43rd chair of the board of directors for the Canadian Animal Health Institute, which repreDiane Bourassa sents the Canadian animal health industry. The remaining members of the executive include vice-chair, Daniel Beauchamp, country manager, Merck Animal Health; secetary-treasurer Susan Blair, executive director, Animal Health, Boehringer-Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. and past

chair Fiona McLellan, general manager, Virbac Canada Inc. The remaining board members: Patrick Dohary, Zoetis Canada Inc.; Greg Hall, Western Drug Distribution Centre; Bill Lopez, Merial Canada Inc.; Thomas Weers, Elanco Animal Health. Scott Sakatch is the new communications specialist with the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. He brings 20 years of journalism and corporate communications expeScott Sakatch rience to his role. After many years working at a daily newspaper he became a communications consultant and expanded into not-for-profit, government and political contract work, as well as teaching college journalism courses. The B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education will provide Thompson Rivers University with one-time funding of $154,000 to create a new applied sustainable ranching enterprise diploma program in Williams Lake. The two-year program addresses the needs of the local ranching environment with a focus on sustainable management of natural resources and building resilience into ranching enterprises. The projected start date is January 2016. We were sorry to hear of the passing of Theodore (Ted) Jansen in late September. Following a career in aviation he and his wife Enid became quite involved with Gelbvieh cattle and the breed’s association right up until the mid-1990s when they sold their

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

herd and joined a group that imported the first Lowline cattle into Canada. He was a longtime supporter of the Calgary Stampede, a director of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and a founding member of the Stockmens Memorial Foundation. For several years he represented Alberta on the National Research Council of Canada on Agricultural and Forestry Aviation. The Ontario Veterinary College is conducting an anonymous survey to investigate the relationships between stress and resilience among agriculture producers to gain information about the mental wellness of today’s farm population. The survey can be completed online in about 15 minutes. Contributors can enter a draw to win $200. The link to the survey is: www.producerwellness.ca. Many familiar with the show circuit have also been sharing fond memories of (Ralgro) Roy Phillips who passed away in late July. He became a well-recognized personality at livestock shows during his 29 years in the animal health industry. His other claim to fame was his cooking ability, which he turned into a family business, J&R BBQ Catering, which served up meals at livestock events across Western Canada. The 2015 induction ceremony for the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame will be held in conjunction with the Canadian Western Agribition on Sunday, November 22 at The Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson in Regina. This will be the first time the ceremony has been held in Western Canada. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

SCOUR BOS delivers in ways the competition can’t. Give your calves the best protection colostrum can provide. Early annual revaccination with Scour Bos®, at 8-10 weeks before calving, gives cows time to produce colostrum with the broadest, most enriched defense

8-10

against scours. That way, they pass on stronger, longlasting protection for healthier calves and higher weaning weights. Talk to your veterinarian about the advantage of vaccinating earlier with Scour Bos.

Vaccination timing is critical — ask your Elanco representative for a vaccination wheel to spin or to spin it for you using the Scour Bos App.

CACTLSCO00010

 our histo ry

Dogie John Rides Again By Columnist John Walters of Bremoor, Alta. (Abridged from the Canadian Cattlemen, October 1949)

am going to give you a little horn tax history. In order to do that it will be necessary to go back about 25 years and all the things I say may not be absulutely correct but no matter how far off the beam I may be I still won’t be as grossly incorrect as some aspects of the administration of the Alta. horn tax trust account has been during the last few years. To start with the packers discovered that they were loosing quite a lot of money through damaged meat and hides on account of horned cattle hooking each other. So the got the various Dept’s of Agriculture and the farm press interested and gave the farmers and ranchers a barage of propaganda in favour of dehorning cattle followed for a short time with a slight premium on dehorned cattle. This in turn was followed by a discount or penalty of $1.00 per head on horned cattle. Instructions were published somewhat as follows in the farm press for dehorning calves. Use a fine pair of hair clippers and clip the hair around where the calf ’s horn was going to be and smear with vasiline, hold a stick of caustic wraped in brown paper between the thumb and index finger and rub the horn gently. Keep the calf in a dry stall in the barn a couple of days and repeat, keep him a few more days then it was supposed to be safe to turn him out to grow into a number one choice steer that could go anywhere and sell tax free as long as the income tax dept. dident know about it. Well the ranchers caught on petty quick and made a success of calf dehorning. They dident have fine hair clippers or vasiline or dry stalls for their calves but they got the horns off. Johny Johnson had a ½ dozen calves, his wife had a pair of fine hair clippers and a jar of vailine. He had read the instructions, he had a barn with a dry stall in it and the local druggist had caustic that the wholesale drug employees had broken up into very short pieces so that they could put it in bottles with a scoop instead of having to pick it up a stick at a time with tweasers. So Johny got the caustic, the clippers and vasiline and brown paper and went to work. There was a good deal of sand in the hair on the calves heads and it ruined the clip-

pers, he droped the vasiline jar in the dirt, the brown paper got wet because the caustic started to run when the air got at it and to start with the druggist hadent made a very good job of wraping it. Johny got the calves dehorned but wound up with a sore thumb and finger, and his feet badly tramped. His wife made him get her a new pair of clippers and another jar of vasiline. And the following Sunday when he stuck his hand in his pocket to see if he had his snooze his hand went out through the side of his coat. Johny has been selling horned cattle and paying the $1.00 a head penalty every since. Well this brings us up to between 12 and 15 years ago when relations between the meat packing industry and the various branches of live stock producton were not so pleasant as they are at the present time. We had an election about then and among other things we got a new minister of agriculture that operated a feed yard in private life and definitely dident like the horn penalty. He said it was a fine for not dehorning cattle and he guessed maybe it was necessary but if anybody fined Alta farmers the Govt would do it and put the money in a horn tax trust account and use it for the benefit of the cattle industry. When the act was passed every body took it for granted that live stock meant cattle so the act read live stock instead of cattle. No body paid much attention to it anyway at that time because they thought it would only amount to a few thousand dollars a year and in a comparatively short time the act would die a natural death on account of a lack of horns. But the Johny Johnsons have increased till now the tax is taking between $700,000 and $800,000 out of the cattle industry and the boys in the Dept. of Agriculture realized that livestock was a big word and had lots of possibilitys. Billy Jones was a horse trader and pretty smooth as a most horse traders are but still things were not going to good with him so he went to the Dept. of Agriculture and said I am in the horse business. You have got to help me or I have got to go out of bussiness then where would the ranchers get saddle stock to round up their cattle and work horses to haul feed to them when the snow is deep. Well the Minister seen the point of

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Billys argument and after all the act read live stock so he appropriated a few thousand dollars for horse promotion. . The result of this line of thought has been that this horn penalty trust account has become a veritable slush fund. Fairly large amounts of money have been taken out of it and used for fair grants, swine improvement, poultry promotion, sheep improvement, a large amount of it has been used for a pathological laboratory which in turn is largely used for the study of mink and black fox. According to 1947 public accounts the Alta Federation of Agriculture got a good big slice of it. So it would appear that even the top hands of Altas various Co-Op and other agricultural associations are classed as live stock. The present Minister of Agriculture defends the principle of using horn tax money for the benefit of the swine and poultry and various livestock industrys other than cattle on the grounds that as a general rule these same people own cattle. Following that line of arguement to its logical conclusion it would be quite in order to put a special tax on suberban corner grocery stores to subsidize big down town department stores on the ground that they both sell prunes. I would suggest that cattlemen get bussey and contact their local M.L.A’s and have them see that the horn penalty act is amended to read cattle instead of livestock otherwize we might wake up some day and find that some of the money is being used for the benefit of the margerine and fishing industrys — who knows . In conclusion I will say that the only men that loose with money on horned cattle are the ones that raise them. Horned cattle are far more belligernt among them selves around water tanks and feed bunks and racks than dehorned cattle are. The packer don’t loose anything, he just bids anywhere from a nickel to a ¼ less a hundred lbs for them and the Govt fines you a dollar. And when the calves are little 5¢ will couver the cost of takeing the horns off them with out any risk to your self or the calf. c For more of the past from the pages of our magazine see our History section at www.canadiancattlemen.ca.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

SMARTER Ag Data.

See for yourself the difference it makes to use cutting-edge MarketView® products. We’ll help you make smarter business decisions based on constantly changing ag and weather data the world over. SMARTER.

FASTER.

ANYWHERE.

Business-critical data when, where, and how you need it. We get it.

Stop refreshing your screen to catch the latest updates. We’ll deliver ASAP.

In your truck, on a tractor or at the office. Your data is there.

• • • •

CME Group ICE Futures Canada Biofuels Proprietary data

Statistics Canada USDA reports Canadian Weather Data Rapid Deployment Team setup

iPhone® Android™ BlackBerry® SaaS-based architecture

Call 1-800-394-1220 to take our MarketView® products for a free 30-day test drive. GlobalView Software, Inc. 100 S. Wacker Dr., Ste. 200, Chicago, IL • 312- 628 -2900 • www.marketview.com

 COVER STO RY · m a nag e m e n t

By Debbie Furber

Grassers Hit the Spot

ordan and Janelle Kowal have gained experience beyond their years dealing with some of the worst of times and the best of times in the beef and grain sectors right from the get-go. Cattle and grain markets bounce around so much they can’t be sure any which way will be the right way for long, so they are going with their hearts. Right now that means structuring their operation to allow time with their young family of three and zeroing in on cattle. Cows had been part of this fourth-generation farm since Jordan’s parents moved home in 1993 to farm with his grandparents, Ernie and Sharon Wicks at Crooked River, Sask. The glory years in beef were numbered by the time he graduated high school and took over from his parents to farm with his grandparents in 2000. By 2004, when he completed his diploma in agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan, beef markets were in post-BSE turmoil and the herd went down the road two years later. “It was tough to earn a living from cows. We tried to adopt some of the practices we heard about at meetings, like swath grazing, to reduce costs but between the cold and snow here it just didn’t work,” says Jordan, who followed in his grandpa’s footsteps to become

involved with the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and is the current president. When his grandparents eased out of the day-to-day operations in 2010, the Kowals formed Burnt Out Creek Ranch, now a backgrounding and grasser operation, with his cousin, Cody, who has stepped back somewhat this year to take over a family business in the nearby town of Tisdale, Sask. Finishing calves was an experience, but definitely not one to be repeated. The family had done some backgrounding and finishing when they ran cows, but ramping up to 2,000 head was a different ball game. They soon found out that northeastern Saskatchewan isn’t the place to finish cattle because the harsh winters cut into gains and transportation costs to ship fats to the packing plants in Alberta slash the bottom line. “We did well for a couple of years backgrounding here and sending them to a feedlot near a packer in Colorado to finish, but then with the dollar at par it didn’t work out,” he says. All told, backgrounding has become their specialty and adding the grasser operation makes it a year-round venture. It works freight-wise because they can ship nearly twice as many calves at 850 pounds as fats on each liner, they’re not out as much as a

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

half-pound a day on gains when weather gets ornery during the finishing period, and not many areas on the Prairies can consistently compare to the northeast when it comes to growing roughage and feed grains. They did get caught short on barley grain the year prices happened to tip $5.50 a bushel. “That really stung us on cost of gain and we vowed we’d never be in that position again,” Janelle says. Consequently, they’ve been shifting their land base away from cash crops to more feed grains (oats for grain and barley for grain and silage) and forages. The cropping side had increased from 1,500 acres to 4,000 acres during the years of decent grain prices. This year, they cropped 3,000 acres as they continue with their plan to convert a quarter each year to pasture and two to three quarters a year to hay. The older pastures are meadow bromegrass with a trace of alfalfa remaining. The newest stands include some sainfoin and cicer milkvetch with alfalfa as legumes in a mix with hybrid bromegrass. New pastures are hayed for the first couple of years while they establish. They count on two cuts of hay from established hayfields and never mind having some carry-over in case it’s needed for grazing. Their target is to build the pasture-hay-

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

management

land system to carry 2,000 head, allowing 1.5 acres of open tame forage per animal with bush and slough areas being a bonus. They could run 1,300 head now, but all things considered, including the cost of buying in stock this year and the dry start to the growing season, they have 870 head on home pastures and sent a group of 300 to a nearby provincial community pasture. Nearly 10 inches of rain from mid-July through mid-August turned the pasture situation around in a hurry, although it did make tricky conditions for silaging.

that they really appreciate. The bunks can be easily pulled out of the way to open the front of the pens for easy cleanout. The shop that encloses the cattle working chute and squeeze under a radiant heater has been a huge improvement. It actually started out as a make-work project during a wet harvest a few years ago and grew to cover the entire handling system as well as a length of alley leading into the facility. One of the convenient features of the home-built

steel system is the alley with gates to sort cattle five ways coming out of the squeeze. Janelle, who manages the processing on arrival, says their protocol is pretty much standard with vaccinating, deworming, implanting, antibiotic and dehorning. The key really is to do the processing immediately so that the cattle get into their pens and started on feed without delay. Continued on page 14

Facilities to match

Electric fencing was another practice that didn’t prove out on their place when they had the cow herd and most of it has been replaced with five-strand barbed wire fences. Trees were one issue because the pastures border seven miles of the boreal forest reserve, but elk were their real nemesis. They’d break through and the whole section of electric fence would go down giving the cattle an easy out. Some of the original pasture still has crossfencing, however, the land being converted to pasture is fenced in quarter-section paddocks with a dugout at the centre of each section. This year, they invested in a portable solar-powered water trough to make the most of the water supply in the dugouts because of the low water levels in other natural watering sources. Even though the summer rains remedied the water situation, they say the off-site watering system is definitely the route they will go because it saves wear and tear on the dugout banks and the incidence of foot rot was down overall. The cattle oiler for fly control and the molasses/mineral licks are centrally located at the watering stations. The molasses licks, promoted to aid the digestion of roughages, are a new addition in the last two years and they do like the shine the product puts on the cattle. They are designing the pasture system with all of the quarter sections connected so the cattle flow easily through a rotation of three and sometimes four passes over each quarter. The entire system connects with the processing shop at the feedlot, where they’ve added two large paddocks for the grassers. They are barbed-wire construction with sections of windbreak fence and portable feed bunks along the lane, which works well enough for grassers because they’re only looking for gains of 1.5 pounds per day to take advantage of compensatory gain when they go to pasture. Portable feed bunks designed by his grandpa are a feature of the feedlot pens

“Cattle coming into my feedlot are usually heavier, so I treat ’em with long lasting ZACTRAN on arrival.”

Heavier weight cattle are often at lower risk to BRD so it makes sense to treat them with the fast acting,1 long lasting2 product that won’t break the bank. (And it’s plastic, so you won’t break the bottle either.)

Treat them with ZACTRAN ®. Ask your veterinarian why ZACTRAN is ideal for cattle in your feedlot. 1. Giguère S, Huang R, Malinski TJ, Dorr PM, Tessman RK & Somerville BA. Disposition of gamithromycin in plasma, pulmonary epithelial lining fluid, bronchoalveolar cells, and lung tissue in cattle. Am. J. Vet. Res. 72(3): 326-330 (2011). 2. Based on label claims. ZACTRAN ® is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. © 2014 Merial Canada Inc. All rights reserved. ZACT-13-7560-JAD-E

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

REV NEW FORMAT VERTICAL

BOV_15108_Zactran_Metaph_En_hfpVert_Ccattl.indd 1 dossier : BOV-15108

client : Merial

description : Annonce Zactran anglais

date/modif. rédaction

août

2015-08-11 03:58 PM relecture

D.A.

épreuve à

Get more horses for your cattle business. In this line of work, power gets the job done. It helps build the business and pay the bills. So you need a tractor that brings the muscle to work. And the 6M does. With tractors from 105- to 170-hp, you can fnd a model for your operation. You’ll have the hydraulic capacity to cycle heavy loads and lift rear implements, the engine power needed to pull through harsh conditions and the versatility you want for just about any job you’ve got. Flex some hydraulic muscle Get up to 30 gpm (113 lpm) for big lift and fast cycle times. And with a 3-point hitch capacity of up to 10,582 pounds (4799 kg), you can handle a variety of implements.

105 - to 170 hp engines that respond instantly to changing demands.

Five different transmission options are available.

Engines that power up and stay productive Before you even realize your power requirements have changed, your 6M will respond. The engine control unit checks engine speed and load changes 100 times each second, sensing and adjusting power requirements as needed. With John Deere PowerTech™ engines, productivity goes up, the need for shifting gears, fuel consumption and operator effort goes down. Work in any weather Take a seat in the cab of a 6M and you’ll instantly get a feel for how comfortable – and protected – you’ll be regardless of the conditions outside. There is great visibility in all directions, colourcoded controls at your fngertips and critical information available at a glance. Even if you don’t need a cab tractor, you’ll fnd that the open station 6M doesn’t cut corners on comfort. Shift productivity into high gear On the job, the right gear makes all the difference. And the 6M helps fnd the speed you need for the work you do. Choose between fve different

transmissions – from the PowrQuad™ that delivers four, clutch-free shifts in each range, to an AutoQuad™ Plus that lets you program the transmission to shift automatically within a range depending on the load. Pick a transmission with 25 mph (40 km/h) capability and you’ll cut transport time in a hurry. Or get the creeper option with speeds as low as .09 mph (1.4 km/h). And if you do loader work, we have you covered. All PowrQuad transmissions feature a left-hand reverser for no-clutch, no-skid direction changes. Get into heavy lifting Take on the toughest chores out there with the more than capable, high-performing, heavy lifter. See your dealer and learn why the 6M gives you the horses you need to get the job done. The 6M has hydraulics and controls made for loader work.

Sit in comfort while putting all that power to use.

More power. More getting work done. JohnDeere.ca

m a nag e m e n t

Continued from page 11

Coming into the marriage, she had some knowledge of grain farming from her grandparents’ operation, but says it didn’t take long for Jordan to turn her into a cow person and in 2006 she completed her animal sciences diploma at Lakeland College. In addition to managing the processing and teaming up with Sharon to manage the grassers and pastures, she keeps a menagerie of pigs and poultry for their own use, which includes providing noon lunches for their employees and suppers through harvest. Backgrounding basics

JGL Cattle, an order-buying firm at Moose Jaw, Sask., looks after sourcing and selling most of the feeder and grasser calves. The five-six-weight feeders arrive in October and are shipped out at around 850 pounds in March. The grassers arrive in late December and are sold off pasture in fall. Half to two-thirds of the cattle are sold on contracts, which Jordan says may not hit market highs, but they always know where they are at. They’ve found that hay and molasses does wonders to get calves on feed right away. They start with five pounds of hay per head mixed with the regular total-mixedration (TMR) of silage, ground barley and oats and a molasses-vitamin-mineral premix fed once a day. The grasser ration is largely hay with silage, supplement and oats. Five years ago, they began working with a nutritionist, Scott Schake, who stops by at least every couple of months. “He has helped a lot with our bunk management and mixing the TMR, picks up on things we might not notice and he’s on top of what’s going on in other places,” Jordan says. They have also learned a lot through Jordan’s involvement with the SCFA just by keeping in touch with people in the know and taking part in the association’s annual Western Canada Feedlot Management School. When it gets down to the basics, there are two lessons they take to heart. “You can’t cheap out on feed. It comes back to feed testing and knowing what you are feeding because if you don’t, you are going to be disappointed, and it’s important to know what all of your costs are, especially if you are getting into custom feeding.” Temporary foreign worker program

The issues that the SCFA deals with vary from year to year and region to region, but the labour shortage is the No. 1 issue that

A combination of backgrounding and grass cattle works best for Jordan and Janelle Kowal.

affects cattle feeders across this province and Canada. Jordan believes the provincial associations and their national group have done a good job of bringing the issue to the forefront, although there isn’t going to be an easy fix. Feedlots and packers have relied heavily on the temporary foreign worker (TFW) program to fill jobs that Canadians don’t seem to want. Just when program policies seemed to have improved, the federal government introduced changes to crack down on misuse of the program in other business sectors. On the positive side, after much lobbying, the government did create an agricultural stream for primary agriculture, and again after much lobbying, feedlots were recognized as primary agriculture. A TFW is now allowed to come to Canada for four working years rather than four years regardless of time worked. On their operation a working year is seven months from April 1 to November 1, so the time invested in training an employee is well worth it if the employee is willing and able to return in subsequent years. This year, they went through the ropes as usual to hire back their TFW, Jerry, and received two-days’ notice that their application had been approved. “Every year we are sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out if he will be coming,” Jordan says. “He wants to work. We have the work for him, but the govern-

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

ment paperwork just doesn’t allow flow. As a business we need to have people in place. We want consistent employees and the program helps fill the void.” Janelle, who handles the paperwork, says they advertise for Canadian help as required by the program, but find that most people who apply want to work around their own rodeo schedules and some that they have hired only stay a day or two. They count themselves fortunate at the moment to have two local people as full-time, year-round employees, but Jerry’s knowledge of the operation and mechanical skills are a huge asset. Even though he’s a gifted mechanic, he doesn’t have trade papers and, therefore, isn’t eligible to apply for permanent residency under the immigrant nominee program. He would jump at the chance to become a Canadian citizen. His wife and son in Nicaragua would love to come to Canada, too, but program administrators have said no way, not on a work permit for her and not even for a visit. “The problem is that there’s no one really to talk with because the administrators don’t understand farming,” adds Janelle. Take for instance, the rule that Jerry has to be employed for a specific job. So he’s not allowed to work in both the cattle and the grain operations. It has to be one or the other. That’s not the way it is at all for the Kowals, Cody who still helps at busy times, and Ernie and Sharon, who return to the farm each spring and help out in a big way. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Neil sold 200 calves while saddling his horse.

AGRICLEAR LETS YOU BUY AND SELL YOUR CATTLE WITH ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME As a livestock producer today, you need every advantage to succeed. Now you can operate more profitably and efficiently 24/7 with the AgriClear online platform. AgriClear enables you to market your cattle to anyone with payment assurance, market-based pricing and no listing fee. In other words, AgriClear is Cattle Marketing on Your Terms.

Learn more and register for free at Cattle.AgriClear.com

 feed

By Duane McCartney

DON’T WASTE YOUR EXPENSIVE FEED

his will be a difficult winter for drought-stricken cow-calf producers. It will be essential to make the best use of available feed stocks and look at ways of reducing wastage of this valuable resource. Cows can be very wasteful creatures especially if forages are fed free choice be it dried hay or bale grazing. In the 1980s at Melfort Research Centre we evaluated every conceivable design of round bale feeder. We still got major wastage. I had found a tapered cone-style round bale feeder on a friend’s dairy farm in Ontario that appeared to meet all my requirements. It was manufactured in Pennsylvania but unfortunately the shipping costs were prohibitive. Over the years several American universities have evaluated different styles of round bale feeders and all the studies promote the use of this tapered cone-style round bale feeder with an enclosed tub around the bottom. The University of Wisconsin found the tapered cone-style ring feeder significantly reduced hay wastage compared to the 20 to 25 per cent loss from using a bale ring without a solid panel. A few years back at Lacombe we did a major study involving feeding dry round bale hay rolled on the snow compared to distributing chopped silage on the ground or

processing hay through a bale processor and fed on the ground. Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and Ken Zeigler formerly with Alberta Agriculture and manager of www. foragebeef.ca did the painstaking work of separating forage particles from frozen snow and cow manure. They laid large tarps on the ground prior to freeze-up. When the snow came, they fed the cows the feed on top of the snow-covered tarps. Later they gathered up the tarps and did the separations. “There was 20 per cent loss of greenfeed and dry hay processed through a bale processor. Round bale silage loss was 23 per cent and chopped silage fed on the snow was 26 per cent. All losses consisted of the forage leaves and fine particles, which has the highest nutritional quality. This could mean that you could be losing as much as 25 to 30 per cent in feed value by using these methods. With the high cost of hay this winter it wouldn’t take long to pay for some portable bunk feeders to feed your cows out in a field,” says Yaremcio. Similar results have been found in studies done in the U.S. and we have excellent information on different ways of reducing feed wastage on www.Foragebeef.ca. Storage losses in the feed yard can account

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

for the biggest economic losses for the beef farmer. Storing round bales in big piles works if you live in an area with extremely low rainfall but storing bales in a pile can be a major disaster when it rains. At Melfort we had a very large hay-harvesting study that evaluated all types of hayharvesting equipment and methods of storing hay. We tried every possible method of storing hay so as to reduce storage losses. Again at Lacombe we continued with this work. The bottom line… there needs to be an air space between the bales otherwise the bales will rot. We found that moisture from the rain concentrated at all locations where the bales touched. Bales that were placed in long rows by the bale wagon had about one foot of spoilage at each butt end of the bale due to being in contact with the next bale. Bales piled in big pyramids had moisture concentrate along the sides of the bales where they touched. We had major problems in handling these bales as a large portion of the bales were frozen solid due to this moisture. Bales that we piled two vertically and one sideways as a top (mushroom style) had major frozen and spoilage areas all down the sides of the bottom two bales. The livestock Continued on page 18

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Fort Macleod, AB

Ph: (403) 553-0000 info@gmsequip.com

www.gmsequip.com

f e ed

Continued from page 16

crew was not very happy having to work with all this spoiled and frozen hay and straw. Bales need to be stored on a raised, welldrained area so as not to absorb soil moisture. We found storing bales on a gravel pad or on used tires or on corral rails worked very well in creating an air space under the bales. If you are going to carry over hay or straw bales until next winter I highly recommend that you reconfigure your bales so that there is an air space between the bales. This way your loss due to next summer’s rain will be minimized. “The University of Wisconsin found netwrapped bales of alfalfa hay did shed rainfall better than twined-wrapped bales,” adds Yaremcio. “They also found that the bales that were compact with hard cores shed rain better than soft-core bales or bales that were loose by not applying enough tension with the twine. However, some of the advantage of improved water-shedding ability was lost if bales were not stored on a well-drained surface like crushed rock, wood pallets etc. They found that the rainwater ran off of the bales and accumulated at the bottom. When the bales sat directly on the

ground, they acted like a sponge and absorbed moisture and significant spoilage occurred at the bottom of the bales.” In this study, the outside hay rind in netwrapped bales had significantly higher dry matter and nutrient composition than the twine-wrapped bales. The bale cores were not affected. Average total dry-matter losses for bales stored outside on the ground were 11.3 per cent for plastic twine-wrapped bales and 7.3 per cent for net wrap. Both of these methods had significantly higher losses than bales stored under cover. They concluded that net wrapping bales for uncovered storage did not substitute for inside storage. Yaremcio’s own research found storing hay outdoors unprotected, resulted in hay deterioration beyond the visibly damaged layers of the bale. Damage was greater for the leaf fraction of the bale compared to the stems. Chemical analysis of this material indicated that deterioration had occurred even when it wasn’t visually detectable. Some recent University of Wisconsin research evaluated the preferential consumption of hay from large round bales cov-

Congratulations to the KGF 2015 Scholarship Winners! Introducing the new Keith Gilmore Prize for Beef Cattle Innovation

Ellen Crane Cardigan, PEI

As a result of her many academic achievements and outstanding community and industry involvement, Ellen Crane of Cardigan, PEI was recently selected as the first winner of “The Keith Gilmore Prize for Beef Innovation”. Ellen will receive a $10,000 scholarship to help her along her path to finishing her Master’s degree focusing on feed intake in beef cattle. The Keith Gilmore Foundation Trustees hope that this scholarship helps her along her path to achieve her goals of invigorating the beef industry on Canada’s East Coast. At a young age Ellen has already taken many steps to achieving this goal through leadership, serving as the Maritime Hereford Association’s President as well as being accepted into the CCA’s Canadian Young Leaders Program.

The KGF Trustees wish Ellen luck with her endeavors and welcome other up and coming beef industry leaders to apply for the Keith Gilmore Prize Scholarship in 2016.

Donations are always welcome!

The Keith Gilmore Foundation 5160 Skyline Way N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 6V1

1-888-836-7242 libby@hereford.ca www.keithgilmorefoundation.com

Electronic donations can be made through CanadaHelps.org

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

feed

Cows preferred breathable film-wrapped hay University of Wisconsin

ered with a new breathable film that sheds precipitation but allows internal moisture to exit the bale through microscopic pores. Bales were either stored indoors with conventional net wrap, outdoors with conventional net wrap, or outdoors with the new breathable film wrap. In all five trials the cows preferred hay wrapped in breathable film over net-wrapped hay stored outdoors. In two trials it was preferred over hay stored indoors. The exorbitant prices of hay this fall might encourage you to consider building a covered hay shed with four-foot drop-down sides at the roofline to store future hay when the prices are more reasonable or carry-over from one year to the next. We had these types of sheds at Melfort and Lacombe and the stored hay bought in times of low prices really saved my bacon in years of scarcity. c Duane McCartney is a retired forage beef systems research scientist at Lacombe, Alta.

Cattlewomen for the Cure golf tournament August 17 at Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course, Medicine Hat

102,000

Raised for The War Amps Champ

Thank-you to all our sponsors, donors, and volunteers who made this year’s tournament another huge success! A special thanks to Keith Ypma for matching donations of $50,000 included in the total donation. MAJOR SPONSORS

AAA SPONSORS

• Grandview Feeders • Klassen Agriventures • Andy Rock Livestock • Boehringer-ingelheim • Gateway Group of Companies • Helical Pier Systems • G K Jim Group of Companies • JBS • MNP LLP • Scotiabank Agricultural Banking • Keith Ypma • Zoetis Canada • The Hartford

• KCL Cattle Co. • Sunset Feeders • Klassen Agriventures • Kolk Farms • Hi-Pro Feeds • Kolk farms

AA SPONORS • Titan Livestock • Alberta Beef Producers • Livestock Identification Services • BMO • Vétoquinol Canada

• JGL Livestock • Agri Alert Distributors • Livestock Export Services • Merial Canada • Merck Canada • Cor Van Raay Farms • Kasko Livestock • Ben Thorlakson • RBC Royal Bank/ RBC Dominion Securities • Grow Safe Systems Ltd • Takeda Feeding Co Ltd. • TFS Expanse

HOLE SPONSORS • ACFA • Adams Ranch • Ballco Feeders • Bar 4 Bar Land & Cattle • Bio Agri Mix • Can Simmental Assoc • Canada Beef Inc • CanFax • CIBC • Elanco Animal Health • Highway 21 Feeders • Laidlaw Ranching • Landmark Feeds • Mesabi Ranches

• Monarch Feeders • Porter & MacLean Lvsk • Pritchard & Co • RBCDS Todd O’Reilly • TEAM

MEDIA • Alberta Beef Magazine • Canadian Cattlemen mag • The Western Producer • Real Agriculture

WATER & ICE • Medicine Hat Co-op

LUNCH • Merek

Cattlewomen total donations in 10 years exceeds 1/2 million dollars to various national and local charities. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 Nutritio n

By John McKinnon

The Challenge of Starting Newly Weaned Calves on Feed

s this issue comes to press, the yearling run is coming to a close and we are in the middle of the fall calf run. Feedlots across the country are filling and are faced with the dual challenge of keeping cattle, particularly newly weaned calves healthy and on feed. Most managers recognize the value of a strong working relationship with their veterinarian and rely on his/her advice to develop their vaccination and treatment protocols. Similarly, most of the larger feedlots rely on nutritionists to develop feeding protocols for starting cattle on feed and subsequent nutritional management. However, this is not always the case with smaller feeders. With this column I will try to address some of the concepts that nutritionists follow when starting newly weaned calves. To start let’s remind ourselves of the characteristics of the animal we are dealing with. Depending on your operation, you could be faced with starting calves that were derived from one of three sources. First, you may be backgrounding your own calves that you just weaned. A second source may be calves purchased directly from cow-calf operations that may or may not have been pre-conditioned. The third and most common source is calves that have been purchased through auction markets. Now there are obvious differences between these groups in terms of the degree of stress experienced from weaning, transportation, mixing, time off feed, etc., that will influence how calves go on feed. Nevertheless, these groups share a number of characteristics that need to be understood if you want to get each group off to a healthy start. For example, it is critical to remember that these calves are recently weaned and likely miss “mom.” Their diet up to this point has been a combination of milk and grass; furthermore they may have been off feed for 12 to 48 hours. Confinement in new facilities brings on issues with mixing, pecking order development and learning to eat/drink from feed bunks and water bowls. In short, these calves regardless of source are under some degree of stress. From a feeding management perspective, this stress manifests itself primarily in the form of poor initial dry matter (DM) intakes. Ideally calves that are settled on feed should be eating at 2.5 to 2.7 per cent of body weight on a DM basis. For 500-pound calves, this equates to 12.5 to 13.5 pounds of DM. If we look at a group of newly weaned calves from multiple owners, it is not uncommon to see initial DM intakes averaging 1.5 to 2.0 per cent of body weight or 7.5 to 10

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

pounds of DM. At this level of intake, particularly the lower end, these calves are barely consuming sufficient feed for maintenance and are particularly susceptible to a wide array of disease challenges. To get these calves eating it is important to provide them on day one with access to good-quality grass or grass/legume hay draped over the feed bunk or hay feeders. Calves will readily recognize this hay and start eating. This is important as it helps them get the rumen working. Hay feeding should continue for at least three to four days. The starter ration should be fed as early as day two by feeding five to six pounds per head along with longstem hay and then gradually letting the calves come up to full feed. Ideally they are eating at 2.5 to 2.7 per cent of body weight (dry matter basis) by day 21. The starter ration typically consists of forage (50 to 60 per cent), grain (35 to 45 per cent) and supplement (five per cent; DM basis). Ideally a majority of the forage is good-quality processed grass or grass/legume hay. Too high a proportion of silage can limit DM intake. The starter ration should be formulated to 12 to 13 per cent crude protein, ideally using all-natural protein sources. Dried distillers grains at 10 to 15 per cent of the ration (DM basis) are an excellent source of both protein and energy for starting calves. Dietary energy values typically range from 66 to 68 per cent total digestible nutrients or approximately 0.9 to 1.0 mega calorie of net energy for gain per kilogram DM. It is common to have a separate supplement for starting calves that includes an ionophore (i.e. monensin) or coccidiostat (i.e. amprolium or decoquinate) to minimize issues with coccidiosis. Supplements that incorporate urea to enhance crude protein levels are not recommended. Supplemental trace mineral (i.e. copper, zinc and manganese) and vitamin (A, D, E) levels are elevated by 15 to 25 per cent, particularly if the operation brings in a large number of high-risk calves. In such cases, your nutritionist may recommend inclusion of a source of chelated trace minerals in order to boost the immune status of the calves. While space issues limit the extent of this discussion, I hope it is evident that from a nutrition perspective, the No. 1 goal when starting newly weaned calves is to get them eating. The target is 2.5 per cent or better of their body weight (DM basis) of a balanced ration as quickly as possible. Working with a qualified nutritionist is a good first step in achieving this goal. c

John McKinnon is a beef cattle nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 vet aDvi c e

TROUBLE AHEAD? PART 1

he headline “Virus in cattle linked to human breast cancer” is chilling. For the first time, a research team at the University of California, Berkeley, established a link between infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and human breast cancer. The study, published September 2015 in a respected, peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, will draw attention to a long-standing disease in beef and dairy cattle. For 45 years, enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) — a retroviral disease known to be transmissible between cattle and closely related to T-cell leukemia virus in humans — stood on the doorstep of being declared a zoonoses and whether or not it might be associated with health conditions in humans. What had been unclear until recently is whether the EBL virus could be found in humans, something confirmed in a study led by Dr. Gertrude Buehring published last year (2014) in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The 2014 study, prompted by discovery of antibodies against BLV in humans, led Buehring’s team to examine the possibility of human infection with BLV. Because BLV in cattle is more abundant in mammary epithelium (lining of the mammary gland) than in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell), human breast tissue was targeted. Study results overturned the longheld belief that BLV could not be transmitted to humans. Study lead and author, Gertrude Buehring, a professor of virology in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health is careful to point out: “Although the association between BLV infection and breast cancer was surprising to many previous reviewers of the study, it’s important to note that our results do not prove that the virus causes cancer.” Dogma surrounding the disease enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) meant little has been done to establish effective control programs. The wait is over. The news that EBL virus is shared between humans and cattle — probably transferred from cattle to humans in meat and milk — and that BLV’s presence has been linked to a higher prevalence of breast cancer in humans (cause still in question) is not good for either the beef or dairy industry. The meat and milk industries will now be forced to establish incentives in containing the spread of BLV virus, plus ways of eliminating it from cattle populations. Perceptions about food safety and any notion EBL might be associated with health risks in humans make it mandatory. In the Berkeley study, researchers analyzed breast tissue for the presence of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) from 239 women, comparing samples from women who had breast cancer with women who had no history of the disease. They found 59 per cent of breast cancer samples had evidence of exposure to BLV, as determined by the presence of viral DNA. By contrast, 29 per cent of the tissue samples from women who never had breast cancer showed exposure to BLV. The new paper takes earlier findings a step further by showing a higher likelihood of BLV in breast cancer tissue. Statistically, the odds of having breast cancer if BLV were present were 3.1 times greater than if BLV was absent. “This odds ratio is higher than any of the frequently publicized risk factors for breast cancer, such as obesity, alcohol consumption and use of post-menopausal hormones,”

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

said Buehring. Buehring emphasized that the study does not identify how the virus infects breast tissue. The virus could have come through the consumption of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat, or transmitted by other humans. If BLV were proven to be a cause of breast cancer, it could change the way we currently look at breast cancer control by shifting the emphasis to prevention rather than trying to cure or control it after it has already occurred. In the meantime, the beef and dairy industries should prepare for an onslaught of questions from the public and consumers about EBL control and eradication. The supercritical, those who go to any length to impute blame on modern food production systems for any reason, have a powerful tool. The kind of information revealed by the Berkeley study, applied inappropriately, stands to sully both industries. Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) in cattle, an infectious disease causing fatal malignant cancer in a small percentage of animals (less than five per cent), yet responsible for significant economic loss in some herds. It’s insidious and often associated with reduction in overall herd productivity with no obvious clinical signs. EBL is recognized as an animal health problem worldwide. BLV-positive cattle remain a source of infection for herdmates and the virus is never eliminated. State-of-the-art immunologic methods made it possible to detect human infection with BLV and several good tests are available for use in cattle. Bovine leukemia virus infects dairy and beef cattle’s blood cells and mammary tissue. The retrovirus is easily transmitted among cattle primarily through infected blood and milk. In the United States, up to 38 per cent of beef herds, 84 per cent of all dairy herds, and 100 per cent of large-scale dairy herds are infected (contain one or more positive animals). Several Canadian studies have shown similar figures. Up to 40 per cent of dairy cows and 10 per cent of beef cows are infected. There is no cure or treatment for BLV and because infected cattle can remain productive, they remain in herds and potentially spread virus to other animals. BLV is primarily transmitted through blood, most often during management practices like injections, dehorning, tattooing, tagging, and pregnancy checking. Biting flies may play a role in transmitting virus. Good tests for EBL exist. A series of options to reduce the prevalence of EBL have been attempted by regulatory and industry groups in Europe and North America. Some countries have made efforts to eradicate the disease from beef and dairy herds. Control measures have primarily centred around: eradication of infected cattle, segregation of BLV-free animals and vaccination. Most have failed due to complacency, economic considerations, management restrictions and the lack of an effective vaccine. Part 2 of this article will cover control strategies and where industry needs to go. c Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to Canadian Cattlemen (gren@fbcpublishing.com) or WCABP (info@wcabp.com).

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 grazing

By Steve Kenyon

What’s with Winter Water?

he leaves are turning a bit early this year and we are gearing up for another winter season here at Greener Pastures. The “drought of 2015 has taken its toll on producers in our area. My neighbour stated to me that he has not seen it this dry in 55 years. Hay is very expensive so bale grazing is not looking like an economical feeding method this year. We have already booked 450 acres of cropland residues to graze this winter. We will be strip grazing on pea straw residue. When we start moving the cattle to the feed, (which makes sense because they have legs, and plants don’t) we need to worry about winter water for the herd. Most years we do fine in my area allowing the animals to lick snow. It is my first choice. It is simple, cheap and usually quite reliable. If we have snow on the ground, or at least some still in the bush, I have let my cattle lick snow as a water source many times. Normally, I have had dry cows licking snow, but I have done this with bred heifers as well. If you are thinking snow will work with cow-calf pairs, how do you think nature weans their offspring in the wild? If the cows are limited to water, their milk will dry off. If

I have pairs, I normally like to have some kind of water source. If I am dormant-season grazing on stockpiled forages or swath grazing, I feel that the animals are consuming much of their water requirements just by grazing. Each mouthful of forage also gives them a fair bit of snow. The forage is also high in moisture content. If they can “graze” most of their moisture, it does not take much time to “lick” the rest of their needs. If I am bale grazing, snow still works, but the animals do not get as much of their moisture from grazing as the feed is quite dry and they are not getting mouthfuls of snow with each bite. In this situation, the quality of snow makes a difference. With poor snow, I recommend finding a water source while bale grazing. I have pushed it pretty hard with experienced cows who were bale grazing and drinking “crushed ice” as a water source. Another option that I have used before is to just cut a hole in the ice of the dugout each day. Make sure you put a hot wire around the dugout to limit access so the animals cannot walk out into the middle of the dugout. That is a wreck just waiting to happen if you don’t. Your wire should cut across one end of the dugout where you have the hole cut to

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

just allow access to the drinking hole. I would recommend a double wire electric fence system to make sure the cattle respect the fence — one hot wire and one ground wire. Sometimes with residue grazing I need to come up with an actual water system. As I am on a different field each year, my system has to be portable. My first choice is a continuous-flow system. It is cheaper to pump water than it is to heat it. I have seen quite a few different styles of continuous flow. From a well, a dugout, a creek or a dam the water is pumped to a trough, a tire or a tank and then it is allowed to overflow back to the water source. The water is continuously moving so it does not freeze. It does not have to pump very fast as it is recycling 24-7. In some cases my continuous flow has come from a well with a pressure system and flows to a water trough. In these cases, I simply use a hose to feed the trough that is partially controlled with a float valve. The float valve slows down the flow when the trough is full. The overflow goes out a drain on the far side, away from the cattle. As this is just overflowing on the ground, you need to set your trough up so that the ice builds up downhill, away from the cattle.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

grazing

The trick to the float valve is to keep the water flowing when the trough fills up and the float valve shuts off. I drill a very small hole in the elbow just before the float. This allows the water in the hose to flow continuously at a small volume but with enough pressure to also stir the trough. When the animals are drinking, the float opens and you have high volume when you need it. When the cattle are not drinking, you get low volume, and high pressure which stirs the water. At -35 C this system has not frozen up. There is no ice on the water at all. I would recommend protecting the float valve as I have had one broken off by the cattle. The overflow has another perk. The hill becomes a great toboggan hill for my kids.

For this season, I will have pairs out on my residue grazing so I have modified one of my summer solar-powered water systems into a winter water system by replacing the float valve with a motion sensor. I also have to make sure there is a drain out the bottom of the trough that allows the trough to drain completely when no cattle are drinking. The downside to this system is that our winter has limited sunlight so this year I am adding extra solar panels and batteries to ramp up the system. To set this up, I cut a hole in the ice, slide the pump into the water and insulate the hole with straw. You need to keep the water from freezing where the water line enters the water. The other trick is to make sure the water

line completely drains each time the pump shuts off. You can’t have any dips in the line between the trough and the pump. This system turns on with the motion sensor when the cattle come to drink, when they leave it turns off and then the water drains out of the trough via a drain hole. These are just a few of the options that we have used here at Greener Pastures. I know there are more and if you use a different system, as long as it works, that’s great. c Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. in Busby, Alta., www. greenerpasturesranching.com, 780-307-6500, email skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com or find them on Facebook.

You Herd. We Help. Livestock production today means considering every input — including advice. Our agriculture banking specialists know the challenges and rewards you face from sunrise to sunset.

Talk to one of our agriculture banking specialists today. Visit rbc.com/farmhelp. TM

® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

We have mooved. Have you? You need to know if your animals are at risk WITHOUT delay. Having UP-TO-DATE contact information is ESSENTIAL in the event of an animal disease outbreak or weather-related emergency.

Get your COMPLIMENTARY, customized

livestock traceability support online or by toll-free telephone, including: Account information updates Animal identiﬁcation Age veriﬁcation Import & export Movement reporting and NOW the CONVENIENCE of

TAG WEB STORE SERVICES ! Choose from the full array of approved beef tags, order in fewer than 5 minutes with delivery in 3-5 business days Prices start at $2.52/tag

Visit tags.canadaid.ca OR call us toll-free at

1-877-909-2333

 feed

By Duane McCartney

Do you have enough feed this winter? You may have more than you think

e will always have to face drought. It’s inevitable. This past year is no exception. The biggest question you need to ask yourself as a cow-calf operator is, “DO I HAVE ENOUGH FEED TO GET THROUGH THE WINTER?” You need to take an inventory of your stored feed and then calculate backwards to see how long the feed will last. Basically a 1,400-pound cow will consume between 35 and 40 pounds or 2.5 per cent of body weight of hay a day and this includes waste. “It’s essential to take samples of your feed supply,” says Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. “One needs to sample 10 per cent of the feed supply or a minimum of 20 bale core samples for a complete feed analysis. It is important to get a representative sample so take a core sample from different locations in your bale yard. Combine your samples into three or four packages and have them analyzed separately so you can see the variation in your nutritional analysis. This will give you a very good summation of the quality of feed you have in store. You need to focus on the available energy in the feed and realize the importance of supplemental protein and minerals. Good-quality hay has 12 per cent or more protein.” Most provincial Agriculture Departments have information on their websites about dif-

ferent ways of feeding beef cows during the winter and making your feed last through the winter. Dr. Hushton Block, a beef cow-calf nutritionist formerly at Brandon and now at Lacombe, says cows in good body condition will have fat reserves that can offset some quantity and feed-quality shortages without much risk of negative impact providing cows are on a rising plane of nutrition after calving. Feed lots of straw this winter, especially before calving. Save your best feed for after calving when the nursing cow needs to be on a rising plane of nutrition so she will quickly conceive during the first part of the breeding season. At the Melfort Research Station in Saskatchewan in the 1980s we had a big research program on the use of straw in the cow wintering diet. At the same time Dr. Gary Mathison at the University of Alberta was also working on feeding high straw-based rations. At Melfort, we fed straw all winter, free choice in round bale feeders and limited the supplementation of hay, barley silage or grain. This way cows didn’t waste valuable feed. In another series of trials at Melfort in co-operation with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine we fed different pens of fatter or thinner cows at 75-80 per cent of the NRC requirements and compared the results to similar pens of fatter and thinner cows fed at NRC requirements from weaning to calving time. After calving, all cows were on a rising plane of nutrition as indicated by NRC up to and through the

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

breeding season. All cows had free access to barley straw and were supplemented with silage and grain according to the designated ration strategy. The supplement was increased to NRC standards after calving. Our cows calved in pens in February and March and over three years we saw no difference in conception rates and calving dates between groups. The basic thing that we observed was in times of feed shortages cows can be on a lower plane of nutrition prior to calving but THEY MUST BE ON A RISING PLANE OF NUTRITION (at NRC levels) AFTER CALVING! This only works in times of short feed supply and is not recommended over the long term. Dr. Block suggests, “One needs to look at least-cost feed formulation to determine which supplement feeds have the best value relative to cost. Grain is usually twice the price of hay due to the higher energy content but this might not be true during periods of short forage supplies.” We also did the Pepsi Taste Challenge or should I say the straw taste challenge on our cow herd at Melfort and later at Lacombe. We fed all sorts of different types and varieties of straw in round bale feeders out in a field. Every other day we changed the type of straw in the different round bale feeders so that the cows had to find the straw they preferred. We measured consumption and the number of head at the different feeders at different times of the day. Cows consumed all types of straw but they preferred the thinner straw types. It was inter-

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

feed

esting to note that they preferred ground flax straw called schives that I got from a mobile flax fibre plant the best. Since the flax schives were ground by the flax plant, cows were able to increase their intake of this byproduct. The increased processing of the flax straw resulted in increased intake and passage rate causing reduced digestibility and possibly no net change in available nutrient intakes. A lot of work was done in the early 1980s at Melfort on fine grinding of low-quality hay to increase intake. In today’s economics it doesn’t pay the farmer to finely grind forages. We found no clear-cut preference between two-row and six-row straw stored inside or outside for one year compared to fresh straw. However, there was a trend towards two-row straw being preferred. The year of harvest had the greatest impact on straw quality and preference. We found that pea straw provided an excellent feed. The key issue was keeping the pea straw dry and baling it right after combining. We ran into problems with mouldy pea straw that had sat in the field prior to baling and dirt being picked up when we baled. If you bale right behind the combine, the pea straw will stay up on the stubble and out of the moisture and dirt. At Lacombe Research Centre we fed our pregnant cows up to 66 per cent of the ration in straw. All cows were supplemented with silage and grain to meet NRC requirements. Cows fed a high-straw diet free choice, need a high-protein supplement for adequate digestion by the microbes in the rumen. We successfully fed the supplement on alternate days as a means of cutting down labour. Cows received two days’ amount of protein and energy supplement every other day. Alternate-day feeding of the protein supplement had no effect on straw intake, ruminal degradability and diet digestibility. There was no incidence of lactic acidosis. Block adds, “Several studies have found no issue with providing protein supplements on alternate days. However, it is still important to ensure the type of protein supplement is appropriate for the diet. Non-protein nitrogen sources are only of benefit if there is enough fermentable carbohydrate for the rumen microbes to synthesize microbial protein. Sources with high bypass protein can meet cattle requirements once the rumen microbes are fed, but tend to be more costly.” Barry Yaremcio recommends using an ionophore to improve digestibility of strawbased diets. “The ionophore will increase feed efficiency by six to seven per cent. It’s

advisable that you have a mineral mix of Ca : P in the ratio of 26:4 and that the ionophore and the vitamins be added to this mixture. There is a need to supplement to prevent winter tetany, downer cows and milk fevers.” I spent my research career looking at lowcost wintering rations for beef cows and how they relate to cow body condition. The big thing that I learned over the years was cows going into the winter with good body condition had no problems in time of short feed

supplies or harsh winters. At Melfort and also at Lacombe we developed pasture programs that provided excellent fall and early-winter grazing that put back fat on our cows. We used Italian ryegrass, spring-seeded fall rye, winter wheat or winter triticale to provide lush fall pastures. These crops were intercropped with our oat or barley silage crops and the regrowth became available after silage harvest. Continued on page 30

“When my pen riders pull cattle, I want them to have a fast acting treatment that’s cost-effective.”

It just makes sense to treat cattle for BRD with the new generation macrolide, that is fast acting,1 long lasting2 and has a price that won’t break the bank. (And it’s plastic, so you won’t break the bottle either.) Treat them with ZACTRAN ®. Ask your veterinarian why ZACTRAN is ideal for cattle in your feedlot.

1. Giguère S, Huang R, Malinski TJ, Dorr PM, Tessman RK & Somerville BA. Disposition of gamithromycin in plasma, pulmonary epithelial lining fluid, bronchoalveolar cells, and lung tissue in cattle. Am. J. Vet. Res. 72(3): 326-330 (2011). 2. Based on label claims. ZACTRAN ® is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. © 2014 Merial Canada Inc. All rights reserved. ZACT-13-7558-JAD-E

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

REV NEW FORMAT VERTICAL

BOV_15108_Zactran_Thera_En_hfpVert_Ccattl.indd 1 dossier : BOV-15108

client : Merial

description : Annonce Zactran anglais

date/modif. rédaction

août

2015-08-11 03:21 PM relecture

D.A.

épreuve à

ACROSS CANADA “

I wanted to add length to my calves and increase calving ease, so I went with Limousin bulls.” Brian Pooley QUESNEL, BC

“

I like the way they muscle out, and their hindquarters.” Don Ryan GROVEDALE, AB

“

They’re always thick calves. They’re a good, strong breed.” James Sharp ARCHERWILL, SK

“

Their temperment is good and they grow well and that’s what we’re basically trying for.” Gail Hockridge DAUPHIN, MB

Jeffery Blair FRANKLIN, QC

“

I need something that will get up and run and I need something that will bring the money home.” Eric Millen

GREAT VILLAGE, NS

ATTENTION PRODUCERS Marketing Limousin influence calves this year? List them on our website and contact the CLA for marketing assistance!

“

Limousin adds muscle to my Simmental-based herd.” Gary Cornfield MEAFORD, ON

CANADIAN LIMOUSIN ~ ASSOCIATION ~ #13, 4101-19 STREET NE CALGARY, AB T2E 7C4 PHONE 1. 403.253.7309 TOLL-FREE 1.866.886.1605 FAX 1.403.253.1704 EMAIL limousin@limousin.com WEB www.limousin.com

feed

Continued from page 27

With rotational grazing and fertilizer we also had excellent late-fall brome alfalfa regrowth pastures for the weaned cows. Early weaning is another key method in regulating your feed resource in time of short feed supplies. In periods of drought or limited fall grazing, early weaning should be used to extend the grazing season. At Lacombe we evaluated the effects of early weaning and found that early-weaned calves should be moved onto a finishing diet sooner than normally weaned calves in order to obtain growth rates superior to gain on pasture. Dr. Christoph Weder formerly with Alberta Agriculture did a study at the University of Alberta and found that calves could be weaned at 140 to 150 days of age with no long-term problems. He was also able to successfully wean calves at 90 days of age but the calves needed to be trained to drink water and consume highenergy rations prior to weaning. Thus in years of drought, wean your calves early and get them onto good feed. Save the balance of the grazing period for your cows so that they can go into the winter in good condition.

“ One needs to sample 10 per cent of the feed supply or a minimum of 20 bale core samples.” Barry Yaremcio beef and forage specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Dr. Block says, “The reduction of cow nutrient requirements will allow poorquality feeds to still meet the cow’s daily requirements. Windbreaks, bedding with straw, lowering stocking density in pens or confined pastures will help to keep the cows dry and clean. This will reduce their energy requirements to get through the winter.” In drought years there will be opportunities to graze or harvest drought-affected crops. Dr. Vern Baron, plant physiologist and grazing researcher at Lacombe, found in drought

years or when early frost hit after seeding, farmers who reseeded often had problems with immaturity. “What we learned from the drought in 2002 is that farmers can just as well swath graze the immature crop rather than spend extra money on baling, hauling etc. etc. The cows consumed it all. Farmers usually make money on crop insurance and then feed. Feed it in the field. It will rain some time and farmers will get caught not being able to dry and store the immature crop cheaply. Rain came on the long weekend in

Plan to attend the...

2015 6 Annual TH

CFGA Conference & AGM November 17-19, 2015 Canadian Forage in the International Year of Soils – Capture the Intensity! Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan The 6th Annual CFGA conference will highlight the profitability of intensive forage production systems and the potential of forages to provide ecosystem goods and services for all Canadians.

Canadian Forage & Grassland Association Association Canadienne pour les Plantes Fourragères

For more information please contact: Canadian Forage & Grassland Association Ph: (204) 254-4192

www.canadianfga.ca 30

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

feed

August in 2002 and then several crops emerged or second growth came on. Opportunities emerged from neighbours who didn’t have cows, but became custom swath grazers. It’s important to recognize that conditions that reduce conventional feed supplies also tend to create increased supplies of alternate feeds from other crops. “Maybe some nitrate problems and issues from grazing immature canola or brassicas, but there were really very few real issues if balanced diets were constructed. Many people swath grazed canola and peas with no problems observed with the cows,” says Baron. “Cattle have some ability to adapt to elevated nitrate levels but the dilution of the feed with supplemental feed is a sound option,” says Block. “Immature canola or frost-damaged canola can be successfully grazed or baled. One needs to cut it at bloom or early-pod stage for best nutritional quality,” says Yaremcio. The protein content will be between 14 and 16 per cent and the energy or TDN around 60 per cent. It is basically no different than high-quality first-cut brome alfalfa hay. “In the areas where forage seed is grown, the aftermath from seed harvest can be an alternative feed source and it has the same nutritional quality as good-quality straw. “When feeding frost-damaged crops do it slowly and let the cattle get used to the feed. Have alternative feed available when getting the cattle onto the frost-damaged feed.” c Duane McCartney is a retired forage beef systems research scientist at Lacombe, Alta.

Wireless

COWCAM System

w w w. p re c i s i o n c a m . c a • Smartphone compatible • Check more frequently on your cows that are calving • No need to face old man winter 3 time a night!

PTZ systems starting at

2,320

• Save more calves • Make more money • Stop disturbing them and let them calve easier • Get more Sleep and save time

545 Assiniboine Ave, Brandon, MB TF: 1.866.289.8164 T: 204.728.8878

Trusted Quality, Trusted Support, Trusted Service!

More and more firms just calculate numbers. We help calculate your next move. MNP Understands Agriculture. In fact, it is both a specialty and a passion. Our business consultants, financial advisors and professional agrologists are intimately familiar with all aspects of the beef industry. Which means not only can we help you make sense of the now, but we can also help show you what’s next. Contact Scott Dickson, CA, Director – Livestock Services at 1.877.500.0779 or scott.dickson@mnp.ca We specialize, you capitalize. Visit MNP.ca to learn more.

 Holistic R a nc hi ng

By Don Campbell

understanding holistic management

M has been in Western Canada for about 30 years. That is a relatively short time for a new concept. The term H M is well known but I suspect there are many people who do not understand what H M is. Lack of understanding can generate fear. If you have heard the term, if you would like to understand what H M really is, if you would like to know instead of going on half-truths or rumours read on. H M is a decision-making process. In a nutshell that’s it. Since H M is a decision-making process it can be used by anyone who makes decisions. The last time I checked that would include all of us. The H M process begins by having all the people involved in a given situation come together and develop a common goal or vision. The goal is not set to be achieved but to give us long-term direction. Life will have its challenges, there will be good times and bad but through it all we can use our goal to give us direction. It becomes a very powerful tool that allows us to say “yes” to things that lead toward our goal and “no” to things that lead away from our goal. Our goal is a most valuable tool for finding balance in our lives. The goal has three different areas. It has a quality of life portion which deals with all the people issues. While developing the goal people are asked to respond to questions like: What is most important to us? What are our values? How do we define success? How do we treat each other? The second portion asks us two basic questions. What are we going to do to ensure that we achieve our quality of life? Doing something to ensure our quality of life is not something we are used to. This is a vital step and must not be missed. Most people write something about having good relationships, harmony and love. You can be sure this won’t happen without setting some time aside to make it happen. The second question asks: what are we going to produce to be profitable? To stay on the land and have long-term success we need profit. Profit not production should be our goal. The third portion of our goal again asks us two questions. What does our land need to look like to allow us to be profitable in the short term and sustainable in the long term? At this stage we consider the ecosystem building blocks. We describe our farm having healthy land under ideal circumstances. The second question asks: what do we want our local community to look like in 100 years? Once again we describe our local community far into the future in ideal terms. Our goal is now complete. We now use our goal to make our decisions. To aid us in this we have seven testing questions. We now have a balanced way to make decisions that will take us in the direction of our goal. Life is not happening to us. We are creating the future we desire by making better decisions. This seems like a great definition of success!! Once our goal is established H M gives us tools to help us move in the direction we have chosen. Holistic financial planning is one of the tools. Here we do a detailed financial plan focusing on profit. There are several things that are unique about H M financial planning. These include: 1. Our financial plan is closely tied to our goal. 2. Planning for the future. We are not recording what has happened. When you record what has happened it is “set in stone.” Whether it is good or bad it cannot be changed. We are recording what we want to have happen in the future. Since the future has not happened if

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

we get a result we do not like we are able to replan until we get the result we desire. 3. Setting our profit at the start of the year. So often in agriculture people work for a whole year hoping there will be some profit left at the end of the year. You are much too important to use this type of approach. In H M we define profit as an increase in net worth. Normally our living expenses are included with our other expenses. Profit is a return on our investment and a return to our management skills. What the number should be is entirely up to you. The profit might range from a few thousand dollars to a million or more depending on the operation. The important thing is to set a profit that you are satisfied with at the start of the year. We then plan to make it happen. 4. Spending our expense money more wisely. H M teaches that all expenses are not equal. Some expenses are like an investment, some are essential and the balance are regular expenses. We have a system that allows us to sort our expenses so we spend more on the investment expenses and less on the regular expenses. 5. Monthly monitoring. We will monitor our financial plan monthly to be sure we are on track. Small deviations from our plan are controlled. In the case of a major deviation we will do a replan. The end result is a high degree of confidence that we will achieve our desired profit. The second tool available to us is the planned grazing process. Some of the key points are: 1. Our grazing plan is closely tied to our goal. 2. We stop overgrazing. Overgrazing occurs by staying too long at one time or returning before plants have fully recovered from the previous graze. By having a short graze period and allowing full recovery before a second graze, overgrazing is eliminated. The result is healthier land and more production from a set land base. 3. We focus on improving the ecosystem building blocks. The building blocks are energy flow, water cycle, mineral cycle and succession. These are all closely linked. As the building blocks improve we have healthier land and more production. The Benefits of H M

Many people have benefited from H M in the last 30 years. If you talked to these people some of the benefits experienced would be: 1. A better quality of life. People tend to be happier and enjoying life more. Even more importantly life is not happening to them. People are creating the future they desire. 2. Healthier land. The ecosystem has improved. The result is more production from a set land base. 3. Lower expenses. This is due to healthier land. 4. Increased profit. This is due to healthier land. 5. Less work. H M encourages us to work with nature. As this occurs it is possible to have more animals and less work. H M is a tested and proven system. It has a 30-year track record in Western Canada. I invite you to investigate H M. I believe you will be pleased with your investigation. c Don Campbell ranches with his family at Meadow Lake, Sask., and teaches Holistic Management courses. He can be reached at 306-236-6088 or doncampbell@sasktel.net.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Box 780 Hwy 519 Nobleford, AB 403-824-3020

www.nobleequipment.ca

6970 46th St. Olds, AB 587-796-3020

www.noblejcb.com

 researc h

By Debbie Furber

In search of healthy livers

iver abscesses continue to be an economic concern for the beef industry, even with modern feeding practices. They are worth around 60 cents a pound if suitable for human consumption, but more important than the direct loss when abscessed livers have to be condemned is the effect on performance and carcass characteristics. Brittany Wiese, a master’s candidate with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, recently reviewed findings from four feedlot studies involving a total of 904 steers

conducted by previous graduate students at the university from 2008 to 2014. The livers in those studies were scored according to the Elanco “liver check” system used in packing plants. A score of 0 is for normal healthy livers without abscesses. Those with a score of A have one or two small abscesses or up to four grouped abscesses that are generally less than an inch in diameter and the remainder of the liver is healthy. The A- score for livers with one or two small abscesses or abscess scars has recently been eliminated. Livers with A-

scores in the previous studies were moved into the A category for her review. The A+ score is for livers with one or more large abscesses and inflammation of the liver tissue around the abscesses. Oftentimes, parts of the diaphragm adhere to the surface of the liver and have to be trimmed to separate the liver from the carcass. Livers with A scores are downgraded to pet food and those with A+ scores are condemned. It came as no surprise to Wiese to find Continued on page 36

Brittany Wiese

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

CANCRETE IS pLEASED TO NOW OFFER pOWDER RIVER LIVESTOCk HANDLING EquIpMENT

Trust A Classic

Powder River’s Classic Gates, Bow Gates and Panels use high tensile steel which is 66% stronger than mild steel. The unique pentagonal rails will spring back from animal pressure.

H2000 Hydraulic Chute Order #002-55000

The Ultimate Livestock Water Bowl! The “Only” Concrete water bowl designed in the North where it REALLY gets COLD!! Pre-casting concrete is a technology all its own, so we felt that to properly design and engineer a water bowl that would stand up to “all” the elements, it should be done in the north where it actually gets cold. The biggest issue with this style of bowl is that it must have the ability to endure freeze-thaw cycles. We then take all the best of these solutions and put good old fashioned work ethic and pride to use to produce a water bowl that your grandchildren should be using! Tin and plastic have a lifespan on the farm and in feedlots. Concrete doesn’t! They are proven performers. These are waterers your kids will be using. They won’t however, be wasting their time thawing them out or repairing them constantly.

Cancrete’s extra features: • Stainless steel hoods, service doors and components • Epoxy-coated for resistance to sodium, etc. • Air-entrained concrete high PSI will assure long life • Winter problems are eliminated by high-efficiency elements

COWCRETE

THE pROOF IS IN THE pICTuRE! OuR TANk IN MINuS 33! WATERING 180 HEAD OF FEEDER CATTLE.

CANCRETE

or continuous flow coupled with closed cell insulation

• No sharp corners • Deepest bowls in the industry for maximum water-holding capacity

We have models for calves, buffalo, bulls and from 50-head models to 700 head. Call for a free full-color brochure and pricing. Go to our Web site for a full brochure & dealer locations.

Cancrete and Cowcrete now available in all Peavey Mart locations

GO TO OuR WEbSITE FOR AN INDEpENDENT DEALER NEAR YOu!

See uS at Red deeR agRi tRade, FaRmFaiR & agRibition $

Fall Special

1549.99 plus gst

ADVANCED AGRI-DIRECT INC.

Leduc, Alberta When all you want is “EVERYTHING”!!

WWW.CANCRETE.COM

Toll Free: 1-866-789-3336 Local: 780-809-3600 Email: advagri@cancrete.com

r es ea rc h

A pH below 5.5 can damage the rumen wall allowing rumen bacteria to set up in the liver Photo: University of Saskatchewan

Continued from page 34

that severe liver abscesses do hinder performance because other studies dating back to the 1980s have shown this to be true. In her review, steers with A+ livers had the lowest finished body weight overall even though all steers had similar weights at the start of each trial. As expected, the cattle with A+ livers also had the lowest average daily gain during the last 70 days on feed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We looked at the last 70 days because liver abscesses can heal on their own within 50 to 70 days, so most of the abscesses found at slaughter are likely

occurring within the last 70 days on feed,â&#x20AC;? Wiese says. Most interesting, although not statistically significant, was that the average daily gain on steers with A livers was better than those without abscesses. One possible reason for this is high-gaining steers eat more feed and, therefore, are more at risk for developing ruminal acidosis, which is the No. 1 predisposing cause of liver abscesses. Once an abscess gets severe enough to tip the balance, the average daily gain does drop off. Another notable finding from her review was that steers with A livers had the lowest

dressing percentage at 58.3 per cent compared to 58.8 per cent for steers with A+ livers and 58.9 for those with no abscesses. Given that increased dry-matter intake is known to increase gut mass (visceral weight), a possible reason for the lower dressing percentage could be that a higher percentage of the total carcass weight is removed as viscera during processing. Various studies indicate that the prevalence of liver abscesses in cattle across Canada is 12 to 32 per cent. The most recent national beef quality audit by the Beef Cattle Research Council in 2010-11 found 9.9 per cent of livers from fed and non-fed cattle scored A+, compared to two per cent reported in the audit 10 years earlier. Back then, 76 per cent of livers were considered suitable for human consumption, whereas, that dropped to 69 per cent in the most recent audit. There are no clinical signs of liver abscesses, that is, the animals are apparently healthy, Wiese says. They can lead to a fatal embolic pneumonia in feeder cattle and cows, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rare. Tylan, a therapeutic feed additive that is quite effective for preventing liver abscesses,

research

is commonly used at feedlots for this purpose. Without its use, we could likely expect to see a rise in liver abscess rates, she adds. Dr. Greg Penner’s lab at the university focuses on understanding gut health and exploring nutritional management strategies, not only to prevent digestive disorders but to enhance overall cattle productivity and health. As a member of Penner’s research group, Wiese’s review of liver abscesses was just part of her master’s research on the broader subject of subacute acidosis as indicated by rumen pH levels in the 5.5 to 5.8 range. The root cause of acidosis is a rumen pH below 5.5, most often brought on by a high level or sudden increase in highly digestible carbohydrates, such as grain. The acidic environment can damage the rumen wall, allowing bacteria that normally inhabit the rumen to travel through the bloodstream and set up in the liver. A 2014 study led by Dr. Castillo-Lopez, also with the Penner group, involved use of special pH meters in the rumen to continuously measure pH throughout the entire feeding period. Wiese will be using data from that study to try to determine

This A+ category liver would be condemned; grade A livers with smaller abscesses go for pet food.

whether severity, frequency or the number of bouts of acidosis has the greatest likelihood of causing liver abscesses. She is currently working on a new study that attempts to define the prevalence of ruminal acidosis during the step-up period in a commercial feedlot. The livers will be scored to provide insight into the relationship between rumen pH patterns

and performance early on in the feeding period and development of liver abscesses later on in the feeding period. For more on the national beef quality audit results and the video series on how management practices influence beef quality, including the incidence of liver defects, visit the Beef Cattle Research Council’s blog at http://www. beefresearch.ca/blog/2010-11-nbqa/. c

 health

By Debbie Furber

Monensin Trials and Troubles It works just as well at the new higher rate, just be sure you are feeding the correct rate

Post-doctorate fellow, Katie Wood says the benefits to monensin held true at the 48 mg/kg rate.

ow that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has raised the safe rate for monensin to 48 parts per million per kilogram of dry matter from 33 ppm, Dr. Katie Wood wanted to know if the proven benefits to feeding monensin still held true at this higher rate. Monensin is an ionophore that increases overall energy yield from feed, and improves animal performance. It does this by reducing gram-positive bacteria that favour fibre fermentation in the rumen, thereby increasing gram-negative bacteria that favour starch fermentation, and altering the volatile fatty-acid profile. Gram-negative bacteria produce more propionate fatty acid, which is more energy dense than acetate, and reducing this acetate-propionate ratio is a known benefit to feeding monensin. Based on her work, Woods, a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, says that benefit still holds true at the 48 mg/kg rate in barley-based finishing rations. It fact it got better as the rate increased with the ratio dropping linearly from 1.9 without

monensin, to 1.8, 1.4 and 1.3 as the monensin dose increased to 22, 33 and 48 mg/kg. As expected with the increase in energy coming from the diet, dry-matter intake decreased from 10.0 kg/day without monensin to 9.9, to 9.3 and 9.1 as the monensin rate increased, and simple sugar digestibility increased progressively from 77.2 to 84.7, 88.0 and 94.0 per cent. Small increases in average daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio were detected but were not statistically significant in this smallscale study that was designed to examine metabolic differences. Rumen pH remained stable at the higher rates, and there was no effect on barrier function in the gastrointestinal tract, which is good news because disruptions in barrier function has implications for acidosis and liver abscesses. Overall, Wood says, her work suggests the 48 mg/kg dose could be beneficial when bunk management is a challenge because it helps normalize feed intake without compromising performance.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 r es ea rc h

Pellet puzzle A University of Saskatchewan researcher uncovered a real pellet puzzle during a recent small trial to see if a commercial binding agent could be used to improve byproduct pellets. Instead they found the pellets actually improved animal performance. This was unexpected given that commercial binders have no nutritional value. Their purpose is solely to improve pellet durability, explains Dr. Katie Wood, a postdoctorate fellow at the university. Unfortunately she found the binder didn’t improve the durability of either small or large pellets, yet the average daily gain on the heifers fed pellets with binder was 1.35 pounds compared to 1.00 pound for those fed pellets without binder. The feed-to-gain ratio also improved when feeding binder pellets because total dry-matter intake (DMI) remained the same whether pellets included the binder or not. Neither pellet size nor the binder made a difference to digestibility although gains were slightly better for the small-size binder-made pellets than large binder-made pellets. The backgrounding ration for this trial was free-choice chopped grass hay and oat hulls with pellets fed individually at 0.09 per cent of body weight. Wheat screenings and wheat made up 59 per cent of the pellets, with another 36 per cent being pea screenings, oat hulls and canola screenings, along with small amounts of pea starch, molasses, salt and a mineralvitamin mix, with and without commercial binders. The trial involved eight heifers fitted with rumen cannulas to monitor pH and analyse rumen fluids. Wood did note altered proportions of short-chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, butyrate) in the rumen when pellets with the binder were fed. Short-chain fatty acids are the main products of fermentation and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream for energy. This change in the rumen fermentation pattern is really the only clue that might explain the boost in performance, Wood says, adding that this is only speculation until further research answers the question.

Continued on page 40

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

1:00 PM at the ranch – 7 mi. East of Irma on Hwy 14 or 11 mi. West of Wainwright

ZZB 18Y RED STRAND 32B

FE 18Y RED RiBSTONE 162B

FE 60X STANMORE lAD 120B

FE 60X STANMORE lAD 135B

COMMERCiAl SAlE HEiFER

ZZB 18Y SUPER RED 31B

SALE OFFERING: 60 LONG yEARLING buLLS 35 bREd REGIStEREd HEIFERS 110 COMMERCIAL bREd HEIFERS 5 bROkE RANCH HORSES PAlOMiNO STUD

15 FANCy FOALS

RED ROAN STUD

A StRONG SELECtION OF POLLEd buLLS

Sale can be viewed online with DlMS BlUE ROAN SAlE GElDiNG

Video of all Sale lots Available by Oct 25

BAY ROAN FillY

Visit www.fentonherefordranch.com to view catalogue Al & Lori Fenton becky & Curtis Phone/Fax: 780-754-2384 Cell: 780-842-7806

Conrad & Janel Fenton dalee, Prior, Emerson & beau Phone: 780-754-3321 Cell: 780-209-3600

blair & Jessica Fenton Email: fentonherefordranch@gmail.com Gray & tayva www.fentonherefordranch.com Phone: 780-754-2891 box 479, Irma, Ab t0b 2H0 7 mi. E. of Irma on Hwy. #14 or 11 mi. W. of Wainwright Cell: 587-281-0900 - Look for Hereford Sign

RELIABLE TRAILER SOLUTIONS FOR THE LONG HAUL

health

Continued from page 38 #6944

#7567

2016 FRONTIER LIVESTOCK 16’7”

2016 FRONTIER LIVESTOCK COMBO 24’

Both tough and accommodating. This 2016 three horse Frontier Livestock trailer features an aluminum frame and body and stands 84” in height to accommodate horses as well as cattle. 5K torsion axles allow for heavy hauling while the 36” gravel guard protects the trailer from the damage caused by gravel roads.

This 2016, 24’ Frontier Livestock Combo GN features an aluminum frame and body and stands 84” in height to accommodate horses as well as cattle and 7K torsion axles allow for heavy hauling. Gooseneck has 2 sliding windows, removeable saddle rack, a blanket bar and adjustable row of bridle hooks.

For more info see www.vantagetrailers.ca

#7725

#7624

2015 PLATINUM 24’ STOCK GN

2016 FRONTIER LIVESTOCK 24’

All Aluminum, solidly built, 7’ 6” wide and 7’ tall, this trailer comes with 8000# torsion axles, 14 ply tires and spare, 2 center gates (with sliders) halogen loading light, Canadian light package, track for Plexiglass (55’), grease-able hinges and electric brakes. Reduced From $35,500

This 2016, 24’ Frontier Livestock GN features an aluminum frame and body and stands 84” in height to accommodate horses as well as cattle and 7K torsion axles allow for heavy hauling

28,900.00

PLATINUM BLOWOUT SALE $

For more info see www.vantagetrailers.ca

RR 8, Site 30, Comp 14 • Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 4P4

Toll Free: 855-320-9889

www.vantagetrailers.ca

Monensin mixup

Be sure to get the ratio correct when adding monensin to a ration for errors in a misplaced decimal point or insufficient mixing can be deadly, according to University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine (UCVM) third-year student Kelsey Gray, who reported on just such a case at the college’s annual summer beef cattle conference. On a seed stock operation five yearling bulls and five heifers suddenly dropped dead on May 10, four days after the animals in four pens went off feed. The attending vet performed necropsies on two and sent images as well as samples from the rumens, total mixed ration, and water for testing. Shortly after the two intact carcasses were delivered to the UCVM pathology lab. Not knowing whether they were facing a disease outbreak, a nutritional deficiency or toxic poisoning the 150 bulls at this location were treated with antimicrobials and moved to pasture the next day as a stop-gap measure. Some of the notable signs of distress, aside from being gaunt and dull, were severe breathing problems, extreme exercise intolerance and brisket edema. The necropsy images and pathology exams found fluid retained in the intestines and some heart damage. Heart failure was the suspected cause of death and clues were starting to point to poisoning as the reason. Fifteen more bulls and three more heifers died by May 14, after which a two-step treatment protocol was implemented. Animals that

What’s on the horizon in agriculture? Watch This Country Called Agriculture and be informed. This Country Called Agriculture is a new on-demand video series that delivers relevant news & information on the agriculture industry. Host Rob Eirich interviews ag pioneers, professionals and academics that offer insight into today’s trends and what the future holds for agriculture – on and off the farm. Video topics include:  Sustainability

 Ag innovations

 Exporting

 Starting a new farm

 Renewable energy

 Alternative energy

 New technology

 Production

& fuel sources  AND MORE

 Food production

and marketing

TCCA CURRENT EPISODES Consumer Benefits from Genomics Rob Eirich talking with Tom Lynch-Staunton of Livestock Gentec, and Colin Coros of Delta Genomics, about the benefits of animal genomics for consumers.

Brought to you by

Start watching now at AGCanada.com/TCCA Or scan the code with your phone to watch.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

health

appeared sick were given 10 cc each of lasix (diuretic), dexamethasone (anti-inflammatory) and selenium/vitamin E, followed by a second treatment of lasix and dexamethasone a few days later. Gray says the treatment seemed to help as noticeably sick animals that were treated were less likely to die than those that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show signs and, therefore, went untreated. A team from UCVM visited the ranch 12 days after the first deaths. Four heifers with clinical signs were examined and blood samples drawn to test for Troponin I, an enzyme that indicates acute heart damage in humans. Thanks to the close relationship between the veterinary school and medical college, Gray had picked up on the use of Troponin I that

the UCVM faculty now uses for monitoring horses at the Calgary Stampede and asked if the test would be appropriate for this case. Another post-mortem performed during that visit confirmed the pathology was consistent with a toxicological insult to the heart. On June 5, blood samples were drawn from six animals that showed no clinical symptoms and samples of the liquid feed supplement were collected to test monensin level. Lab reports indicated the four animals showing clinical signs did have elevated Troponin I levels, whereas those without clinical signs had only trace amounts of Troponin I in the blood. This finding, alongside the examinations of heart tissues, confirmed that the animals had died of heart failure.

Other test results for selenium/vitamin E in the blood, copper sulphate in the water, and the rumen contents were all normal. The toxicology report, however, showed monensin levels up to 2,200 ppm, 4.5 times what it should have been. The premix label indicated monensin should be fed in complete feeds at 22 ppm on a dry-matter basis. Animals continued to die each day despite everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best efforts, even though the feed supplement had been discontinued on May 6. The last bull died on May 27. One or two heifers continued to die each day until May 30. In all, 66 animals (11 per cent of those originally in the pens) died during this threeweek nightmare. c

 nutritio n

By Heather Smith Thomas

Satisfy the Protein Needs of Pregnant Cows

ows require different nutritional levels at different stages of gestation. Nutrient requirements in early gestation are not much different from maintenance requirements, but as the fetus grows larger the cow’s nutrient needs increase. And if a cow is lactating, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than when she is pregnant. Protein requirements for pregnant cows increase during later stages of gestation, and are even higher for young cows. If you are keeping the young cows (the ones that will be first and second calvers) separate from the main herd, they can be supplemented with protein, if needed, without having to supplement the whole herd. The mature cows can be roughed through winter and early spring a lot easier than younger cows, because they are not trying to grow. Ruminant researcher Dr. Tim McAllister at the Lethbridge Research Centre says protein requirements are fairly low in the fall for

spring-calving cows, around eight per cent. “They can live on fairly poor forage at that time, and fall pastures are generally adequate until they get further along in pregnancy. Then it’s just a matter of supplementing with better-quality hay. The level of protein never has to be higher than about 12 per cent, which they would need right before calving. High-quality grass hay, or a grass/ alfalfa mixed hay would be ideal for cows in late-stage gestation. Cows are very efficient in their utilization of nitrogen,” he says. “If the fall pasture forage is low on protein you can extend the use of their pasture with a protein supplement. If pasture quality is fair, you can extend their grazing just as much by using an energy supplement (like a pellet) since liquid protein supplements are pretty expensive. You can supplement with an energy pellet at the rate of a couple of pounds per head per day. This can be more economical and encourage them to keep using the dry pasture,” he says.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

“ We’ve looked at some alternatives here and found we could feed the grasser cattle protein supplement on alternate days and we didn’t have to take it to them every day. We were able to reduce labour costs by 20 per cent.” Bart Lardner , WBDC

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

nutrition

“The thing you have to watch out for in this situation is the boss cows eating more than their share. You could end up with some fat cows and some thin ones. One way to deal with this is to break the herd up into smaller groups, putting the younger cows separate from the older cows,” says McAllister. “Protein levels in most forages are generally adequate for dry cows in early to midgestation unless it’s very poor-quality pasture like barley straw — where the protein level might be only five per cent or so. Otherwise you won’t encounter deficiency,” he says. They do need an adequate level of protein to “feed” the microbes in the rumen that break down forages into usable nutrients and get the energy benefit from dry feeds like mature grass or even straw. “This is where the nitrogen has an important effect, and why you must have enough, because it is used for microbial activity,” he explains. Come winter, Dr. Bart Lardner at the Western Beef Development Center and adjunct professor in the department of animal and poultry science, University of Saskatchewan, says producers are always looking for ways to bring protein to the animal as cheaply as possible. “Feeding a legume hay would be ideal, at so many pounds per head per day to meet protein needs at that stage of their pregnancy or lactation.” But if good legume hay isn’t available barley, oats, wheat can fill the gap, depending on whether they are cost effective. Another option in the past 10 to 15 years has been the byproducts of the ethanol industry, depending on the plant’s location. “Location is everything,” says Lardner. “If trucking fees aren’t limiting your ability to bring that product to your operation, the protein content of that byproduct is typically three times what the original wheat or corn commodity was. “These byproducts come in different forms, however. It may be marbled or flaked and might be hard to feed to cows, especially out on pasture. You need to know the form or structure of that protein supplement coming as dried distillers grain (DDG) plus solubles. “There are other protein sources such as hull products (pea hulls or oat hulls). They may not be as high in protein and may be higher in fibre, but will certainly add to the protein in the diet to meet cows’ requirements. They may not be as good as alfalfa hay, cereal grains or DDG but are some possibilities to look at,” says Lardner. After you’ve located a protein source, the next question is how to get it to the cows. It may be a portable feed bunk or just putting it on the snow or ground. “We’ve looked at www.canadiancattlemen.ca

some alternatives here, and found we could feed the grasser cattle protein supplement on alternate days and didn’t have to take it to them every day. We were able to reduce labour costs 20 per cent.” Other studies have shown that alfalfa hay can also be fed every other day, during the winter. “Some people are trying to build a winter ration for this coming season and we know that hay prices are a little higher because of

the drought in various parts of the country. The first step is to do a feed test on all the available feed sources, whether it’s straw or poor-quality hay, or whatever is in your feed yard, as a starting point. Then look at the cows’ requirements in terms of when they are going to calve. Then you can build an adequate supplementation program throughout the winter,” he says. c Continued on page 44

Take the weather with you Get the Weatherfarm Mobile app Weather from hundreds of stations available on your smartphone!

The new Weatherfarm Mobile app gives you instant access to an extensive, live-updating network with current and forecasted weather data for your farm or surrounding area. App features include: Current conditions Hourly, 6 hour and 10 day forecast data  Radar & satellite data  Weather news & facts

Weather alerts Market and ag news  Intuitive interface with large, easy-to-read text  More to Come



For more information please contact us at: support@weatherfarm.com

Sponsored by

Get weather on your desktop at weatherfarm.com C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

n ut r i t i o n

Continued from page 43

 ot h e r o p t i o n s

Protein sources

Canadian Agri-Blend Inc. AGRI-BLOK

YOUR ONE STOP BLOCK AND MILK REPLACER SUPPLIER

CATTLE BLOCKS (Protein) AGRI-BLOK™ 20% All Natural Protein AGRI-BLOK™ 25% Protein (15% NPN) AGRI-BLOK™ 32% Protein (12% NPN) MINERAL BLOCKS (No Protein) 10:10 Mineral 10:10 2500 E, 14:7 1000 MG/KG Iodine 15:7 Mineral LOW MOISTURE SALT FREE AGRI-BLOK™ 12%-20% All Natural Protein AGRI-BLOK™ 30%-40% Protein (10% NPN) NOTE: AGRI-BLOK™ PRODUCTS DO NOT CONTAIN ANY ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS

MILK REPLACER High quality milk replacer powder for all domesticated livestock. Manufactured with all high grade raw materials.

TUBS NOW AVAILABLE IN 3 SIZES

“The Horse Supplement of Choice”

PROTEIN & MINERAL BLOCKS FOR HORSES

Alberta beef and forage specialist Barry Yaremcio says distillers grains and byproduct feeds such as canola meal or soybean meal, provide anywhere from 36 to 48 per cent protein. “Distillers grains can be a less expensive way to supplement. The thing to watch for with distillers grains is the high phosphorus content — about three times higher than what you find in regular grain like wheat, barley, oats, etc. Thus the calciumphosphorus ratio will be affected, and additional calcium may be needed. You need to watch the calcium and magnesium levels in the ration,” he explains. Another protein source is feed peas. Peas contain 24 per cent protein and are an excellent source of energy, about the same as barley. Feed-grade urea is another option. For cows to use urea efficiently, three or four pounds of grain should be fed per head daily. “Cows need the soluble carbohydrates in order to use the urea,” says Yaremcio. “If you are using urea in a ration, no more than 25 per cent of the total protein should come from urea. The reason is that when we look at plant protein, there is always a certain amount of sulphur tied in with the proteins in forages and cereal grains. The nitrogen-sulphur ratio is important. If you have too much urea in the diet, it is possible to have insufficient amounts of sulphur. Then the rumen bacteria cannot rebuild the amino acids. Reduced levels of amino acids available to the animal limit the amount of tissue growth or milk protein production,” he says. “Protein lick tubs are sometimes used, to improve the amount of protein in the diet when cattle are grazing late-season dormant forages. The caution is that it can be very expensive. Determine consumption rate per head per day and what it is costing.” The disadvantage to free-choice consumption is that there is no control over intakes. Meeting nutrient requirements, especially protein, is essential to maintain an efficient and productive herd. Feed testing is crucial. “When you get the results, you can use a ration-balancing program such as CowBytes (available from Alberta Agriculture and Forestry) to avoid unwanted problems and unnecessary costs. If a producer has questions regarding proper supplementation and balancing the diet for pregnant or lactating cows, talk with a feed mill nutritionist, government extension person or private consultant who can give advice on how to adjust the feeding program when using unusual or multiple feed sources.”

For more information or for a dealer near you call: 1-800-340-2311 PROUDLY CANADIAN

www.canadianagriblend.com

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Respect required for feed ingredients Why paying attention is important

One problem with one cattle operation. That’s all it could take for a feed ingredient error to become an industry issue. Not surprisingly, given their significance in the production chain, feedlots have been leaders in information development and managing feed issues. As cattle move from ranches and farms into feedlots, the industry is tested on its ability to manage feed ingredients properly. Feedlots are front and centre. One of the most important Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with the Verified Beef Production (VBP) Program is “Feed and water: Medicated and non-ruminant feed.” It covers standards for receiving and storing medications, mixing in feed or water and ways to avoid cross-contamination. It also includes information on what to do if something goes wrong. The SOP for feed ingredient management in the VBP Program backs the feedlot industry in a number of key ways. Support for individual programs. Canada’s feedlot industry is among the most developed and sophisticated in the world. Many have record-keeping and stafftraining programs specific to their operation. VBP provides an important industry backup support for individual programs. Averting regulatory overload. One of the simple principles the beef industry has operated by is to be proactive in meeting customer needs. Operating at a high level voluntarily helps prevent regulatory programs being forced on the production level of the cattle industry.

VBP is designed to support existing feed management practices at the farm or feedlot.

Complementing packer affidavits. VBP standards fit hand in glove with the food industry chain requirements. For example, complementing affidavits required by packers. VBP provides supporting evidence that label requirements or veterinary prescriptions are followed. Training employees. Some feedlots use VBP as a basis to train new employees. This training is particularly important in feedlots during the busy fall run when new employees join the team, or people are tackling new positions. Cross-reference check. The standards in VBP are a simple double-check to confirm correct procedures have been followed, and early detection for possible errors. Furthering understanding. The SOP for medicated feed and water ingredients helps all those involved to have a common under-

standing of the effect these standards have downstream in the marketplace. When something goes wrong. Outcomes outlined by VBP are an important support for individual producers and their industry if something does go wrong. Get market ready

Beef producers know each issue that affects customer confidence is a lesson from the marketplace. The secret is simple: Be prepared. Those who feed medicated ingredients can check the VBP website www.verifiedbeef.org under the Producer Manual for SOP 2, to ensure they are current in their knowledge of feed ingredient management. Better yet, they can participate in VBP and become registered under the program. That means third-party proof they are doing the right things before someone comes asking.

DEVELOPED BY PRODUCERS. DEVELOPED FOR CONSUMERS

CANADA’S FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE AGAINST BRD:

NO B.S.

A sick calf costs time and money, so when it comes to preventing BRD, serious cattlemen don’t play around. They go with the proven leader — Pyramid® FP 5 + Presponse® SQ1. Over 10 million doses2 of this winning combination have been administered for one simple reason: It works. One easy shot protects your calves against 5 viruses and 1 bacteria associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD). And that’s no B.S. For more information, talk to your veterinarian or Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. representative. Aids in the prevention of disease caused by bovine rhinotracheitis virus, bovine virus diarrhea (Types I and II), bovine parainfluenza 3 and bovine respiratory syncytial virus, and aids in the reduction of severity of pneumonic pasteurellosis caused by Mannheimia haemolytica. 2 Impact Vet data 2004–2014.Pyramid and Presponse are registered trademarks of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. © 2015 Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.

 meat

By Debbie Furber

Carcass quality is in the eye of the buyer

here’s no question that feed can be used to manipulate carcass composition and quality. The ultimate question is what market you want to target. “The definition of quality can change dramatically depending on the buyer,” says Dr. Heather Bruce, associate professor, carcass meat science, University of Alberta. There are buyers in the market for all types of beef carcasses, from the leanest and largest to a highly marbled product. Knowing your market will help increase your return on investment by minimizing inputs to match the required output. “Canada’s beef grades for quality and yield are how we define and communicate quality to buyers at home and especially to our export partners. Grading gives us a classification system and many buyers have given values to each classification,” she says. To qualify to be graded in Canada, a carcass must be from a youthful animal and have at least two millimetres of back fat (subcutaneous fat) and the fat must be firm and white or amber in colour. Only the carcasses with sufficient marbling (intramuscular fat) to make the quality grades of Canada prime, AAA, AA, or A are graded for yield. Marbling is a historical measurement in Canada’s grading system because tenderness tends to increase as the amount of fat within the muscle increases. Yield grade is a prediction of the percentage of the carcass that is lean or red meat. It’s based on an equation that uses actual measurements of rib-eye length and width to score the muscle as well as grade fat thickness at a certain point on the outer edge of the rib-eye. Some buyers may simply judge carcass quality on salable yield or dressing percentage. It’s the hot carcass weight divided by the live weight multiplied by 100. Stability is an important quality factor that nobody pays for, yet everyone expects, she says. Shelf life is limited by discolouration and the loss of true beef flavour and is influenced a great deal by a tiny portion of muscle tissue called phospholipids. “Phospholipids make up the muscle cell membranes, so are only about 1.5 to 2.0

Dr. Heather Bruce

per cent of the muscle, but they have a dramatic effect on quality and flavour,” Bruce explains. “Any taste that comes through from feed can be found in the fat of the animal, but any routine changes in flavour will be found in the unsaturated fat of the phospholipids.” Energy-protein balance

Energy and protein are the basic pieces in building a carcass because the balance between the two influences fat and lean deposition in the muscle. Bruce refers to a 1985 Trenkle study that laid the groundwork showing the effect of ration type on body composition. Four diets were tested: low energy/low protein, low energy/high protein, high energy/low protein, and high energy/high protein. The low-energy diets provided 2.2 Mcal per kilogram of feed and the high-energy diets provided 2.8 Mcal/kg. Metabolizable protein was 5.0 per cent in the low-protein diets and 6.3 per cent in the high-protein diets. The low-energy/low-protein ration resulted in nearly equal percentages of body fat and body lean.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

The low-energy/high-protein ration produced a slight increase in lean with a notable decline in fat. When the energy level was increased at the low-protein level, lean declined slightly relative to a notable increase in fat. The high-energy/high-protein diet didn’t equalize body fat and lean as was the case with the low-energy/low-protein diet. Instead, body lean and fat were very similar to the results from the high-energy/lowprotein ration. “What the study doesn’t show is growth,” Bruce adds. “We would expect average daily gain to be very different with the low-energy/ low-protein animals gaining much less than the high-energy/high-protein diet.” Timing the balance of protein and energy can sway carcass quality toward your target. She suggests feeding low-protein/highfat (energy) feeds, such as dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS), early in the growing phase (140 to 250 days of age) because research shows that the increase in fat deposition will persist, especially with Continued on page 48

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Cattleman ad sep 15.qxp_Layout 1 10/2/15 10:56 AM Page 1

Davidson Gelbvieh & Lonesome Dove Ranch

Vernon & Eileen Davidson 306-625-3755 davidsongelbvieh@sasktel.net www.davidsongelbvieh.com Ross & Tara Davidson & Family 306-625-3513 lonesomedoveranch@sasktel.net www.davidsonlonesomedoveranch.com

Overby Stock Farm

Neil Overby 204-447-5552 St. Rose Du Lac, MB neil.overby@gov.mb.ca

Fir River Livestock

Dave Hrebeniuk - 306-865-6603 Darcy, Renee, Colt & Kenzie Hrebeniuk - 306-865-7859 Hudson Bay, SK firriver@xplornet.com www.gelbviehworld.com

CANADIAN GELBVIEH ASSOCIATION

Keriness Cattle Company Ltd. Kert Ness - 403-860-4634 kertness@shaw.ca Joe Ness - 403-852-7332 Airdrie, AB jonus@telus.blackberry.net

Carlson Gelbvieh Farms

Lon Carlson & Lorraine Beaudin 403-894-3413 Magrath, AB rstar91@yahoo.ca www.carlsoncattlecompany.com

5160 Skyline Way NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 6V1 Ph: 403.250.8640 â&#x20AC;˘ Fax: 403.291.5624 Email: gelbvieh@gelbvieh.ca

Twin Bridge Farms Ltd.

Ron, Carol, Ross, Gail, Owen & Aaron Birch Ron & Carol 403-792-2123 Aaron 403-485-5518 Lomond, AB aaron@tbfarms.ca www.tbfarms.ca

Royal Western Gelbvieh Rodney & Tanya Hollman 403-754-5499 Rodney 403-588-8620 Red Deer County, AB rodscattle@platinum.ca

www.gelbvieh.ca

m eat

Continued from page 46

marbling score and quality grade, which are so important for increasing value. “Another practice that’s underutilized is the advantage compensatory growth gives to increasing carcass fatness with less feed,” Bruce says. “When feed energy is restricted for a short time, for example by putting animals on pasture, and then they go onto a grain-based diet, you can get incredible increase in the amount of subcutaneous fat and marbling because the muscle itself has become so efficient. It hasn’t had a lot of energy and has adapted to a low-energy supply, so once the animal is on a high-energy diet, the body stores extra energy as fat. This way you can take advantage of the increased efficiency of the animal in terms of depositing fat.” Keeping animals longer is another way to increase marbling and subcutaneous fat, although there is a point, usually noticeable after 18 months of age, when the longer you keep them the tougher they get. A costeffective way of putting this tip into practice would be to maintain calves on a low-energy/

low-protein diet early on and then finish them on a high-energy ration, factoring in transition diets so that the animals don’t become ill from a sudden change in diet type. Ultrasound is a well-established method of measuring fat cover and rib-eye area in live animals that can be used to sort animals into specific groups on arrival at a feedlot. Animals that have plenty of fat cover could be segregated into a program with lower energy in the diet to still get growth but save on feed costs. The ideal scenario would be to follow up with ultrasound to find out whether the program is working. Bruce believes sorting and feeding according to weight or average daily gain is theoretically possible in the beef industry if producers know the breed type and the breed’s growth curve. This is something the chicken and pig industries have done so well because the genetics within each of those industries are so homogenous. When animals come off the high-growth phase is when they will start to put on fat, so that’s when energy in the diet can be reduced. “Beef isn’t to this point yet because of the diversity in genetics, which is a good

thing, but a breed association might find a marketing advantage if it wanted to move in that direction,” she adds. Feed choices

“By and large, grain-based diets are heavily supported in the cattle industry and for good reason. They improve quality of the product, improve taste and add to production efficiency,” Bruce says. “Clearly, and many studies show this, cattle fed grain will gain weight faster and accrue fat much quicker than cattle fed forage only, so this has become the way of getting cattle in and out of feedlots quickly and efficiently.” Feeding grain improves quality grade, increases hot carcass weight, and increases dressing percentage by reducing internal organ proportions relative to cattle on highfibre rations. Grain finishing also has a positive effect on stabilizing the product to improve shelf life by reducing polyunsaturated fats that contribute to oxidization (going rancid) while maintaining or increasing monounsaturated fatty acid levels. Much of the new research on feed grains

Looking for some ag inspiration? Watch the AgCanada TV video series online now. Gain a new perspective on your farm, your family and your future with this informative video series from Farm Credit Canada.

INFORMATIVE:

INSPIRATIONAL:

Watch reviews of the latest ag products. From vehicles, equipment and services to emerging ag technologies.

Listen to such noted speakers as Rick Hanson and many others discuss the challenges and rewards of farm living.

Current AGCanadaTV topics include: 

Know Your Options: Take the Risk Out of Grain Marketing

Tyler Russell, Cargill National Grain Marketing Solutions Manager shares how farmers can mitigate grain marketing risks and go from price takers to price makers.

Trade in the Canadian Agri-food Industry



Hear about the resiliency of Canada’s agri-food industry and its importance in the Canadian economy from FCC Chief Agricultural Economist J.P. Gervais.

AGCanadaTV is sponsored by

Grainews looks at Ford’s all-new, aluminum-bodied F-150



Grainews field editor Lisa Guenther talks with Trevor Boquist about the features on Ford’s 2015 F Series truck.

Start watching: www.agcanada.com/video

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

meat

has been on DDGS as this co-product of ethanol production became more widely available with expansion of the ethanol industry. The starch is removed by the fermentation process, leaving a high-protein product that is also high in fibre and fats if the fats haven’t been removed at the plant for other markets. Inclusion of wheat DDGS doesn’t affect carcass traits. The caution from research is that liver abscess scores tend to increase as the barley-silage portion of the ration is reduced. Triticale DDGS tend to increase back fat thickness, decrease dressing percentage, and decrease rib-eye area and yield. Corn wet distillers grain with solubles have no effect on carcass weight, dressing percentage, subcutaneous fat thickness, or yield grade, but do increase marbling and total fat content. Trained taste-test panels have detected an increase in sweetness and “liver taste” of the beef. One concern with high protein levels is that energy for growth might be diverted to excreting excess protein, thereby reducing dressing percentage. A recent study showed that this was true for DDGS at the very high

inclusion rate of 60 per cent of the ration, providing 22 per cent protein during the growing stage. However, the lower rate of 30 per cent (16 per cent protein) didn’t affect final dressing percentage. This study involved early-weaned (134 days) calves

“ The definition of quality can change dramatically depending on the buyer.” fed a ration of corn grain, corn silage with DDGS at the differing inclusion rates for 99 days and then switched to a corn grain-corn silage ration. Studies have shown that cattle on pasture or forage-based rations have higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) as total fatty acids, although total fat is less

than that of cattle on grain-based diets. CLA is a natural trans fat in beef that is thought to have anti-diabetic, anti-carcinogenic and anti-obesity factors. “Essentially what happens is that there is so much precursor to the CLA family that the rumen is overwhelmed and the CLA is directly absorbed and deposited into the phospholipids of the muscle,” Bruce explains.“Grains tend to dilute the advantage and with time on feed we see the polyunsaturates and CLA start to decline. That said, if timed right and you test grains to figure out how much could be fed, you could reap the benefit of the grains and also of the previous pasture feeding. There has been very little research on trying to find the balance because of extremes one way or the other.” In summary, know your market, know the protein and energy levels of your feeds, feed diets with higher energy to increase back fat and marbling, and consider compensatory growth to increase feed efficiency, marbling and back fat at finish. For more information, visit www.feedcoalition.com, or Bruce can be reached at 780-492-9871. c

NOVEMBER 23-28, 2015

RODEO

LIVESTOCK

Visit www.agribition.com for the full schedule of events! www.canadiancattlemen.ca

MUSIC C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 researc h

By Elnaz Azad

Rumen Microbes and Bloat

loat is marked by impairment in the ability of cattle to expel gas from the rumen, a process known as eructation. Gases including carbon dioxide and methane are produced during normal fermentation and their accumulation in the rumen causes severe distention of the first two compartments of a cow’s stomach, compressing the lungs and heart and causing respiratory failure. There are two kinds of bloat in cattle: free gas and frothy. Free gas bloat is most often associated with a nerve disorder of the esophageal reflex that allows gas to escape. Cattle that are known as chronic bloaters often suffer from free gas bloat. Frothy bloat can occur after ingestion of high-concentrate diets or high-protein forages such as alfalfa. Soluble proteins and small particles are rapidly digested by rumen bacteria producing carbohydrate slime that leads to the formation of stable foam that blocks gas from escaping. Consumption of alfalfa in the vegetative state is a primary cause of frothy bloat on pasture. However, not all legumes cause frothy bloat and some such as sainfoin, birdsfoot trefoil, cicer milkvetch, and lespedeza are completely bloat safe. Bloat-causing forages such as alfalfa and clovers contain high concentrations of soluble proteins, which upon release and in combination with the produced bacterial carbohydrates increase the viscosity of the rumen fluid leading to pasture bloat. Bloat-causing forages also possess glycosides (i.e. saponins), which can promote foam formation and play a secondary role in development of pasture bloat. Grazing alfalfa has the potential to double the productivity of mixed grass-legume systems. However, the fear of bloat has limited its use in grazing systems, a barrier that is estimated to cost Canadian cattle producers $30 million to $50 million per year in lost pasture productivity. Several strategies have been used to control frothy bloat, including the development of a bloat-reducing alfalfa, AC Grazeland, and the use of alcohol ethoxylate/pluronic detergents, the components in the bloat preventive, Alfasure. Incorporating bloat-safe legumes that

“ Certain groups of bacteria seem to become more abundant in the rumen of bloated cattle.” Elnaz Azad researcher, University of Manitoba

contain condensed tannins such as sainfoin is another approach to prevent bloat in mixed legume pastures that contain alfalfa. Tannins help prevent the formation of the stable foam required for bloat. Although it is clear microbial populations are the driver of frothy bloat, few studies have investigated the exact role they play. Even less is known about how rumen microbe populations are altered when bloat is prevented using bloat-safe legumes or detergent additives. It is known that forage digestion in the rumen is accomplished by a complex community of bacteria, the majority (above 90 per cent) of which has not been cultured in the laboratory. Our current understanding of the role of rumen micro-organisms in the etiology of bloat is limited to previous studies which have utilized traditional techniques to explore the role of protozoa in general and a few of the bacterial species that can be cultured in the laboratory. Therefore, it is not surprising the role of the unculturable rumen bacteria in causing bloat is largely unknown.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Recent advancements in the field of molecular microbiology have enabled us to study these unculturable bacteria through the use of DNA fingerprints to sequence a specific portion of the microbe DNA that allows us to identify them even when they cannot be grown in a laboratory. A new collaborative study between University of Manitoba and Lethbridge Research Center is utilizing these techniques to provide new insight into the unexplored microbial mechanisms that underlie the cause of alfalfa-induced bloat. I am working with Ehsan Khafipour of the University of Manitoba and Tim McAllister, Robert Forester, and Surya Acharya at the Lethbridge Research Station to investigate the changes in rumen microbial communities of cattle after grazing alfalfa pasture. Samples from both bloated and non-bloated animals were collected to determine the microbial communities that are more susceptible or resistant to bloat. The impact of the two dietary interventions, alfalfa-sainfoin mixtures and Alfasure in the drinking water, were also explored. Our primary results show differences in the types of bacteria present in the rumen of bloated and non-bloated cattle. Certain groups of bacteria seem to become more abundant in the rumen of bloated cattle, and defining the role of these species in the rumen may provide insight into the cause of bloat. Profiling the rumen prior to turning cattle out on alfalfa pasture through the collection of rumen sampled by using a stomach tube may provide a means of predicting the likelihood that they will bloat. Our team is also planning to compare the bacterial profile in the rumen to the bacterial profile in the feces. If we can find changes in the bacterial community of feces that correlate with the occurrence of bloat, bacterial profiling of the fecal sample could provide an easier approach to assessing bloat risk. Ultimately, understanding the role of the bacterial community in causing bloat is the key to its prevention. c Elnaz Azad, is a PhD student at the department of animal science, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Paying tribute to the success and innovation of Alberta’s export companies.

Join us to celebrate Alberta’s

2015 EXPORT CHAMPIONS Register today to attend the Alberta Export Awards luncheon on December 3, 2015, at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary, Alberta. With over 400 expected delegates—many of whom hold executive leadership roles—the Alberta Export Awards provide a premier networking opportunity for attendees. Attending this event will allow you and your business to connect with leading and emerging industry decision makers within the Alberta export sector.

PRESENTED BY:

PREMIER SPONSORS:

AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED Exporter of the Year Emerging Exporter Leadership International Business Studies Manufacturing Oil and Gas Service/Supply

Clean Technology Consumer Products Agriculture, Food/Beverage Professional Services Advanced Technology and Innovation

AWARD SPONSORS:

Visit ALBERTAEXPORTAWARDS.COM to find out more about the awards luncheon and purchase your tickets today!

 CCA repo rts

By Dave Solverson

Another push for TPP

he volatility that shook the cattle markets in late September brought an end (at least temporarily) to the record price run that had been sustained for much of the last year. Although the dip in cattle prices reflect typical seasonal price fluctuations, the impact of the falling price in the markets is felt far more keenly now on a per-head basis due to the high price environment we’re in. With uncertainty in China’s economy and a faltering Canadian dollar ensuring such volatility will likely be the norm moving forward, it’s a good time to think about how important it is for producers to use risk management tools. The Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP) is among the tools available for producers in some parts of Canada. The WLPIP is a forward-looking, marketbased, insurance-style program that allows producers to manage price risk. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) continues to advocate for the WLPIP to be made permanent and expanded to be national in scope. The CCA’s first preference is that there be sufficiently funded national agriculture programs that are delivered consistently across all jurisdictions. Programs should minimize the risk of adverse impacts on international and interprovincial trade, minimize distortion of market forces and minimize influence on business decisions. Programs must not disrupt the competitive imbalance between agriculture sectors or regions. Until a single sufficiently funded national program exists, the CCA encourages the federal government to contribute to each jurisdiction’s existing livestock insurance program. Despite a tough early season in parts of Western Canada this year, producers have done an excellent job of ensuring their cattle have had plenty of feed. I’ve been really impressed with the condition of the cattle I’ve seen on my travels throughout the Alberta countryside. Most producers impacted by extreme weather utilized a variety of management practices that enabled them to continue to care for their animals throughout the difficult times. Good management practices and animal care are top priorities for producers at all times. As I write this, I am preparing to travel to Atlanta, Georgia for what’s hoped will be the concluding round of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The ministerial meeting with the 12 TPP countries follows an effort in Hawaii in July where, despite gaining much momentum, the meeting ended without an agreement due to the complexities of the negotiations. Teams of negotiators have met regularly since July. More than 90 per cent of Canadian agriculture and family farms depend on world markets and are benefited by free trade. For Canadian beef producers, the TPP is an opportunity to eliminate the 38.5 per cent tariff on

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Canadian beef in Japan and restore Canada’s competitive position with Australian beef. Australia already implemented an FTA with Japan earlier this year and enjoys a growing tariff advantage that will eventually make it difficult for Canadian beef to remain competitive in Japan. A TPP agreement will ensure Canadian beef producers can improve access to Japan and other growing markets in Asia. With an agreement, Canada could double or triple its annual beef exports to Japan to nearly $300 million. Without a TPP or with a delayed entry, Canada will not keep pace with our competitors and we can say goodbye to the Japanese market. That puts Canada in the unacceptable position of walking away from more than $100 million a year in annual Canadian beef exports to Japan. But that’s what’s at stake if we do not secure the restoration of tariff parity with Australia and other beef competitors. We need TPP to catch up to Australia, which already has a significant tariff advantage (it is at 31.5 per cent on fresh and 28.5 per cent on frozen); and keep pace with the U.S. and New Zealand. Other potential wins for Canadian beef producers in the TPP include achieving elimination of beef tariffs in Vietnam and Malaysia, two countries that have not traditionally been significant beef consumers, but have been identified as potentially important markets in the future as their level of economic development increases. The TPP should also address the exclusion of some beef access from previous agreements with Peru and Chile. Fall meetings provide a great opportunity for producers to learn more about the industry and where it’s headed. The National Beef Strategy for instance has generated a lot of thought-provoking discussion about the future direction of Canada’s beef industry. Producers can learn about the National Beef Strategy in detail at their provincial association fall meetings. The Cattlemen’s Foundation is also about the future — specifically supporting the sustainable advancement and legacy of the Canadian beef industry. The foundation has three main focus areas: to create and/or support education, leadership development and outreach programs to serve youth involved with beef cattle; to facilitate and encourage stewardship practices and conservation activities that preserve and/or enhance the environment, biodiversity and wildlife habitat on working agricultural landscapes; and to support beef industry sustainability through research and awareness. A registered charity, the foundation offers a variety of giving options and can help donors customize a giving approach that takes into account personal interests and tax-planning needs. The foundation works with The Calgary Foundation to manage its investments. For more information see ‘Investment Overview’ at www.calgaryfoundation.org. c

Dave Solverson is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

2016 EDITIONS A Fully Integrated Media Solution - NOW in Print and ONLINE

“Where the serious bull buyers are looking”

Give your bull sale the exposure it needs and its best chance of reaching the 70,000 Beef Cattle Producers in Canada, using the Western Canadian Comprehensive Bull Buyers Guide.

Think of us as a one stop shop featuring new opportunities for additional exposure for your Bull Sale.

UNBEATABLE VALUE –

FEATURES AND BENEFITS IN 2016: • In Print: Larger Full Colour Ads in leading Ag Publications to a Mass Audience of 101,000 across the western Canadian marketplace. • Online: All Bull Buyers Guide advertisers will receive an individual proﬁle webpage online. Your ad will appear along with a company logo & short business description, all contact and social media information, & Google Maps listing. > Search widgets online across the www.agcanada.com, www.canadiancattlemen.ca, and www.farmersproductguide.com network drive potential buyers to your product and to your business.

ADVANTAGES

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

• Massive distribution (103,000) total penetration of the western Canadian marketplace for cattle breeders, in the leading ag publications.

MID JANUANY ISSUES: Deadline: Dec. 14, 2015

• Full color with limited premium positions and double page spreads available. • 8 week shelf life, possibly longer for commercial breeders to reference later on. • Unbeatable value - about 2 cents per contact for a full page ad.

January 11 - Saskatchewan AgDealer January 14 - Manitoba Co-operator January 18 - Alberta Farmer LATE FEBRUARY ISSUES: Deadline: Feb. 1, 2016 February 29 - Alberta Farmer February 22 - Saskatchewan AgDealer February 25 - Manitoba Co-operator

Book an ad in the 2016 Edition of the Bull Buyers Guide and receive up to 50% OFF on any additional ads booked into Canadian Cattlemen – Grainews Cattlemen’s Corner – Alberta Farmer Express – Manitoba Co-operator – Saskatchewan Ag Dealer. (Ask Your Rep for Rates! Available Upon Request)

Rick Dibben

Advertising Sales Cell: 403-393-7493 rick.dibben@fbcpublishing.com

Mike Millar

National Advertising Sales Cell: 306-251-0011 mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com

Tiffiny Taylor

Sales & Special Projects Cell: 204-228-0842 tifﬁny.taylor@fbcpublishing.com

REMINDER Contact your Rep to tell them about your Post Sale Results so we can publish them in Canadian Cattlemen

 researc h o n t h e r eco r d

By Reynold Bergen

Blame it on the Rain

his summer has seen unusual rainfall patterns, low river levels and drought in large parts of Western Canada and the Western States. Some people blame water shortages on the beef industry and are ready to answer the question, “how much water does beef production use?” Unfortunately, these answers are often wrong, highly misleading and based on, “how big a number will people possibly swallow?” One common water use figure comes from a 2012 paper by Mekkonen and Hoekstra (“A Global Assessment of the Water Footprint of Farm Animal Products,” Ecosystems 15:401-415). These researchers reported that it takes 15,415 litres to produce one kilogram of beef. Few people look beyond that number, but it’s worth understanding the shallow science behind that calculation. They divided water into three categories. “Blue water” is used to water cattle, irrigate pastures, forage or feed crops, process carcasses at packing plants, etc. Blue water can often be used for other human uses like crops, golf courses, or swimming pools. “Grey water” dilutes fertilizer or manure run-off associated with feed or cattle production. “Green water” is rain that falls on pastures, forages and feed crops and doesn’t run off (run-off becomes blue water). Actual rainfall measurements are sparse in remote areas, so green water is usually estimated. Here’s how that calculation works. They estimate how much forage and grain it takes to raise cattle on pasture or in feedlots, based on average feed conversion efficiencies. They adjust average live finished weights to a “per kg beef ” equivalent using dressing percentages and lean meat yields. Then they estimate how much water is needed to grow all the forage and feed needed to produce that beef. They use government statistics to estimate how much of that water comes from irrigation (blue water), and bill the green water (rain) to the cattle. Assigning green water to beef cattle this way is questionable for a few reasons. Rain doesn’t fall because of cattle — it rains whether cattle are there or not. If cattle were removed and the land returned to nature, would beef ’s critics start to blame wildlife for using that same rainwater? Also, not all rainwater is used by plants. Some percolates through the soil to maintain and recharge groundwater reserves. A lot of pasture and rangeland simply isn’t environmentally suited to crop production, either. Including green water in the calculation made the water footprint of beef a lot larger. If you factor out the green water estimate, beef ’s water footprint shrinks by 94 per cent! But a large number like 15,415 l/kg beef allowed Mekkonen and Hoekstra to conclude that

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

“promoting a dietary shift away from a meat-rich diet will be an inevitable component in the environmental policy of governments. In countries where the consumption of animal products is still quickly rising, one should critically look at how this growing demand should be moderated.” It’s fun to poke holes in numbers from anti-beef crusaders, but we also need current, accurate numbers to present as an alternative. Dr. Tim McAllister of AAFC Lethbridge is leading a Beef Science Cluster project that is comparing the water footprint of Canadian beef in 1981 and 2011. A related study led by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is developing a framework to periodically assess the environmental footprint (including water) of Canada’s beef production on an ongoing basis. These projects are using internationally accepted methodologies to determine whether reduced days to slaughter, improved feed efficiency, improvements in irrigation systems and packing plant water use have contributed to a smaller water footprint for Canada’s beef industry. Many non-agriculture people may not think about the fact that cars and refrigerators aren’t the only things that have become more efficient over the years. Cattle are nearly twice as efficient as they were 60 years ago, and reach slaughter weight in half the time. When cattle convert feed more efficiently and go to slaughter sooner, they also spend fewer days drinking water. Modern irrigation systems are more than twice as efficient as they used to be. In the 1960s, only one-third of irrigation water actually reached the roots. Old pivots shot water high into the air, and much of that water evaporated before it reached the ground. Using today’s new low-pressure pivots, over three-quarters of irrigation water reaches the roots. Replacing open canals with buried irrigation pipelines have significantly reduced evaporative water losses in some irrigated areas. A better understanding of the role healthy forages and soils play in the water cycle is critical if we want to really know how the beef industry impacts ecosystems. Using blue water efficiently and managing fertilizer and waste appropriately to minimize grey water will become increasingly important for all of society. The Beef Research Cluster is funded by the National Checkoff and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada with additional contributions from provincial beef industry groups and governments to advance research and technology transfer supporting the Canadian beef industry’s vision to be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy, high-quality beef, cattle and genetics. c Dr. Reynold Bergen is the science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 prime cuts

By Steve Kay

Massive market meltdown

n my 42 years as a journalist, I’ve witnessed natural disasters and the burning of thousands of animal carcasses after FMD outbreaks in the U.K. All were traumatic to watch. Market collapses don’t equate with them but the massive market meltdown in the U.S. in August and September has been a brutal experience for the industry. Prices have collapsed as much as they did after the U.S.’s first BSE case in December 2003. Cash live cattle prices (basis a five-area steer) fell $22.52 per cwt from the first week of August to September 25. The Choice boxed beef cut-out fell $32 per cwt from August 26 to Sept 25. Cattle prices are lower than they were at the end of 2013. The Choice is at its lowest daily level since February last year. The collapse was all the more shocking because it contradicted forecasts. Even the most negative forecast put a live cattle low above $140. Yet prices averaged only $128.61 live or $202.44 dressed the week ended September 25. Cut-out values had been expected to decline sharply. But most forecasts were for the Choice to hold at $230. Now there’s speculation whether cattle prices will hold at $125 and whether the Choice cut-out will hold at $205-$207. The collapse was especially confounding because September cattle prices are normally higher than those in August. August prices averaged $148.45 per cwt (based on a simple four-week average). But they averaged only $136.12 the first four weeks of September. Yet the meltdown might not be over. Cattle prices sank because of record heavy steer and extremely heavy heifer carcasses, and because of weak beef demand. Cattle feeders only began to start getting rid of their heaviest cattle at the end of

August and analysts say a full cleanup might not be completed until late October. Steers the week ended September 12 averaged a new record of 919 pounds and heifers averaged 826 pounds, four pounds off their record. Steer weights might set new records every week into mid-November and there’s talk of them topping at 935 pounds. This is at the crux of the price collapse. Carcasses are not only bigger, they are carrying far more back fat than a year ago. A significant number are being graded as Yield Grade 4s or 5s and are receiving significant price discounts. Some packers say they cannot handle the largest cattle because they drag on the slaughter floor. Cattle feeders are paying a heavy price for two actions. They bought feeder cattle replacements last fall at record-high prices because they felt feeder cattle supplies would get much tighter. They felt they had better buy cattle at any price rather than have empty pens. This came back to haunt them in February as losses exceeded $200 per head. Then they began to feed cattle longer and longer, to avoid having to replace them, to keep their pens full and because it was economical to do so. Some analysts by July warned this could create a backlog. But as cash live cattle prices rallied to $151 per cwt at the start of August, most cattle feeders shrugged off the warning and kept holding cattle back. A year ago, cattle feeders were enjoying excellent margins and amassing their largest equity positions for some years. They’ve now exhausted that equity, after losing as much as $350 per head in September, the largest-ever loss for the month. The margin deterioration has reinforced two old adages, that the money always runs out before the cattle, and that the first loss is the least loss. c

Re a l I n d u s t r i e s L t d . www.realindustries.com Authorized Dealer

Real Products, Real Quality, Real Prices...Get REAL!

Panels ~ Feeders Bunks ~ Gates Stationary Handling Systems ~ Scales Maternity Stations

3 year warranty

Ask about Leasing

American made with 24/7 help desk www.canadiancattlemen.ca

working for farmers since 1974

A North American view of the meat industry. Steve Kay is publisher and editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly.

w w w . r e a li n d u s tr i e s . c o m R a thw e ll 8 8 8 -8 4 8 -6 1 9 6 Ma n n v i lle 7 8 0 -7 6 3 -2 4 0 0 B owden 4 0 3 -5 0 7 -1 1 5 6 Aerodynamic design for easy pulling

3 year warranty

Call for complete line of Livestock Handling Equipment Steel Sales or Custom Machine work

Proudly Canadian

# 1 Hitch in America

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 TH E IN DUST RY

NewsRoundup Sustainability Let the verifying begin

McDonald’s chose Canada for its verified sustainable beef (VSB) pilot not only because it remains committed to serving 100 per cent Canadian beef from Canadian processors in its Canadian restaurants and wants to purchase a portion of its Canadian beef supply from VSB sources in 2016. The real reason the company chose Canada is because it already has an array of resources and programs in place to facilitate measuring, monitoring and communicating the multi-faceted elements of sustainable beef production. McDonald’s has been at the forefront of the sustainability effort since 2009 as a founding member of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). It drew on all of those global and Canadian resources to develop a list of indicators of what constitutes “sustainable” beef at the cow-calf, feedlot and processor levels. The finalized versions of the cow-calf and fed cattle indicators that verifiers will follow for the VSB pilot were released in time for the CRSB annual general meeting at the end of September. By all reports, they were well received, says Matt Sutton-Vermeulen, senior partner with the Prasino Group that is co-ordinating the pilot for McDonald’s in collaboration with Matt Sutton-Vermeulen a broad base of Canadian industry stakeholders. The project management team has also been hearing very positive responses from the 37 producers who have gone through pre-verification to test and refine the indicators while in development. Twenty-two producers are cued up and ready to go through the official verification, he says. He would, however, definitely welcome more producer participation. Getting started is as easy as giving him a call (515371-7914), emailing info@mcdvsb.com, or contacting him through the VSB pilot website (www.vsbpilot.ca), where you will find lots of background and detail about

the pilot program, including the indicators and resource materials. Calling for information or to enrol doesn’t obligate participation. Participation is open to Canadian cowcalf producers with calves born on or after January 1, 2013, and/or backgrounders that supply cattle to Canadian feedlots, and Canadian feedlots that deliver to the Cargill High River and JBS Brooks plants any time during 2015 and before March 2016. Participants need to be trained or registered with Canada’s Verified Beef Production program, and registered or willing to register and share information through the Beef Information Exchange System (BIXS), which also serves to verify custody through the value chain. You must also be willing to follow through with an on-site verification. Those who sign up will have the support of a team to help them prepare for the verification carried out by an independent third-party company, Where Food Comes

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

From. The verifiers are experienced in beef production and knowledgeable about the Canadian beef industry and regional differences. Verification consists of a constructive two-way conversation during which each indicator is scored through discussion, observations, records, documents and images. Where Food Comes From provides a report to participants and an opportunity to discuss the report. Speaking at the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association conference earlier this summer, Sutton-Vermeulen, stressed this is a verification, not an audit. The purpose is to verify sustainable outcomes, with a focus on learning, continuous improvement and sharing information. Scoring is by levels rather than the pass-fail grades typical of audits, wherein the focus is on compliance with specific standards and practices. A video of his presentation is available at www.skstockgrowers.com. McDonald’s is paying for up to 300

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUNDUP

verifications through the pilot. This is an opportunity for participants to get a professional perspective on their operation, a confidential report to benchmark their performance against that of peers, and have a venue to share their sustainability story through McDonald’s communication network. Moreover, producers’ leadership and performance will showcase the strength and sustainability of the Canadian beef industry in domestic and international markets. At the end of the pilot in April 2016, McDonald’s will provide a report on the pilot at a workshop where participants and others from the broader agriculture and food sectors will have an opportunity to share information, experiences, insights, likes, dislikes, lessons learned and suggestions. The information will be turned over to the CRSB to move forward with the goal of arriving at one process to define and verify sustainable beef production in Canada that can be used by all. McDonald’s will then compete with other restaurant operations on how well it meets the indicators laid out by the CRSB.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca Untitled-1 1

VSB pilot indicators and scoring

The indicators are outcome based looking for results as opposed to dictating certain practices to achieve compliance. Outcome-based indicators state the goals and leave it up to producers to decide how to meet them in ways best suited to their own situations. The VSB pilot indicators are grouped according to five GRSB principles formalized last year: natural resources; community and people; animal health and welfare; food; and efficiency and innovation. There are 31 sustainability indicators for cow-calf/extensive operations, 14 of which are designated as critical. Critical indicators are those with outcomes deemed critical to maintaining and enhancing the social licence of the Canadian beef industry. Three of the five natural-resources indicators are designated as critical: water quality, sediment, nutrient run-off, ground water and waterway health are responsibly managed; protects grasslands, tame pastures and native ecosystems including highconservation-value areas (e.g. endangered species habitat); well-managed native

habitat provides for wildlife and plant biodiversity. Two of the seven community-and-people indicators are critical: ensure safe and healthy work environment; follow applic able labour laws and regulations. The beef industry’s beef cattle code of practice formed the foundation of the 11 animal health and welfare indicators, six of which are critical: nutritional needs of cattle are met through forage and/or feed supplementation; cattle have at-will access to a palatable, quality water source; demonstrates how animal health is measured and monitored; demonstrates judicious use of pharmaceuticals and/or vaccines in accordance with labelling and/or veterinary prescription; demonstrates use of clear decision points for euthanasia and acceptable methods of euthanasia; cattle in the breeding herd maintain an ideal body condition score based on their stage of production. Both food indicators are critical: demonstrates how food safety and beef quality are assured (prerequisite to be VBP trained or registered); share information up and Continued on page 58

C a t t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2015-09-30 2 6 , 2 0 1 59:1057 AM

News Roundup Continued from page 57

down the value chain (prerequisite to be registered in BIXS 2.0). One of the six efficiency-and-innovation indicators is critical: demonstrate safe and responsible use of crop protection products and fertilizers (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and fertilizer) associated with non-row crops (hay). There are 29 indicators for fed cattle/ intensive operations, with the 11 critical indicators being the same as those for cow-calf operations with a modification to the nutrition indicator stating that the diet composition is balanced to promote good health. The fed-cattle indicators don’t include those pertaining to body condition score, grasslands and native habitat.

Each indicator is scored on its own. A score of one indicates entry level, wherein the participant has awareness of and commitment to address the requirement. A score of three indicates achievement, wherein the participant demonstrates performance toward goals. A score of five indicates excellence, wherein procedures and processes are in place to measure, monitor, verify and report outcomes toward goals and continuous improvement is evident. Score levels two and four are left open for flexibility to address combinations of the above. Ongoing failure to take steps toward fulfilling the requirement is scored as a barrier to entry, but participants have 30 days to follow up by discussing the perceived barrier with the verifier or taking corrective action. To be counted as contributing to McDonald’s purchases of VSB participants need to achieve a score of three or higher for each of the critical indicators

feedlot Directory Ph: (403) 362-5521 Website: www.bowslope.com Lachie McKinnon 362-1825 Manager

KLASSEN AGRIVENTURES LTD.

Fax: (403) 362-5541 E-mail: bowslope@eidnet.org Eric Christensen 403-362-9942 Assistant Manager

Serving Alberta’s Livestock Industry since 1940

Box 488, Linden, AB T0M 1J0 303007 Rge. Rd. 250

Regular Sales: Every Friday @ 9 a.m.

Myron Klassen Tel: 403-546-3170

SPEcial SalES

myron@klassenagriventures.ca

“CUSTOM CATTLE FEEDING”

Oct. 26 & Nov. 2 @ 10 a.m Red & Black Angus Calf Sales

John Schooten & Sons

Oct. 28 & Nov. 4 @ 10 a.m. LimoX & CharX Calf Sales

Custom Feedyard Ltd.

P.O. Box 148, Diamond City, AB T0K 0T0 Phone: 403-381-3883 • Fax: 403-381-8809 Email: schootenandsons@yahoo.ca

Nov. 9, 11, 18 & Dec. 7 @ 10 a.m. All Breed Calf Sales Nov. 21, 25, 28, Dec. 5, 7, 9, 12, 19 @ Noon Bred Cows & Heifers Alberta’s Largest Producer Owned Auction Market Internet Sales: Every Thursday www.dlms.ca @ 10 am

TEAM “Bringing Buyers and Sellers together through the Power of the Internet”

* Calves — Background — Finish * Share Pens * Feedlot Solutions — Bunk Management — Medical Program * Age Verification Technology * Professional Nutritionalist on Staff * Lot Capacity is 20,000 Head

Justin: 403-315-5679 Shane: 634-1535 Cody: 634-4116

Calgary Stockyards “The Hub of Livestock Marketing”

Feeder cattle sales every Friday. Slaughter cattle sales weekdays. Broadcasting Ring Sales Daily

Regular cattle sales every Thursday. Special calf sales Saturdays.

www.teamauctionsales.com

www.calgarystockyards.com

403-234-7429

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.schootenandsons.com

and average three or higher for each of the five principles. Developing the indicators

The VSB pilot advisory board members who contributed a great deal in the development of the indicators are: Fawn Jackson, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association; Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, CRSB; Bob Lowe, Alberta Beef Producers; Page Stuart, Alberta Cattle Feeders Association; Jackie Wepruk, National Farm Animal Care Council; Susan Church, former AFAC GM, rancher; Melanie Agopian, Loblaw; Melinda German, Manitoba Beef Producers; Lauren Stone, Cargill Corporate Affairs; Nancy Labbe, World Wildlife Fund; William Burnidge, The Nature Conservancy; Julie Dawson, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada; John Basarab, Lacombe Research Centre/Alberta Agriculture; and Joe Stookey, University of Saskatchewan. We were able to connect with a few of the members, who on very short notice, were willing to share their insights and thoughts on the process and resulting indicators. “To me, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef ’s main principles made a lot of sense — they talk about taking care of the planet, people, community growth and development and animal health. When McDonald’s said it wanted to create a verified sustainable beef program and it was going to follow the global roundtable’s principles, I knew it was serious about it,” says John Basarab, senior research scientist Continued on page 60

Stettler Auction Mart WEEKLY CATTLE AUCTION SALES EACH TUESDAY 9:00 am FrIdAY SALES OCTObEr - DECEmbEr

403-742-2368

www.stettlerauction.ab.ca/default.asp

1-888-553-7715 •

INTERNET VIDEO EXCHANGE

403-892-9027

Visit canadiancattlemen.ca to sign up for enews.

www.canadalivestockexchange.com

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

HOG HITH

FARM & RANCH EQUIPMENT Ltd

E OU TST

1974

RA ANDING B

♦

Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch Equipment Ltd.

Better by Design

2015

Low Stress Handling

News Roundup Continued from page 58

Maximize returns with one of Hi-Hog’s low stress cattle handling solutions (Call for complimentary design assistance)

EcoRaster®

Bale Feeders

Livestock will move safely and more efficiently in a handling system that includes a superior EcoRaster footing.

Less Mud ▼ Less Waste

EcoRaster can help you reduce feed costs by seperating dry feed from wet mud in and around your Hi-Hog feeders.

www.hi-hog.com

1-800-661-7002

with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and adjunct professor at the universities of Alberta and Manitoba. Feeling that the process to develop the indicators would indeed be science based and take the broad view by engaging people from across the board, from all sectors of the beef industry, consumer advocacy groups to animal welfare groups and environmental groups to go over indicators in each of the five areas, he felt confident that McDonald’s VSB pilot was about growing communities, not just supplying a retailer. Open and challenging discussions among the advisory group members, each very proficient in his or her area of expertise, gave rise to what Basarab feels is a strong set of indicators for each principle. The overall list might seem intimidating at first but on closer look, many of the indicators are already common practices within the beef production chain, he says. “The beef industry and all ag sectors are trying to be sustainable in all ways. Livestock production has been part of humanity for a long time and we tweak it as we learn more and more about the science of health and how to use feed. Now we are bringing new

Answer our survey — and have a go at winning one of our caps

We have a goal to be the best beef cattle magazine in the business. But we need your help. If you could just fill in this survey and return it to me, you would be helping us set the future editorial direction for Canadian Cattlemen. All you have to do is tell me what you like about the magazine, and what you

MARKETPLACE

We’d appreciate it if you could tell us a little about yourself. It makes it easier for us to keep your main interests in focus  I’m ranching or farming Enterprise Total beef cattle Yearlings on feed/pasture Registered cows Fed cattle (sold yearly) Commercial cows Horses Calves on feed/pasture Other livestock

# of head

 I no longer take an active part in farming If not an owner/operator of a farm, are you:

 In agribusiness (bank, elevator, ag supplies, etc.)  Other (please specify) ____________________ My approximate age is:  a) Under 35  b) 36 to 44  d) 55 to 64  e) 65 or over

 c) 45 to 54

don’t like. There’s also some space for you to tell us what you would like to see in future issues. ClIp And enClose your mAIlIng lABel. each month, we will draw one name from all the surveys sent in and send that person a Cattlemen cap. It could be you!

What do you think of: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you and your family like these features? 5 – I always watch for it; let’s see more of it 4 – I regularly read it and like it 3 – I usually read it 2 – There are things I’d rather read 1 – I don’t want it; get rid of it Regular Columns 5 4 3

Regular Columns News Roundup Purely Purebred The Markets

Market Talk Sales and Events

2 1 Nutrition Comment Research Special features 5 4 3 2 1 Newsmakers Letters Calving Issue (Jan.) CCA Reports Custom Feedlot Guide (Sep.) Prime Cuts Stock Buyers’ Guide (Aug.) Straight From The Hip Animal Health Special (Sep.) Holistic Ranching Beef Watch (May & Nov.) What would you like to see? __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ How much time do you and your family spend reading 1666 Dublin Avenue Canadian Cattlemen?  Under 2 hours  Over 2 hours Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUNDUP

technologies and genomics into the mix to improve feed efficiency, reduce cost and improve beef’s environmental footprint. “To me, this is a more comprehensive, integrated look at a food production system than just saying ‘no antibiotics’, ‘no growth technologies’, or ‘no whatever.’ That, to me, is very short term and unsustainable,” Basarab says. National Farm Animal Care Council general manager Jackie Wepruk also appreciates McDonald’s openness and willingness to integrate the feedback received from Jackie Wepruk the diverse representation on the advisory board. “While McDonald’s could have unilaterally established its verification indicators, it chose to embrace a growth mindset, seeking out and including insights from a broader knowledge base,” she explains. The advisory committee started with a proposed list of indicators and the list grew from there. The beef cattle code of practice was the foundation for the animal care indicators, she says, adding that McDonald’s animal care expectations are

consistent with Canada’s national understanding of beef cattle care requirements and recommended practices established through the beef code of practice. Wepruk anticipates that the indicators and the process, including which indicators are designated as critical, will evolve over time and says producer participation will be important for informing this process.

FARM CREDIT CANADA ALLIANCE PARTNER

• Affordable financing • Non-Pooled Security Deposit • Apply for the loan amount your operation requires • Feed Advances (equity draws) • Cattle can be tracked on a pen by pen basis, allowing for proceeds to be returned sooner upon the sale of livestock

“Our staff works hard to offer and maintain a cattle financing service that is flexible and competitive.” Call us to discuss details, or visit our website:

www.cattlefinance.com

• BUILT OUT OF 2 7/8 INCH PIPE • ONLY BALE FEEDER LIKE IT IN CANADA.

DOUBLE BALE FEEDER

DEALER FOR RIGID INDUSTRIES LED LIGHTING SINGLE BALE FEEDER REMOTE WIRELESS MAGNETIC TOW LIGHTS

DEALERS WANTED

Lloyd Klassen 780-228-5772 • Cam Klassen 780-512-7332 www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Sell your cattle www.cowsincontrol.com www.cowsincontrol.com well

Know Know your your options. options.

*Securing the price *Price Protection *Retained ownership *Consolidated buying & selling

AVAILABLE BACHELORETTES

www.cowsincontrol.com

Name: Ruth Age: 46

Ruth is a beautiful woman with a kind heart and no baggage. She works as a recruitment consultant, owns her own home and is financially stable. She has no kids, and is divorced, she has been divorced for 3 years, and while she has gone out on a few dates since then, and had a relationship, she hasn’t found the right person yet, partially because she did not feel ready before to really commit to someone, but she feels ready now and is excited to find love again. Ruth is a very outdoorsy person, she enjoys playing sports, especially tennis, and golf, she also enjoys going to the beach, swimming, dancing and backyard barbeques. She is a non-smoker, social drinker, has a very healthy lifestyle and works out regularly. Ruth has a great sense of humor, is very easy to talk to, down to earth, nonjudgmental, loving and generous, and is looking for a man who is the same.

Matchmakers Select

1-888-916-2824 www.selectintroductions.com Thorough screening process, customized memberships and guaranteed service. Est 15 years in Canada & US. We are a full service permanent relationship firm with a success rate of 87%. Testimonials available.

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

MARKETPLACE

Phone: 780-448-0033 Suite 306, 13220 St. Albert Trail Edmonton, AB T5L 4W1

If you have an animal that can bend it or break this feeder I will replace it for FREE!

Sell your cattle well

Continued on page 62

News Roundup Continued from page 61

Alberta Cattle Feeders chair Page Stuart, who was recently elected as director-at-large to the CRSB council, says she’s been fortunate to connect with every sector of Page Stuart the food chain through the years and this is the first time she has seen everyone open doors to let everyone see their “house.” “The transparency of the discussions speaks to strong commitment,” Stuart says. She is also encouraged by the process because it helped focus some attention on the importance of the economic viability of food production. Often the ability to sus-

tain a business financially is overshadowed by the environmental and social pieces when all three are equally vital, she explains. ACFA encourages members to participate in the pilot, but recognizes that not everyone has the immediate time or resources to contribute to building the process. She can say that cattle feeders who have participated have provided candid and very specific feedback that contributed a great deal as development of the indicators progressed. “The art and science of food production has hit the public’s radar,” she says, adding that an important part of the process has been to identify areas where public expectations are high for measuring outcomes, but technology hasn’t caught up with practical, cost-effective ways to lead continuous improvement. Working through the process and identifying these priority areas will help the CRSB collaborate with researchers to find practical and credible measures. “The pilot creates an opportunity for all of us as organizations and individuals within

the Canadian beef community to help chart the next level of continuous improvements,” Stuart says. “McDonald’s has generously shared the indicators with the CRSB, which will continue to use a multi-stakeholder process to challenge thinking, adjust to changes in technology, and maximize our opportunity to brand verified sustainable Canadian beef in global markets. Creating a brand around what sustainability means in Canadian beef production places us at a new level in world export markets. We’re raising our hands to be counted.”

trade

Beef producers applaud TPP Agreement

No one was happier about the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement than the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). The improved access alone promised in the agreement could double or even triple exports of Canadian beef to Japan, which amounted to $103 million in 2014. “This is really fantastic news for Cana-

auction market Directory Welcome to Ph: (403) 362-5521 Website: www.bowslope.com Lachie McKinnon 362-1825 Manager

Fax: (403) 362-5541 E-mail: bowslope@eidnet.org Eric Christensen 403-362-9942 Assistant Manager

Serving Alberta’s Livestock Industry since 1940

Regular Sales: Every Friday @ 9 a.m.

SPEcial SalES

Oct. 26 & Nov. 2 @ 10 a.m Red & Black Angus Calf Sales

1-877-549-2121

Sales every Friday @ 9 am, Oct - Dec Calf Sales Monday and Wednesday @ 9 am Featuring the Show Alley Box 10 Stavely, AB T0L 1Z0 403-549-2120

• $100,000 Interest Free • Over $100,000 to a maximum of $400,000* (floating rate)

Nov. 9, 11, 18 & Dec. 7 @ 10 a.m. All Breed Calf Sales

Please check our website for all special sales.

Internet Sales: Every Thursday www.dlms.ca @ 10 am

ADVANCE PAYMENTS PROGRAM - HIGHLIGHTS

LOAN ADVANCES ON SOME SELECT GRAINS

Regular cattle sale every Tuesday 9 am

Alberta’s Largest Producer Owned Auction Market

Check out the Great Loan Advance Rates this year!

Prime +0.0% on loans over $100,000.00

Oct. 28 & Nov. 4 @ 10 a.m. LimoX & CharX Calf Sales

Nov. 21, 25, 28, Dec. 5, 7, 9, 12, 19 @ Noon Bred Cows & Heifers

APPLY FOR A CASH ADVANCE TODAY...

Service that makes it easy…Experience that gets results!

Office - 204-434-6519 • Fax - 204-434-9367 Email - g_lam@hotmail.ca Harold Unrau - 204-871-0250 (cell) - manager Henry Penner - 204-355-7518

CASH ADVANCE FORMS AVAILABLE ONLINE at: www.manitobalivestock.com Cash Advance Program Applies to: • Manitoba Cattle, Goat, Bison and Sheep Producers • Saskatchewan Cattle, Goat, Bison and Sheep Producers • Alberta Sheep, Bison and Goat Producers • British Columbia Bison and Goat Producers • Quebec, PE, YK, NB, NL & NS Bison Producers

Call: 1-866-869-4008 to start your application** Manitoba Livestock Cash Advance Inc.

*Per applicant, includes all APP Programs. Subject to Credit Approval

www.grunthallivestockauctionmart.com

Meadow Lake Livestock Sales Ltd. TEAM “Bringing Buyers and Sellers together through the Power of the Internet”

Calgary Stockyards “The Hub of Livestock Marketing”

Feeder cattle sales every Friday. Slaughter cattle sales weekdays. Broadcasting Ring Sales Daily

Regular cattle sales every Thursday. Special calf sales Saturdays.

www.teamauctionsales.com

www.calgarystockyards.com

403-234-7429

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

• Regular Cattle Sales - Monday’s 9:30 a.m. • Presorted Internet Calf Sales - Thursday’s 11:00 a.m. • Regular Monthly Horse Sales - Friday’s • Bred Cow & Heifer Sales scheduled throughout the fall - 1:00 pm

306-478-2229

Check out our web site for all updates

www.mankotastockmens.com

Order buying services available. For sale information & market info. visit our website www.mlstockyards.com Brent Brooks (306) 240-5340 Boyd Stuart (306) 841-7998

Blair Brooks (306) 240-9883 office (306) 236-3411

E-mail: mlstockyards@sasktel.net www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUNDUP

da’s beef producers,” says CCA president Dave Solverson. “Canada’s beef producers have long needed to have equal access to these important markets in order to compete with Australian and U.S. beef. Now, through this agreement, Canada will receive the same preferential access to these markets as its competitors, levelling the playing field for Canadian beef producers once and for all.” The TPP is said to be the world’s biggest trade agreement involving Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam with 800 million citizens in total and a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of $28.5 trillion, representing 40 per cent of the world’s economy. Solverson called the agreement a game changer for Canada’s beef industry — and Canadian agriculture as a whole. Canada already has duty-free access for beef with many of these countries, including the U.S. and Mexico, and now the TPP will gradually reduce a 38.5 per cent tariff

Olds Auction Mart Regular Cattle Sales Tuesdays @ 9 am Pre Sort Calf Sales Every Friday Sept to Dec @ 10 am Sheep, Goats, Hogs Every Tuesday @ Noon

Pre Sort Calves Every Tuesday Dec to April @ 10 am Bred cows and Herd Dispersals

Phone: 403-556-3655 Toll Free: 1-877-556-3655

“Constantly Creating Confidence”

on Canadian beef in Japan down to nine per cent in 15 years, including an immediate cut to 27.5 per cent on Day 1 of the agreement coming into force that will restore our competitive position with Australian beef. The agreement also eliminates beef tariffs in Vietnam and Malaysia, two countries that have not traditionally been significant beef consumers, but have been identified as potentially important markets in the future as their level of economic development increases. The TPP also addresses the exclusion of some beef access from previous agreements with Peru and Chile. Above all, the CCA says this agreement secures Canada as one of the founding members of the TPP which gives Ottawa a say over the terms of entry for other countries that may wish to join the TPP in future. Korea and Taiwan have indicated they wish to join and the CCA will be lobbying for the removal of all remaining barriers to Canadian beef as part of their entry requirements. c

PICTURE BUTTE

 correct ion Dr. Karen Liljebjelke of the University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine shown here was mistakenly identified as Karin Schmid with Alberta Beef Producers on page 40 of our September issue. We apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment caused by our error.

VIKING

Auction Market

Box 6, Picture Butte,

AUCTION MARKET LTD.

Connection AB T0K 1V0 Your Total Auction

Reg. Feeder & Slaughter Cattle Sales–Tues. 10:30 a.m. Reg. Mixed Cattle, Hog, Sheep Sales – Sat. 10:00 a.m. Live Auction Sales are True Price Discovery Phone 403-732-4400 Fax 403-732-4405

CLIFF GRINDE

OWNER/MANAGER 780-336-2209 CELL: 780-336-6333

CORNER OF HIGHWAY 26 & 36

• Office: Jenn Schultz Owner/Auctioneer: Erik Dunsbergen Owner/Auctioneer: Erik Dunsbergen

SALES TAKE PLACE EVERY TUESDAY

www.picturebutteauction.ca Office: Jenn Koot

OntariO LivestOck exchange inc. P.O. BOx 443 WaterlOO, OntariO n2J 4a9

Phone: (519) 884-2082 Or 1-800-265-8818

FEEDER/SLAUGHTER SALES SHEEP & GOAT SALE Every Friday 9AM First & Third Wed. of Receiving open until every month. Receiving 11PM Thursdays open until 9PM Tuesday

Website: www.olex.on.ca e-mail: dropp@olex.on.ca CONTACT LIVE SALES SPECIAL SALES

David Ropp (519) 749-5072 Allen Colwell (519) 501-0147

1-888-553-7715 •

Gates Open Mon.-Wed. 8AM-4PM Thurs. 8AM-11PM Friday 8AM-6PM Sat. 8AM-4PM

Wednesday - 1:00 PM - Vaccinated Feeder Cattle Thursday - 11:00 AM - Regular Stocker Sale Daily internet presort sales & direct from ranch sales. Contributing markets: Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Provost, Lloydminster, Vermilion, Yorkton, Maple Creek, Meadow Lake, Mankota, Assiniboia, Weyburn

AUCTION MARKET LTD.

In the hub of the livestock industry since 1967

SPECIAL SALES

Calf Sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Every.Mon ..&.Wed .,.Oct ..to.Dec .,.10.am Stock Cows & Bred Heifer Sales . . . . . . . Every.Tues .,.Nov ..to.Dec .,.1.pm Special Yearling Sales . . . . . . . . . . Every.Thurs .,.Sept ..to.Oct .,.12:30.pm Pre-Sort Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Every.Sat .,.Oct ..to.Nov .,.10.am For a complete listing of our sales visit www.perlich.com

Toll Free: 1-855-PERLICH (1-855-737-5424)

Or contact us by phone at:

403-329-3101

We’re.3.miles.East.of.Lethbridge.on.Highway.3.&.¼.mile.South.on.the.Broxburn.Rd .

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

INTERNET VIDEO EXCHANGE

403-892-9027

www.canadalivestockexchange.com

For more info call: 204-694-8328, Jim Christie 204-771-0753, Scott Anderson 204-782-6222, Mike Nernberg 204-807-0747 www.winnipeglivestocksales.com Licence #1122

Stettler Auction Mart WEEKLY CATTLE AUCTION SALES EACH TUESDAY 9:00 am FrIdAY SALES OCTObEr - DECEmbEr

403-742-2368

www.stettlerauction.ab.ca/default.asp

Visit canadiancattlemen.ca to sign up for enews. C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 NEWS ABOUT YOU

By Mike Millar

PurelyPurebred  The Young Ranchman’s All Breeds Livestock Show held in Swift Current in late September was attended by youth from all three Prairie provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There were 150 participants who exhibited 170 head of cattle and competed over the course of three days, in skill competitions such as public speaking, art, photography, team grooming, showmanship and show team judging. Saturday afternoon an open prospect steer show was held. The show concluded on Sunday with the conformation show. Brian Barragree from Absorkee, Montana, evaluated both the prospect steers as well as the female show. On Saturday at the Young Ranchman’s banquet, the online and live fundraising auction for the Cody Sibbald Legacy Fund was held. The fund was developed in memory of Cody Cody Sibbald with the Sibbald family (Lazy RC Ranch) to benefit qualified participants of the Young Ranchman’s Show through travel and educational opportu-

nities. The auction lots included embryos, handmade buckles, live cattle plus a Dutch auction on a registered Angus heifer. The lucky ticket winner was Bridgette Andrews of Triple A Herefords. She in turn donated the heifer back to be sold by live auction. Merit Cattle Co. was the highest bidder taking her home for $3,100. All in all, $60,000 was raised, going towards helping qualified youth at the Young Ranchman’s Show. For more on the fund contact Mary Kate Robertson at 306-689-2597 or Russ and Cindy Sibbald at 306-859-2244. 2015 Young Ranchman’s All Breeds Livestock Show Results: • Supreme Champion Female: Merit Socialite 48X with calf at side Merit Socialite 5038, Exhibited by: Garrett Liebreich • Reserve Supreme Champion Female: Caught Ya Lookin, Exhibited by: Chance Jackson • Champion Prospect Steer, Exhibited by: Double B Cattle Co. • Reserve Champion Prospect Steer, Exhibited by: Katie Wright

Suggestions are always welcome. My phone number is 306-251-0011 Email: mike.millar@ fbcpublishing.com

• PeeWee Aggregate Champions: Kohan Kaufmann and Eric Smith • Junior Aggregate Champions: Georgia Pawlitza and Jules Smyth • Intermediate Aggregate Champions: Sadie Anwender and Brianna Kimmel • Senior Aggregate Champions: Shanna Klassen and Katie Wright.  Gaylene Groeneveld, CEO of the Canadian Gelbvieh Association, tells us that their association has completed its first year of using the “Digital Beef ” system to register and work with their Gelbvieh animals. “The new Digital Beef system is very user friendly and most of our members are online with it now. The system gives Gelbvieh breeders all the information they need at their fingertips, including current EPDs, customized reports the breeder can request from the system, and they can even print off their own registration certificates. Digital Beef has proven itself in many ways, including reducing time for CGA office staff, breeder information 24-7, and it offers so much more than the previous registry system.”  The Canadian Angus Association is still accepting applications for the Beef Cattle Learning Award established in mem ory of Buddy Leachman of Big Gully Farm to recogBuddy Leachman nize and reward young people who invoke the values and character he possessed. Two awards in the amount of $1,500 will be awarded annually to one young man and one young woman who may not favour school or post-secondary education, yet have a strong affinity for beef cattle education and the advancement of their skills related to a future in that professional field. Applications close Nov. 30, 2015. More details are found on the CAA website www.cdnangus.ca.

 A determined Jane Beierbach with her heifer KLR Janice 2C head to the show ring at Young Ranchman’s All Breed Show in Swift Current. Thanks to Randy and Karen Wagner of KLR Polled Herefords, Consul, Sask. for supplying the calf and helping Jane get started on her show career. Jane and her parents John and Heidi call Maple Creek home and are looking forward to next year’s show.

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

 The Saskatchewan Simmental Association (SSA) and Bohrson Marketing Services have partnered for a new sale called “2015 Simmental Sweepstakes.” It is being held during Canadian Western Agribition

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

GREENER

PURELY PUREBRED

in Regina, Oct. 25. The 2015 Simmental Sweepstakes is a new concept where the SSA will be selling silver memberships to cattlemen at Agribition with the top two prizes of sale credits to be used at the Agribition Simmental sale. Grand prize is a $5,000 and Reserve a $2,500 sale credit. Sweepstakes start at 5 p.m., the sale at 7. The SSA board of directors for this year is: Ryan Lundberg (president), Eastend; Tyler Libke (vice-president), Hanley and directors: Lyle Forden, Raymore; Trevor Kuntz, Battleford; Blair McIntosh, Maymont; Kirsten Fornwald, Lampman; Dave Erixon, Clavet; Donna Asher, Grandora; Sarah Delornme, Robsart.  The Hereford Breeders’ Society of Uruguay and the World Hereford Council (WHC) together with the Rural Association of Uruguay (ARU) have announced the 17th World Hereford Conference in Uruguay April 18-25, 2016. The venue will be held at the association’s showgrounds at the Prado, Montevideo. For travel arrangements contact Monica Hillis, Independent Travel manager at 403-203-9266, toll free

PASTURES

RANCHING LTD.

1-866-703-3041, monica.hillis@TierOnetravel.com 303.

Presents:

*Year-Round Grazing Systems* A Business Management School

 The Canadian Simmental Association (CSA) has updated the Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) numbers reported through its Genetic Evaluation as of September 18, 2015. As a result, there may be a difference in some of the numbers that were printed in sale catalogues that were produced prior to that date. The updated EPDs can be searched on the CSA website at www.simmental.com.

Topics include: • Human Resources • Economics and Finance • Pasture Calculations • Grazing Management • Pasture Rejuvenation • Weed Control • Cell Designs/Water Systems • Swath Grazing/Bale Grazing

Westlock, AB

Nov 24th, 25th & 26th, 2015

Strathmore, AB

 Our thanks go out to Duncan Livestock in P.E.I. for posting the results of the Heritage Classic Beef Show at Windsor, Nova Scotia in late September. The banner winners are: Simmental: • Female, Grand Champion, Windy Knoll • Reserve Grand Champion & Junior Champion, Mutch Farms, also named Reserve Supreme Champion Female • Male, Reserve Grand Champion, Lil’ Ker Simmentals

Feb 15th, 16th, & 17th, 2016

Or ask us about setting up a school in your area. Funding through the Growing Forward 2 program Can you Graze 365 days a year? We provide a 3-day course that will take you right into the design and planning of a year-round grazing system. The course tuition is $750/Farm Unit, which allows two members from your farm business to attend. This course is well worth the investment.

Check out our website for details about funding available! To register please contact:

Steve Kenyon

Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd.

(780) 307-6500

Continued on page 66

www.greenerpasturesranching.com skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com

Hard work Made easy Scales Built for Livestock XR5000

$200 USD

Mail-In Rebate! with the purchase of an EID Scale System*

XRS Stick Reader

Scale Platform Specials! 800-874-8494 www.tru-test.com

AP600 Platform — Only $400! CAD with purchase of MP600 load bars and indicator AP800 Platform — Only $600! CAD with purchase of MP800 load bars and indicator

Other Great Products from *EID Scale System includes the 5000 Series Indicator (XR5000 or ID5000) and EID Reader (XRS Stick Reader or XRP2 Panel Reader.) Both components must be ordered. Rebate & platform promotion can be combined. Prices in CAD. Valid: August 1 – November 30, 2015.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

PU R E LY PU R E B R E D

Continued from page 65

throughout the year. Brandon is currently growing his cattle numbers through select embryo offerings and hopes to have a small herd of his own in the future. PJ Budler was raised on a cattle and sheep ranch in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. He founded BonHaven Beef Cattle which is now a multinational seed stock company specializing in Hereford, Angus, Red Angus, Brahman and Braford breeds. He was the first to export Hereford genetics from Africa to North America. He was also the first to export Herefords to Mauritius and Uganda. He still holds the auction record in South Africa for an Angus Bull. In 2012 he founded HerefordBreeder.net and AngusBreeder.net and has since relocated to Fort Worth, Texas. PJ has travelled to 49 different countries and has judged major shows in Uruguay, Para guay, Colombia, U.S., Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands and England. He most recently evaluated the U.K. National Hereford Show and is excited about being involved in the CYL program. Breanna Anderson, Swan River, Man. Mentor: Andrea Brocklebank, Calgary Breanna grew up in Swan River, Man., where she is still active on her family farm, Breanna Anderson Anderson Cattle Co. Bre anna’s parents, Bruce and Ione, and brother Austen run a 150-head purebred Red and Black Angus herd and hold a bull sale on the last Saturday of March at the farm where they sell both yearling and two-year-old bulls. She became an active 4-H member at a young age and continues to volunteer both with the Sas katchewan 4-H alumni and the Minitonas 4-H beef club. Breanna is a livestock director on her local Agriculture Society where she vol unteers each summer with the “Down on the

Angus: • Female, Grand Champion, JEM Farms, also named Supreme Champion Female • Reserve Grand Champion, MacKinnon Homestead Commercial: • Female, Grand Champion, Morseview Farms • Reserve Grand Champion, Morseview Farms Hereford: • Female, Grand Champion, W.G. Oulton & Sons. • Male, Grand Champion, W.G. Oulton & Sons, also named Supreme Champion Male.  Cattlmen’s Young Leaders Brandon Sparrow, Vanscoy, Sask. Mentor: PJ Budler, Fort Worth, Texas Brandon Sparrow grew up on a family farm at Vans coy, Sask. The mixed farm of Brandon Sparrow cropland, purebred Charolais and commercial cattle fostered his interest for agriculture. He has had an interest in beef cat tle from a young age and this was established through the 4-H program and junior move ments such as the Canadian Charolais Youth Association. He now passes the knowledge he gained through these programs by volun teering as a Senior 4-H leader,as well as judging numerous Junior events throughout the year. Brandon graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in agribusiness. He currently works at a John Deere dealer in the Integrated Solutions department. Pure bred livestock and show cattle are of interest to him and he attends many sales and shows

Farm” exhibit. The exhibit allows the public to learn about farming practices in their com munity and across Canada. She has also been involved in the Angus association and had attended numerous shows and conferences. She recently completed her B.Sc. agriculture from the animal science department at the University of Saskatchewan. She starts her master’s degree this fall focusing on extensive grazing practices in Western Canada. Aside from school Breanna has worked as a crop scout, a summer research assistant as well as a labourer on her family farm. Breanna hopes that through both her education path and the CYL mentorship experience she will be bet ter suited for a career focusing in research and agriculture extension. Andrea Brocklebank is the executive director of the Beef Cattle Research Council, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). She has worked in various roles Andrea Brocklebank within the CCA over the last 10 years. Andrea works collaboratively with the industry to oversee the delivery of a research program through the BCRC and Beef Science Cluster that funds research projects in areas of importance to the Canadian beef industry. She has played a key role in the development and imple mentation of the National Beef Research Strategy through her role as chair of the National Beef Value Chain Roundtable (BVCRT) research committee. Andrea completed a BA in agricultural studies at the University of Lethbridge and M.Sc. in agricultural economics at the Uni versity of Saskatchewan. She was raised on a farm in southern Alberta and prior to working with the CCA, worked in the cattle feeding sector, finance and lending. c

GET THE CANADIAN CATTLEMEN APP now!

More great agricultural apps available!

Keep up to date on all the latest livestock news with the new Canadian Cattlemen mobile app! INSTANT ACCESS TO: • • • • • • • •

Livestock news Daily regional ag news Daily market news Commodity futures Crops news WeatherFarm data Machinery tips & reviews Plus much more!

IT’S FREE! Scan the code to get the app – or visit agreader.ca Available for Android devices, iPhones and iPad. Part of the

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Cattlemen Mobile is Sponsored by

network

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 Market Su mma ry

By Debbie McMillin

TheMarkets Fed Cattle Adequate front-end supplies of marketready cattle, larger carcass weights and seasonally slower beef movement has given packers more leverage which in turn has pressured fed cattle prices lower. The current cash market is $180.10/cwt, a 12 per cent drop from the annual high set earlier in 2015. The market at current levels is still $16.60/cwt higher than a year ago and $60.85/cwt higher than the same week two years ago. Basis levels in midSeptember on the cash-to-cash market were still relatively tight for this time of year at -4.13/cwt compared to -13.04/ cwt a year ago and the five-year average of -12.30/cwt. Export volumes have picked up recently, with 5,000 head sold south in the first week of September, a high for the past 19 weeks. Year-to-date fed exports are still down 46 per cent at 142,411 head. Domestic slaughter of fed cattle has increased in the past month as larger fed volumes work their way through the system. Carcass weights also increased to an average 917 lbs. in the second week of September, compared to 879 lbs. a year ago. In 2015, year to date, the average carcass is 29 lbs. heavier than 2014. Cattle-on-feed numbers September 1 in Alberta and Saskatchewan were up three per cent from a year ago at 633,426 head. Placements in August are a reported 98,060 head, the third smallest recorded in August since the report began in 2000, but larger than last August.

Feeder Cattle Pressure from various directions has forced feeder calf prices lower. Seasonally this market trends lower through the fall run however, we are seeing more at play then the normal pressures associated with larger volumes of calves coming to market. Feedlot profitability is moving into negative territory, and technical markets are offering limited opportunity to manage the risk of calves placed at current prices. Concerns over a possible recession and consumer spending next year

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

only increases the uncertainly in all cattle markets, as do tight barley stocks and the slow harvest in many areas this fall. The Canadian dollar has played a large role in supporting the current calf market which averaged $314.63/cwt on 550 calves in the third week of September, a drop of more than $13/cwt in the previous three weeks. Compared to a year ago feeder calves were still trading $41.88/cwt higher. Yearling numbers dropped significantly in recent weeks and prices have held steady with some premium on better-quality lots. The 850-lb. feeders rallied in early September to $270/cwt but fell back to the August range at $262.97 by the third week of the month, up $34.54/ cwt from 2014. Despite the weak dollar feeder exports have slowed and are not expected to pick up much through the remainder of the year. Year to date Canada has exported a total 248,302 head of feeder cattle, three per cent less than a year ago.

Non-Fed Cattle Seasonal pressure has marked the nonfed market over the past couple of weeks as cow and bull volumes started to pick up while U.S. cow prices weakened and local packers started allotting more kill space to fed cattle. D1,2 cows averaged $134/cwt in the third week of September, down nearly $7 from just two weeks before and just $10 higher than the same week last year. Cow slaughter to midSeptember totalled 236,400 head, down 13 per cent from a year ago while cow exports to the U.S. are off by 23 per cent at 134,409 head. Bull prices were hanging on to steady money averaging $166.04/ cwt by the third week of September. Bull slaughter in Canada is up 87 per cent compared to last year at 6,640 head to date and exports are up two per cent at 53,297 head. c Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

 DEB ’S OUTLOOK Fed Cattle The fed market generally comes under pressure in early fall as consumers return from summer holidays and contend with back-to-school expenses. Concern over the Canadian economy may also be weighing on consumer spending decisions this fall as they choose between record-high retail beef prices and large supplies of more reasonably priced pork and poultry. The Canadian dollar has certainly supported the Canadian market as U.S. prices have trended sharply lower than our local markets, however, as the decline in the Canadian dollar slows or stabilizes the Canadian market will likely correct and follow the U.S. trend. Until the front-end supplies in the market are cleared and feedlots regain some leverage fed cattle prices will remain under pressure. Feeder Cattle Uncertainty moving forward will impact feeder prices through the fall run. Pressure from a change in feedlot margins, uncertain economic conditions and volatile technical factors as increasing volumes come to market are impacting prices. The Canadian dollar and the fundamentals as far as calf supply will continue to lend support to the domestic market with some offset from seasonal volumes and changing market conditions. Look for the calf market to remain under pressure moving forward. The dollar and tighter supplies should limit the downside. Non-Fed Cattle Softer trim values, a weaker cull cow market in the U.S. along with the seasonally higher volumes are all pressuring the non-fed market. Expect a seasonal downtrend in the cull cattle market, with some support from the low Canadian dollar and U.S. buyer interest. Even during an economic downturn demand generally stays very strong for grinding and trim products. This will help limit the downside ahead.

More markets 

C a t t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 67

MARKETS

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers 210

ALBERTA

190

340 310 280

170

250

150

220

130 110

Market Prices

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

210

ONTARIO

190

160

150

100

130

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers

Break-even price for steers on date sold

2015 2014

2016 2015

September 2015 prices* Alberta Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $265.85/cwt Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.77/bu. Barley silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.63/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.21/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110.63/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181.20/cwt Break-even (February 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204.87/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $260.77/cwt Corn silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.96/ton Grain corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.87/bu. Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.20/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.83/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179.11/cwt Break-even (March 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.66/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

140 120

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

(500-600 lb.)

160

170

110

Steer Calves

190

D1,2 Cows Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Ontario

Alberta

2015 2014

Ontario prices based on a 50/50 east/west mix

Market Summary (to September 19, 2015) 2015

2014

Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,767,623. . . . . . . . . . . 1,911,572 Average steer carcass weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 879 lb.. . . . . . . . . . . . 849 lb. Total U.S. slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,816,000. . . . . . . 22,246,000

Trade Summary Exports 2015 2014 Fed cattle to U.S. (to September 12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145,247.. . . . . . . . . . 269,500 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to September 12). . . . . . . . . . 253,895.. . . . . . . . . . 265,415 Dressed beef to U.S. (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286.63 mil.lbs.. . . . . .279.17 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to July). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384.70 mil.lbs.. . . . . 397.19 mil.lbs IMPORTS 2015 2014 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157.82 mil.lbs. . . . . . 1 72.65 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.25 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 39.24 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.90 mil.lbs. . . . . . .23.64 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to July) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.34 mil.lbs. . . . . . .26.54 mil.lbs Canadian Grades (to October 10, 2015) % of A grades +59% 54-58% AAA 19.4 23.8 AA 21.9 9.3 A 0.2 1.5 Prime 0.3 0.6 Total 33.9 43.1 EAST WEST

Total graded 405,006 1,447,487

Yield – 53% Total 16.8 60.0 3.1 34.3 0.0 1.7 1.1 2.0 21.0 Total A grade 98.0%

Total ungraded 13,986 3,903

% carcass basis 79.7% 88.8% Only federally inspected plants

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

You’re in control from start to finish Provide your cattle with the broadest BRD coverage available in a single shot with

Rethink your BRD game plan with the unique dual protection of

Vista ad Canadian Cattlemen.indd 1

2015-09-17 9:51 AM

 market ta l k

By Jerry Klassen

Feed Grain Overview

’ve received many inquiries in regards to the feed grain outlook. Feedlot pen closeouts have moved into red ink and many operators are now wondering if they should extend coverage on feed wheat and barley. The feed grain complex experienced a sharp rally during the early-summer drought period only to relax as late-July rains enhanced crop prospects. We are now moving into the final stages of harvest and traders are more comfortable with crop prospects the fundamental structure for the 2015-16 crop year. Therefore, I thought this would be a good time to discuss the fundamental structure for barley and provide an overview of the feed grain complex. Statistics Canada estimated Canadian barley production at 7.3 million mt on its July survey which was similar to last year’s crop size of 7.1 million mt. However, due to the year-over-year decline in carry-in supplies, total stocks at the beginning of the crop year are estimated at 8.3 million mt, compared to 9.1 million mt on August 1 of 2014. Canadian barley exports are projected at 1.0 million mt of which will be mostly malt barley to Japan. Overall domestic demand will be marginally lower than last year resulting in a carry-out of 0.9 million mt, which is down from the 10-year average of 1.8 million mt. There are four main differences between the current and previous crop year. First, last fall Alberta and Sask atchewan experienced adverse weather during harvest downgrading the wheat crop. This year, feed wheat supplies will be down from year-ago levels because the crop is higher quality. Secondly, malt-quality barley was down sharply last year but in 2015-16, farmers with malt-quality barley will try to sell their barley for malt and receive a premium over feed. The Canadian dollar is also weaker which will hinder imports of U.S. corn and ddgs. Finally, barley available for feed usage is estimated at 5.2 million mt, down from 5.7 million mt during 2014-15. Therefore, at the time of writing this article, feed barley in Lethbridge was trading at $215/mt delivered while feed wheat was moving at $225/mt. The barley market needs to encourage the use of alternate feed grains by eventually trading at a premium to feed wheat. Higher prices are needed so that domestic demand slows down. I’m forecasting a $30 to $40 rally in feed barley over the winter period for these reasons. Canadian non-durum wheat production was estimated at 20.1 million mt, down from 24.1 million mt in 2014 and 31 million mt in 2013. Canadian wheat stocks will drop below the 10-year average at the end of the 2015-16 crop year which could also cause domestic feed wheat prices to strengthen later in the crop year. The corn market is currently in a very precarious situation. Analysts are continuing to hear a wide range of yield estimates as the harvest progresses. This year, it is very diffi-

C at t l e m e n · O c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

Supply and disposition of Canadian barley (’000 tonnes) StatsCan 10/11

StatsCan 11/12

StatsCan 12/13

StatsCan 13/14

StatsCan 14/15

10-year average

Estimated 15/16

Acres seeded

6,911

6,472

7,405

7,083

5,880

8,273

6,511

Acres harvested

5,899

5,843

6,797

6,554

5,279

7,364

5,860

Yield (bu./ac.)

59.21

61.00

54.10

71.70

61.90

57.25

Opening stocks Aug. 1

2,583

1,441

1,195

983

1,924

2,081

945

Production

7,605

7,755

8,012

10,237

7,115

9,506

7,304

SUPPLY

Imports

10,230

9,210

9,226

11,227

9,098

11,624

8,289

Exports

1,272

1,200

1,250

1,554

1,350

1,572

1,000

Seed

233

257

249

209

253

282

250

Human food/industrial/1

902

933

886

971

850

946

950

Feed-waste-dockage

6,382

5,625

5,858

6,569

5,700

6,987

5,150

TOTAL USE

8,789

8,015

8,243

9,303

8,153

9,787

7,350

TOTAL CARRY-OVER

1,441

1,195

983

1,924

945

1,837

939

TOTAL SUPPLY USE

1/includes barley processed domestically and then exported as malt

cult to get a handle on the crop size. The USDA increased its yields on the August report only to decrease its yield estimate on the September survey. My bias is that we’ll continue to see this unstable environment continue throughout the fall and the market will maintain a risk premium due to this uncertainty. We may see some harvest pressure but I don’t see the corn market falling apart longer term and there is also potential for a seasonal rally after harvest. The U.S. corn carry-out is estimated at 1.6 billion bushels which is only marginally higher than the 10-year average of 1.4 billion bushels. Minor adjustments in yield estimates will have a large effect on the price going forward. I believe cattle feeders have to be aware of this risk because any strength in the corn market will spill over into western Canadian feed grain prices. In conclusion, Canadian barley stocks will drop to historically low levels for the second year in a row. Last year, multiple factors limited the upside in the market; however, I’m forecasting higher prices after the harvest period and producers should be looking at extending coverage on their feed grain requirements. c Jerry Klassen manages the Canadian office of Swiss-based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Produits Ltd., and is president and founder of Resilient Capital specializing in proprietary commodity futures trading and market analysis. He owns farmland in Manitoba and Saskatchewan but grew up on a mixed farm feedlot operation in southern Alberta. He can be reached at 204-504-8339.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

You’re in control from start to finish Stop BRD in its tracks with a single dose of 2-in-1 Rethink your BRD game plan with fever-reducing, bacteria-killing, fast-acting RESFLOR ®

Resflor ad Canadian Cattlemen.indd 1

2015-09-17 9:35 AM

 GOINGS ON

 ADVERTIS ER I ND EX Page Advanced Agri-Direct Inc. 35 AgriClear Ltd. Partnership 15 ARECA 44 Allen Leigh Security & Communications Ltd. 31 Balkrishna Industries Ltd. 6 45 Boehringer Ingelheim Bow Slope Shipping Assoc. 58, 62 Calgary Stockyards Ltd. 58, 62 44 Canadian Agri-Blend Canadian Angus Assoc. 61 Canadian Cattle Identification Agency 24, 25 Canadian Charolais Assoc. OBC Canadian Forage & Grassland Assoc. 30 Canadian Gelbvieh Assoc. 47 Canadian Hereford Assoc. IFC Canadian Limousin Assoc. 28, 29 Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society 61 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc. 41 57 Canadian Speckle Park Canadian Western Agribition 49 Case-IH 5 61 Cattlemen’s Financial Corp. 18 Cattlesoft-Cattlemax 19 Cattlewomen for the Cure 61 Cows in Control Marketing Group 7 Elanco Animal Health Fenton Hereford Ranch 39 62 Foothills Auctioneers Inc. 9 GlobalView GMS Mechanical & Equipment 17 65 Greener Pastures 62 Grunthal Livestock Auction 60 Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch Equipment 12, 13 John Deere 51 Junewarren-Nickle’s Energy Group Keith Gilmore Foundation 18 58 Klassen Agriventures Ltd. 20 a-p Lakeland Group/Northstar 62 Manitoba Livestock Cash 62 Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. 61 Matchmaker Select Meadow Lake Livestock Sales Ltd. 62 Merck Animal Health 69, 71, IBC 11, 27 Merial 36, 37 Meridian Manufacturing Inc. MNP LLP 31 Modern Veterinary 19 33 Noble Equipment Ltd. 59 Northlands Farmair International 63 Olds Auction Mart Ontario Livestock Exchange 63 Perlich Bros. Auction Market Ltd. 63 63 Picture Butte Auction Market 55 Real Industries Riveside Welding 61 23 Royal Bank of Canada – RBC 61 Salers Assoc. of Canada John Schooten & Sons Custom Feedyard Ltd. 58 Southern Alberta Livestock 58, 63 58, 63 Stettler Auction Mart (1971) Tru-Test Inc. 65 40 Vantage Trailer Sales 63 Viking Auction Market Ltd. 63 Winnipeg Livestock Sales Ltd.

Sales&Events Events October

28-29 AFAC Crises Communication Forum, Calgary, Alta. 29-31 Manitoba Livestock Expo, Brandon, Man.

November 2-3

echnical Large Animal Emergency T Rescue Seminar, Executive Royal Hotel, Leduc, Alta. 3 Cow-calfenomics Seminar, Vermilion Regional Centre, Vermilion, Alta. 3-20 NA International Livestock Expo, Louisville, Kentucky 4 Cow-calfenomics Seminar, Hazel Bluff Community Hall, Westlock, Alta. Cow-calfenomics Seminar, Olds Student 5 Alumni Centre, Olds, Alta. 5-7 Saskatchewan National Angus Gold and Junior Show, Lloydminister, Sask. 5-8 Lloydminster Stockade Roundup, Lloydminster, Sask. 6 Cow-calfenomics Seminar, Country Kitchen, Lethbridge, Alta. 6-7 Ontario Trillium Classic, Toronto, Ont. 6-15 Royal Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont. 10-17 Northern International Livestock Expo (NILE), Billings, Montana 11-15 Farmfair International, Edmonton, Alta. 17-19 Canadian Forage & Grassland Association Convention, Saskatoon, Sask. 17-19 24th Range Beef Cow Symposium, The Ranch, Loveland, Colorado 18-19 Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners Fall Meeting, Holiday Inn Hotel, Guelph, Ont. 23-28 Canadian Western Agribition, Regina, Sask. 23-28 Saskatchewan Angus Gold Show, Regina, Sask. 25-27 Agricultural Excellence Conference, Ramada Plaza, Regina, Sask.

February 4-5

anitoba Beef Producers Annual M Meeting, Victoria Inn, Brandon, Man.

July

17-22 International Rangeland Congress, Saskatoon, Sask.

August

21-28 International Limousin Congress, Ireland

Sales November 21

enton Hereford Ranch, at the ranch, F Irma, Alta.

December 3

eak Dot Ranch Ltd. Fall Bull and Female P Sale, at the ranch, Wood Mountain, Sask.

March 2016 5

avidson Gelbvieh & Lonsome Dove D Ranch 27th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch bull yards, Ponteix, Sask.

August

9-13 B onanza 2016, Burning the Hereford Brand, Olds, Alta. c  Event listings are a free service to industry.  Sale listings are for our advertisers. Your contact is Mike Millar at 306-251-0011 or mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com

STAMPEDE

By Jerry Palen

December 7-9

lberta Beef Producers Annual Meeting, A Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Calgary, Alta. 9-10 Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Farms at the Table Conference, Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, Sask.

January 2016 14-16 Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners Conference, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Calgary, Alta. 20-22 Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference, Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, Sask.

C at t l e m e n · o c t o b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 5

“Do you think we’re getting too old for these 4-wheel drives?””

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

You’re in control from start to finish Take charge of BRD on arrival with targeted, long-lasting • Treats more cattle per bottle than any other on-arrival antibiotic*

Rethink your BRD game plan and make ZUPREVO ® your on-arrival antibiotic of choice

* Per like-sized vial in animals of comparable weight. As per the approved Canadian product label concentrations and recommended dosages. ® Intervet International B.V. Used under license. MERCK® is a registered trademark of Merck Canada Inc. ©2015 Intervet Canada Corp. All rights reserved.

Zuprevo ad Canadian Cattlemen.indd 1

2015-09-17 9:33 AM

Revolution The benefits of using Charolais cattle are obvious â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cattlemen simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t deny their growth and carcass traits. Improve your efficiency and profitability with a Charolais bull. The hybrid vigor you will create is the silver lining... Join the revolution!

2320 41st Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 Phone: 403.250.9242 I Fax: 403.291.9324

WWW.CHAROLAIS.COM Check out our website and social media for upcoming events and news!

/cdncharolais

@canCharolais