Canadian cattlemen by Farm Business Communications

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Adrienne and Wilco van Meijl, Rapid City, Man.

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Contents canadian cattlemen · MARCH 2018 · Volume 81, No. 3

 YOUT H

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The van Meijl family of Rapid City, Man.

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getting a global perspective 16 on our beef industry  M A NAG E M E N T

FEATURES Post-calving nutrition determines next year’s success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Cattlemen and Canadian Cattlemen are Trade Marks of Glacier FarmMedia LP.

EPDs sped up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Cattlemen is published monthly by Glacier FarmMedia LP. Head office: Winnipeg, Manitoba. Printed by Transcontinental LGMC. Cattlemen is printed with linseed oil-based inks.

Getting a global perspective on our beef industry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Subscription rates in Canada — $49 for one year, $71 for 2 years, $99 for 3 years (prices include GST). Manitoba residents add 8% PST. U.S. subscription rate — $45 (U.S. funds). Subscription rate outside Canada and U.S. — $89 per year. Single copies $3. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240. Canadian Postmaster: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., PO Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7. U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes and undeliverable addresses (covers only) to: Circulation Dept., PO Box 9800, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7. PRINTED IN CANADA

Transitioning bulls from feeding to breeding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Stabilizing Ontario’s 30 beef industry

Watch for testicular degeneration in bulls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 My cover crop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 A vaginal prolapse is not just a prolapse!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Stabilizing Ontario’s beef industry. . . . . . 30

 B R E E D I NG

The taxman cometh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Preventing reproductive wrecks. . . . . . . . 40

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Verified Beef Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Forage & Grassland Guide. . . . . . . . . . 54-64

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The editors and journalists who write, contribute and provide opinions to Canadian Cattlemen and Glacier FarmMedia LP attempt to provide accurate and useful opinions, information and analysis. However, the editors, journalists, Canadian Cattlemen and Glacier FarmMedia LP cannot and do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication. Use or non-use of any information is at the reader’s sole risk, and we assume no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader of this publication based on any and all information provided. Privacy Statement At Glacier FarmMedia LP we are committed to protecting your privacy. Glacier FarmMedia LP will only collect personal information if it is required for reasonable purposes related to our business operations. As part of our commitment to enhance customer service, we may also share personal information with our affiliates or strategic business partners. For more information regarding how we collect, use and disclose personal information, please refer to our Privacy Policy at http://farmmedia.com/privacy-policy, or write to: Privacy Officer, Glacier FarmMedia, P.O. Box 9800, Station Main, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3K7. 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 1-800-665-0502.

Preventing reproductive wrecks

Congratulations! To our February survey winner, A.R.H. Holdings, Lac La Biche, Alta. This month’s survey is on page 74. Cover photo: Our photo by the van Meijl family

Comment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Newsmakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Our History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Research on the Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Vet Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Free Market Reflections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Straight from the Hip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 CCA Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 News Roundup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Purely Purebred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 The Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Market Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Sales and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

 COMMENT

By Gren Winslow

An opportunity for youth

t’s not often you hear from a pulse processor when you go to a cattle convention, but Murad Al-Katib isn’t any pulse processor. Starting with one pulse processing facility in Saskatchewan he has built AGT Foods today into an operation with plants in Canada, the U.S., Turkey, Australia, China and South Africa and more than $2 billion in sales. Earnst and Young presented him with its Canada Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2016 and last year the Liberal government asked him the chair the AgriFood Strategy Roundtable to help set the targets that will push Canada’s Agri-Food exports to $75 billion. And it was in this larger role that he brought the message to the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Convention that protein will be what drives global agriculture markets in the decades ahead. The goal, he says, is to make Canada the first stop on the protein highway. He believes protein demand is what we will talk about for the next 40 years. The trick, of course, for every sector will be to figure out how they can snag onto their share of this new future. Almost certainly a larger slice of it will have to come from outside our local markets. Projections point persuasively to the Asia Pacific region where middle class spending of $4.9 trillion in 2009 is predicted to reach near $33 trillion by 2030. By comparison the North American middle class that spent $5.5 trillion in 2009 is projected to spend $5.6 trillion in 2030. Europeans are projected to spend $11.1 trillion in 2030. These types of numbers only emphasize the reasons why all of agriculture (outside of dairy) are pushing for more secure access to these markets through multilateral or bilateral trade agreements. Perhaps it was numbers like these that convinced the Liberal government to sign the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The focus now has to shift to a free trade agreement with China and, in the case of the beef industry, tying down the technical trade issues under our free trade agreement with the European Union. Keep in mind Al-Katib is talking total protein and there are many sources that consumers can turn to in meeting this growing demand. Pulses are one. Meat consumption is growing by up to three per cent per year in Asia, the Middle East and Africa combined but pork and poultry dominate in these markets. That does not mean there is not room for beef to gain an increasing share as the demand for better food increases with incomes in these markets. In some cases innovation and new technology will

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

be needed to provide the products that these increasingly fickle consumers demand. Al-Katib is no doubt right. There is plenty of evidence of a growing hunger for protein in a world that is growing richer and increasingly demanding a better standard of living. How much of it is claimed by the Canadian beef industry is a tale still to be written. Perhaps the better question is could the Canadian industry even fill these new markets if they became available. Along that line Dr. Murray Jelinski from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine had a more sombre version of the future when he gave the convention a sneak peek at his latest analysis of the industry’s demographics as revealed in the last census. As we all know the number of beef producers is shrinking. In Western Canada the number dropped from roughly 92,000 in 1996 to 53,000 in 2016 and the age of beef producers continues to climb. According to Jelinski’s analysis where there were two beef producers over the age of 60 for every one under the age of 30 in 1996, by 2016 there were seven over the age of 60 for every one under 30. In total more than 25,000 were over 60. You might expect most of these 60-year-olds to own smaller herds and they did, but they also dominate every herd size that Statistics Canada surveyed, although the 55 to 60 age group were more prominent among the bigger herds. That might not seem out of place seeing it can take a long time to build a big spread but the population curve on the 2016 census is starting to show an alarmingly disproportionate swing toward this older demographic. Based on past trends Jelinksi says he would not be surprised to see another 11 per cent drop in the number of beef farms at the next census. So the question becomes how will we maintain, let alone expand the herd as this older generation moves on. Obviously, the herd size will have to increase if we are to hold our present inventories. If you look at it the other way round Jelinski says a more optimistic view is the huge opportunity that awaits younger producers who want to get into the beef business today. Perhaps some of the programming that is going to start coming out of the federal/provincial Canadian Agricultural Partnership should be aimed at encouraging this younger generation. Al-Katib might say that this is where the future lies for any business. c

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 THE INDUST RY

NewsMakers Rick Toney of Gull Lake is the new chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. Joe Jackson of Moose Rick Toney Joe Jackson Jaw is vice-chair and Arnold Balicki from Shellbrook is the finance chair. Garret Hill of Duval is the member at large. Ben Fox of Dauphin was reelected to another term as president of the Manitoba Beef Producers following the annual meeting in Brandon last month. Tom Teichroeb of Langruth moves Ben Fox up to vice-president and Gord Adams of Deloraine is second vice-president. Peter Penner from Winkler is the finance chair for 2018-19 and Dianne Riding is secretary. Twenty six resolutions Tom Teichroeb were carried at the annual meeting and some, says Fox, are going to change the face of the Manitoba beef industry for years to come. One notable motion called on the MBP to lobby the provincial government to implement mandatory livestock inspection within the province.

Thomas, Sonja, Brian, Kristelle Harper

Brian, Sonja, Thomas and Kristelle Harper of Circle H Farms are the 2018 recipients of the Manitoba Environmental Stewardship Award. The Harpers run a forage-fed purebred beef herd of 80 cows composed of three breeds known for production on forage-only diets — Lincoln Red, North Devon and Shaver Beefblend — on 500 acres near Brandon. To avoid erosion

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on their light land the Harpers plant perennial forages and perennial crops and planted about 5,000 trees on their farm. They’ve also installed off-site watering systems, digging wells and installing solar-powered winter water systems. Since they switched to high stock density grazing on multiple paddocks, yielding long rest periods for the pastures, they’ve increased beef output on 130 acres by 9,400 pounds over three years.

Craig Ference

Jinel Ference

Craig and Jinel Ference of Double F Farms near Kirriemuir are Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers for 2018. After graduating from university the couple returned to the farm in 2004 and today crop 10,000 acres, manage an 8,000head feedlot and 4,000 mother cows, as well as a number of custom farming contracts. Their goal is to continue creating a diverse business that involves many agriculture sectors.

Elizabeth R. Homerosky, DVM, MSc., of Veterinary Agri-Health Services at Airdrie, Alta., has been certified as a diplomate by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Dr. Elizabeth (ABVP) specializing in Homerosky beef cattle practice. She received her veterinary degree from Ohio State University and a master’s in beef cattle health from the University of Calgary. Dr. Oliver Schunicht of Okotoks, Alta., is this year’s recipient of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP) Veterinarian of the Year award. Dr. Oliver The award is sponsored Schunicht by Boehringer Ingelheim. He graduated from the Western Canadian School of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and has spent virtually his entire career practicing bovine production medicine with Feedlot Health Management Services in Okotoks. Schunicht is a director of the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinar-

ians and past president of the WCABP. In addition to his work with Feedlot Health Management Services, he has his own herd of 400 Angus-based cows and a 1,000-head feedlot. Norma Ansloos of the Springbank Rawhides 4-H Club in Alberta was chosen as the 2017 4-H Canada National Volunteer of the Year. She will receive a prize package that includes a cash prize and a round trip ticket to Ottawa for the Leadership Summit and Awards where she will be honoured for her contributions to 4-H. Noted feed and forage researcher Vern Racz will be inducted into the Sask atchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Saskatoon in April. Racz has contributed to animal Vern Racz nutrition and development of new feeds throughout his career. He is a former director at the Saskatchewan Feed Testing Laboratory and founder of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre. Johnathan Bennett is the new range ecologist at the University of Saskatche wan. Originally from the Maritimes, he did his PhD on plant ecology at the University of Alberta. Johnathan Bennett His previous work has focused on understanding how variation in plant competition, mycorrhizas, and plant-pollinator interactions alter plant communities, especially as it relates to invasion by non-native plants.

Tess Mills

Joyceline Toews

Tess Mills was awarded the $2,000 Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference Scholarship for 2018 that goes to a third- or fourth-year degree student in agriculture or biology at the University of Saskatchewan. Joyceline Toews was awarded the $1,000 scholarship for a student in the second or third year of the diploma program in agriculture. c

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ARE YOU A LIVESTOCK OPERATOR ? E XPECTED livestock traceability regulatory amendments will require livestock operations to register and identify their premises with their local government premises registry, and use it to report animal movement to the Canadian Livestock Tracking System database at www.clia.livestockid.ca You CAN prepare in

steps

1. CONTACT your local premises registry with your legal land description

to confirm or acquire a premises identification (PID) number for your livestock site

2. CONTACT Canadian Cattle Identification Agency to confirm

or acquire a Canadian Livestock Tracking System database account and enter your PID into it, by toll-free telephone at 1-877-909-2333 or email at info@canadaid.ca

F IND your local P REMISES R EGISTRY BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1-888-221-7141 ALBERTA: 310-FARM (3276) SASKATCHEWAN: 1-866-457-2377 MANITOBA: 1-204-945-7684 ONTARIO: 1-855-697-7743 QUEBEC: 1-866-270-4319 NEW BRUNSWICK: 1-506-453-2109 NOVA SCOTIA: 1-800-279-0825 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: 1-866-PEI-FARM NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR: 1-709-637-2088 YUKON: 1-867-667-3043

 our histo ry

One Man’s Opinion

By Richard I Needham — Originally published in the Jan. 24, 1951 Calgary Herald and reprinted in the Jan. 1951 Canadian Cattlemen

t’s beginning to look as though the British will have to become vegetarians. Their meat ration is now at an all-time low — lower than it was during the German submarine blockade of World War Two — and it’s likely to go still further. The ration is 10d. worth per head per week plus 2d. worth of corned beef. In all about 15 cents. The total weight would come to roughly a quarter of a pound, about as much as the average Canadian eats at one meal. It is usually beef or mutton, and poor quality at that: never pork or veal. The reason why the ration is so small and likely to become smaller is that Britain cannot reach any agreement with Argentina, which ordinarily supplies 20 per cent of her meat. Owing to a dispute over prices, Argentina beef shipments to Britain were suspended on June 30, 1950, and haven’t been resumed since. From time to time, the two governments meet for discussions, but always the discussions break down. Meanwhile 70,000 tons of beef are lying in Argentina’s great refrigerators, and another 40,000 tons are available for slaughter. Britain could have the whole lot — if only a deal could be made. Reading the British newspapers — and dispatches from Britain to the Canadian and American newspapers — we notice a disposition to place all the blame for the breakdown on Argentina. According to the London bureau of The New York Times, “The British have said they would rather go without meat than be held up for ransom,” and Betty Burton, the able correspondent of the Windsor Star reports: “We believe the Argentine is trying to make capital out of our shortage by charging too much for their meat… it can force us to pay its price for meat simply by holding out till we’re sick of fish. I don’t think we work that way. That’s the sort of thing that makes us angry and stubborn… At the moment, President Peron just isn’t one of our favourite heroes.” What a dreadful man that President Peron must be! We guess if he went to London right now, they would stick his head on a pikestaff. But just a moment — what price is Argentina asking for her beef? Is it a fair price, by world standards, or is it an exorbitant one? Few, if any, of the people who write about the AngloArgentine meat dispute have taken the trouble to look into that question. First, let us note that Argentina produces good beef: very good beef indeed. Secondly, let us note that she sold it to Britain in pre-war days for 10 to 12 cents a pound. Thirdly, let us note that the price she is asking now — the price the British Ministry of Food refuses to pay — is $390 U.S. a ton. That is a long ton, 2240 pounds, so when we break it down, we find that Argen-

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

tina is asking 17 cents a pound: less than double the pre-war price. Isn’t that reasonable? Practically all the food on world markets has doubled in price. Would Canada be either able or willing to sell beef to Britain at 17 cents a pound? The beef delivered to butcher shops here in Calgary runs around 50 cents a pound. So perhaps President Peron is not quite such a wicked man as the British are making him out to be. Perhaps he is simply trying to get a fair price — by Canadian standards, a rather low one — for his packers and ranchers. We think it is time to say that the food-exporting peoples of this world — the Canadians and the Danes and the Dutch and the Argentines and the Australians and the New Zealanders — are fed up with the pinchpenny tactics of the British Ministry of Food; and by the way in which, when those tactics fail, they are made out to be Scrooges and Shylocks and Simon Legrees, callously holding back food from the tables of the British people. We all know that Britain is one of the world’s great food importers, and we are all anxious to sell to her. But there is no reason on earth why we should sell food to her at a loss, any more than she should sell bicycles and automobiles to us at a loss. We have the right to demand a fair price; and the only way to ascertain a fair price is by free bargaining all along the line that leads from the producers at one end and the consumers at the other. In short, no more state trading. A man who knows food markets inside out has this to say: “When the (British) government gives up bulk purchase of meat, the overseas farmer will begin to improve his flock and herds; the export buyer will begin to go after the farmer and buy his best animals; the freezing works will begin to treat the stock bought by the export buyers; the ships will begin to load the meat treated by the freezing works; the importers will begin to offer a choice of meat to the traders; the butcher will begin to sell to the public what the public wants; and the public will begin once again to enjoy the meat that it can pick and choose for itself.” That statement appeared in the Manchester Guardian just before Christmas. The man who made it is Sir Henry Turner, former Controller of Meat and Livestock to the British Ministry of Food; and he is perfectly right. Only free, fair trading can give the British people the meat they want: their trading methods today are neither free nor fair, and that is why they are going without. c For more of the past from the pages of our magazine see the History section at www.canadiancattlemen.ca.

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Colostrum has been called “nature’s perfect food.” It’s also newborn calves’ only source of immunity – and their first line of defence against scour-causing pathogens. Make sure the colostrum your calves receive contains a high concentration of the right antibodies, by vaccinating your pregnant cows with Bovilis® GuardianTM. > Broad-spectrum activity against rotaviruses, coronaviruses, clostridium and E. coli K99 > Subcutaneous administration, for optimal meat quality > Approved early vaccination programs, for higher antibody concentration in colostrum* Consult your veterinarian. * See label for details BOVILIS ® is a registered trademark of Intervet International B.V. Used under license. GUARDIAN™ is a trademark of Intervet International B.V. Used under license. MERCK® is a registered trademark of Merck Canada Inc. © 2018 Intervet Canada Corp. All rights reserved.

Bovilis Guardian ad Canadian Cattlemen.indd 1

2018-01-04 9:55 AM

 managem e n t

By Duane McCartney

Post-Calving Nutrition Determines Next Year’s Success

n some areas of Canada this has been a very difficult winter to be a cowcalf producer. With last summer’s drought and the current feed shortage in those areas, many producers are left pondering what to do. Barry Yaremcio, a nutrition specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, and Murray Feist a beef cattle nutritionist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, have fielded many questions and concerns from producers in the drought-stricken areas on what to do with their feed shortages. With the impending breeding season, the nutritional regime that your cows are on will have a major influence on when and if your cows get bred. Cows need to be on a rising plane of nutrition following calving for them to conceive and rebreed at the same time each year regardless of pre-calving nutrition. We found this out many years ago, at the Ag Canada Melfort Research Station in Saskatchewan in a three-year research trial evaluation how different energy levels of pre-calving nutrition could affect future breeding performance. This research was in partnership with Dr. Reuben Mapletoft and Dr. Albert Barth, reproductive physiologists at Western College of Veterinarian Medicine. The objective of this research was to examine the effects of limiting feed intake in the last trimester of pregnancy on the reproductive and calving performance of mature beef cows that were fatter and thinner at the start of the study. In the first fall, the cow herd was visually assessed and separated at the gate into groups of thinner and fatter cows. These cows remained in the same treatment groups for the three years of the project. Rations were based on a free-choice barley straw diet, supplemented with barley silage and grain. In each group, half of the cows were fed a higher (115 per cent of the then-current NRC) or a lower energy ration (80 per cent of the then-current NRC) precalving in the third trimester. At the end of calving each year (March 14-20), all cows received the same “postcalving” straw base ration supplement with

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significant differences in adjusted weaning weights between groups. Pregnancy check revealed on the first year that the thinner cows fed the lower energy pre-calving ration had 100 per cent conception, while the thinner cows fed the higher energy pre-calving ration had 90 per cent conception. The fatter cows with the higher energy ration were at 92 per cent conception, while the fatter cows fed the lower energy ration had 87 per cent conception. Calving interval for the fatter cows fed the higher energy ration was 371 days, while the fatter cows with the lower energy ration was 365 days. The thinner cows fed either ration had a 360-day calving interval in the first year calving. By the second and third year of the study all calving intervals were similar but the fatter cows on the lower energy pre-calving ration had twice the number of open cows compared to all the other groups. Take-Home Message

Cows need to be on a rising plane of nutrition after calving to conceive and rebreed on time.

barley silage and grain that was formulated to meet the maintenance requirements of a lactating beef cow with high milk production. This diet was provided until the cows and calves were turned out to pasture in late May to early June, depending on pasture condition. The pairs remained on pasture until the forage available was finished and the calves were then weaned between mid-September and mid-October. The weaned cows then grazed spring-seeded winter cereals until they were returned to their winter treatment pens in early November each year. Cows remained in their winter treatment combination groups for the entire course of the three-year trial. Each year, after the summer and fall grazing, all cows return to their wintering pre-calving treatments at their original starting body weight. In the fall of the first year there were no

Murray Feist says, “In times of short winter feed supply, cows can be fed straw free choice, supplemented with a reduced energy ration of up to 80 per cent of the NRC during the winter prior to calving, provided they are on a rising plane of nutrition post-calving according to NRC. However, this feeding regime is not recommended for succeeding winters as producers may risk reducing the reproductive rates of their herds by way of open cows and reduced pregnancy rates.” Feist goes on to say, “I feel it’s the same story as we have with the vitamin A world shortage. Short-term deficiency may have issues at calving, but body stores will be replenished on pasture. However, if the energy and vitamin deficiencies extend over a period of years, beef producers will have troubles. I don’t want producers to think they can have normal calving and reproductive success on a vitamin-deficient feeding program, and quit feeding it altogether in a false sense of security then have a wreck or troubles next year. “One thing I do know is if producers continue to feed low-quality straw diets with limited mineral/vitamin supplements we

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management

will be seeing more cows and calves diagnosed with a vitamin A deficiency at the veterinary diagnostic lab. So it is extremely important to feed more energy and continue with proper vitamin and mineral supplements after calving and during the breeding season.” When Barry Yaremcio talks to beef producers who are having difficulties this winter with short feed supplies, he stresses don’t be afraid to feed some grain after calving. “Feed anywhere from four to eight pounds of grain along with your hay and straw. Feeding hay alone will not provide the increase in energy that will be required post calving for the cows to cycle quickly and rebreed. It will take about 12 weeks for a cow to reach her maximum feed intake after calving. The uterus has to contract and the rumen has to expand over this period in order to have maximum feed intake. Feeding hay and straw only will not allow for enough intake to meet the increased energy requirements of a nursing cow, thus the reason for adding grain. Straw is a high-fibre, low-energy and low-protein ingredient. If possible, minimize or eliminate straw from lactating cow rations. Use of a program such as CowBytes, available from Alberta Agriculture, to balance rations will help eliminate problems.”

If feed was short this winter don’t be afraid to feed some grain after calving If you are concerned about the labour needed to feed a protein energy supplement, then feed every other day. Research at University of Alberta by Ruth Tellier and Dr. Gary Mathison found no measurable negative effect on intake or digestibility on a high straw-based diets when providing protein/ energy concentrates every second day. It is recommended that cows be introduced to the higher levels of grain over time. “In addition, it is extremely important to separate out your two-year-old heifers that have calved and feed them extra,” says Yaremcio. “Heifers are still growing. They are really only at about 85 per cent of their mature body weight. If the heifers remain with the older cows they just can’t compete for the extra feed that they need.” www.canadiancattlemen.ca

When cows and calves go to grass this spring, it is important that the grass be at the three-leaf stage before grazing begins. Grazing too soon will affect the production of the pasture over the summer. In addition, if cows go to dormant grass or pasture that was left over from last fall specifically for spring grazing, be aware this dormant grass does not have the energy required for nursing cows. Feed test this dormant grass prior to turning the cows out to graze.

Yaremcio concludes, “Pasture yield in some areas could be in short supply next summer due to the overgrazing or the drought that might have occurred last year. If this is the case, producers should consider very early weaning of their calves or creep feeding them on pasture.” c Duane McCartney is a retired forage beef systems research scientist at Lacombe, Alta.

INNOVATION FILE:

Oral Pain Prevention for Cattle

“All the cattle were mothered up very well.” “The next day after branding they looked very normal to me and that is what we were really looking for in a product. It was something that we will certainly be doing again. We’ve found good benefits to it and for the price of it I wouldn’t see why we wouldn’t do what we can to relieve as much stress as we possibly can.”

Kim, Jack, Je

ssica & An

dy Hextall

Meloxicam Oral Suspension is an excellent tool for the humane treatment of calves at the time of castration.

For more information on pain prevention, contact your veterinarian or visit solvet.ca Solvet is a subsidiary of Alberta Veterinary Laboratories Ltd.

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 breeding

By Piper Whelan

EPDs sped up

Considering the practical implications of BOLT EPDs

or Jay Cross of Bar Pipe Hereford Ranch, EPDs play a significant role in breeding functional cattle. “Particularly in the last 10 years, we have recognized that an increasing number of our customers are driven by EPDs,” says Cross, who ranches at Okotoks, Alta. The Hereford breeder, whose family has raised cattle since the 1880s, targets his herd of approximately 200 purebred females to meet the needs of commercial producers. While not all of his customers are focused on EPDs, Cross notes that this technology, along with genomic testing, assists in selecting traits to benefit buyers. “The idea is that we’re raising our cattle and selecting our cattle under conditions that mimic the vast majority of our commercial customers,” he continues. It comes as no surprise, then, that Cross is among the many Canadian beef producers considering the implications of a new method for calculating EPDs. Biometric Open Language Tools (BOLT) is a software for running single-step genetic evaluations, soon to be used by a number of Canadian breed associations. The primary difference between BOLT and other methods is how it incorporates DNA directly into EPD calculations. Developed by Dr. Bruce Golden and Dr. Dorian Garrick of Theta Solutions, BOLT calculates EPDs using pedigree, performance data and DNA results at once. In previous models, EPDs were calculated with just pedigree and performance data, then adjusted based on DNA information. With BOLT, an animal’s genomic data will be incorporated throughout its pedigree, affecting the evaluations of its ancestors and progeny. “If there’s 3,000 markers that impact weaning weight, it will include the influence of each of those markers, so it’s a lot more powerful evaluation technology than what we’ve used in the past,” says Sean McGrath, breed improvement specialist with the Canadian Simmental Association (CSA). BOLT allows for more frequent evaluations due to its computing power, providing a faster turnaround on updated EPDs. “If you collect a yearling weight on your bulls a month before your bull sale, you should

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A more rapid refinement of the EPD profiles can only be a good thing, says Jay Cross.

have EPDs for your bull sale that reflect that data,” says McGrath. This new technology promises truer genetic evaluations, but this also raises concerns about animals being reranked. McGrath notes that possible changes to rankings relate to the role of DNA in the single-step model. “The BOLT system, using a 50K DNA test, is equivalent to 22 progeny records,” he says. “The added 22 calves’ worth of data to a young bull could change quite a bit what you think of him.” Accuracies may also change with this model, but McGrath explains that these possibly lower accuracies are better than those estimated through the previous methodology. “In the BOLT system, accuracy is calculated directly, mathematically, but as a result, the expression of that accuracy has gone down. The evaluation is better, but the way we express accuracy is a little bit lower.” A major advantage of BOLT is improved risk management, particularly in selecting younger animals. For example, while it previously took years to know if a sire produced long-lived daughters, BOLT promises better predictions on yearling bulls. “If you can buy a virgin bull where you’ve already got as much information on him as if he’d had 15 or 20 calves, that’s a pretty good riskmanagement tool,” says McGrath.

Many breeds transitioning to BOLT

International Genetic Solutions (IGS) was established in 2010 to help develop BOLT and to create the National Cattle Evaluation. IGS now consists of 12 breed associations: the American Chianina, Gelbvieh, Maine-Anjou, Shorthorn and Simmental associations, the Canadian Angus, Gelbvieh, Limousin, Shorthorn and Simmental associations, the North American Limousin Federation and the Red Angus Association of America. A multi-breed evaluation such as IGS provides the ability to more accurately assess crossbred genetics, allowing hybrid vigour to be expressed through EPDs. The Canadian Angus Association uses IGS for Red Angus EPDs, and will soon calculate them with BOLT. Black Angus cattle registered with the association, however, are evaluated with a different single-step method at Angus Genetics, Inc. (AGI). The Canadian Charolais Association plans to use a different single-step methodology at AGI, and the Canadian MaineAnjou Association is not using BOLT at this time. Continued on page 14

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PROTECT YOUR CALVES

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Continued from page 12

The Canadian Hereford Association (CHA) also transitioned to BOLT, with its first run published in December. The only traits not included are the feedlot merit and maternal productivity indexes, as necessary updates have yet to be completed, says CHA general manager Stephen Scott. Along with the American, Argentinian and Uruguayan Hereford associations, the CHA is part of the Pan-American Cattle Evaluation. Currently, the Canadian and American associations use BOLT, with Argentina and Uruguay transitioning to this model this summer. The CHA now has weekly runs with BOLT, allowing for better return on the members’ investment in DNA testing. “If breeders are paying good money to get these cattle tested, we want that information back to them as quick as possible, so this is the quickest turnaround we can do with genomics,” says Scott. “As soon as it’s done at the lab, it goes in the next extract and will be published within two weeks.”

Developing new tools

The CSA has introduced a new stayability trait using BOLT in conjunction with the American Simmental Association. Previously, both associations scored this on a success/failure model based on whether a cow reached the age of six. The new model gives credit based on the age of the animal, which McGrath calls a better reflection of longevity in herds.

“It’s a positive move,” says Limousin breeder Bill Campbell

Similarly, the CHA has adopted a new trait called sustained cow fertility, measuring a female’s ability to stay in a herd up to the age of 12 with a calf each year. Hereford breeders will also see new traits to score udder suspension and teat length.

BOLT powers the IGS Feeder Profit Calculator, a free marketing tool introduced in the summer of 2017. This uses sire information as well as details on weaning and health management to predict the potential profit on a group of feeder calves. After submitting this information, producers receive a Feeder Profit Calculator certificate, which provides a breakdown of the total relative value of the calves. This is a combination of two measurements: relative genetic value, a predicted difference in value between the calves in question and a similarly managed group of average Angus calves, based on genetic merit; and relative management value, a predicted difference in value based on management details. “The feedback has been phenomenal from all facets of the industry,” says Chip Kemp, director of membership and industry operations at IGS. “Producers have been eager to highlight their calves and to take the knowledge they are gaining back home to refine their own processes and decisionmaking.” As of January, Kemp reports that about 100 loads of calves have been evaluated using the calculator.

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C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

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breeding

Practical benefits and challenges

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Each Canadian association using BOLT has a different timeline to introduce this technology. “For most of the breeds that are participating in IGS, it’s their individual breed’s decision when or how they want to release the EPDs that come out of the BOLT system, but most of them are targeting mid- to late summer through fall of 2018,” says McGrath. In other words, producers can expect to see any changes in EPDs of the IGS breeds reflected in next year’s bull sale catalogues. McGrath notes that while he sees this as a positive initiative, the power of this technology requires producers to have a better idea of what they want. “We can change (cattle) quicker because we can select young bulls and do certain things a lot more accurately than we could in the past,” he explains. “We can change them more quickly in the wrong direction… if we don’t have a plan.” While Cross supports the CHA’s use of BOLT, he anticipates challenges in adjusting to changes in accuracies and more frequently updated EPDs. “We’re used to seeing an EPD that’s published in an ad or in a catalogue, and if they’re changing every month, the big caveat will be that the EPD at time of publication might be changed, and that’s likely to frustrate people.” Despite this, he believes that breeders need to be patient in adapting to these changes. “Everybody just has to take a deep breath and remember that if they’re changing over time, it’s because they’re becoming more accurate,” he says. “There’s going to be some adjustments, but I think overall it’s very positive. To have more rapid refinement of the EPD profiles can only be a good thing.” Cross also views this as an advantage for international sales, given the amount of trade in genetics between Canada and the United States. “If the American associations are making this shift, we really needed to make this shift,” he says. “The American breed associations are moving fairly quickly and therefore gives us an opportunity to move fairly quickly as well.” Bill Campbell of Campbell Limousin at Minto, Man., is also mindful of the implications of BOLT in selecting quality cattle. Campbell, who has served as president of the Canadian Limousin Association, is now part of its BOLT review committee. “I think the positives far outweigh the negatives, so I’m eager to see how it will evolve,” says Campbell, whose herd currently consists of 70 head of purebred females. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Campbell agrees that education will likely As well, Campbell predicts benefits for be an early challenge, but higher-accuracy his herd and the Limousin breed in regards information, weekly evaluations and benefits to more accurate information on younger, such as including embryo transfer calves in unproven cattle. “We will be able to make evaluations are worth it. “I think that will be better management decisions when we breed a great advantage to the industry, that we will those heifers,” he says. “Any introduction of a have the most current available numbers,” new program takes some acceptance and the he explains. “It will take a bit of a learning time to understand it, but if we can increase curve, because your pedigree from last fall the accuracy and the trustworthiness of the with the EPDs printed on it won’t necessarEPD and the genetic selection, I think it’s a ily be the same as what they are this spring.” positive move.” SEC-HAYM18-M_CC_SEC-HAYM18-M_CC.qxd 2018-02-02 3:07 PM Page c 1

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 COVER • YOUT H

By Angela Lovell

Getting a global perspective on our beef industry One thing Wilco van Meijl has gained from his experience with the CYL program and his off-farm employment is being comfortable with change.

hen Manitoba cattle producer Wilco van Meijl stepped off the plane in Paraguay to attend the International Beef Alliance (IBA) conference in October, he did so with an open mind, a desire to meet new people and to learn more about global beef production. He certainly achieved his goals and a lot more. “What was exceptional about this trip was that it took my focus away from Brandon, Man., and gave me a global perspective of what’s going on out there,” says van Meijl, who farms at Rapid City, a half hour north of Brandon. Van Meijl attended IBA as a representative of the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) mentorship program, which he completed in August 2017. Van Meijl’s mentors were Jeff and Lyndsay Smith, owners of Gateway Livestock Exchange Inc. and Prime Analytics in Tabor, Alta. “My main goals of the CYL program were to get some different experiences through meeting new people, and to learn more about some of the risk management opportunities that are available in the beef industry,” he says. CYL mentees were invited to compete for the seat at IBA by submitting a two-minute video outlining issues they felt were important to the Canadian beef industry. Van Meijl’s video addressed two major

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challenges that concern him: enticing new, young producers into primary beef production and overcoming labour gaps. “Getting young producers excited about actually raising beef cattle is a big challenge that the industry is going to face,” he says. “To me, the economics of it is a concern. It’s been a perfect storm against the beef cattle herd expanding in that we had BSE, we had a dollar over par which didn’t help our export market. At the same time, cash crops over the last 10 years have been profitable for producers, so we’ve seen land go out of pasture into crop production. Land costs have also soared, so the affordability to put cows on certain types of land has been unfeasible when you look at some of the returns from crops.” A lot to discuss

Youth leaders from all of the seven IBA countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay and the United States — met to discuss beef production in their respective countries. General sessions, involving members of beef producer organizations from these countries, tackled topics including engaging through social media, the potential impact to the beef industry from alternative, synthetic proteins and international trade issues.

By far the biggest highlight, says van Meijl, was the production tours. “It was an awesome experience to see beef production in Paraguay,” he says. “It’s a developing country, so there are challenges associated with that such as infrastructure. There are really only two main roads to get anywhere. One ranch was 33,000 hectares with 22,000 head which they rotated around 640-hectare paddocks that they divided into six smaller ones to run around 250 cows in each. What impressed me was the use of technology, the intensive production and the opportunity to improve the land that they have. They have 14 million head with a population of just under seven million people, so they are a big beefproducing country.” The general trade sessions were another eye opener for van Meijl, who realized that some issues taking front and centre in North America — like the use of hormones — are a non-issue in other beefproducing countries. “Hormones are big chatter in Canada and the U.S., but it’s a moot point for most of the other countries,” he says. “Australia and New Zealand have a lot of grass-fed-type programs, and in South America, they leave bulls intact so they don’t use hormones. There is sound science behind why we use them, and from an efficiency standpoint, we have a climate

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

YOUTH

that gets to minus 30, so being able to help that animal stay efficient helps keep us competitive in the industry. I thought maybe that was going to be an issue for everyone, so it opened my eyes to what the rest of the world is doing.” Although the countries at IBA compete for global beef markets, van Meijl says it was refreshing to see how willing they all are to work together for the sake of the beef industry worldwide. “We were all there to raise beef demand, and the profile of beef, reduce those non-tariff barriers that exist amongst countries, and ensure we get more beef on the plates of global consumers. That was a really cool thing to see. The biggest takeaway was being able to see the perspective of global beef trade and where we are relative to that in Canada.”

were down near the bottom when we sold our first lot of calves, but we were still over the cost of production. This year when we were selling, calves were between $250 and $280 per head ahead of where we were last year, so how could we not be happy with taking that margin?” Van Meijl’s participation in CYL and a firm handle on the economics of the operation meant the farm was able to take its first foray into direct marketing this year.

“We’ve been talking for years about wanting to direct market some of our calves, but through our interaction with Jeff and Lyndsay we saw the opportunity to finally do it,” he says. “When I look at CYL, the IBA, and all these opportunities I was involved in, working at Cargill and Farm Credit Canada, I think the big thing I have taken out of all those experiences is being comfortable with change. The big challenge is always, still, getting all the work done.” c

Bringing experiences back to the farm

Wilco and his wife Adrienne, farm with his parents Cor and Hannie (who moved from the Netherlands in 1982), as well as his brother Eric and his wife Jamie, at Rapid City, about half an hour north of Brandon, Man. As the farm transitions to the next generation, the brothers are taking on more responsibility for different aspects of the operation, but with both also working off the farm, it’s sometimes a challenge to get all the work done. Eric works at Masterfeeds, so his knowledge of livestock nutrition allows them to make good use of different feedstuffs, maximize feed efficiency and animal health. Van Meijl’s off-farm career included 10 years working with Cargill, where he learned a lot about crop production, grain pricing and marketing. He now works on the financial side of the industry as a district director for Farm Credit Canada, and his combined experiences bring a lot of value to the farm operation from an economic and marketing standpoint. “We have to know our cost of production, which is important, obviously, from a financing end of things, but when we are making business decisions it takes the emotion out of it, because there is a lot of ‘could of, should of, would of ’ when it comes to marketing,” says van Meijl. “Being able to understand cost of production, where we need to be from a margin standpoint and where our goals lie helps me with marketing decisions. We need to understand whether we can take a profit at any point in time and then be happy with the decision. As an example, last year, calf markets www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 breeding

By Heather Smith Thomas

Transitioning Bulls from Feeding to Breeding

he hardest time for a young bull is when he’s turned out with cows for his first breeding season, after being well fed all winter. Most bulls are raised in unnatural conditions. After weaning they are confined and often fed high-concentrate feeds, and pushed for fast growth. Many go through a bull test/ feeding program to measure rate of gain and feed efficiency, and are overly fat. And while most stockmen know that fat is unhealthy for a bull, they still tend to buy the biggest, best-looking animals, and many breeders keep overfeeding young bulls because it’s harder to sell a bull that wasn’t pushed for faster gain. These overfed bulls need to be let down slowly, and some don’t transition very well to more workmanlike rations. They may not be as fertile if they have too much fat in the scrotum and may not hold up, since hot rations can cause permanent damage to their feet. Bulls must be athletic and have the ability to stay sound, with endurance to cover a lot of territory and a lot of cows. Overfeeding can permanently impair that ability. Even bulls developed on growing rations are usually carrying more flesh than bulls raised on grass or wintered on hay. It also pays to have a good transitioning programs after you bring a bull home. Its success will depend in part on how long you have him before he goes out with cows. Some ranchers buy bulls in the fall or winter, giving them plenty of time to adjust to the new environment. On the other extreme are those who bring bulls home a few days or weeks before turnout. Some seedstock producers offer wintering program for fall-bought bulls delivering them closer to breeding season. This works if they can rely on the breeder to have the bulls in ideal working condition at the time of delivery. AVOID FAT

Travis Olson of Ole Farms Athabasca, Alta., who runs 1,100 registered Angus cows and 300 commercial cows, advises his clients to never buy a bull that’s too fat, and admits that is sometimes a difficult challenge. It’s easier if they ultrasound their bulls. “My

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Bring them home early and give them time to adjust to new surroundings before they see the cows.

rule of thumb is that the average in a herd of nicely managed cattle should not be over 0.25 inch of backfat,” he says. “When we were buying bulls, this was one of the criteria we used when looking at the herd average. I would usually pick one of the fatter bulls within the group because I want easy-fleshing cattle that do well on feed, and their daughters will hold their flesh and body condition. But if a herd averaged 0.3 inch of backfat on their ultrasound scan data I wouldn’t bother to look at their bulls,” says Olson. “Some bulls offered for sale have as much as 0.45 inch of backfat. That’s too much for bulls. If they are like that when they are 14 months old — at a March sale for Januaryborn calves — this is equivalent to a finished steer,” he says. “A young bull with this much fat may have liver failure, his feet may fall apart, and there’s more weight and stress on bones and joints. Fat bulls are more likely to put a hip out of place or have some other kind of breakdown. Even humans that are obese have problems reproducing,” he says.

“As many as one-third of over-fat bulls will not be able to freeze semen. Bull studs will tell you that they have a problem with overfat bulls. Those bulls might narrowly pass the semen test for breeding cows, but don’t have adequate quality to freeze the semen,” he explains. Reproductive specialist John Kastelic, DVM, PhD with the department of production animal health, University of Calgary says there is good evidence to show that if you feed bulls high-energy diets after weaning, you get very rapid weight gain but also create problems with excessive fat in the scrotum, reduction in semen quality, more risk for laminitis/founder, liver abscesses, rumenitis, etc. “It is very detrimental to feed bulls highenergy rations post-weaning for rapid gains. The thinking used to be that if a bull is not fat he must be a hard keeper. Sale bulls were always fat but producers thought they could just take them home and put them on a diet before going out with cows and then they Continued on page 20

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Continued from page 18

would be in breeding shape. Unfortunately, some of the damage in the overfat young bull can be permanent,” says Kastelic. GET THEM HOME SOON

Getting the transport accomplished well ahead of time is beneficial. “When you transport a bull there will be some stress,” says Kastelic. When you stress a bull you suppress the luteinizing hormone and it drops, taking testosterone down with it. With relocation there will always be some stress and decrease in semen quality. How long the decrease in semen quality persists will depend on how anxious the bull is, how long the trip is, etc. “If you bring a yearling bull to a new farm and stick him in a pen with some mature bulls and he gets beat up, he may have issues with semen quality for six weeks or more. With any kind of stress you’ll see abnormal sperm in about 10 days and it may take three to six weeks for semen to get back to normal, depending on how stressed he was

and how severe the changes are. He needs time for the transition,” says Kastelic. Olson advises getting bulls home as soon as you can. “Many ranchers leave them at the feedlot longer so they don’t have to worry about the bulls until closer to breeding season, but that’s not a good idea. How much are you really saving, to have the breeder keep a bull until closer to breeding season? Many breeders give a discount when you pick them up soon after the sale. They might take a month to deliver the bull, which might cost $2.50 per day for the feed. The number of bulls you might lose in the breeding pasture to poor adjustment or injury when they are not transitioned ahead of time to your environment makes it well worth picking them up sooner,” he explains. “You can get the bulls adjusted to your feed, your grass, your environment. Many people buy bulls a long ways away. There’s a big difference between the climate at Lethbridge and the climate at Athabasca. Ranchers in Ontario often buy bulls in Alberta. It’s quite a change and the bulls need time to adjust.

“What we used to do when buying bulls was get them home as quickly as we could, and turn them out with our other bulls,” he says. Most people put their new bulls in a separate pen from their other bulls because they don’t want them to fight. They don’t put them together until turnout with the cows. Then they fight, and may get hurt. Olson prefers to let them get the fighting done and pecking order established. “It’s good to get that out of the way. Even though putting the new bulls in a little corral until you turn them out with cows is easier on your corrals, and easier on the bulls in the short term, it’s not the best thing for those bulls,” says Olson. “You are far better off to get the pecking order established well ahead of when they go out with cows. Some people disagree with me, but if a bull is going to get injured fighting it’s good to know he’s been lost for the breeding season — well before you are down to slim pickings to replace him in June or July. If you simply turn them out with the cows and the bulls have a war because they haven’t established their pecking order, and a bull gets injured, there’s not a lot of

Douglass Agro runs a mixed farm operation of cow-calf pairs, grain, and backgrounding. We use a range of Union Forage products including perennials for grazing pairs on irrigation, and annual cover crops for silage and swath grazing. We have had great success with the perennial pasture mixtures. The various legumes and grasses have helped increase our production while lowering fertilizer costs. Cover crops after silage or green feed is beginning to be an integral part of our operation to help extend our fall/early winter grazing season with a high-quality feed; they also add another element to our crop rotation that is profitable and gives something back to the soil to build its overall health. Braden Douglass Douglass Agro Ltd. Gem, Alberta

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breeding

selection left by that time at most breeding farms. Most injuries will happen right when you turn them out with cows, if those bulls have never been together before,” he says. “It’s also important to give bulls a lot of space. Even if we have 50 bulls together, we never have them in a pasture smaller than 40 acres. They need room to roam, and get away from each other. If you get new bulls in the winter, put them in a big area but bed them in several locations. Then the bulls that take a licking can go off somewhere else. Bulls in proper condition and not overfat are less likely to get hurt. Bulls that are packing more weight are less athletic and more likely to be seriously injured,” Olson says. TRANSITION TAKES TIME

Sperm production is a 60-day process. “If the bull is stressed during transport and/or takes a beating when he arrives at your place and has to fight other bulls, or gets pushed away from the feed bunk because the other bulls are beating him up — and he goes off and doesn’t eat for several days — the stress from all this can affect semen development,” says Olson. This is a good reason to have all of this accomplished more than 60 days ahead of the breeding season.

with the cows. Many people vaccinate their cows and don’t think about vaccinating the bulls, but that’s an important part of their health program. They also need minerals and not just a salt block.” “If you are feeding a total mixed ration, make sure minerals are included. Everything we can do to promote the health of these bulls is very important,” he says. Kastelic stresses the importance of exercise. “Don’t have bulls in a little pen. Pro-

ducers often winter their bulls in small pens with robust fences, and then turn them out with cows into several sections of pasture, which is a huge transition,” he says. “They’d be better off kept in a larger lot where they had to walk from the feed to the water, to create some forced exercise. All too often the producer brings home an expensive bull and puts him in a small pen to protect him from injury, and when he goes out to work, he is not ready for it.” c

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Stress from transportation and fighting can put a bull off feed and affect semen development A bull that’s really fat and then loses weight swiftly (as when a young fat bull is turned out with the cows and falls apart) won’t be fertile through the breeding season. “Losing weight is a stress. Many yearling bulls lose as much as 400 pounds their first breeding season, and that’s very unhealthy,” Olson says. “If a bull loses this much weight there’s usually something wrong with how the breeder developed the bull, or genetically wrong. A bull should be able to breed and still look decent, and you can help him out by the way you transition him. Bulls should be vaccinated before breeding season, and we also like to give our bulls vaccinations for pinkeye and foot rot before they go out www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 breeding

By Roy Lewis DVM

WATCH FOR TESTICULAR DEGENERATION IN BULLS

ne of the most frustrating conditions to hit our herd sires is testicular degeneration (testicles shrinking up). It often strikes without warning or reason. It causes headaches for both purebred breeders with bulls they have sold and for insurance companies with bulls they have insured. In this article I will go over some known causes and what to watch for. Often we cannot prevent this condition; however, early recognition of warning signs may prevent the economic ramifications it brings. The scrotum and its muscular attachments has the ability to expand and contract, and in so doing raise and lower the testicles depending on the ambient temperature and body temperature of the bull. The scrotal temperature is normally lower than body temperature and must be maintained at that for normal sperm production. Anything that alters this greatly will affect normal sperm production and could over the long-term lead to testicular degeneration. It is important to note when even a temporary increase in scrotal temperature (say 1 C for 10 days) will affect sperm production for four to five months. Recovery will take a long time, which is a luxury you, as a producer, do not often have. Any condition, which causes increased temperature in the scrotal area, must be guarded against. Severe clinical disease, swelling in the area as a result of trauma such as when a bull’s scrotum is stepped on or bunted or testicular torsion may result in degeneration over time. Extremely fat bulls have too much insulation in their scrotum which raises the internal temperature. Frostbite will initially cause damage due to freezing but as healing occurs inflammation can occur and cause the temperature to rise in these tissues. Most of these conditions may have occurred some time earlier and may not have even been recognized until the testicular degeneration is picked up on a semen evaluation. The body also has a unique mechanism when it comes to the testicles. Any situation where sperm mix into the bloodstream causes the equivalent of organ rejection. The bull’s body produces antisperm antibodies, which fight sperm production causing the

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Degeneration can happen to any bull at any stage of life which is why we semen test before breeding.

testicles to degenerate. This could be triggered by any traumatic incident or a testicular torsion. If surgery is necessary to remove a damaged testicle, and precautions are not taken, the remaining testicle could degenerate due to either inflammation or sperm getting into the bull’s blood supply. There is a huge misconception out there that treating a bull with antibiotics will hurt sperm production. It is far, far worse to leave a medical condition untreated and run the risk of an increased body temperature rather than quickly treating the condition. Having said that, treatment with anabolic steroids or implanting can have devastating effects on the testicles because of the alteration in hormone production. Degeneration can happen to any bull at any stage in its life. That’s why it’s important to semen test close to the breeding season in case anything has gone undetected over the winter. Degenerating testicles feel a lot softer and will measure much smaller than they did before. Sometimes only one testicle will degenerate such as from a bunt to only one side of the scrotum. If the other testicle is fully functional you will even see it get bigger and it may produce more sperm to compensate for the loss of the other testicle. These bulls have somewhat reduced capacity but still may be fertile enough to use. The most obvious clinical signs of degeneration, of course, are shriveled testicles and often the scrotal hair will grow longer. If you suspect degeneration, or if the testicles are markedly swollen or frostbitten, it is wise to have a semen evaluation per-

formed. As mentioned before, regeneration can take place but it is rare. It also may take several months to occur and depending on the time of year you may not be able to afford the time. Anytime bulls are fighting excessively or you notice even slightly swollen testicles document it, especially if the bull is insured. Insurance companies need some form of documentation because testicular degeneration is such a grey area, primarily because we often don’t know what’s causing it. Spontaneous degeneration can occur at any time in a bull’s life but is more common in older bulls greater than five years old. That is why it is imperative to semen test all older bulls every year. When you have a past record of scrotal size it is easier to pick up degeneration in the early stages and eliminate the bull. It’s not uncommon for scrotal size to vary up to two cm, depending on fat cover and season of year. An experienced veterinarian will also pick up the palpable softness along with the multitude of primary sperm defects, that accompany degenerating testicles. Testicles are one of the most important organs when it comes to breeding ability and fertility so it always makes sense to keep a close eye on this investment and eliminate any degenerating bulls before they disrupt your breeding program. c Dr. Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

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 grazing

By Steve Kenyon

My cover crop

here has been lots of excitement during the last few years over cover crops. The soil conferences and seminars have been full of cover crop talks and trade shows are full of salesmen. It is the latest craze in agriculture and I agree that there are a lot of situations where the cover crop is a useful tool. But it is just a tool, not a magic bullet. What is a cover crop? I would agree that it is a crop grown for the protection and enrichment of the soil. Most cover crops end up being a variety of different plants seeded all at once. I agree with the idea of a cover crop 100 per cent. The soil needs a polyculture of plants in order to give it a polyculture of root systems which can sustain a polyculture of soil organisms. That will go a long way in improving soil health. Our agricultural soils do not have a fertility issue, they have a biological issue. We need that polyculture of soil organisms. When planning a cover crop, we look to fix certain issues in the soil by planting a variety of plants to help improve the soil health. We might choose one type of plant over another to address a specific concern we have with the soil. For example, if it lacks nitrogen we will want to add a legume or two to increase the N availability. What am I looking for in a cover crop? Here are my four points to ponder. 1. I am looking for plants that are fast growing, so they can quickly cover bare ground

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to protect it. I want roots that hold soil together and keep it from eroding away in the wind or rain. 2. I want plants that accumulate vital nutrients from the subsoil and bring those nutrients into their leaves. As these plants recycle, they release nutrients back into the topsoil. 3. I also want a strong root system. Some species have deep taproots that add organic matter to the soil, provide channels for rain and air to penetrate, and create tunnels for worms and other beneficial soil microbes. 4. I want plants that are quick to flower in order to attract beneficial insects. Would you agree with me that these could all be benefits to your soil provided by a cover crop? Let’s put this into perspective. What I just described to you was nature’s cover crop. Most people refer to them as “weeds.” I call them pioneer species that come in when conditions are harsh and heal the land. They act like a scar that is a part of the process in healing the soil. That is what we are doing with today’s latest trend of planting cover crops. We are planting species that heal the land. I would say that most producers do not have a “weed” issue on their land, they have a soil issue and that soil issue is biological. So here are a few of my recommendations for a great cover crop that can heal your soil.

Canada thistle is a great soil amendment. It has a huge root that can penetrate deep into the sub-soil through almost any soil type. Its ability to break up hardpan in areas of heavy clay make it a great addition to heal the soil. It is very good at its job. The thistle family is also high in potassium so after the plant dies, potassium, along with many other nutrients that were deep in the soil, are now available at the surface for other plants. You’ll also likely find ladybugs hiding in the leaves. Many beneficial insects are attracted to the polyculture of plants. If you don’t like thistle, try sweet clover. Sweet clover was a weed in the ditch back home in Saskatchewan where I grew up. It is a very important species in nature’s cover crop. It has similar traits to Canada thistle with its big taproot to open up the soil. It also has those sweet-smelling flowers that attract beneficial insects. As a bonus, this plant is also nitrogen fixing. It has a symbiotic relationship with a bacteria that provides N to the plant in return for sugar. Every living thing in the soil loves sugar. Stinging nettle has a long list of human health-related benefits and if you have ever heard me speak, you might know that we harvest it on our ranch. It makes a very healthy and flavourful tea or can be a multivitamin when added to food like a spice. But let’s ignore the health benefits for now. Continued on page 26

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g r a z i ng

Continued from page 24

It also aids the soil by stimulating humus formation and increasing the nutrient density of other nearby plants. It has also been found to help plants nearby to be more resistant to fungus and disease. But be weary of touching it, it holds true to its name. How about dandelion? Not only is it very nutritious for your livestock, this high-protein plant is also very good at stimulating humus formation, and its root system is a favourite hangout for earthworms. With its deep taproot, dandelions help move minerals, especially calcium, from far below the surface up to the topsoil. It also blooms very early which invites pollinators and other beneficial insects to the party. White clover is also another plant often found in nature’s cover crop. All clovers have the ability to provide nitrogen in the soil by way of its roots and friendly neighbourhood bacteria. We quite often hear people complain about this “weed” in their lawn but it also attracts beneficial insects and pollinators. Clover accumulates phosphorus for us, attracts ladybugs, minute pirate bugs, and pollinators in addition to providing shelter for parasitoid wasps, spiders, and ground beetles. Clover is a preferred egg-laying site for lacewings. Let the party begin. Now I will be pushing your limit for “weeds” with this one. Everyone hates burdock but it is a very beneficial plant for us nutritionally because of its high mineral content. It’s also a wonderful soil amendment the way it retrieves those minerals. Burdock has a long taproot capable of busting up hardpan on its way to bring up minerals that have washed down into the subsoil. Just knock it to the ground before it goes to seed. High animal impact can go a long way toward doing that.

Broadleaf plantain is good at healing compacted soil and accumulates calcium, sulphur, magnesium, manganese and iron. When the plant dies, these nutrients become available to the plants and the soil organisms at the soil surface. Chickweed likes to show up in disturbed soil as well. It is an indicator of low fertility and likes to accumulate potassium and phosphorus. It also attracts soil organisms and pollinators in the spring and early summer. Lamb’s quarters has deep roots that accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and manganese while loosening the soil. It will benefit the soil if left to grow and die but one plant can set over 75,000 seeds so you might want to trample them to the soil before they set seed, but leave the roots intact as they will decay, enriching the soil and attracting beneficial soil organisms. They say tansy is poisonous to livestock but I have never had an incident on my ranch. It is a great plant for wind protection, catching snow and wildlife habitat. I have seen a bird’s nest nestled into the protective base more than once. It is known to help with internal parasites and is a natural insect repellent so its odour helps your livestock with external parasite control. It is known to help protect neighbouring plants from pests and other detrimental insects. It also holds onto potassium. Do you get my point yet? A cover crop is a polyculture of plants that are trying to heal the land. Nature has been trying to plant cover crops for years but we have been fighting against it all the way. Now it is a new thing? It has always been nature’s way of healing the land. If you want to heal your soil, the best cover crop is a well-managed polyculture of perennial plants. Note the words well managed.

Livestock and good grazing are key parts of this management. Do you want to heal your soil? Do you want to increase your carbon sequestration? Keep your soil covered. A permanent polyculture cover is the best way. Don’t get me wrong. Today’s cover crops are a great step forward in the grain industry. If you are integrating cover crops and livestock into your grain rotation, good on you. That is a great step forward in soil health, but I would never tear up a forage crop to replace it with a cover crop. Never. We need to sequester carbon into the soil, not release it. A cover crop can not compete with the soil improvement from a well-managed perennial forage. What is the next step? I am excited about a new type of plant on the horizon. Perennial grain crops could revolutionize the grain industry. We are trying to get seed right now for a perennial wheat (Kernza) for our research trials. I would love to see a perennial wheat crop seeded down with an under-story of perennial plants including legumes and creeping grasses. Once it was seeded, you would not need to till, spray or fertilize. You would harvest it once and then turn the livestock out to graze the rest. Seed yield production might not be as high, but combined with the second crop of grazing and the reduction of input costs, profit potential could be a lot higher, not to mention the economic and environmental benefits to the lack of inputs required. That is such an exciting concept for agriculture and for our environment. In my opinion, one step better than a cover crop. 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.

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 Nutritio n

By John McKinnon

It is All Greek to me!

hen I visit with producers about their feeding program, I often get questions on “nutrition lingo.” Examples include questions on the meaning of a mineral or protein supplement tag or how much supplement do you need to feed to achieve an ionophore concentration of 22 or 33 ppm? Such confusion is understandable, particularly when you consider that many of us still think in imperial as opposed to metric, which unfortunately is the basis for the feed industry. With this column I will try to translate some of the more difficult concepts. First, remember that one pound (lb.) equals .454 kilogram (kg) and that one kg equals 2.205 lbs. As well, one ounce (oz.) = 28 grams and one gram is the same as 1,000 milligrams (mg). These conversions are important when we start to think about nutrient concentrations in different products. For example, on mineral and protein supplement tags you will often see protein or mineral concentrations listed as either a percentage or as milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). Take a mineral tag that lists the calcium level at 20 per cent. This means that for every ounce or 28 grams of mineral consumed, the animal will consume 5.6 grams of calcium. If the tag indicates that the expected mineral intake is two ounces or 56 grams per head per day, the animal will get 11.2 grams of calcium from the mineral, which depending on the animal could be 20 per cent or more of its requirement. Trace mineral concentrations will be listed as mg/kg, a term that is used interchangeably with parts per million (ppm). Copper, for example, could be listed as 3,000 mg/kg on the tag. Using the same example as above, if the animal consumes two ounces of mineral, converting this to metric gives 56 grams, or going one step further and converting to kilograms (gm x 1,000) gives 0.056 kilograms of mineral consumed, daily. Since the mineral contains 3,000 mg/kg of copper, the animal consumes 168 milligrams of copper (i.e. 3,000 x .056), a level that meets most of our animal’s requirements. The confusion deepens when it comes to vitamins (i.e. vitamins A, D and E). On the vast majority of beef cattle supplements, the concentrations of these products are given in international units (IU). An IU is more a reflection of biological activity than of the weight or mass of the vitamin in question. If we take vitamin A for example, there are a number of natural and synthetic compounds that have differing degrees of vitamin A activity. For example, retinol and beta carotene are two compounds that have differ-

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ent vitamin A activities. As a result, the weight of retinol that equals one IU of vitamin A activity is different from that of beta carotene. Fortunately, cattle requirements are listed in IU and we only need to ensure we are supplying the appropriate number to meet requirements. For example, growing/finishing cattle require 2,200 IU/kg of dry matter (DM). Assuming an inclusion rate of four per cent, a supplement would need to contain 55,000 IU/kg of vitamin A (55,000 x .04) to meet this requirement. Ionophores such as monensin sodium or lasalocid sodium are widely used in the feeding, cow-calf and grazing sectors. Their benefits include improvement in feed efficiency and control of coccidiosis, bloat and digestive upsets. As with trace minerals, their concentration in a product is given in terms of mg/kg or ppm. Just about every mineral or supplement tag I have seen from a wide variety of companies will have a different ionophore concentration on it. This is because each tag has been formulated for a specific ionophore intake. This is necessary because an ionophore such as monensin sodium is fed at different concentrations depending on the benefit expected. For example, for coccidiosis control it is fed at 22 mg/kg of the total diet (DM basis) and for feed efficiency it can be fed at 33 mg/kg, while lasalocid would be fed at 36 mg/kg. Further, many feedlots on high grain diets will feed up to 48 mg/kg of monensin sodium. Thus it is not surprising that tags vary so much in their ionophore concentration and that producers are confused when sorting through them. In order to understand what level of an ionophore you need in your supplement, it is necessary to do a similar calculation as we did with trace minerals. If the ionophore is listed at 400 mg/kg of supplement and you are feeding three quarters of a pound (.34 kg) a day of the supplement, you are feeding (400 x .34) 136 mg of the ionophore. If the animal is consuming 13 pounds or six kilograms of DM, the diet concentration is 22 mg/kg of diet (i.e. 136/6), a level suitable for coccidiosis control but not feed efficiency. To target improved feed efficiency (33 mg/kg), the supplement would need to contain 582 mg of the ionophore. Also remember that as the animal gets bigger and its intake increases, the amount of supplement in the diet needs to increase proportionately to maintain these concentrations. As you can see, making your way through these various calculations can be confusing, even for those with experience. Working with your feed company and/or nutritionist can help avoid costly mistakes. c

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

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 HEALTH

By Roy Lewis DVM

A vaginal prolapse is not just a prolapse!

his article will focus on only vaginal prolapses. The act of replacing these is the visible part but there are many other aspects veterinarians consider when working on these conditions. The cause, method of replacement, long-term care and expected force of straining afterwards must all be considered when vaginal prolapses are being corrected. As an experienced veterinarian there are times when I must use my complete bag of tricks to help the producer arrive at a favourable outcome. The number of classic vaginal prolapses that occur before calving where a soccer ball or bigger mass protrudes from the vagina have been greatly reduced by culling these cows in subsequent years. Once we discovered that it is highly heritable, producers began eliminating susceptible animals from the gene pool along with their heifers so the occurrence from that cause has declined remarkably. Today the prolapses we see have many different causes and these must be differentiated in order to properly serve the client. To my mind it isn’t enough to simply freeze with an epidural, reduce the prolapse, suture and leave. A more extensive physical exam may identify the cause of the straining that caused the prolapse. It may be due to kidney and/or bladder infection, low-grade peritonitis, a uterus full of infection or a large full-term calf or twins. I have even seen prolapses in overweight out-of-shape show cows. Once the vagina protrudes through the vaginal lips it can dry out and have manure stick to it. This in itself is irritating and results in further straining plus the prolapse gets bigger from edema or a fuller bladder kinked off underneath it. To me it’s absolutely critical for the veterinarian to treat the cause as well as the prolapse once these medical causes are diagnosed. In the case of a heavily pregnant cow that has prolapsed, your veterinarian may need some idea of when she is due to calve. In some situations we can induce the cow to calve if she is close enough to term. If she has a time to go you will improve the chance of survival by being available when

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she calves, especially if you have to cut the vaginal suture. Inducing is only advisable if the cow is within 10 days of her calving date. In emergency situations the size of the fetus, udder fill, looseness of the vulval lips and even when she calved last year provide clues for your veterinarian to assess as to whether she is close enough to induce. You want to maximize the chances of a viable calf whenever you induce. I have found if the colostrum looks very normal, thick and creamy the cow may be close enough to induce. This is a decision made by you and your veterinarian. When inducing early there may be retained placentas and potentially premature calves you will need to contend with.

It’s critical for the veterinaian to treat the cause as well as the prolapse

There are three main ways we reduce prolapses depending on the circumstances. One is the standard purse string suture which acts as drawstring to pull the vaginal lips together. I only use this technique in cows severely straining or non-pregnant cows. Another technique your vet may use is tying rubber tubing across the suture ends. Large knot balls are left at the loose ends of the suture ends pulled tight and the rubber tubing is knotted over the ends. The advantage of this technique is if you are not present to cut the suture the straining of the cow forces the calf ’s legs out, breaking or separating the tubing so the vaginal lips fall out of the way and the calf is delivered naturally. Most times after calving the prolapse will not reoccur until, of course, next year with the hereditary ones. One must always be careful if the suture is to be left in on prolapsed vaginas done after calving that enough room is left in case a bull breeds the cow. The last thing we want

is a bull injured by a vaginal suture catching his penis at breeding. If at all possible keep the cow separate, don’t breed her and ship her when the calf is weaned. This of course is true but for prolapses caused by condtions such as a kidney infection or peritonitis cured with medication. My rule is most prolapsed vaginas may crop up again. For instance, kidneys are strained close to calving from filtering the calf ’s blood as well as the cow’s so low grade infections tend to reappear. Your veterinarian can give guidance on whether sutures should be removed and when, or left in till shipping. The last technique involves reducing the prolapse and with a good epidural using a device that holds the vagina in and pins it to the musculature in the pelvis. Then a plastic washer is placed over this pin. I only use this if cows are close to calving and not overly straining. Cows will calve past this pin but the whole apparatus must be removed after a week or so. Some veterinarians will use this on both sides of the pelvis, a double repair so to speak. The cow should calve normally with little risk of any complications, but again, make sure and remove the apparatus. It is not uncommon when we palpate cows close to calving to find either a large calf or twins. The pressure from these calves together with a full rumen can push her vagina out the back end, hence the problem. If it goes back in when the cow runs around don’t panic. Best to leave it and hope she calves ending your problem. If it stays out it must be repaired as the cow cannot pass a calf by this large mass. Older cows may have the condition worsen year by year starting with a small bubble that protrudes a little bit when lying down. Work with your veterinarian to reduce the incidence of these cases in the future and remember the initial cause is what we need to determine. It’s not enough to simply reduce and suture in all cases; often an explanation can be found if one looks for it. Remember a prolapse is not just a prolapse! c Roy Lewis is an Alberta-based veterinarian specializing in large-animal practice. He is also a part-time technical services vet for Merck Animal Health.

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 managem e n t

By Lois Harris

Stabilizing Ontario’s Beef Industry Five opinions from the Grey-Bruce Beef Day

Panelists Mike Buis, Mike von Massow, Jarius Maus, Joe Hill and Tammi Ribey discuss the challenges Ontario beef producers face in 2018.

f every producer put into practice two or three new ideas from the conferences they attend, the entire industry could benefit, according to Dr. Tammi Ribey. “The beef industry is us — everyone can do something,” she said. “If we all do a little something, collectively it should help.” Ribey is a veterinarian with a practice in Paisley, Ont., who owns a purebred Angus seedstock business and is chair of the 2018 Canadian Beef Industry Conference. She participated in a panel about the quest for greater stability in the province’s beef industry during Grey-Bruce Farmers’ Week in Elmwood. Five panelists weighed in with their views about what producers can do to address a shrinking provincial herd, wildly fluctuating prices, a shaky trade environment, changing consumer preferences, aging farmers, the high price of land and many other challenges that the Ontario beef industry faces. The panel was facilitated by Christoph Wand, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ livestock sustainability specialist.

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There was a general agreement that better co-ordination and information feedback in the value chain would go a long way to increasing the quality of the product, finding efficiencies and meeting consumer demand. Mike Buis said that, because he has a vertically integrated operation from cow-calf to retail, he can join all the steps together and see where he can make improvements. Buis has a 300-head commercial herd near Chatham, Ont., that supplies his own on-farm store and several other markets. He also farms 750 acres of crop land. “We set prices on an annual basis and don’t follow the ups and downs of the markets,” he said. “We also cut significant feed costs out of the system by grazing cover crops and using alternative feeds.” He added that he’s getting even more feed efficiencies by working with cash-cropping neighbours to graze their harvested fields. Buis also said that the aging industry needs to engage young people and attributed his success to having his daughter in the business. She questions the way it oper-

ates, asks if things can be done better, and helps make changes. Mike von Massow, who’s an associate professor at the University of Guelph, said the shifting sands of consumer demand mean producers have to be willing to think differently about how they operate. “You need to think more as a manager, not a producer and to be more flexible in order to meet what the market is demanding,” he said, noting that, while it wouldn’t be easy, formalizing relationships up and down the supply chain would help. Buis agreed, adding that producers would do well to remember that they’re producing someone’s meal, not just raising cattle. Jarius Maus, a fourth-generation beef producer who markets 3,000 to 4,000 cattle a year from his feedlot just west of Elmwood, also grows corn, soybeans and wheat, and has a grain elevator business. He believes it helps to educate the public about how beef farms work, and illustrated the point with a story about how he opened his operation to the public. He participated as one of five farms on a tour the Walkerton Kinsmen organized as a fundraiser.

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management

“We had 250 people go through from all walks of life — from guys who know more about feedlot operations than I do to folks who’d never set foot on a farm,” he said. Everyone asked lots of pointed questions, but one woman stood out. She asked a lot of questions and took pictures of every detail of the operation from where the sick cattle were kept to where we stored the cattle prods (he doesn’t own any). Maus obliged by answering all her questions, and took her through everything. A week later, when a package arrived from her, he received a pleasant surprise. The woman had put together a collage of the photos she’d taken and included a thank-you note for showing her “the truth.” Accommodating public demand for information is the goal of a new branding program developed by the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO). “Consumers need to feel good about what they’re eating,” said Joe Hill, a producer and BFO vice-president. He farms 800 acres of cash crop in addition to a feedlot operation in Centre Wellington. “We want to get consumers the attributes

that they want and to make sure they know it’s an Ontario beef product,” he said. Building consumer loyalty is one way to address the wild swings in prices, he said. He noted that in the past year, fed cattle prices in Ontario were below average. More cattle are coming in from the west and the higher costs of production mean Ontario beef producers are taking a real hit. He also said that 40 per cent of the beef consumed in Ontario is imported, and that “we’ll never be the lowest-cost producer.” Which is why marketing has to be done differently than in the past. The way the cattle are produced needs to be done differently, too. Dr. Ribey said that, in her own operation, she’s constantly looking for ways to “get better,” including improving genetics for easier calving and less disease, better weaning weights and finding feed efficiencies. She agreed with others on the panel about producing the meat that consumers want, and said that in her practice she sees all kinds of different production methods. “Producers need to find places or niches

SEC-AUST_18M_CC_SEC-AUST_18M_CC.qxd 2018-02-02 12:32 PM Page 1

in the market to fit in, and perfect their product for the right consumer at the right time,” she said. Dr. Ribey has identified land prices as a huge challenge, saying that some of the farmers she serves have 40 or 50 cattle and have to work off-farm to make ends meet because they can’t afford to buy more land so they can increase their herd. The BFO is starting to address this situation by offering a new program called Beef North, Hill said. Willing producers are being encouraged to explore options for buying farms in northern Ontario where the land is cheaper and well suited to growing forages and raising beef cattle. BFO has several resources to help producers along the way. In wrapping up the panel discussion, everyone agreed that changes have to be made to maintain Ontario’s beef industry, which suffered a one-third decrease in the provincial herd between 2005 and 2015. “We’ve got to do things differently,” said Hill. “Otherwise, in 10 years we won’t be talking about stability, but about survival.” c

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 researc h o n t h e r eco r d

By Reynold Bergen

How Castration Method and Age Affect Pain in Young Calves

anada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle requires that castration be performed by an experienced person who uses proper, clean, well-maintained equipment and accepted techniques. A producer is expected to seek guidance from their veterinarian on the optimum method and timing of castration, as well as the availability and advisability of pain control drugs for castrating beef cattle. Calves must be castrated as young as practically possible, and pain control is required when castrating bulls older than six months of age. The requirement to use pain control in older calves was based on research demonstrating its effectiveness in feedlot bulls. A lot of information was also available regarding the use of pain drugs in baby dairy calves, but the beef producers and researchers on the code committee felt that the vast differences in genetics, herd dynamics and familiarity with people meant that nursing beef calves may respond differently to castration than individually housed dairy calves that had been weaned at birth. A research project funded by the Beef Science Cluster is helping to determine when pain control is beneficial in beef calves. As a first step, students working with Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein (AAFC Lethbridge) and Ed Pajor (University of Calgary) examined how age and castration method affect acute and chronic pain in nursing beef calves (Journal of Animal Science 95:4352-4366 and 95:4367-4380). What they did: Angus-cross bull calves were divided into three groups of 36 head. Groups were either castrated at one week (early April), two months (late May), or four months of age (early August). In each age group, 12 were knife-castrated, 12 were banded, and 12 were not castrated (control) but otherwise handled the same. The one-week group was handled on the ground. A tip table was used for the two-month group, and a hydraulic squeeze was used for the four-month group. Scalpels were used for surgical castration at one week of age. A Newberry knife was used in older calves. Rubber rings were used for band castration in the one-week and two-month calves and a Callicrate bander was used in four-month calves. Acute pain was evaluated using intensive physiological and behavioural pain measurements collected the day before castration, during castration, the hours immediately after and the first seven days after castration. Chronic pain and scrotal swelling and healing were assessed using weekly physiological and behavioural measurements collected over six to nine weeks, and weaning weights were compared. What they learned: Acute pain in the first week after castration differed between methods. Regardless of age, behavioural responses at the time of castration were strongest for knife-castrated calves, intermediate for banded calves, and lowest for the controls. At two and four months, knife-castrated calves kicked and bawled

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more than band or control calves. Signs of pain related to tail flicking, lying, standing and walking behaviour were also more evident in surgical than band or control calves in the hours and days after castration at two or four months. Scrotal temperatures were lower in banded than in surgical or control calves at all ages. Strictly speaking, the effect of castrating at different ages couldn’t be compared statistically, because the calves were castrated in different months, and because handling and castration techniques varied slightly between the age groups. Technicalities aside, only two or three pain indicators were apparent in either castrated group compared to control calves at one week. At two months, nine pain indicators were different in surgically castrated than control calves, while only two indicators were different in banded calves. At four months, 12 pain indicators were significantly higher in surgically castrated than control calves, and five were higher in banded calves. Chronic pain beyond the first week of castration was not observed in calves castrated at one week or two months of age. Standing and lying behaviour was significantly altered in the six to nine weeks following castration in calves banded at four months of age compared to control or surgically castrated calves. Scrotal swelling and healing: There was less scrotal swelling and swelling went down sooner in surgically castrated than in band castrated calves at all ages. Scrotums healed at the same time for both methods in the one-week and two-month groups. Surgically castrated calves healed much sooner than banded calves in the four-month group. Performance: Initial weights at the time of castration were the same within each age group, but weaning weights were significantly lower for knife calves than with banded or control calves at one week (507 vs. 557 lbs.) and four months (518 vs. 535 lbs.) but not at two months of age (507 lbs.). What it means: Castrate calves as young as practically possible. Banding caused less acute pain than surgical castration banding at two months, but more chronic pain at four months. This group is currently looking at the potential added benefit of providing pain relief drugs when castrating young calves. The Beef Research Cluster is funded by the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off 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 science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

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CSA_commadBLK.indd 1

10/2/2017 8:02:50 PM

 managem e n t

By Tamara Carter

The tax man cometh … and you need a long-term plan

f there’s one thing Lance Stockbrugger knows about farmers and ranchers, it’s that they don’t like paying tax. Stockbrugger, who farms near Englefeld, Sask., is a chartered accountant, specializing in income tax, who has spent 20 years sharing his specialized agriculture knowledge with his clients in areas of estate planning, tax reorganization and intergenerational transitions. While he hasn’t been practicing as a fulltime chartered accountant since returning to the farm full time, he regularly takes his message to producers about planning for taxation and passing on the farm or ranch through various speaking engagements such as the recent Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon. The 2016 Census of Agriculture tells us the average age of a Canadian farmer/ rancher is now 55. In 2016, there were 193,492 farms controlling over 158 million acres. With so many acres and capital assets at stake, the tax implications of both the day-to-day operations using various business structures, as well as impending generational transfers, could be enormous. Poor planning will mean that producers risk paying more in taxes than they otherwise would. Stockbrugger encourages producers to start tax and succession planning early and to get information from advisers that specialize in agricultural tax planning. Onesize-fits-all solutions do not cover the different situations that each producer will face. Tax planning for a bachelor with no obvious successor will differ significantly from an operation that hopes to complete a generational transition from a founder to three children. The most common business structure for farmers is a sole proprietorship, with over 50 per cent of farms and ranches still reporting income in this way. Advantages of a sole proprietorship are the simplicity and lower startup costs, as well as the lower costs and requirements of filing tax returns. The founder has absolute control of farming decisions, owns the business and all of its assets, but is also responsible for all of the debts and liabilities of the business. The

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One-size-fits-all solutions do not cover the different situations each producer will face Lance Stockbrugger Englefeld, Sask.

owner can use the cash method to report income for tax purposes which allows them to defer income and use the optional inventory adjustment when it makes sense to do so. There are some favourable rollover rules and capital gains exemptions available through a sole proprietorship that are not available to corporations. Under this structure, tax rates are calculated at the personal tax rates starting at 26 per cent for income up to approximately $46,500 and continue to increase at margin tax brackets ending at 48 per cent for income over approximately $205,000. Rates vary somewhat from province to province for personal tax limits, so discuss specifics with accountants. The volatility in both cattle and grain markets can create significant income swings, so careful monitoring of sales and income is required to avoid large surprises. Partnerships are the second business

structure recognized by Canada Revenue Agency, and are used by approximately 23 per cent of farmers and ranchers. Partnerships offer advantages such as: simplicity and low cost to set up and operate as income is filed as part of personal tax returns; the ability to carry on business under a business name; profit (or loss) sharing between partners as per their partnership agreement, such as with a spouse or other partners; the combined expertise and resources of more than one person, and a legal structure which is fairly easy to modify, such as from partnership to corporation. Partnerships also allow the split ownership of capital (equipment, cattle and grain inventory) so that if it becomes beneficial to wind down or transfer the operation, both taxpayers’ rollover or capital gains exemptions (of $1 million each) can be utilized. The disadvantages of partnerships include the shared risk, whereby both partners are jointly and severally responsible for any liabiliti.es or debts of the partnership. When partnerships stop working effectively, they can also be difficult to get out of. Management disputes can occur and in the absence of a formal partnership agreement, confusion over roles and responsibilities are not uncommon. The final option discussed by Stockbrugger was a corporation. It is used by 25.1 per cent of the farms across Canada in 2016; an increase from the 2011 census amount of 19.8 per cent. Advisers and accountants often suggest incorporation for several reasons — the first being the lower tax rate. While a sole proprietor will pay taxes based on the levels for individuals, the corporate rate is calculated at a rate of 11.5 per cent for net income up to the $500,000 and 27 per cent for active business income greater than $500,000. Another reason advisers may suggest incorporation is to mitigate risk and liability. Personal liability risk is reduced by owning the assets within the corporation. The ability to use dividends as tax planning mechanisms can be another advantage, although there are several new tax rules announced by the federal government Continued on page 36

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Continued from page 34

around this issue so ensure your individual situation meets the new requirements. Additionally, roles and responsibilities can be more clearly defined, resulting in better communication within the operation, as corporations are required to hold meetings and prepare detailed accrual financial statements annually. There is flexibility in selecting a fiscal year-end period, which can align with annual cattle sales, for example. When setting up a corporation, it is important to realize that a corporation is essentially a means to defer tax, rather than a mechanism to save or avoid tax. When the founder eventually takes money out of the corporation, taxes must be paid at personal tax rates. For this reason, a corporation provides more value through the deferral the longer it is operating. Some pitfalls of incorporating can be the high professional fees to incorporate, and then the annual compliance costs in addition to personal tax returns. While detailed financial statements are valuable to lenders and provide the ability to compare finan-

cial ratios year over year, assisting in management and decisions, the owner needs to understand this information to help operate their business. Once assets are owned by the corporation, individuals no longer have the freedom to pick and choose which farming assets will go to which child without incurring significant tax costs. This is one reason Stockbrugger does not recommend owning farmland within your corporation. After considering short-term business goals and objectives, it is important to plan further out as well. As farming and ranching are not careers that are quickly entered into, or exited from, spend time examining the role and future growth expectations of the operation. An accountant with training in agricultural taxation can help guide founders through business structures that will provide the most efficient and suitable structure, while minimizing tax implications. Often, starting as a sole proprietorship, moving to a partnership, as in a husband and wife scenario, and ultimately to a corporation can provide the greatest tax benefits.

When it comes to succession planning, the use of several of these structures can generate the most efficient strategies in minimizing tax bills. The operation may reduce unnecessary tax consequences through careful planning and utilization of one or more of these business structures. According to the last census only 8.4 per cent of farms nationally have a written succession plan. This ranges from 5.9 per cent for sole proprietorships to 16.3 per cent of family and non-family corporations. With the average age of farmers on the rise, these figures speak to a larger problem. Who will provide the next generation of farmers and ranchers? And why are the current owners so reluctant to plan for a successful transition? To understand their reluctance Stockbrugger says you have to realize that these men and women worked hard for many years to build something, often with very little help. Hard work, persistence and strength of character helped them weather the hardships through the decades. So when they are asked to explain the reasons for their reluctance you hear about their fear of losing wealth, fear of losing control and

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m a nagement

fear of conflict. While many express a longing to slow down and plan for retirement they are unsure how to start the process, how to effectively use the various business structures and tax mechanisms to reduce the liability, and how to ensure that they will still be able to have the quality of life they’ve become accustomed to. With so many farms and ranches operating as sole proprietorships and family-run corporations, these decisions can involve difficult conversations with family members who are either actively engaged in the operation, or are off-farm siblings. It can be difficult navigating the so-called “soft issues” surrounding how to treat children and potential successors fairly, or equally; recognizing that the two may not be the same. It is not uncommon for people to be overwhelmed at the thought of potential conflict or issues and postpone the process. Stockbrugger recounted a story about a client who spent considerable time and effort working through the planning and transition process, only to panic and back out at the last minute. Ultimately, he was able to determine the source of the client’s anxiety and they modified the plan slightly to make all parties comfortable. The key, says Stockbrugger is to have clear and transparent communication and an adviser that is working to find the best solution for all. Stockbrugger suggests finding an adviser who will work with you. Take the time to interview several accountants to find one that has the training and practical knowledge to find the best structure for your individual situation. c Tamara Carter ranches with her family at Lacadena, Sask.

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C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

 vet aDvi c e

New regs to preserve old and new drugs

’m often asked why even older antimicrobials are still considered medically important to human medicine. The premise, right or wrong, is to preserve antibiotic effectiveness by reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance attributed to wholesale use in animal agriculture. While debate still rages over the impact new legislation will have on preserving antimicrobial effectiveness in humans, we stand guilty by association. Statistics suggest 80 per cent of antimicrobials are used in agriculture to treat and control disease in animals. Even though modern agriculture is prudent in using critically important compounds, the future decrees change on our behalf. Several recent articles in Medscape, a sponsored website providing access to medical information for clinicians and the general public (Four Old Antimicrobials That Still Work Best — Medscape – Jan. 16, 2018) stands as a reminder that even “oldtime” antimicrobials play an important role for the medical community today. Physicians are reminded that although attention is often paid to newer and more expensive drugs, they should not forget older agents that have stood the test of time. Here are four examples:

Isoniazid

First synthesized in 1912, isoniazid’s activity against tuberculosis was identified in 1945. More than 100 years later, and despite growing drug resistance, isoniazid is still a standard component of multi-drug treatment regimens for both pulmonary disease and diseases affecting other areas of the body. Penicillin

Alexander Fleming first discovered penicillin in 1928. It started with the observation that the mould Penicillium notatum destroyed colonies of Staphylococcus aureus. Use as an antibiotic began in the 1940s. Today, penicillin still has activity against many microbes and is recommended as first-line treatment for common upper respiratory diseases. Resistance to penicillin varies substantially by region. It has been suggested that allergies to penicillin is over-diagnosed, particularly in children.

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From January to May in 1942, 400 million units of pure penicillin were manufactured. By the end of the war, American pharmaceutical companies were producing 650 billion units a month. According to British hematologist and biographer Gwyn Macfarlane, the discovery of penicillin was “a series of chance events of almost unbelievable improbability.” After just over 75 years of clinical use, it is clear that penicillin’s initial impact was immediate and profound. Its detection completely changed the process of drug discovery. Its large-scale production transformed the pharmaceutical industry, and its clinical use changed forever the therapy for infectious diseases. In 1945, Fleming and his colleagues, Florey, and Chain, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In his acceptance speech, Fleming presciently warned that the overuse of penicillin might lead to bacterial resistance. Tetracyclines

Tetracycline, an antibiotic in the tetracycline family of drugs, is used to treat a number of human infections. It works by blocking the ability of bacteria to make proteins. Tetracycline was originally made from bacteria of the Streptomyces type. Tetracycline was patented in 1953 and came into commercial use in 1978. It is on the World Health Organization List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. It is a broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat a variety of diseases like those caused by rickettsia (e.g. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, psittacosis); bacteria (e.g. chlamydia, Lyme disease, Q fever); and mycoplasma. Resistance has greatly eroded the versatility of this group of antibiotics. Sulfa drugs

In 1932, a German pathologist found that prontosil, a chemical derivative from azo dyes, had antibacterial activity attributed to its metabolism to sulfanilamide. In the hands of the Nazi regime, experiments using sulfanilamide were carried out at the allfemale Ravensbrück concentration camp, an ordeal chronicled in the novel Lilac Girls.

Sulfonamides are effective against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and protozoa. Although sulfas remain a backbone of antimicrobial therapy, adverse effects, drug allergy, newer antibiotics, and resistance have reduced their utility. Resistance to one sulfonamide means resistance to all. Bottom line

We in the animal health arena and production agriculture have grown accustomed to using antibiotics as a part of food animal rations to prevent, control, and treat disease. They are being used diligently, and at times through the production cycle that eliminates any risk of residues. Several of the old-time antimicrobials are among those traditionally incorporated in rations for this purpose. New regulations will strictly limit the use of these compounds. Veterinarians and producers need to get ready for the responsibilities inherent in the road ahead. We’ll be held accountable and must meet the challenge. All of these products will soon require a prescription when used in any capacity. Growth promotion claims on labels have already been eliminated. The ability to measure success is still missing. The scientific community must address how we trace the origin and spread of resistant microbes — more fundamentally, the transmission and spread of specific resistance genes in microbial communities. Finger pointing by the medical community will continue as long as animal health and the medical profession go to the same cupboard for antimicrobials. Meaningful surveillance systems are frequently missing and there seems to be no clear way of evaluating research findings and applying the knowledge in a way that we can collectively understand what’s happening. A starting point: understanding what we both want from the cupboard, and knowing that a theory is simply a belief that guides behaviour. 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).

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 breeding

By Ron Clarke

Preventing Reproductive Wrecks

eproduction remains one of the most important factors affecting the success of cow-calf operations. The Beef Cattle Research Council’s (BCRC) recent webinar on Preventing Reproductive Wrecks served as an important reminder that the reproductive capacity of beef herds remains paramount to economic prosperity in cow-calf herds. In the words of Dr. Dan Posey, Texas A and M University, “Reproductive efficiency expressed in economic terms is 10 times more important than weaning weight, and 20 times more important economically than carcass attributes.” The math is quite simple: a herd that produces more calves per exposed female increases revenues by selling more calves. The average cow herd in Western Canada goes into fall with 93 per cent of the cows pregnant (seven per cent open), loses between four and seven per cent of calves born alive in the spring with an average weaning percentage of 85 per cent (calves weaned versus cows exposed the previous breeding season). Maximizing herd reproductive efficiency should be the primary goal of all beef producers. In a nutshell, four critically important management practices that improve reproductive efficiency include: 1. Breeding soundness evaluations on all bulls every year.

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2. Pregnancy examination and removal of all non-producers. 3. Maintenance of moderate body condition scores at calving. 4. The hidden values of vaccinations against reproductive diseases (IBR, BVD and campylobacter or vibrio). A major study involving 205 herds and 33,000 beef cows from the beginning of the breeding season in 2001 through pregnancy testing in 2002 from across Western Canada identified herd management and cow characteristics associated with the reproductive success of participating cow-calf herds. The study team measured breeding management and cow-level risk factors such as age, body condition score (BCS) and previous reproductive history. A second study, championed by the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC) between 2014 and 2015 involved approximately 400 herds and with the information gathered established production benchmarks capable of being used by producers to measure individual herd performance against industry averages. The WBDC study also examined linkages between production and profit by examining factors like cow herd costs, pounds of calf weaned, conception rates, open rates, percent of calves born in the first 21 days, length of calving season, calving rate and calf death losses.

Observations made from the two studies include: • About 60 per cent of producers pregnancy check cows; approximately 66 per cent check heifers. • Approximately 64 per cent of producers conduct bull semen evaluations. • 11 per cent of producers utilize estrus synchronization and 18 per cent artificial insemination in reproductive management schemes. • Failure to conceive and early pregnancy failure were the primary causes for reduction in net calf crop. • Commonly employed herd management practices include controlling the length of the breeding season, minimizing bio security risks, vaccination, and optimal nutrition. • Shorter breeding seasons have been associated with decreased costs and improved productivity. • The use of community pastures during the breeding season is a common challenge to biosecurity in many herds and can be linked to reduced reproductive performance because of increased exposure to disease (IBR, BVDV, trichomoniasis, vibrio). • Vaccines can be used to help manage biosecurity risks for some pathogens. In experimental studies, vaccines against bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) have been shown to protect against abortion and fetal infection. • The most commonly used measure of nutritional management is body condition score (BCS). • Dystocia and the degree and timing of assistance at calving have been associated with increased interval from calving to estrus and decreased conception rate in cows. • Body condition scores less than 2.5 before calving, together with a subsequent decrease in BCS before breeding, explained the third-highest amount of variation in pregnancy status. The highest predicted probability of non-pregnancy was observed in cows that were thin before calving and lost condition afterward. • Herds commingled during summer grazing have been shown to have higher calf mortality rates. • Adequate body condition at calving and controlled weight loss immediately after calving are critical to optimize fall pregnancy rates.

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breeding

• Blood samples indicate that up to 46 per cent of cows in Western Canada may be copper deficient. Cows with blood copper levels below 0.4 ppm prior to breeding are at increased risk of not becoming pregnant, particularly young cows less than four years of age. This suggests a need for field research on the use and effectiveness of trace mineral supplementation programs to improve fertility of beef cows. • Nutrition is probably the most important factor that influences cow fertility. Cows deficient in energy (indicated by body condition) or trace minerals preferentially partition these nutrients to maintenance rather than reproduction. • An optimal cow body condition score (2.5

out of five) encourages calving ease, produces higher-quality colostrum; sustains adequate milk production, and ensures relatively prompt rebreeding. • The majority of beef herds in Canada continue to use bulls to breed females, and are therefore susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases. The most commonly reported venereal diseases of cattle include trich and vibrio. Although both diseases occur infrequently, results of infection can be quite devastating. • As the first step toward improving reproductive efficiency, make sure to use a fertile bull. Though a fertile bull is important, he is of little use to a cow that is not cycling. The 90:90 rule of thumb assumes that 90

per cent of all cows calve and 90 per cent of these calves wean, so the average producer can expect a weaned calf crop of 81 per cent. If the weaned calf crop were to be reduced by another six per cent because the bull was not fertility tested, the producer now has a 75 per cent weaned calf crop. Using a bull that has been examined for breeding soundness could add six per cent to the average weaned calf crop of 81 per cent, resulting in a weaning percentage of approximately 87 per cent, or an estimated return of $20 for every $1 spent on semen evaluation. c Dr. Ron Clarke is a consulting veterinarian living in Alberta.

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 prime cuts

By Steve Kay

Drought might end further expansion

eef cattle producers in North America largely owe their livelihoods to a simple but precious crop — grass. The more they have, the more they expand their herds because no producer can bear to see pasture being underutilized. The less they have, the more likely they are to cut their numbers. Producers in the U.S. well know how drought can cause the latter to occur, drastically as it turns out in recent years. It’s with some concern therefore that drought conditions have worsened in the past month in several parts of the U.S. Extreme drought now extends through much of the Texas Panhandle into southern Kansas, with pockets also in Arizona and other places. Severe drought extends from the Colorado Rockies to the Mississippi River and south to the Florida Panhandle, and is also in parts of Montana and South Dakota. Should these conditions persist, it is possible that four years of U.S. cattle herd expansion might come to an end. The total herd expanded again in 2017 but at a slightly slower rate than expected. The all cattle and calves total on January 1 was 94.399 million head, up 694,000 head or 0.7 per cent. Beef cow numbers totaled 31.723 million head, up 510,000 head or 1.6 per cent from last year. The 2017 calf crop totaled 35.808 million head, up 715,000 head or 2.0 per cent from last year. Analysts had forecast that the total inventory would be up 1.3 per cent. But a dive into the numbers revealed that USDA upwardly revised its January 1, 2017, total by 120,000 head. On a state basis, the most startling growth in 2017 came in South Dakota’s beef cow numbers, which increased 8.2 per cent. Texas continues to have by far the largest cattle population of any state. Its January 1 total was 12.500 million head, up 200,000 head from a year earlier. Nebraska is number two with 6.800 million head, up

350,000 head, and Kansas is number three with 6.300 million head, down 100,000 head. Texas also heads the states with the most beef cows. It had 4.585 million head on January 1, up 25,000 head from a year ago. Missouri was second with 2.166 million head, up 111,000 head, Oklahoma was third with 2.131 million head, up 36,000 head, Nebraska was fourth with 1.910 million head, down 10,000 head, and South Dakota was fifth with 1.801 million head, up 137,000 head. Kansas saw its beef cow numbers decline by 63,000 head to 1.507 million head. South Dakota also added 40,000 beef cow replacements in 2017, more than any other state. A year-to-year increase in its calf crop of 150,000 head was also larger than in any other state. The surge in its beef cow, beef replacement number and calf crop reflects the reopening of a beef processing plant in Aberdeen and the movement of cattle from Montana because of drought (as noted above). The state’s January 1, 2018 cattle-on-feed total of 430,000 head was up 50,000 head or 13.2 per cent from a year earlier, suggesting the plant is also encouraging more cattle to be finished within the state. The surprise in the report was the feeder cattle and calf supply outside feedlots, says analyst Andrew Gottschalk of HedgersEdge.com. He calculates this number to be down 608,000 head from January 1, 2017. While a reduction was not unexpected, the magnitude of the decline is a shocker. The reduction should lend support to the fed cattle sector during the fourth quarter. As for continued herd expansion, female slaughter increased in 2017 but remains well below liquidation levels, notes Gottschalk. c A North American view of the meat industry. Steve Kay is publisher and editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly.

Less calving problems, better immunity, more first cycle conceptions.

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Blueprint breeder 18

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C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Finally, finding market opportunity in sustainability David Moss believes the industry is getting past the ‘Trust Tax’

For a lot of years as a feedlot manager and operator, David Moss was frustrated with an inability to source feeder cattle with specific market attributes. He calls it an example of the “trust tax,” a belief that margin comes from keeping market sectors apart rather than working together. Today he believes that may finally change. Recent market developments can capture value and benefits by linking eligible producers with eligible operations further up the beef value chain. Moss is one of the visionaries behind AgriClear. That company is designed to bring together like-minded partners and build innovative attribute-based marketing opportunities. It provides absolute transparency between buyer and seller and payment assurance to all. His vision is shaped by a lifetime of experience. He has managed the family farm and feedlot in Alberta. He has held several roles in the industry. He has worked across the beef value chain and in several countries including Canada, the U.S., South America and Australia.

tity and the story throughout the beef value chain are needed. From the beginning Moss has believed in the Roundtables for Sustainable Beef. “They have created some incredible gains in trust and understanding among all parties. Having players such as World Wildlife Fund and the Rainforest Alliance at the same table legitimizes us with consumers. Benchmarking progress is critical to understanding and acceptance,” he says. David Moss: The VBP+ website links producers with online platforms such as AgriClear and auction markets.

“We cross-validate a producer’s claim on our platform with VBP+, and if confirmed, we generate what is a called an iFrame of their listing on the VBP+ website. That takes interested parties directly to their listing on our platform. “With the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot now underway, we feel we can really excel at empowering producers to effectively market the specific attributes they have in their cattle — like being a certified VBP+ producer.”

VBP+ partnership

AgriClear has already struck several alliances with key industry players both in Canada and the U.S. A relationship with Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) is a co-operative promotion where producers who list with AgriClear are also promoted on the VBP+ website.

Maintaining beef’s story

There is no question consumers want to know more about where their food comes from, says Moss. To provide this level of information, systems that can maintain iden-

Best way to participate

Data collection and management will always be a sticking point in these new marketing decisions, says Moss. How do we collect information in real time without human intervention, without compromising confidentiality, ensuring data integrity and providing measurable economic incentive? Consumers are expecting this kind of information, so how does the Canadian beef industry respond? “Our best approach is participating, either as a producer or a data collector in existing industry-based systems such as VBP+, proAction (dairy), BIXS and pilot programs such as the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot. This is what AgriClear is doing. “Everyone must be willing to do their part, to get engaged, and to find ways to efficiently collect and move data through the beef value chain. It takes a community and a will to make this happen.”

B U I L D I N G T R U S T T H R O U G H S U S TA I N A B L E B E E F P R O D U C T I O N

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Go to www.membersgetmore.ca to sign-up today - It’s free! 46

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Bull Sale 80+

Angus Bulls on Offer Reds, Blacks & Crossbreds

JAC 34E BW 75 WW 619 YW 1090

NVG 7E BW 73 WW 639 YW 1168

The Hotline’s are the most consistent set of sired calves we have ever had. Low birth, lots of vigor at birth, moderate made, easy doing, and efficient eye appealing cattle.

His 73lb BW matches perfectly to his -4.3 BW and +12 calving ease. Use him with confidence in the heifer pen. You will travel a lot of miles to find the number and selection of true heifer bulls offered here.

JAC 122E BW 75 WW 700 YW 1278

NVG 19E BW 83 WW 694 YW 1161

The Titlest sons are another very consistent low birth, easy calving group of Bulls. We are calving the first Titlest daughters this year, they are moderate made and great uddered.

Get your hammer cocked when this very attractive bull walks in. Very good heifer bull that will look good in the cow herd as well.

ON SITE • J LAZY A RANCH • CTY OF G.P. • RR80 EMERSON TRAIL (HWY 672)

60 TOP END COMMERCIAL BRED HEIFERS (bred to calve May 5 for 45 day breeding season)

Please contact to be on the mailing list or to talk about your bull needs J Lazy A Ranch

Jarin & Amber Carter 780.518.9652 jarincarter@gmail.com

Catalogue will be at

JLazyA.com

Fineline Red Angus

Nick & Lorraine Van Gaalen 780.831.8421 vgaalen@gpwins.ca

 Free Mar k et R e flect i o n s

By Steve Dittmer

NAFTA, Traceability AND Electronic Logs

t’s not so much that the longer this NAFTA negotiation goes on, the less we know. It’s more like the more things we never thought of, or ones we didn’t know we needed to know that come up. For example, now that it is becoming more likely that negotiations are going to drag on for some time, it raises the possibility that President Trump’s Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) will expire July 1. What is that? Constitutionally, the power to approve treaties and trade deals rests with Congress. But since it is a tad impractical to set 535 members of Congress to negotiating trade deals, from time to time they extend that authority to the executive branch of government with the provisos that the administration keep them informed on the progress of the negotiations and that one or both houses of Congress must approve the deals on up or down votes with no amendments. The authority is not granted automatically. A Democratic Congress refused it to President George Bush for some years. President Obama had it after Bush but was little interested. The Democrats in America tend to oppose trade because their labour union backers and environmental zealots oppose trade. Since the Democrats hate President Trump so badly they’d deny him hair glue and hair spray if they could figure out a way, renewing his TPA may not be a slam dunk. However, some of the unions might take a more enlightened view this time, realizing that NAFTA trade in industries like autos is so interconnected that their union jobs depend on jobs in Canada or non-union jobs in Mexico. One piece of good news came early in February. The confirmation for Gregg Doud to be chief agricultural negotiator had been passed through the appropriate Senate committee but a vote in the full Senate had been put on hold by an Arizona senator, based on an unrelated issue. That hold was later lifted and Doud only required a Senate floor vote to be become official. A stout free trader and livestock industry veteran, his presence cannot help but boost the chances for getting a deal done without ruining NAFTA for agriculture. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Kent Bacus, director of international trade and market access, reported from the Montreal sessions that both Canadian and Mexican negotiators seemed more engaged this time. He sees the automotive industry as the critical element, with President Trump having to see a victory in the final result. He sees May as the last chance to get a deal done in 2018 before all the American attention goes to the midterm elections in November.

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

Introduced at the NCBA convention as the highestranking trade lawyer in Washington, D.C., Gary N. Horlick warned of a downward spiral for President Trump if he signs a notice of withdrawal from NAFTA, setting off the required six-month’s notice: it would affect the election of Republicans, it would ruin farm and ranch income, the futures market would collapse and manufacturers with union contracts requiring 60-day layoff notices would have to begin giving notice. The legal suits would begin to fly. Horlick doesn’t think it will happen that way. He thinks it probable the negotiations will not end this year but go on into next year, with the current agreement continuing until then. Traceability is again under serious study and consideration in the U.S. A combination of USDA, state and national veterinary authorities and livestock groups are studying how to organize and administer a program designed to utilize an RFID system to modernize and greatly speed up disease tracing and control. Because of the objections of some, the program would have to be voluntary and estimates range from 68 to 70 per cent of mother cows would need to be identified to reach an effective mass. Feeder cattle are not contemplated at this time. Timetables and implementation dates are fluid for now. The requirement effective last December that all U.S. commercial trucks shift from paper logs to electronic logs also has the livestock hauling industry in an uproar. When pressed, department of transportation officials admitted they never considered the difficulties to purse and animal welfare when they put stricter limits on driving time and mandated longer rest periods on livestock haulers. There is no way long hauls can be completed within the allotted 11-hour driving period after a ten-hour break, limited to 14 hours/day total driving time and other restrictions. A 90-day waiver was granted to livestock haulers but that expires March 18. The industry has discussed a number of solutions with government officials, including allowance for sorting and loading for the first 150 miles and shorter rest periods, with little indication of give from government officials. USDA is hoping to be allowed into the discussion, perhaps with input from the White House. NCBA is pushing for a one-year exemption. Livestock haulers as a group have an excellent safety record and the cattlemen and truckers feel they should be allowed some leeway to work out solutions. c

Steve Dittmer is the CEO of Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group promoting free market principles throughout the food chain. He can be reached at steve@agfreedom.ag.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Annual

th 49 North

of the

April 2

2018

Bull Sale

At the Ranch 1:00 PM Halbrite Sk

Offering 80 Yearlings & 15 Two Year Olds

Sale Manager

306-584-7937 Helge By - 306-536-4261 Candace By - 306-536-3374 charolaisbanner@gmail.com www.bylivestock.com

Craig & Tricia Wilgenbusch

(306) 458-7482

Brenda Wilgenbusch

(306) 458-2688

View the catalogue and videos online at

www.wilgenbuschcharolais.com

 straigh t f ro m t h e h i p

By Brenda Schoepp

#moveover

he recycling of board members in leadership roles has long been an issue for Canadian agriculture. The common complaint from those on the board or in the position of power is that there is no desire on the part of others to serve. We have all heard the conversation: “the young people won’t step up,” “they have no interest” or “it is so hard to get folks to serve.” My response is that if there is not a vacated space — then how can someone else fill it? Perhaps it is time to #moveover. What youth brings to the table is a multitude of gifts, ideas, attributes and disciplines that may have taken someone from my generation a lifetime to cultivate. Deeply connected, they can gather a team or tribe in a few hours and have the evidence to support their quest. They thirst for differentiation — that something that sets them apart — and are not afraid to search the globe via the Internet or in person for that special attribute for their farms. At the same time, they are one connected and often unified agricultural voice. They chat amongst themselves in the moment and come to conclusions in faster time than a meeting can be called. Educated and creative, these new leaders have been exposed to as much information in a week as it took us months to gather and digest. With the world at their fingertips (literally speaking) they can check the market for beef on three continents, determine the cost to get it there, review and fill out the required paperwork, secure the order and track it while drinking a latte and holding a baby on their knee. In the meantime, a partner may be looking at a new robotic system for the barn, uploading a cattle health management APP and reviewing the latest closeouts on the last pen of cattle, while simultaneously charting the profit centres in the feedyard through a new set of software. This is their world and they are not only focused and enthusiastic but they have the technical ability to spot issues in advance through systems analysis designed for them, perhaps even by them and with their agricultural needs in mind. They understand that this is a numbers game. The level of transparency and accountability expected from business today is appreciated by these young potential leaders. As this is the new normal environment in which to operate, it does not feel invasive to them to put the ranch on YouTube or tweet about the first calf. This is all part of exposing the public, which is now lapsing into two generations away from agriculture, to the industry that feeds them. Communication is to youth what breathing was to the generations before. With every breath they are willing and able to transact, discover or encourage each other through a multitude of communication models. They

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

can challenge old systems and offer suggestions that are well researched. And consider this: they are the ones interviewing the board, not the other way around. So if there is not a lineup or matrix of interested applicants for your board or executive teams who are young, smart and connected, it may be time to have a board or executive team assessment to examine purpose, vision, mission and values. To be fair, I fall into the exiting generation and we did the best we could with the information and tools that we had. But the roles do shift after time and it is much more rewarding to mentor and encourage a younger person to take my place than to think for a moment that I am as connected as the young folks whom I work with. It might feel threatening but there comes a time that even the best board members who understand governance, transparency and accountability must #moveover and make room for change. Mobility and social connection allows for the families with a multitude of tasks and children to participate. And as children develop they are seen more at what was once an exclusive adult event, connected in their own world to others around them. The division that used to exist in which the learned were on one side of the fence and the rest were on the other does not fit well in the authentic model of empowerment and co-operation. Agriculture is a family affair and today’s youth is inclusive in this regard. Willing to work in teams, I have watched the unification of youth from all over the world as they share problems, issues or work towards solutions that can be applied in the most obscure circumstance. It is this attribute of teamwork that makes youth so attractive to business because it is no longer the “who’s who” at the wheel but a collective voice that is simply structured enough through simple governance to change the direction of an industry. Striving for excellence, farm families, groups and communities can ensure gender equality, child safety and advanced learning for all when standing together. Perhaps the strongest force on earth today is unified youth leadership that has a clearly communicated purpose, vision, mission and values. They not only are the greatest voting power and the ignition for our future but the keepers of our past. The future of food, the people who produce it, the infrastructure that delivers it and the currency that pays for it is becoming increasingly complex. We need to invite these bright new minds to the table. For them to be there, we have one last task and that is simply to #moveover. c Contact Brenda through her website: www.brendaschoepp.com. All Rights Reserved Brenda Schoepp 2018

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Vision Unanimous 1418

Spring Bull Sale

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Vision Unanimous 1418

At the Ranch, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan Selling 200 Black Angus Yearling Bulls

Spring Bull Sale

4M Element 405

Wednesday, 4, Program 2018 Cull Bull April Incentive

This year weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re offering the best cull bull incentive program you will find anywhere. With the cull bull market down a bit from previous years we are going to help you get the most out of those old broken, down worn out bulls. Why take a chance on bunch of open cows this fall when you can replace them with fresh strong new bulls. All you have to do is email us prior to the bull sale or bring a copy of your bill of sale from the auction market after selling your cull bulls and you will receive a $500 credit on each new replacement bull you buy. (eg: If you cull 5 bulls you will receive a $500 deduction for each of the 5 replacement bulls you buy.) Credits must be used on a per bull basis and you cannot use more than 1 credit toward a new bull.

At the Ranch, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan Selling 200 Black Angus Yearling Bulls

4M Element 405

View Sale Book at www.peakdotranch.com

Cull orBull Program phoneIncentive Carson Moneo 306-266-4414

Bush Easy Decision

This year weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re offering the best cull bull incentive program you will find anywhere. With the cull bull market down a bit from previous years we are going Clay to help you get the most out of those old broken, down worn out bulls.Moneo Why take306-266-4411 a chance on bunch of open cows this fall when you can replace them with fresh strong new bulls. All you have to do is email us prior toEmail:peakdot@gmail.com the bull sale or bring a copy of your bill of sale from the auction market after selling your cull 98 bulls and you will receive a $500 credit on each new replacement bull you buy. (eg: If you cull 5 bulls you will receive a $500 deduction for each of the 5 replacement bulls you buy.) Credits must be used on a per bull basis and you cannot use more than 1 credit toward a new bull.

View Sale Book at www.peakdotranch.com or phone Carson Moneo 306-266-4414 Clay Moneo 306-266-4411 Email:peakdot@gmail.com

Bush Easy Decision 98

Hoover No Doubt

Schiefelbein Attractive

Schiefelbein Attractive Bushs Wind Chill 982

Janssen Earnhardt 5003

Bushs Wind Chill 982

Janssen Earnhardt 5003 Peak Dot Foothills 1012B

Peak Dot Foothills 1012B

KR Cash Flow

SAV Radiance 0801

SAV Top Soil 4354

 CCA repo rts

By Dan Darling

the last word

am pleased to provide you with this final report as president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). It has been an honour and a privilege to represent the interests of Canada’s beef producers for the last four years as president and vice-president of the CCA. Canada’s participation in the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), also known as TPP11, is an extremely positive development for Canada’s entire beef sector. Furthermore, Canada’s agriculture and agri-food products sector will benefit from preferential market access to all CPTPP countries and gain new market access opportunities. The CPTPP is on track to become the biggest trade agreement in the world, representing 495 million people and 13.5 per cent of global GDP. Once the CPTPP is implemented, Canadian beef will immediately be imported into Japan at the same preferential tariff as Australian beef. Canadian beef will also be relieved from the current Japanese 50 per cent safeguard tariff on frozen product that has been in place since July 2017. This, along with the new market access in the Asia Pacific region, is of utmost importance to the hard-working families who operate Canada’s 60,000 beef farms and feedlots. The CCA urges the Government of Canada to expedite the CPTPP implementation bill through Parliament before the end of Canada’s spring legislative session, given the strong likelihood that at least six and possibly more member countries (Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Mexico) could ratify and implement before the end of April. Implementing this bill quickly in Canada will ensure Canada’s beef producers will not be left waiting at the gate while our beef exporting competitors in New Zealand and Mexico join Australia in getting a jump on us in the Japanese market. Market share for Canadian beef in this important market would erode if Parliament is slow to ratify and existing Japanese customers of Canadian beef are forced to look to our competitors. The sixth round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade talks concluded in Montreal on January 29, with each country’s government officials reporting sufficient progress being made to warrant a seventh round of talks in Mexico City at the end of February. The CCA was on hand in Montreal as a stakeholder to provide expert advice to negotiators. The CCA has been present at all rounds thus far and observed a very positive impact by the broad participation by U.S. stakeholder representatives for the first time. NAFTA will only be maintained if the White House fully acknowledges its value to the U.S. economy and as a driver of U.S. jobs. Now that U.S. stakeholders are more actively advocating for the maintenance of NAFTA, the chances of successfully modernizing and renegotiating the agreement are much improved.

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

During the negotiations, the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) hosted several events with American and Mexican counterparts including a roundtable with government representatives and a news conference with farmers from all three countries. I was pleased to be among the farmers in attendance and spoke about the integrated nature of the North American cattle industry and the importance of NAFTA for my beef operation. These efforts, along with progressing market access expansion in China and ongoing work with the CanadaEU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), will help to manage the possible risk of U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA. In closing, I am extremely proud of the achievements and progress achieved during my term that support the long-term competitiveness of the industry. Public trust initiatives including the launch of the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, the National Beef Strategy and the industry issues management position will provide a solid, science-based foundation for the Canadian beef industry to thrive on. The CCA’s written submissions defining the potential harm to industry on regulatory change proposals including Canada’s Food Guide and the Food Labelling Modernization Initiative, deserve recognition, as do the ongoing efforts in sustainable beef production, climate change and verification frameworks. Approval to permit irradiation of raw fresh and frozen ground beef was finally granted after nearly two decades of effort. The CCA addressed areas of vital importance to the viability of beef production itself, securing revisions to harmful provisions within Ottawa’s proposed Tax Planning Using Private Corporations changes. Advocacy efforts resulted in tax relief measures for producers affected by bovine tuberculosis; drought, flood or excess moisture conditions; and tax relief and other disaster relief measures for producers impacted by the B.C. wildfires. We progressed files on traceability and labour shortages and, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency secured the elimination of an outdated requirement to prove that live cattle exported to the U.S. are born after March 1, 1999. The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program marked its fifth year in 2017, its success demonstrated by the many graduates who have gone on to be involved with their provincial associations and in industry. Going forward, there remain issues to address, including the impact of Canada’s carbon price policy on the Canadian beef sector. I am confident that the CCA will continue to well represent the Canadian beef industry to ensure it remains viable and competitive for the long term. c Sincerely, Dan Darling, CCA President

Dan Darling is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

SONS BY THESE LEADING SIRES

BAR E-L NATURAL LAW 52Y

MUSGRAVE AVIATOR

LD COMPLETE 319

SAV CUTTING EDGE

SAV RESOURCE

MAY WAY BREAKOUT

poplarMeadows_CC_feb0918.indd 1

2018-02-09 2:11 PM

A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Forage & Grassland Guide is produced in partnership by the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association (CFGA) and Glacier FarmMedia LLP and distributed through Country Guide, Canadian Cattlemen and Le Bulletin des agriculteurs. It focuses on forage and grassland issues of importance to crop and livestock producers across Canada.

Don’t call it ‘cover,’ call it ‘feed’ How sacrificing some silage yield can gain another six to 10 tons of forage per acre

By John Greig

om Kilcer says farmers are missing an opportunity to create greater value from cover crops by using them in a carefully planned winter forage system. He’s promoting a system that gives up some yield in corn silage planted after the winter forage in order to gain overall total yield over a whole growing season. Kilcer, a longtime Cornell University extension educator who now runs his own consulting company, Advanced Ag Systems, talked about double cropping in northern forage areas at the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference last November in Guelph, Ont. “Winter forage is cover crops on steroids,” he said. He listed several advantages of winter forages, including the ability to produce more to fill the popular higher-forage diets for dairy cows, increasing dry matter produced per acre by 25 to 30 per cent and having the ability to harvest quality forage before spring grasses or legumes are ready. Planting forages in the fall also helps change the timing of spring planting, moving some of the seeding to later in the season. Not only can the winter forage make up for any difference in planting later-season corn, but subsequent crops showed yield increases. Corn over a three-year average increased in yield by eight to 15 per cent, soybeans were up eight to 15 per cent and nitrate in drainage water was reduced

Tom Kilcer recommends triticale as a cover crop with high feed value, and says to manage it as a feed crop, not just a cover, using seed treatment and good seed. Photo: University of Nebraska

from 21 to 38 per cent. Surface water infiltration increased by seven times. Those are numbers that are not surprising from other cover crop research, but Kilcer goes further in promoting the value of winter forages as a double crop that pays, producing six to 10 tons of forage per acre.

Treat it like a feed crop

“The first thing you need to understand is we are not growing a cover crop, we’re growing a winter forage,” he said. Kilcer does most of his work with triticale as his winter forage of choice. Use a seed treatment and good seed, he says, as you’re growing a crop you need for feed, not just a cover. The most important factor is to

get the forage crop planted on time. Where Kilcer does most of his work, that’s 10 days to two weeks before winter wheat in the fall. His research found a 20 per cent increase in yield for forages planted September 9 versus October 5. The key is to get tillering happening before the triticale goes dormant in the late fall. Bonus heat units in the fall and nitrogen are helpful to get that fall tillering. Fertilizer also had an effect only if the crop was planted early, with a 14 per cent increase in yield to manure if planted in early September, versus no response if planted in October. Be

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

Continued on page 56

F o r a g e & G r a s s l a n d Gu i d e

2018

Plant smart for optimum production Strategic grass planting can optimize forage results by Trudy Kelly Forsythe

Agronomists and plant breeders have done a lot of work to select specific characteristics when it comes to developing new varieties of forages, and they’ve made great strides with traits like rust resistance, persistence and salt tolerance. More recently, however, they’ve been looking at forage quality and, more specifically, forage digestibility. Peter Ballerstedt, the forage product manager at the grass seed research and marketing company Barenbrug USA, explained why when he presented on the next generation of highly digestible forages at the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s 8th annual conference in Guelph last November. “We have two types of carbohydrate in any ruminant ration,” he said. “We have to have the non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) and we have to have the fibre carbohydrate (NDF). Both have to be there in order for the ruminant to function properly.” Indeed, properly balancing the two is critical for the health and production in beef and dairy cattle. For example, a two to three unit change in fibre digestibility in dairy cows has shown a one pound increase in milk yield. However, while grass is a great source of digestible fibre, not all grass is created equal. There are differences between

CANADIAN FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION www.canadianfga.ca Ph: 506-260-0872

species and even variations between varieties within a species. Producers have some different options to consider when looking for varieties with high digestibility, including soft leaf fescue varieties, a new perennial rye grass variety and orchard grass varieties. Ballerstedt explained that meadow fescue provides an excellent opportunity to increase milk production and weight gains, especially in mixtures with other grasses, while true Italian rye grass is suitable for short-term pastures for dairy but especially for finishing grass-fed beef and when used as haylage. “Italian is like winter wheat,” said Ballerstedt, adding it requires fertilization for reproductive development. “If you plant it in the spring, it will grow all summer long without making a seed head so you have the highest quality feed available but without reproductive development." Whatever producers decide, Ballerstedt said they need to ensure what they’re growing gives them the greatest potential for improvement. “There’s nothing so expensive as cheap seed. If you’re going through all the expense to do the cropping work to get the seed bed prepared, don’t try to save the money on the seed.” That’s because the cost farmers incur

PETER BALLERSTEDT

from a seeding failure is not from the additional seed they then need to buy, but is from what they’ve done to their grazing rotation. “It’s all lost feed production you’ve just incurred. It’s from the fact that now you’re not in the optimum window to make that planting. So you just buggered yourself up to save a couple pennies on seed.”

A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Continued from page 54 careful top-dressing manure onto the crop too late in the spring. Kilcer told a story of a farmer who did so and the crop ended up being a “slimy, maggoty mess in the bunk.” There’s no doubt that waiting for the winter forage to come off means planting later corn, and Kilcer says that for every five-day, shorter-season corn that has to be planted, there is a reduction of 1,680 kg/ha of corn silage yield. That usually is offset by the winter forage yield of 4,479 to 8,958 kg/ha. Rye is a popular cover crop and in some areas it is also used as a winter forage crop, especially on dairy and beef farms, but Kilcer prefers triticale over rye because there’s less chance of triticale lodging in a heavy crop, and triticale’s quality decreases slower than rye. Winter forage crops like triticale and rye can yield much more than what farmers are used to with alfalfa. They are high-sugar, and need to be laid out wide behind the haybine. Then, he recommends tedding, with ground speed down and RPMs up to get the heavy crop spread out properly. Chop it long, at least 2.5 cm, as it is a high-sugar, high-energy crop. Similar to brown mid-rib corn, winter forage can fall apart fast in the rumen, hence why it should be cut longer. There’s still a lot to learn about double cropping. There is concern that there’s an alleopathy effect of winter grains on corn that will decrease yield in the next crop. Kilcer is in the middle of a research project looking at this effect, but he says that there are options to strip till or zone till which appears to move the alleopathy effect away from the crop in the strips. Other crops like alfalfa, red clover and soybeans can be no tilled directly into winter forage stubble, he says. Kilcer is also looking at other options for double cropping that include dwarf sorghum, grain sorghum and BMR forages. n

Spurge purge tests bovine palates Goats and sheep can eat leafy spurge. Can cattle be trained to do the same?

by duncan morrison

More than 1.2 million acres are infested with leafy spurge in Manitoba alone, with an annual estimate loss of over $40 million. Photo: Jane Thornton

ike a parent convincing kids to eat their vegetables because they’re good for them, Jane Thornton is trying the same approach with getting cattle to eat leafy spurge. “Contrary to popular belief, leafy spurge is a very nutritious plant, comparable to alfalfa in quality,” Thornton says. “If cattle can become accustomed to eating leafy spurge it may have nutritional benefits and also bump up pasture quality late into the season when most grasses have dropped in feed value.” Thornton is a Manitoba Agriculture pasture and forage specialist working on a spurge management project at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI) research farm on the outskirts of Brandon

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

in western Manitoba, where spurge invasion has been a major problem. Control efforts had another setback this year with the announcement that distribution of Amitrol, the only chemical registered for leafy spurge control, will be discontinued this year. Other methods have been attempted over the years, including insects and grazing by sheep and goats, which apparently don’t mind the taste of leafy spurge. However, cattle do. Some studies suggest this is due to chemicals in the plant that don’t agree with the cattle’s digestion system. The MBFI project is looking at whether it’s possible to train them to eat it, perhaps by incorporating eating Continued on page 58

Forage & Grassland Guide

2018

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Continued from page 56 schedules that allow their digestion system to build up tolerance. “Either way, it is clear that cattle can incorporate leafy spurge as a minor portion of their overall diet,” says Thornton. “Although exactly how much is unknown. And that is exactly what we are trying to get a handle on.” The system in the study was developed by Kathy Voth, a graduate student of Fred Provenza of Utah State University, who has been researching the system for over 35 years. Thornton says the key is more than a matter of taste but a complex system of the gut speaking to the brain in something called biofeedback. “If the eating experience provides the gut with positive nutrient experience then the brain will register this effect and the animal will have learned a positive association with a certain food.” If successful this practice could have a number of added benefits such as reductions in leafy spurge infestation, increased pasture carrying capacity, increased pasture diversity and increased cattle nutrition.

Major economic problem

Considered the most noxious of all weeds, leafy spurge first arrived on the Canadian Prairies from Eastern Europe on board early settlers’ ships that were unknowingly carrying contaminated seed. Spurge quickly gained a major foothold on pastures and fields in Western Canada, and spread continues as the weed has no natural enemies. According to a 2010 Economic Impact report by Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute, 1.2 million acres in Manitoba are infested with leafy spurge. Much of that infestation can be found in and around pastures, woodlands, riparian areas and rights of way. Some of these

areas can be difficult to access with large spraying equipment. But even if they were, chemical treatment can be hit and miss and expensive. Standing around two feet tall with an extensive root system, leafy spurge has yellowish-green flowers and contains a whitish sap-like fluid, which is the cause of the palatability problem. While goats and sheep don’t seem to mind it, cattle do and tend to avoid areas of pasture where leafy spurge plants proliferate. This lost grazing capacity is considerable — the Brandon University study estimates the value of the lands affected, chemicals needed and other indirect impacts of the difficult weed at $40.2 million a year. n

The challenge is to have cattle develop a positive association with the nutritional benefits of leafy spurge. Photo: Jane Thornton

MBFI up and running Livestock partnership includes government, industry and environmental interests The leafy spurge research project is one of 25 projects underway this summer at the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI) research farm located at three sites near Brandon, Man. MBFI leaders and partners say they have been encouraged by the quality of the research and the interest of the producers in the farm’s first field season. The projects were showcased at two events this summer: McDonald’s Canada’s Producer Day and Manitoba Agriculture’s Hay Day. “MBFI is committed to improving the public’s knowledge of the critical role the beef industry plays in sustaining both the Manitoba economy and in managing valuable ecosystems,” says MBFI president Ramona Blyth, a beef producer from MacGregor, Man. “Advancing and understanding the long-term profitability and sustainability connections for Manitoba’s beef and forage producers will be showcased at our research farms.” MBFI is a partnership between Manitoba Beef Producers, Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association and Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Cultivating partnerships between beef producers, governments, and private stakeholders interested in advancing the industry is a key foundation of our MBFI objectives,” says Blyth. “Increasingly, there is great deal of interest in our commitment toward enhancing the profitability of beef and forage production by evaluating foundational research to the ranch level and transferring the knowledge gained to producers.” For more information: www.mbfi.com.

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

F o rag e & G ra s s l a n d G uid e

2018

A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Putting science into grass management The Grazing Response Index scores foliage removal, grazing period and recovery time By ray ford

hen it came out of Colorado in the 1990s, the Grazing Response Index (GRI) was strictly at home on the range. Now Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Jodie Horvath says that, with a few tweaks, the grass management tool can help graziers on Western Canada’s tame pastures, too. “When you’re a farmer, a lot of things feel out of your control, especially with the weather,” says Horvath, a DUC conservation programs specialist and Saskatchewan grain and cattle producer. The GRI “helps you realize there are things you can control, including the number of animals you put out, where they go, and how long they’re out there — so you do have some decision-making available to you.” With the backing of the Saskatchewan Forage Council and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Horvath tested the index during three years of grazing at DUC’s Touchwood Hills Conservation Ranch north of Fort Qu’Appelle. “There aren’t a lot of ways to measure and grade how we’re doing on our tame pastures,” she says. “I thought the GRI would be something really practical that we could implement easily on a farm for the average producer.”

health of the plant,” says Mae Elsinger, Brandon-based range management biologist with Agriculture and AgriFood Canada. “It’s about damage to the plant, recovery from damage, and the overall health by the end of the year.” Plants are like solar power systems, she adds — the more leaf area bitten off, the less solar energy the plant captures. When growing leaves are repeatedly chomped, stressed plants are forced to draw stored energy from their roots, like an underpowered solar system draining its storage batteries. As the grass weakens, it’s shaded out by less palatable or weedy species. The result is a less productive pasture. Horvath’s major challenge was adapting a system designed for native range grasses into one that works for

cool-season domesticated species. When the GRI was brought into Canada, researchers at British Columbia’s Thompson Rivers University tested the approach on common range grasses, including bluebunch wheatgrass, rough fescue, and pinegrass to ensure what works in Colorado is applicable north of the 49th parallel. Elsinger says the same detailed lab work hasn’t been done on tame species, including the alfalfa, meadow and smooth bromes featured in Horvath’s test pastures. But she adds experienced managers know tame pastures behave differently from native range. “Tame forages have evolved under a totally different system,” Elsinger says. While Prairie grasses were occasionally trampled, grazed, or burned Continued on page 62

Putting grass first

The GRI focuses on three aspects of grazing and pasture growth: grazing intensity — the amount of leaf area that is bitten off by grazing animals; the frequency — how often leaves are bitten off as the plants try to regrow; and the plant’s opportunity to regrow — the rest and recovery pastures get after grazing. GRI grades “how the grazing pattern in a particular year affects the

Above: The GRI focuses on three factors: grazing intensity, frequency and the plant’s opportunity to regrow. Left: Pegged to the ground with bent rebar, the exclusion cages are strong enough to shield the grass inside, even while cattle scratch themselves on the cage.

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Forage & Grassland Guide

2018

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Continued from page 60 — sometimes severely — they probably had extended rest periods. Tame species developed in Europe and Asia under thousands of years of regular and repeated grazing, so “these grasses have just adapted to higherintensity grazing than native grasses.” The new tame version of the GRI reflects this. When it comes to grazing intensity, the tame GRI defines “light” grazing as taking up to 60 per cent of the stand, compared to just 40 per cent for range. Ditto for “opportunity for regrowth,” where a six-week rest for a tame pasture is equivalent to a range receiving a “full season” of rest after grazing. Finally, there’s the frequency of grazing. The range GRI awards top marks for a once-over rotational grazing system, but in most of the West, “the way we manage our tame pastures is often different than the way we manage our range pastures,” says the Saskatchewan Forage Council’s Laura Holmyr, who ranches near the U.S. border. “A lot of times we have two or maybe three times over” for tame pastures. To allow multiple passes on tame pastures but prevent tame plants from being bitten too many times in any one pass, the updated GRI tracks the longest period livestock graze a single paddock. Assuming it takes seven to 10 days for a plant to regrow to the state where it can be grazed again (a timeline adopted from the original GRI), graziers earn a positive score for restricting a grazing session to seven to 10 days in any one pasture. Leaving the beasts in for more than 21-30 days, on the other hand, draws a negative score. Holmyr adds managers may want to tweak this seven- to 10-day rule to fit their own knowledge of local plant growth. “Personally, at my place, we would never leave our cows on tame pasture for seven days, unless it’s August and nothing is growing. We always move them in four days or less.”

“Have I been degrading this resource? Have I been improving it? What can I maybe change to do some more regenerative-type grazing instead of taking, taking all the time?” — Laura Holmyr Graziers using the index need to note the in and out dates for each pasture, and track how much of the stand is being grazed on each pass. When estimating grazing intensity, it’s best to compare with an ungrazed stand nearby. Areas near ditches, fencerows and neighbouring fields may be an option, but Horvath used grazing exclusion cages borrowed from AAFC. Pegged to the ground with bent rebar, the cages are strong enough to shield the grass inside, even while cattle scratch themselves on the cage. By comparing what’s in the cage to an “average” grazed area five metres away, “it’s a great comparison as to what they’re actually removing, and that was an eye-opener for me,” says Horvath. “Honestly, you think the animals have removed only about half, or there’s lots of grazing out there yet. But when you have those grazing cages they really provide an important visual.”

Filling out the scorecard

After that, it’s a matter of working out the annual scorecard for each pasture. For example: • H ave the plants in Field A been grazed at less than 60 per cent of their foliage? Score one. • Were cattle on the field for less than seven days during their longest grazing period? Score another one. • Did the field get six weeks of recovery time between grazings? Score two. • Add up the total, and congratulations, Field A has maxed out at the highest possible score, four. But say Field B got different treatment. It was intensively grazed (with cattle removing more than 85 per cent of the foliage) for a score of minus one. The cattle also spent at least a

month in the field on their longest grazing session, so that earns another minus one. And though the field got a month between grazings, giving it “some chance” in the opportunity for regrowth score, that still only merits a zero. At the end of the year, Field A has earned a four, while B is suffering with a minus two. If this treatment continues, B will eventually become rundown. Options include giving B a little more TLC, and increasing the pressure on A, or subdividing pastures to get a better handle on grazing intensity by reducing time on any one paddock and boosting rest periods. GRI “works especially great in a rotational system where you have the flexibility to make adjustments,” Elsinger says. “If you have one big pasture and your animals are grazing season long from May to October and you get GRI results you don’t like, you’re not going to have much flexibility to change, unless you adopt cross-fencing.” The GRI “gives you a starting point for how to improve things, and an indication of the trend over time,” Laura Holmyr says. “Have I been degrading this resource? Have I been improving it? What can I maybe change to do some more regenerative-type grazing instead of taking, taking all the time?” At the very least, Jodie Horvath adds, the GRI is a simple way to inject more science into the art of pasture management. Sometimes, she adds, better management “is the one piece of control you have, when things feel out of control.” To learn more about the GRI for tame forages, visit the Saskatchewan Forage Council’s website at www.saskforage.ca. n

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Forage & Grassland Guide

2018

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Forage testing more complicated, but rations more accurate Forage testing has evolved significantly in the past three to five years, with more precise tools for livestock ration development By John Greig

orage quality evaluation has moved from rule of thumb to rule of rumen. Mark Bowman, a ruminant nutritionist with Grand Valley Fortifiers in Cambridge, Ont., told the annual meeting of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association in Guelph last November that forage testing has evolved significantly in the past three to five years, with more precise tools for livestock ration development. The major innovation is different measures of digestion of forages in the rumen. Labs now use actual rumen fluid drawn from cows to determine rates of starch and fibre digestibility over varying times, as well as the rate of passage of fibre through the rumen. The actual tests are supported by complex computational models which give nutritionists and farmers the data to work with. Some of these new measures have led to the reintroduction of more grasses in dairy diets, versus alfalfa and the move to higher-forage versus grain diets. Thirty years ago there were just rules of thumb, Bowman said. Forages were fed at about two per cent of body weight per day. For example, a 750-kg Holstein cow should get 15 kg. “Today it’s a lot more complicated,” he said. Now rations are built from complex forage reports derived from comprehensive lab tests. There are formulation models that drive much of the decision-making on rations in the background. Ration formulators have for years

Forage quality benchmarks Alfalfa

Grasses

Excellent quality CP

ADF

aNDF

ADF

aNDF

Low quality

Chart courtesy Mark Bowman, Grand Valley Fortifiers

looked at neutral detergent fibre (NDF) as the standard measure of cell wall and cell contents — essentially how difficult it is for the cow to digest the forage. “When we want to feed the cow, we are really feeding the rumen,” Bowman said. “As forage quality goes down, there’s only so much you can do to compensate.” Today, there are numerous tests relating to NDF, such as dNDF (NDF digestibility). Labs also now test for uNDF (undigestible NDF). There are also other lab assays tested through NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy). Then there are more complicated ration formulation models available for nutritionists to use. Acid detergent fibre (ADF) continues to be used. Dave Taysom of Dairyland Laboratories Inc. told the CFGA meeting

that uNDF is the undigested NDF residue after fermentation at a given length of time. It is accompanied by the time that the digestion is tested, such as uNDF240 for a test that has been run for 240 hours, or uNDF48, for a test that’s been run for 48 hours. At one time the measure of digestibility was lignin. Even when low-lignin alfalfas were developed, they still looked similar to each other in lignin levels, but there is significant difference when one looks at the uNDF levels, Taysom said. When Bowman gets a report back from the lab he first looks at the plant carbohydrate fractions, the cell wall and the cell contents. Protein is important economically, but “I can always feed more soybean meal,” if the protein level is low, he said. Corn silage is also a major forage for dairy cows, providing energy and fibre. Testing has shown that fermenting corn silage before it’s fed will mean more digestible starch. Bowman said that he likes corn silage to be fermented six months before it’s fed. If you only wait 30 days, then there will need to be more digestible starch put into the ration, likely through high-moisture corn. That six-month storage is a challenge for many farms without more smaller silos. Bowman said silage in a bag can work, “But if a farm uses tower silos, they’ll need two. Some producers just don’t have that.” The bottom line is that the higher the forage level in the ration, the cheaper and less risk the ration will be. n

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F o r ag e & G r a s s l and G u i d e

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NewsRoundup associations

Three families added to Saskatchewan honour roll

The Saskatchewan Livestock Association presented Honour Scrolls to three families that have made an outstanding contibution to the livestock industry during the provincial beef industry conference in late January. The Honour Roll dates back to 1927 and the three new recipients are the late Dale Blair and Janet Blair of Drake; Garner and Lori Deobald of Hodgeville and Brian and Glenys Weedon of Swift Current. Dale and Janet returned to the family Blair Farms in 1964 where Dale partnered with his father Sandy and brother Ron. Sandy had also established Blair’s Fertilizer Company in 1948. Dale imported Janet Blair some of the first Simmental cattle to Canada and was a founding member of the Saskatchewan Simmental Association, a director of the Canadian Simmental Association and Barn Boss for the Simmental breed at Agribition for several years. He also served on the board of Pound-Maker Agventures Ltd. for 27 years and the provincial agricultural review board. Blair Farms was named Commercial Angus Producer of the Year Award in 2000

before Dale and Ron sold the business to their sons and dissolved Blair Farms. Blair’s West Land and Cattle was formed in 2008 by son Scott and daughter-in-law Calla. Dale also served on the Drake and district recreation board and was awarded the Drake Citizen of the Year Trophy in 1985. Janet received the same award in 2005 for her work with senior meals and the recreation board. Dale died in October 2014. Garner and Lori Deobald have spent their entire married life on his grandfather’s farm in Hodgeville, and their Cedarlea Farms has been involved with Charolais

Garner and Lori Deobald

6R\DO 1DQėRED

cattle since they bought her parent’s purebred herd. Lori was trained as a veterinary technician and still works one day a week at the local clinic. Garner has served as president of the Saskatchewan and Canadian Charolais associations and Charolais International. He currently sits on the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and is in his second term as chairman. At one point he formed Hawkeye Land and Livestock Ltd., and brokered sales of Charolais cattle to Kazakhstan. For three years he served as national fieldman for the Canadian Charolais Association and in 2007 began working for Boehringer Ingelheim and is currently territory manager for southern Saskatchewan. In between times he has judged cattle at most of the major shows across Canada and conducted cattle selection workshops in Canada and Estonia. Last June he was appointed executive vice-director of the China-Canada Beef Industry Council, a partnership of the Beef Cattle Research Council, China Agriculture University and the Canadian Beef Breeds Council. Lori, with her daughter and son-in-law, looks after most of the day-to-day work at Cedarlea Farms. Brian Weedon turned to the beef business after he moved home to Cabri to farm with his adopted father. He purchased some local farmland with pasture and bought eight cows. He also credits the time he spent working for cattle feeder Tom Myers and rancher John O’Connell for cementing his Proudly sponsored by

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NEWS ROUNDUP

Glenys and Brian Weedon

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

love of cattle and ranching, and in 1974 he purchased the O’Connell ranch. Glenys graduated as a teacher in 1977 and taught school for many years before becoming a partner on the ranch with Brian. Weedon Ranch was one of the first to be verified under the Quality Starts Here program in 2004 and the family received the National Enviromental Stewardship Award in 2011. Brian served the industry on many fronts, as president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers’ Association, director of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and vice-chair of the Foundation of Animal Care. He also co-chaired the board of the Verified Beef Program and still sits on

the board. He also served as chairman of the Saskatchewan Beef Industry committee and was on the board of the Saskatchewan Surface Rights Arbitration Board, the Action Committee on Rural Economy, Prairie Conservation Action Plan, the New Grazing and Technology program, the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame and the VIDO Beef Tech committee. Both Brian and Glenys hosted many school and 4-H groups and visitors from as far away as Germany and Inner Mongolia on educational tours focused on range management, ecology and the western way of life. Continued on page 68

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News Roundup Continued from page 67

Associations

TaAnnual nAnnual nassRRaBulnaBul cnhclehsSallesSale e

SCA members have their say on antibiotic regulations

A short list of resolutions presented at the Saskatchewan Cattlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Association (ACA) annual meeting in Saskatoon focused d on incoming regulations for antibiotics in livestock and wildfire dn coon prevention. c e SSe Some members were clearly worried by the new requireMarch 29,2018 2018 at the Ranch | 20km W of Valley Water Valley March 29, | at| the Ranch | 20km W of Water ments that a vet-client relationship be established before drugs are prescribed for livestock. The meeting agreed that the Registered SCA should be involved in defining the nature of this relationship on behalf of producers in Saskatchewan. Chief veterinarBlack Angus Bulls ian Betty Althouse noted these new rules are set by the federal government in consultation with the veterinary profession Feature Females but the members still agreed with the sentiment behind this motion. Luke & Ceanna Tannas Another motion expressed concerns by producers that all drugs Home: 403-637-2425 Luke & Ceanna Tannas under this new regulation will be priced according to a minimum Luke: 403-863-9560

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s of: elling Son

CLEAR CREEK UPWARD 412, A A R LEUPOLD 4815, APEX HERO 534, CONNEALY CENTERFIRE, TC CANDID 5168, BAR DOUBLE M POTENTIAL 13A, WESTERN GEMSTONE 580, and ATLASTA UPWARD 64Z 99C

For catalog or information contact:

CU Ranch – Mountain View, AB Phone (403) 653-1031 Rock & Shauna Smith family

HIGH QUALITY BULLS

News Roundup

from Reputable Breeders MARCH 11 Steppler Farms Charolais Bull Sale, Steppler Sale Barn, Miami, MB MARCH 12 Palmer Charolais and Nielson Land & Cattle Angus Bull Sale, at the farm, Bladworth, SK MARCH 13 McTavish Farms and Guest Charolais & Angus Bull Sale, at the farm, Moosomin, SK MARCH 15 Creek’s Edge Land & Cattle Co. Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Yellow Creek, SK MARCH 17 Pleasant Dawn Charolais Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Virden, MB MARCH 20 Diamond W Charolais, Red & Black Angus Bull Sale, Minitonas, MB MARCH 21 HTA Charolais & Guest Bull Sale, Beautiful Plains Ag, Neepawa, MB MARCH 22 Elder Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Coronach, SK MARCH 27 Prairie Distinction Charolais Bull Sale, Beautiful Plains Ag, Neepawa, MB MARCH 31 TRI-N Charolais & Guests Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Virden, MB APRIL 2 North of the 49th Bull Sale, at Wilgenbusch Charolais, Halbrite, SK APRIL 3 Cedarlea Farms Charolais at Git ‘R Done Bull Sale, Hodgeville, SK APRIL 5 Hunter Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Roblin, MB APRIL 21 Cornerstone Charolais & Red Angus Bull Sale, Whitewood (SK) Auction Mart

Continued from page 68

price schedule set by the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medicine Association. To that end, the SCA was instructed to investigate the possibility of a pharmacy-style retail market to foster competition for livestock drugs. One motion called for Canadian Agriculture Partnership funding for perimeter fencing on land not used for livestock to encourage farmers to return to cattle or expand their present herds. Another wanted the province to investigate the use of attractants on pastures. The idea would be to encourage severe grazing and thus lower the fuel load on grazing land. The fact this motion passed in a room full of ranchers offers some idea of the anxiety generated by the horrendous wildfires last fall. Mark Elford, chair of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, put in a plug for cattle producers to order their CCIA ear tags directly from the agency website. The site offers every approved tag and applicator plus tag readers, with the added bonus that revenue raised by the e-store will help offset any added costs the agency faces when traceability comes into force later this year or early next.

For more information contact: 306-584-7937 • charolaisbanner@gmail.com Helge By 306-536-4261 • Candace By 306-536-3374 Catalogues online a month prior to the sale at www.bylivestock.com

1ST ANNUAL

ALLANDALE ANGUS & GOLDEN SUNSET RANCH

OFFERING: 66 BULLS

BULL SALE

ALL BULLS SEMEN TESTED • 13 BLACK ANGUS 2 YEAR OLDS • 24 BLACK ANGUS YEARLING BULLS • 29 RED ANGUS YEARLING BULLS

THURSDAY MARCH 15, 2018 AT 2:00 PM

AT WAYNE STETSON’S FARM • 1.5 MILES WEST OF VERMILION ON THE OLD HWY 16

ALLANDALE CHARLO 18E BW: 71 LBS WW: 782 LBS

RED GOLDEN SUNSET JOHNNY H 7E BW: 85 LBS WW: 726 LBS

ALLANDALE TITLEST 24D BW: 80 LBS

SONS OF THESE HERDSIRES: COLEMAN CHARLO 0256, U-2 BULLION 9C, RB TOUR OF DUTY 177, SAV INTERNATIONAL 2020, S TITLIEST 1145, SAV RITO 9969 2242

ALLANDALE ANGUS

WAYNE STETSON VERMILION, AB (780) 853-7523

VIDEO SALE WITH VIEWING OF THE BULLS RIGHT BESIDE THE HEATED SALE FACILITY ONLINE BIDDING AT WWW.DLMS.CA

RED GOLDEN SUNSET STOUT 75E BW: 89 LBS WW 747 LBS

SONS OF THESE HERDSIRES: RED BCC SUPREMO GUY 11C, RED WHEEL MONOPLOY 88C, RED SIX MILE SIGNATURE 295B, RED BAR-E-L APPOLLO 144C, RED U-2 SNIPER 23B

GOLDEN SUNSET RANCH KYLE, SARAH & ISABELLE MARTIN VERMILION, AB (780) 581-4418

SALE MANAGEMENT:

OBI LIVESTOCK LTD. MARK HOLOWAYCHUK (403) 896-4990

to request a catalog email:

o.b.i@shaw.ca

VIEW CATALOG ONLINE AT WWW.CATTLEMANAGEMENT.CA • SALE VIDEOS AT WWW.CATTLEVIDS.CA 70

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUNDUP

#CDNBeefConf

Driving Demand

“If we could handle 50 per cent of the tags through the e-store I can see that we would never ever have to raise the (management) price of our tags again,” said Elford. Jason Pollock, the CEO of Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS), came to the meeting looking for producers to test the new electronic data base called CHIP that will run electronic manifests and permits. The CHIP portal gives producers access to the manifests and permits and their own data. The electronic documents can be created online, doing away with the need for inspectors to transfer the same information from written manifests. It also provides fields to record traceability data plus the identification services that LSS is set up to provide. E-manifests offer access to other approved users so the document can be updated at every stop along the marketing chain. An app for smart phones is being developed so manifests can be created or updated more easily wherever cell service is available.

Feeding

To creep feed or not? By Kristin Thompson and Kathleen Shore

Creep feeding is the practice of providing a highly digestible supplemental feed source to beef calves. Implementation of a creep-feeding strategy allows for increased pre-weaning weights, improved cow body condition score and increased pasture avail-

L Y IN

Continued on page 72

NCH

Date: August 14 – 16, 2018 Location: London Convention Centre, London, ON @CDNBeefConf

facebook.com/canadianbeefindustryconference

Bull Sale - April 11, 2018 2 pm at the Ranch 14 miles SW of Swift Current, SK

80 Yearling Red Angus Bulls Our First sons of Boss 95C sell! Brian, Christine, Dylan, & Shane Hanel www.canadiancattlemen.ca

H: 306-773-6313

C: 306-741-1582

www.flyingkranch.ca

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

News Roundup Continued from page 71

ability by reducing average forage consumption per calf. A successful creep-feeding program also requires access to clean, fresh water at all times! As calves reach weaning age, their nutrient requirements increase significantly in order to maintain adequate growth. At this point, milk production and pasture conditions are generally decreasing, creating a nutrition gap between calf requirements and actual intake. Decreased pasture conditions also add extra stress to the dam as her body tries to keep up with the demands of lactation and re-breeding. Therefore, calves may be unable to reach their full genetic potential by the time they are three months old. Supplementation with a creep feed allows calves to fill that nutritional gap without putting added stress on the cows prior to winter. Having said that, the benefits of creep feeding will vary from operation to operation, as well as follow seasonal and price variations from year to year. It is important to consider the calf selling price, the cost of feed and pasture conditions prior to starting a creep-feeding program. Last year’s program may not be what is needed for maximum productivity and profit this year!

Featuring: 75 Virgin Two-year old & 23 Yearling Bulls 40 Commercial Replacement Heifers

Featuring sons of: Wiwa Creek Lead Change 85’14 FV Consensus 64A Merit Lucky Sevens 3061A Merit Stoney Creek 4023B SAV Renown 3439 SAV Regard 4863 Maple Springs Focus 78A SOO Line Mo�ve 1034

Friday, March 23, 2018 1:00 CST

Cowtown Livestock Exchange Maple Creek, SK

N EWS ROUNDUP Table 1. Financial Benefits of Creep Feeding

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Cost calculator

Number of calves

150

Producer input

Weaning weight, lbs.

450

500

Producer input

Extra wt. gain due to creep feed, lbs.

Calf price at weaning

$1.90/lb.

$1.85/lb.

Producer input

Total calf value sold at weaning

$855

$925

ExB

Creep feed cost/lb.

$0.14

Producer input

Creep feed used, lbs.

270

Producer input

Total cost of creep feed used

$37.80

GxH

Profit per calf

$855

$887.20

F-I

Total profit

Added profit due to creep feed

$128,250

$133,080

AxJ

$4,830

K1 – K2

Based on a creep feed cost of $300/mt

The table above can be used as a tool to determine if there is a cost advantage to creep feeding for your operation.

MARCH 27TH, 2018 Lunch 12 Noon - Sale 1 PM at the farm, Swan River MB

60 TWO YEAR OLD & YEARLING RED AND BLACK ANGUS BULLS COMMERCIAL FEMALES BULLS SIRED BY: Red Shiloh Cannon Fire 8C Red WPRA Legacy 314A Red ACC Dynamo 67Y Red ACC Dynamo 11B Red Red Fine line Mulbery 26P Red Wrights 135Z Design 16C ACC Pacesetter 73B KR Cash 4003 Colman Carlo 0256 PA Fortitude 2500 Crescent Creek Chisum 16Z Sitz Wisdom 481T RR Scotchman 2999 Mar Innovation 251 Crescent Creek Rito 79A Silver Dome Dynasty 19T

View the catalog at

andersoncattle.ca or buyagro.com Anderson Cattle Co: 204-734-2073 Sale managed by:

T Bar C Cattle Co: 306-220-5006

Continued on page 74

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

News Roundup

effective management strategy to reduce stress during this time without resulting in calves that are too fleshy. It pre-conditions the calves to consuming dry/stored feeds, which can aid in limiting disease issues, treatment costs and enhance post-weaning performance. Creep feeding isn’t just for the calves — the cow herself benefits from creep feeding. The added nutrition available to the calves through creep feeding reduces the energetic drain of lactation on the cows. High energy demand from lactation can cause a loss in body condition. Maintaining cow condition while on pasture improves her chances of being re-bred and producing a healthy calf. Moreover, cows in adequate body condition when entering the winter feeding period will be the cheapest to feed.

Continued from page 73

RED POLLS

CREEP FEEDING ON PASTURE

• light birth-weight early maturing • improve milk production and increase docility

Shadow Creek Farms Cell: 250-262-5638 • Phone: 250-827-3293 Email: info@redpollbeef.ca

www.redpollbeef.ca

Feed conversion (lbs. creep feed/lbs. additional calf gain) for creep-fed calves is higher than pasture-fed calves. On average, the feed conversion for creep-fed calves is 4-6:1, meaning it takes four to six lbs. creep feed for one lb. of weight gain. However, when pasture conditions are excellent, the benefits of creep feeding calves are reduced. Calves will consume less creep feed resulting in a feed conversion closer to 14:1 – 18:1 (Rasby, 2011). When pasture conditions are poor, which leads to lower milk production, calves that have the option of creep feed will seek it out and continue to grow. The benefits of creep feeding calves while on pasture are increased when pasture conditions are poor. However, when pasture is lush, starting calves on creep even just three to four weeks prior to weaning is an

CREEP FEEDING CONSIDERATIONS

It can be advantageous to creep feed calves from first-calf heifers or poor producing cows in order to ensure these calves reach their full genetic potential while reducing stress on the dams. However, extensive feed supplementation to replacement heifer calves could result in over-conditioning,

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 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!

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 In agribusiness (bank, elevator, ag supplies, etc.)  Other (please specify) ____________________

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C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

Regular Columns Straight from the Hip Prime Cuts CCA Reports

News Roundup Purely Purebred 2

The Markets 1 Market Talk Sales and Events Special features Calving Issue (Jan.) Custom Feedlot Guide (Sep.) Stock Buyers’ Guide (Aug.) Animal Health Special (Sep.) Beef Watch (May & Nov.)

Comment 5 4 3 2 1 Newsmakers Letters Our History Nutrition Vet Advice Research Free Market Reflections What would you like to see? __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ 1666 dublin Avenue How much time do you and your family spend reading Canadian Cattlemen?  Under 2 hours  Over 2 hours

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leading to a reduced lifetime reproductive performance. Increased fat deposition in the mammary glands of immature heifers has been linked to reduced milk production and offspring weaning weights. When properly managed, creep feeding can have a significant beneficial impact on your operation through: • Increase of 30-60 lbs. per calf at weaning. • Increased financial gain per calf. • Increased availability of pasture forage for cow consumption, especially in drought conditions. • Improved body condition score (BCS) of cows nursing calves offered creep feed (better BCS is linked to faster re-breeding). • Production of a uniform calf crop. • Reduced weaning stress. CONCLUSION

Creep feeding can be a significant management and economic tool for raising your beef herd. Careful consideration of multiple factors should be conducted prior to starting a feeding program. Ensuring that your cost of production is in line with your profit margin is critical (using a calculator similar to the one provided earlier in this article can be a great tool). Remember to evaluate the benefits each year. Beyond the issues you face today, maintaining strong growth and looking after the welfare of your cows and calves is critical to future production and profit. c Kristin Thompson, M.Sc. ruminant nutrition associate and Kathleen Shore, M.Sc. ruminant nutritionist New-Life Mills, a division of Parrish & Heimbecker, Limited.

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 NEWS ABOUT YOU

By Mike Millar

PurelyPurebred

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

association also reports a marked increase in the number of docility records and ultrasound data submitted by members during 2017, as well as an increase in the number of animals genotyped. Members of the CLA transferred 630 bulls to 452 commercial buyers in 2017, a slight increase over the 624 bulls transferred to 438 commercial buyers in 2016.

ONL Cool Cub 7C Ken and Rebecca Mackenzie

of Red Deer County, Alta., and exhibited by Aces Wild Ranch of Weatherford, Texas was slapped with the National Reserve Grand Champion Bull.

n The Canadian Angus Association celebrated 50 years of Red Angus in its herd book by recognizing Ken and Rebecca Mackenzie for their 50 years of membership in the CAA. Ken’s grandfather established the Mackenzie farmstead in 1898 with an original herd of Shorthorn cattle. The Mackenzie Brothers family operation, composed of Ken and his four brothers Ted, Mark, Don and Rodney, imported the first Red Angus genetics into Canada in the form of one herd sire, one cow-calf pair, and two bred heifers. Ken purchased his first cows while attending university. Like many producers today, he also worked off the farm. Ken taught school and his brother Rodney helped a great deal showing cattle. One of their biggest highlights was showing a Chevron cow that placed 21 times and won 17 grand champion titles. Ken and Rebecca’s grandson, Braydon Gough, has kept some of this bloodline in the herd. Before they retire to Golden, B.C., Ken and Rebecca are preparing for their final bull sale March 13 at Dawson Creek, B.C. Like many other Angus producers, they will stay involved in the business.

D.A.M. DOTS 94A ELECTRIC 31E

n Speckle Park breeders Curtis and Dustin McAleer of McAleer Ranching, Unity, Sask., took the Grand Champion Pen of 3 Bulls banner and the Grand Champion Cattleman’s Choice banner, with their bull D.A.M. DOTS 94A ELECTRIC 31E in January at the Peace Country Bull Congress in Dawson Creek, B.C. ELECTRIC is said to be the first Speckle Park bull to win an interbreed competition; same for the Pen of 3 Bulls. The McAleers sold a half share in ELECTRIC to Drew Lehr of Lehr Ranching. Their bull sale is April 3 at Dryland Cattle Trading Corporation in Veteran, Alta. n As a part of the “Zoetis Supports Ag” program, Zoetis has partnered with the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) program to help develop leaders within the Canadian beef industry.

n The Canadian Limousin Association reports that 66 new members joined the association in 2017, with 46 of those being junior members. They saw a slight increase in the number of females in their Whole Herd Enrollment program and across the country Limousin herd size averaged one cow more per herd than in 2016, a small but positive sign of expansion. The association registered 436 more head in 2017 as compared to the previous calendar year. The

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

n The 49th American International Charolais Association’s National Show at National Western Stock Show in Denver had approximately 135 head go through the ring; Canadian Charolais genetics were well represented. Canadian-bred ONL Cool Cub 7C, bred by O’Neill Livestock

Double Vision 1D

Bred by Sharodon Farms, Omemee, Ont., the Reserve Champion Junior Bull Sharodon Double Vision 1D was exhibited by Kay-R Charolais, Waskatenau, Alta.; Elder Charolais, Coronach, Sask.; Sharodon Farms, Omemee, Ont.; Polzin Cattle, Darwin, Minnesota, and Thomas Ranch, Harrold, South Dakota. United States semen rights on Sharodon Double Vision 1D sold in the Charolais in the Rockies Sale for US$19,500. n The Toronto Royal Winter Fair has dropped its long-running Queen’s Guineas Show and Sale from this year’s schedule. The once-popular youth steer show has lost its following, with only 37 entries in 2017 compared to as many as 300 in the hay days of the ’70s. Barn space was another factor, especially with the growing popularity of the Junior Beef Show that attracted 300 entries last year. Finally, as

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

PURELY PUREBRED

one official allowed, there was a growing concern with holding an event where the winning steers went straight to market at a national show when most of the ticket buyers are from the city. n Here’s a heads-up to members of the Canadian Charolais Youth Association. If you are looking to travel to events involving the Charolais breed or the cattle industry, the association has a travel scholarship available. Applicants must fill out an application form and send in a write-up of their involvement in the cattle industry, where they wish to travel and the event they want to attend, as well as what they hope to gain from the trip. Some of the travel opportunities include American International Junior Charolais Association, Australian National Youth Stampede, Canadian Beef Industry Conference or any other cattle industry event that would be beneficial to the member in the breed. The application must be submitted a minimum of two months in advance of the event. For more details and to submit your application email charolaisyouth@gmail.com.

witnessed many changes in the association and the beef industry. Although she’ll be missed by all, we sincerely wish Judy nothing but health and happiness in retirement. The association has also announced the appointment of Sally Storch as a full-time member of the registry team to assist manager Lois Chivilo. Sally has been involved with ranching for several years with particular interests in dressage and ranch roping as well as cattle AI and management protocols. She replaces Piper Whelan who is now the field editor of Canadian Cattlemen.

JYF Deadhead 296D

n JYF Deadhead 296D was the Division 3 Champion bull at Denver. The North American Limousin Foundation thinks he could be the first Canadian bred and exhibited bull to win a division on the hill. n Judy Cummer has retired from the Canadian Charolais Association (CAA) after more than 33 years. Judy has been a long-standing and dedicated employee of the CCA and was registry manager for a number of years. During her time, she

y d d a D r u o Y Who’s

15th Annual

Bull Sale

Thursday April 5, 2018 – 1:00 PM

n The Canadian Simmental Association is looking for a programs co-ordinator. Part of the role will include working with the CSA team in developing and implementing programs focusing on marketing, communication, genetic improvement and education that targets all segments of the Canadian beef industry. For more information contact the Canadian Simmental Association at www.simmental.com. Continued on page 78

WE KNOW OUR BULLS HAVE TO BE BETTER JUST TO GET YOUR ATTENTION! That’s why we cull hard and only sell 50 bulls a year. These are the top cut from over 400 purebred Shorthorn cows. Thick, rugged, BEEF BULLS that are bred to handle the harsh conditions of Western Canada.

Also selling a group of open Heifers

Saskatoon Livestock Sales, 306-382-8088

For more information or a catalogue contact:

Saskvalley Stock Farm Carl Lehmann 306-232-3511 www.saskvalleyshorthorns.com

Bell M Farms

Richard Moellenbeck 306-287-7904 www.bellmfarms.com

Muridale Shorthorn Scot Muri 306-741-6833 www.muridale.com

Catalogue online at all three websites www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Sale bull videos at www.youtube.com/whosyourdaddybull C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

PU R E LY PU R E B R E D

Continued from page 77

n Congratulations to the owners of BNC GLENLEES 429 Nellie 71D who took the top spot in the global Miss Hereford World competition at the Ft. Worth Stock Show; organized by Herefordbreeders.net. BNC GLENLEES 429 Nellie 71D is the fourth Canadian-bred and -owned female to take the top spot in this global completion in the last six years. She was bred by BNC and Glenlees Polled Here fords and is owned by Blairs Ag Cattle Company.

many purebred shows including Canadian Western Agribition, RBC Supreme, Farmfair International Supreme, Toronto Royal as well as Calgary Stampede. As part of his role with Canadian Beef Breeds Council, he was appointed executive vice-director to the China-Canada Beef Industry Council in June 2017. Congratulations to the Deobald family as a proud supporter of the Charolais breed and beef industry.

As for the bulls, RSK E 2046 Digby ET 20C took the top bull in North American and placed third overall in the global Champion of the World competition. RSK E 2046 Digby ET 20C was bred by Harvie Ranching and is owned by RSK Farms of Brandon, Man., and Elke Here fords of Townsend, Montana.

n Canadian Young Leaders: Melissa Lee, Mentor, Clint Morasch, Lazy MC Angus While growing up on a large mixed farm near Rossburn, Man., Melissa Melissa Lee developed a passion for the natural environment and agriculture. It was during this time she purchased her first purebred Red Angus cows and began raising and selling seedstock. She obtained an adventure tourism diploma from Lakeland College and an environmental studies degree from the University of Alberta. Her education led her to a career with Environment and Parks, working initially seasonally and then becoming a full-time conservation officer. Melissa currently works out of Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, Alta., where part of her duties include fostering relationships with ranchers and landowners in and around the park. Melissa and her husband Leon own and operate Diamond L Ranch near Oyen, Alta., where they raise Red Angus seedstock for commercial and purebred herds. Each spring they market their bulls at the Medicine Hat Spring Bull Show and Sale as well as by private treaty in Alberta and Manitoba. They also train and sell ranch and performance horses and feel there is no better way to raise their children, Kacey and Keaton, than in the ranching lifestyle.

n One of the recipients of the 2018 Sask atchewan Livestock Association Honour Scroll is Canadian Beef Breeds Council Chair Garner Deobald and his wife Lori. Garner and Lori and their family raise purebred Charolais cattle at Hodgeville, Sask., under the farm name Cedarlea Farms. Garner has kept busy serving on many boards including the Saskatchewan and Canadian Charolais Associations. He feels blessed to have been asked to judge

Rachel Verwey Mentor: Tara Mullhern Davidson, Lonesome Dove Ranch Rachel grew up on a large mixed family farm near Portage la Prairie, Rachel Verwey Man., where they raise 200 commercial Charolais cows, milk 100 dairy cows, and grain farm 7,000 acres. It is safe to say Rachael has experienced a

BNC GLENLEES 429 Nellie 71D

RSK E 2046 Digby ET 20C

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

lot of different aspects of the agriculture industry. She became involved in beef 4-H at a young age and remained a member of the Gainsborough Combined 4-H Club for 13 years during which time she became an active member of the Canadian Charolais Youth Association, holding office on both the national and Manitoba junior Charolais associations, as well as hosting judging clinics and helping out with the local 4-H shows. Rachael is currently enrolled in her last year of university at the University of Manitoba, and will be graduating in April with her bachelor’s degree in animal systems. She held office on the Faculty of Agriculture Student Organization for four years, was an active member of the Faculty Stockman’s club and spent her summers completing her internship with the Federated Co-operative Excellence in Agriculture Scholarship program. After university Rachael plans to work as an agronomist with her local co-operative and become an ambassador for the scholarship program. She also plans to become more involved in her family’s farming operation. Rachael is a passionate agvocate, volunteering at numerous events for Ag More Than Ever, Agriculture in the Classroom and Dairy Farmers of Manitoba. James Jenkins Mentor: John Cross, A7 Ranche James grew up near Okotoks, Alta., on the family farm that became a Century farm in 2015. James Jenkins Beef cattle have been a near-lifelong endeavour for James beginning at the age of nine when he joined a 4-H beef club. Knowing that he wanted to continue in the beef industry, he decided to study agriculture production, with a major in livestock production. While working part time for a local seed stock producer, James fell in love with the Fleckvieh Simmentals and purchased his first heifers in the fall of 2006. After several years he has now built a 70-head cowcalf operation made up of both purebred and commercial cows that spring and fall calve. Being selected as a finalist for the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program is a great honour and he cannot wait to continue his learning and networking within the cattle industry. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 Market Su mma ry

By Debbie McMillin

TheMarkets Fed Cattle By early Februrary fed cattle settled at $163.52/cwt, after losing about $4 from the first trading week of 2018, as plants got down to four days most weeks in an effort to regain some margin. Fortunately, feedlots are current and inventories for the coming month are manageable, but they face a tight market with the spot basis ranging from $8 to $10 over the U.S. in recent weeks. January 1 Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle-on-feed inventories were up eight per cent over last year at 929,727 head. After 10 months of higher placements, the December 2017 placements came in 20 per cent under the year before. Aggressive placements showed up in smaller auction sales through December. 2018 carcass weights at 911 lbs. are still seven pounds below last year even as some weeks cattle were being passed on the cash market and put back on feed. With the strong basis, fed steer slaughter is already 14 per cent ahead of last year at 124,616 head while heifer slaughter is up three per cent at 72,042. Exports through January were down four per cent at 17,781 head.

Feeder Cattle After being down most of January the feeder market rebounded slightly at the start of February. Five hundred and fiftypound calves bounced back $1 to average $227.75 on some buzz for grass cattle. That put them up $25.50/cwt from last year. Heifers held mostly steady so far in 2018, averaging $193.95/cwt in the first week of February. Heavier feeder cattle prices also picked up in the past 10 days; however, they are still not as strong as they were at the end of 2017 and the start of the new year. Heavier feeder cattle placed against generally sluggish beef movement months are currently down nearly $6/cwt from the beginning of January as the 850-lb. current steer average is $181.17/cwt. That’s still up nearly $19/ cwt from the average price the same week in 2017. The 850-lb. feeder basis is still relatively narrow for this time of year; however, www.canadiancattlemen.ca

it has widened to a negative position when compared with the U.S. The current 850lb. feeder basis is -$4.14/cwt, while the fiveyear average for the start of the year would suggest a basis of -$10 to -$15/cwt for the same weeks. Feeder exports through the first month of 2018 were larger than last year, up 15 per cent to 7,596 head. Extreme cold across the Prairies has increased feed cost and reduced feed efficiency. Cost of gain remains higher with increased grain prices in 2018. Lethbridge barley at this report was 34 per cent higher than a year ago.

Non-Fed Cattle D1,2 prices dropped sharply at the start of 2018 and by early February averaged $87.08/cwt, which is down from the start of the year when the average was closer to $95/cwt. Cow volumes on offer through the start of the year has been light but so has demand for the offerings. Most producers that faced tight forage and feed supplies likely marketed cows last fall, and those who chose to keep cows on feed will likely wait and see if the market improves in the coming weeks. Although auction market volumes have been smaller, packer inventory is ample as the first few weeks of 2018 slaughter has shown an increase in the numbers of cows killed when compared to the same weeks in 2017. For the first five months of the year cow slaughter is up four per cent at 54,376 head. Butcher bull volumes are seasonally light; however, domestic slaughter totals are larger than a year ago — a total of 1,654 bulls have been slaughtered in Canada to date. The premium in Canadian cow pricing has kept more cows in Canada which is evident in the export data. Both cow and bull exports are smaller, with cows down 44 per cent totalling 6,749 head, while bulls are down 42 per cent at 1,979 head. The average butcher bull price in Canada is currently $101.50/cwt. c Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

 DEB ’S OUTLOOK Fed Cattle The fundamentals are positive for fed cattle as supplies are to tighten coming into barbeque season. This generally provides a rally, yet the historically strong basis could limit some upside. However, as the yearlings dwindle and the calves start to arrive, look for this market to respond positively. In the longer term higher U.S. inventories and larger Canadian on-feed numbers will weigh on the market. Consumer demand and exports will be critical through the summer as front-end supplies increase. Feeder Cattle A larger fall run usually limits volumes going into spring, which should support feeder prices. This year it will be wise to monitor the profitability of the feedlots as cattle placed now are against projected losses. The demand for grass cattle always gives light feeders a boost this time of year. Look for premiums on good-quality, grasser-type cattle. Heavier cattle will continue to face cautious buyers as they will be marketed during those sluggish summer months. Uncertainty regarding additional production ahead will keep feeder buyers vigilant. Non-Fed Cattle D1,2 cows in Canada follow a strong seasonal pattern. It is uncommon to see a steady downward move through the first quarter. Quite often prices will dip before gaining strength in the mid-first quarter and early second quarter. Cow prices are expected to improve as we move into March and April. However, the market is currently historically strong in terms of its relationship with U.S. utility cows, which may limit upside in the local market. A good spring rally will be dependent on local demand. Barbeque demand will generally support prices as buyers look to ramp up production to meet consumer needs.

More markets  C a t t l e m e n · m a r c h 2 0 1 8 79

M A R K ETS

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers

340

210 ALBERTA

190

(500-600 lb.)

250

150

220

130

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

210

ONTARIO

190

160

150

130

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers

Break-even price for steers on date sold

2018 2017

Febuary 2018 prices* Alberta Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $181.48/cwt Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.89/bu. Barley silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.13/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.60/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107.20/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163.98/cwt Break-even (July 2018) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152.30/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $186.77/cwt Grain corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.40/bu. Corn silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.20/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.01/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107.31/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139.35/cwt Break-even (August 2018) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154.99/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

D1,2 Cows

120 100

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

140

170

110

Steer Calves

310 280

170

110

Market Prices

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

Ontario

Alberta

2018 2017

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

Market Summary (to February 3, 2018) 2018

2017

Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252,688. . . . . . . . . . . 232,459 Average steer carcass weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 911 lb.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 918 lb. Total U.S. slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,566,000. . . . . . . . . 3,479,000

Trade Summary Exports 2017-18 2016-17 Fed cattle to U.S. (to January 28) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,781.. . . . . . . . . . . . 18,491 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to January 28). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,596.. . . . . . . . . . . . .3,525 Dressed beef to U.S. (to December). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 617.96 mil.lbs.. . . . .594.78 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 837.64 mil.lbs.. . . . . 792.70 mil.lbs IMPORTS 2017 2016 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248.83 mil.lbs. . . . . . 250.13 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.73 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 61.47 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to December) . . . . . . . 41.79 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 45.67 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.47 mil.lbs. . . . . . .33.80 mil.lbs Canadian Grades (to February 10, 2018) % of A grades +59% 54-58% Prime 0.1 0.6 AAA 15.1 25.6 AA 17.2 9.1 A 1.0 0.1 Total 35.4 33.4 EAST WEST

Total graded 72,032 225,405

Yield â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 53% Total 1.7 2.4 23.8 64.5 4.0 30.3 0.0 1.1 29.5 Total A grade 98.3%

Total ungraded 3,655 2,266

% carcass basis 78.0% 84.5% Only federally inspected plants

C at t l e m e n Âˇ m a r c h 2 0 1 8

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 market ta l k

By Jerry Klassen

Feed Grain Outlook for 2018

nce again it is that time of year when I receive many inquiries from cattle producers with regard to the price outlook for feed grains. At the time of writing this article, Lethbridge area feedlots were buying feed barley in the range of $218/mt to $223/mt; however, feedlots located between Calgary and Edmonton were making purchases from $205/mt to $210/mt. The market has been functioning to attract farmer selling in the two main price discovery regions of Western Canada. Available supplies are rather snug moving into road ban season and spring seeding. The sharp year-over-year decline in production, along with the higher quality crop, has set a firm tone throughout the winter. Approximately 50 per cent of the 2017 crop was malt quality and farmers with malt supplies do not want to sell into feed channels. In this issue, I will discuss the price outlook for feed barley and some of the factors that will influence the price structure over the next four to six months. Statistics Canada’s final production estimate came in at 7.9 million mt, which is down from the 2016 crop of 8.8 million mt and down from the 10-year average of 9.0 million mt. While yields turned out better than anticipated, lower seeded acreage was the main factor resulting in the year-over-year decline in production. Of the 7.9 million mt of production, industry estimates suggest that as much as 50 per cent or 4.0 million mt was malt quality. Given the tighter feed barley supplies, the function of the market is to ration demand through higher prices. The market needs to trade higher to shut off exports and encourage the use of alternate feed grains such as corn. Also, by the end of the crop year, some of this malt-quality barley needs to flow into feed channels. While production was down from 2016, the demand is stronger than year-ago levels. For the week ending January 18, crop year-to-date exports were 890,000 mt, which is up from year-ago exports of 467,000 mt. Most of the exports are malt-quality barley and these sales were made earlier in the crop year. At the time of writing this article, Russian feed barley is offered at US$195/mt fob the Black Sea while Australian barley is quoted at US$223/mt fob the West Coast. Canadian feed barley is uncompetitive on the world market due to higher prices in the domestic market. The market has accomplished this function by shutting off exports. Fresh malt barley sales are also unlikely because of strong competition from Australia and other major exporters. China has been actively buying Black Sea feed barley and Australian barley for malt purposes.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

During the 2016-17 crop year, there was a significant amount of feed durum and feed wheat that was used in Western Canadian feedlots. However, approximately 95 per cent of the 2017 wheat and durum crops graded in the top milling category. Therefore, we’re seeing more barley used in feedlot rations. There is a fair amount of Manitoba and U.S. corn flowing into southern Alberta. The barley market is accomplishing the function to encourage the use of alternate feed grains by trading at equivalent or higher prices than imported U.S. corn. However, we need to see more imports by the end of the crop year. In the major feeding regions of Alberta, feed barley prices are higher than malt barley. Most of the malt barley exports are flowing from Saskatchewan where the feed price remains at a discount to malt barley. This will change by the end of year because we’ll likely see the feed price in Saskatchewan higher than elevator bids for malt barley. I’m forecasting a Canadian barley carry-out of 1.4 million mt, which is down from the 2016-17 ending stocks of 2.1 million mt and also below the 10-year average of 1.7 million mt. This suggests that the barley market needs to encourage acreage this spring, otherwise the feed barley supplies will be extremely tight for 2018-19. Given the tighter carry-out, the market will be extremely sensitive to growing conditions. Much of Western Canada has received less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation over the winter. Drier years are usually followed by dry years. Outside influences are also supportive for the barley market. The Argentine corn crop is coming in lower than anticipated due to dry and hot conditions during pollination. U.S. corn is now competitive on the export market. Crude oil prices remain near three-year highs resulting in stronger ethanol demand. Earlier in winter, analysts were expecting a year-over-year decline in U.S. corn acres of three to six per cent, and this is also supportive of the overall feed grains complex. In conclusion, feed barley prices have potential to rally $15 to $20/mt through the spring and summer. Feed barley prices will be highly correlated with corn values because of the substitution effect. By the end of the crop year, farmers with malt barley will be selling into feed channels limiting the upside. c Jerry Klassen analyzes cattle, feed grain and currency markets for Canadian cattle producers. To subscribe to his weekly market outlook or consulting services, he can be reached at 204-504-8339.

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

 GOINGS ON

 A DV E RT IS ER IN DEX

Sales&Events Events

March

14-15 Livestock Care Conference, Olds, Alta. 16-17 Maritime Beef Conference, Hotel Beausejour, Moncton, N.B. 17-18 Cody Sibbald Legacy Classic, at Exhibition Grounds, Medicine Hat, Alta. 21-23 Canadian Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting, Ottawa Marriott Hotel, Ottawa, Ont. 26-27 Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference, Hyatt Regency, Calgary, Alta. 26-31 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair, Keystone Centre, Brandon, Man.

May

Sales March

5 6 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 12 13 13 14 15 15 15

17 19 19 20 21

10-13 L MAC 39th Annual Meeting & Convention, Whitewood Auction Mart, Moosomin, Sask. 31- B.C. Cattlemen’s Association annual June 2 meeting, Smithers, B.C.

ride of the Prairies Bull Sale, P Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, Sask. Coyote Flats Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Coaldale, Alta. Belvin Angus 5th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Innisfail, Alta. JoNomn Hereford Ranch Bull Sale, North Central Livestock, Clyde, Alta. Excel Ranches Excellence Bull Sale, at the ranch, Westlock, Alta. A. Sparrow Farms Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Vanscoy, Sask. Blushrose 14th Annual Bull & Female Sale, at the farm, Unity, Sask. LLB 32nd Annual Spring Spectacular Bull & Female Sale, at the farm, Erskine, Alta. Steppler Farms Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Miami, Man. Remitall Farms Bull Sale, at the farm, Olds, Alta. Palmer/Nielsen 7th Annual Charolais, Black & Red Angus Bull Sale at Palmer Charolais, Bladworth, Sask. 9th Annual Harvie Ranching Bull Sale, at the ranch, Olds, Alta. McTavish Farms & Guests Charolais & Red Angus Bull Sale, at the farm, Moosomin, Sask. Medicine Hat Bull Sale, Medicine Hat Ex., Medicine Hat, Alta. Creek’s Edge Land & Cattle Co. Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm,Yellow Creek, Sask. Johnson Livestock 12th Annual Bull & Female Sale at the farm, Peebles, Sask. Allandale Angus & Golden Sunset Ranch 1st Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Vermillion, Alta.

C a t t l e m e n · MA R C H 2 0 1 8

22 22 24 24 26 27 27 27 28 28 29 29 31

ast Central Alta. Bull Sale, Shorncliff E 4-H Centre, Czar, Alta. Hwy. 16 West Multi-Breed Bull Sale, Mayerthorpe Ag Grounds, Mayerthorpe, Alta. 5th Annual Canada’s Red, White & Black Bull Sale, Johnstone’s Auction Mart, Moose Jaw, Sask. Pleasant Dawn Charolais Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Virden, Man. Fraser’s Total Performance Bull Sale, Bow Slope Shipping, Brooks, Alta. 45th Annual Triple S Red Angus Bull Sale, Triple S North Sale Facility, Calgary, Alta. Diamond W Charolais & Angus Bull Sale, Valley Livestock, Minitonas, Man. HTA Charolais & Guests Bull Sale, Beautiful Plains Ag, Neepawa, Man. Elder Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Coronach, Sask. Wheatland Cattle Co. Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Bienfait, Sask. K-Cow Ranch Bull Sale, at the ranch, Elk Point, Alta. Northern Alliance Bull Sale, B.C. Livestock, Vanderhoof, B.C. Everblack Angus 17th Annual “Common Sense” Bull Sale, North Central Livestock, Vermilion, Alta. Anderson Cattle Company Annual Bull & Female Sale, at the farm, Swan River, Man. Bulls Eye Sale, Bow Slope Shipping, Brooks, Alta. Prairie Distinction Charolais Bull Sale, at Beautiful Plains Ag, Neepawa, Man. 23rd Annual Hamilton Farms Bull Sale, at the ranch, Cochrane, Alta. CU Ranch Bull Sale, Perlich Bros. Auction Mart, Lethbridge, Alta. Rivercrest Angus Ranch, at the Rivercrest ranch, Alliance, Alta. Tannis Ranches 2nd Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Water Valley, Alta. Tri-N Charolais & Guests Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Virden, Man.

April 2

3 3 3 5 6 6 6

orth of the 49th Bull Sale, N Wilgenbusch Charolais, Halbrite, Sask. Cedarlea Charolais Git ’R’ Done Bull Sale, Windy Willows farm, Hodgeville, Sask. Top Cut Speckle Park Bull Sale, Dryland Cattle Trading Corp., Veteran, Alta. Gilliland Bros. Charolais Bull Sale, Alameda Auction Mart, Alameda, Sask. Hunter Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, Roblin, Man. Echo Sand Ranching Sim-Angus Bull Sale, Korova Feeders, Acme, Alta. Northern Progress 28th Annual Bull Sale, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask. Wilson Lees Value-Added Bull Sale, Right Cross ranch, Kisbey, Sask.

Page Advantage Feeders 75 21 Ag Growth International Alberta Veterinary Laboratories Ltd. 11 Anderson Cattle Company Inc. 73 Beefbooster 37 26 BKT Tires Canada Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim 5, 19, 35 59 Brett-Young Seeds By Livestock 49, 70 Canada Agri-Blend 37 Canadian Angus Assoc. 25, 74 71 Canadian Beef Industry Conference Canadian Cattle Identification Agency 7, 39 Canadian Charolais Assoc. OBC Canadian Forage & Grassland Assoc. 55 2 Canadian Hereford Assoc. Canadian Limousin Assoc. 42, 43 67 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc. Canadian Simmental Assoc. 33 Canadian Speckle Park Assoc. 74 Case IH 61 Chad Weiss 72 Curtis McAleer 68 CU Ranch 69 Farm Credit Canada 14 Flying K Ranch 71 Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch 75 J Lazy A Ranch Inc. 47 Kubota Canada Inc. 57 Lakeland Group/Northstar 26 a-p Masterfeeds Inc. 44 Merck Animal Health 9, 29 Monsanto Canada Inc. 63 Nester Livestock 41 Optimal Bovine 70 Peak Dot Ranch Ltd. 51 Poplar Meadows Angus 53 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 66 Sandy Bar Angus 45 SeCan Association 15, 31 Select Sires GenerVations 74 Shadow Creek Developments 74 Summit 3 Speckle Park Sale 73 Tannas Ranches 68 Tru-Test Inc. 23 Union Forage Ltd. 20 Vetoquinol IBC WeCover Structures 75 Who’s Your Daddy Bull Sale 77 Zinpro 17 Zoetis 13

7 7 10 10 11 12 21

rescent Creek Angus 20th Annual Bull C & Female Sale, on the farm, Goodeve, Sask. 13th Annual Equinox Angus Bull Sale, Weyburn Livestock Exchange, Weyburn, Sask. Rodgers Red 45th Annual Performance Bull Sale, at Perlich Bros. Auction Mart, Lethbridge, Alta. Lacombe Bull Sale, Central Alta. Ag Society, Lacombe, Alta. Flying K Ranch Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Swift Current, Sask. South View Ranch Red & Black Angus Bull Sale, at the ranch, Ceylon, Sask. Cornerstone Charolais & Red Angus Bull Sale, Whitewood Auction Mart, Whitewood, Sask. 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

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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This spring, turn out a Charolais bull... It is no secret that that Char-cross calves brought a premium again this fall in the auction barns across the country. Tan/Mix

# of Head

AVG Weight

$/Pound

$HD AVG

Location

92 Steers

701

$2.24

$1,570.24

Moose Jaw

Tan/Mix

50 Heifers

648

$2.33

$1,509.84

Moose Jaw

Tan/Mix

44 Steers

775

$2.23

$1,728.25

Innisfail

Tan/Mix

32 Heifers

710

$2.02

$1,434.20

Innisfail

Char X

22 Steers

880

$2.0275

$1,784.20

Calgary Stockyards

Char X

22 Heifers

787

$1.945

$1,530.72

Calgary Stockyards

White

28 Steers

760

$2.30

$1,748.00

Georgian Bay

Tans

29 Heifers

601

$2.36

$1,418.36

Georgian Bay

Tan

64 Steers

809

$2.25

$1,820.25

Virden

Tan

39 Heifers

727

$1.8925

$1,375.00

Virden

WWW.CHAROLAIS.COM

2320 41 Ave NE Calgary, Alberta T2E 6W8 Phone 403.250.9242