CCT111024

FALL 2011

Helping Commercial Cattlemen Achieve Value

www.cdnangus.ca www.agcanada.com

WESTERN FEEDLOTS LTD. ADOPTS INDIVIDUAL ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, PG. 26 Travis Hickey, general manager of cattle strategies

SUPPLEMENTING BALE GRAZING THE ECONOMICS OF DDGS TIPS FOR STOCKPILING FORAGES LESSONS LEARNED FROM WET HAY

Publications Mail Agreement Number 40069240

PS I T S G LE IN TA V L D .4 CA AN PG

cmyk (coated)

How to Participate logos have white release built into artwork.

1. Tag qualifying cattle with Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Tags.

2. Give the Canadian Angus Association permission to share your contact information with buyers looking for Angus tagged cattle.

3. Sell Angus tagged cattle at Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed Sales or contact licensed participants directly.

4. Cash cheque and take pride in a job well done.

Visit www.cdnangus.ca for details about logos have white release built into artwork.

Canadian Angus Rancher Endorsed.

Canadian Angus Association 142, 6715 – 8 Street NE Calgary, AB T2E 7H7 Phone: 1-888-571-3580 www.cdnangus.ca email: cdnangus@cdnangus.ca

CAA_Cattlemen_October#2-2011.indd 1

15/09/2011 11:06:23 AM

Fall 2011

Volume 74, No. 11

Established 1938 ISSN 1196-8923 Cattlemen Editorial: Editor: Gren Winslow 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 (204) 944-5753 Fax (204) 944-5416 Email: gren@fbcpublishing.com Field Editor: Debbie Furber Box 1168 Tisdale, SK S0E 1T0 (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) 873-4360 Email: debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com Advertising Sales: Deborah Wilson Box 19, Site 3, RR 1, High River, AB T1V 1N1 (403) 325-1695 Fax (204) 944-5562 Email: deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com

Contents

Head Office: 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 (204) 944-5765 Fax (204) 944-5562 Advertising Services Co-ordinator: Arlene Bomback (204) 944-5765 Fax (204) 944-5562 Email: ads@fbcpublishing.com

FEATURES

Bale-grazing

Publisher: Bob Willcox Email: bob.willcox@fbcpublishing.com

supplementation

What’s

happening with biodiesel supplements?

..............8

. ................... 10

Practical

and economic implications of feeding ddgs in western canada...........................

Grass

conversions a cinch with an agrowdrill ........................

together for beef quality, profits

Bale

grazing suits these winter feeding programs

Verified

beef production

A

for stockpiling forages...............

banker’s view of feeder operations

Lessons 14

................ 26 ................ 30

. .................. 33

Associate Publisher/Editorial Director: John Morriss Email: john.morriss@fbcpublishing.com Production Director: Shawna Gibson Email: shawna@fbcpublishing.com

....................... 36

Assistant Production Manager: Farrah Wilson Email: farrah@fbcpublishing.com

. ......... 38

Director of Sales and Circulation: Lynda Tityk Email: lynda.tityk@fbcpublishing.com

learned from wet hay

Using

34

summer annuals to extend fall grazing ...................................

Circulation Manager: Heather Anderson Email: heather@fbcpublishing.com

42

18

Impact of ddgs on the shedding of e. coli 0157:h7 ............................. 22 Working

Tips

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

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

DEPARTMENTS COMMENT ....................................................................... 4 NEWSMAKERS ................................................................. 6 MARKET TALK ................................................................ 40 PURELY PUREBRED . ...................................................... 44 SALES & EVENTS ........................................................... 46

Cover

C attlemen is published monthly (with the exception of July and 2 issues in Januar y and October) by Farm Business Communications. Head of fice: Winnipeg, M a n i t o b a . P r i n t e d b y Tr a n s c o n t i n e n t a l L G M C .

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LIVESTOCK PUBLICATIONS COUNCIL

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

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Canadian cattlemen / fall 2011 3

c o m m e n t

by Gren Winslow

Innovation still the name of the game When circumstances change you have to adapt or move on

I

f you’re looking for a central theme in this fall Feeding Special issue it would have to be innovation.

On page 30 in this issue Saskatchewan rancher Brian Ross notes that bale grazing is something he probably never would have tried if not for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as BSE. The chaos that followed the discovery of that first BSE cow in 2003 forced him and everyone else in the industry to get leaner and slash costs to the bone to try and survive long enough for the markets to recover.

In Ross’s case, he was forced to leave his bales out on pasture and let the cows root them out of the snow during a Saskatchewan winter. It might have seemed a desperate gamble at the time but as we now know, it all worked out rather well. Ross’s bale processor now sits in the bush because bale grazing not only cut his winter feeding and fertilizer bills, it also reduced the time he and his wife needed to feed their herd.

Sometimes people have to be between a rock and a hard place before they will try something different. That’s not to say that any cattle producer in Canada would look

Tips & Tales

We need your...

calving

Friends and neighbours, we are once again looking for your best calving tips and tales for Cattlemen’s expanded January 2012 Calving Special. We’re looking for good ideas, practical advice, or humorous tales and photos to share with fellow readers. A reward will be sent for Tips & Tales printed in this special.

4 Canadian cattlemen / fall 2011

vidual animal management program on page 26. Facing a shrinking supply of feeder cattle Western is enticing select cow-calf producers with an incentive — a complete data package on individual calves sold directly to the feedlot or one of its dealers.

This should complete the loop for cowcalf producers, giving them detailed feedback on the feedlot and carcass performance and market return from the genetics in each calf they sell. Upon request Western can pull an electronic report on the animal’s arrival weight, finished weight, average daily gain, carcass weight, quality grade, yield grade and health record, all tied to its national RFID tag number. You can find more on the benefits cow-calf producers see from this relationship in our article.

For Western this was just the next step in a long-term commitment to value-based marketing. They first began tracking individual animal information in the mid-1980s using Feedlot Health Management Services’ original card system. Then as computers became smaller and faster they started to make better use of feeding trials and carcass data through the years to manage all sides of their business. By 1994 the feedlot introduced its own carcass quality-based marketing grid for custom feeding customers, providing them with group performance data on their animals.

The individual animal manEnter before agement model has been develNovember 30, 2011 oped over the past three years starting with a complete rewrite of their in-house software to create a web-based management system. All of the accounting, weigh chute-side systems in the Your reWard, scales, processing barns, feed trucks and a limited edition feed mill are connected into the system. To this mountain of data Canadian Cattlemen cap Western adds the carcass data obtained off the grid from Cargill to fine tune its rations and cattle management practices.

Funnelling data back to its suppliers not only firms up Western’s relationship with these producers but also lays the groundwork for better-quality calves coming into the feedlot over time. It all adds up to a competitive edge, one that is bound to attract the interest of other feedlots who might be eyeing the new web-based Beef Send your Calving TipS & TaleS InfoXchange System being put (and your address) to: together by the Canadian CattleCanadian Cattlemen men’s Association as a way of 1666 Dublin Avenue evening the odds.

Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1 Anyone who still thinks the Email: gren@fbcpublishing.com beef industry is a staid old busiFax: 204-944-5416 ness hasn’t been paying attention.

on BSE as a silver thread. But it certainly was the hard place that most producers had to get around to stay in business.

Necessity is another source of innovation.

As government incentives pushed the biofuel industry into existence over the past decade cattle producers have been forced to deal with a new well-heeled competitor for their feed grain supply. In the main, that meant finding ways to use the residues from fuel making, dried distillers grain (DDGS), as an ingredient in cattle rations.

On page 14 nutritionists Darryl Gibb and Barry Robinson explain the latest research regarding DDGS in feedlot rations. Even more significantly in today’s environment they show how they value these supplements in order to build the most profitable rations possible for their clients.

Nor are DDGS the only ingredients to come out of the biofuel business. On page 10 Debbie Furber reports on the latest Canadian research into biodiesel feed ingredients, which are bound to grow in importance now that the government is mandating the use of these fuel sources.

Then there is the motherlode of innovation, good old competition. That is best exemplified in our story about Western Feedlots’ new indi-

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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NEWSMAKERS Andrew Potter, director and CEO of the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre Andrew Potter has been elected a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Science. His work has contributed to several world firsts, including the world’s first genetically engineered animal vaccine and the world’s first vaccine to protect food and water against E. coli 0157:H7, and 50 patents for human and animal vaccines and therapeutics.

The Government of Canada has given a Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) research grant of $320,000 to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to find a better screening test for TB in cattle.

By giving the grant to the CCA the government has assured cattle producers will have a say in replacing the cumbersome and expensive skin tests currently used by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in their attempt to eradicate this disease from the North American cattle herd.

Cam Davreaux, a pioneer in agricultural stewardship as it relates to crop chemicals was recently recognized for his contributions at the Conference on Canadian Stewardship. In particular he was cited for three programs he spearheaded that have been adopted internationally. These are the Canadian crop industry’s recycling of 87.5 million empty pesticide containers since 1989, the collection of 1.4 million kilograms of obsolete pesticides since 1998 and the return of over 130,000 empty pesticide paper bags since 2006.

Manitoba’s Agriculture Minister Stan Struthers handily won his Dauphin riding in the Oct. 4 election that gave the governing New Democratic Party its fourth majority government with 37 seats to 19 for the PCs and 1 Liberal.

Meanwhile in Ontario Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell was defeated by nearly 4,500 votes as her Liberal party was re-elected but fell one seat short of forming another majority government.

George Webster, the MLA for Borden-Kinkora and Prince Edward Island’s agriculture minister since January 2009, was among the members of the Liberal

caucus heading back to the legislature after the Liberals were returned with a healthy majority last month.

Christmas gift suggestion: Readers who fondly remember the From the Banks of the Red Deer columns written by rancher Tom Livingston should know that many of Tom’s old columns have been pulled together in a self-published book. It’s a fun read and brings back fond memories of Tom’s unique view of the world that he shared with the readers of this magazine from 1994 to 2008 when he suffered a stroke.

Fittingly enough the book is titled FROM THE BANKS OF THE RED DEER. Copies can be purchased for $25 in Canada by writing to David and Cheryl Andrews, Box 6 Site 2 RR 1, Brooks, Alta.

T1R 1E1, or lazya@eidnet.org by email.

(Cheques should be made out to Tom Livingston.)

In step with the Conservative government’s steady campaign to dis-

mantle the mandatory control of the Canadian Wheat Board the federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz transferred the Advance Payments Program (APP) for western wheat, durum and barley from the CWB to the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) last month. The CCGA already administers the program for more than 20 other commodities in Western Canada.

Canadian producers might feel a bit like the poor kid with his eyes glued to the candy store window when hearing of the success U.S. beef is enjoying in South Korea. The envy can only increase after Congress passes the longdelayed free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia.

President Obama submitted the agreements to Congress on our deadline for this issue. According to the U.S. Meat Export Federation the South Korea FTA alone would boost U.S. beef exports to more than $1 billion per year over the 15-year implementation period, up from $518 million in 2010. Korea is currently the fourth-largest value market for U.S. beef and pork exports and the FTA will only make them more competitive by reducing the 40 per cent duties on beef and 25 per cent on pork to zero.

C

Cattlewomen for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament held August 15 at Cottonwood Coulee Golf Course, Medicine Hat

Tournament organizers would like to thank the following sponsors for their support!

$49,000

raised for Ronald McDonald House!

Cattlewomen for the Cure, Lyndsay Smith, Chairperson, g n to Kyle Goertzen, Fundraisin presents a $49,000 donatio erta.

Alb rn the Nor se Hou ald Coordinator, Ronald McDon 6 CANADIAN CATTLEMEN / FALL 2011

Major Sponsors · XL / Lakeside · Andy Rock Livestock · Bank Of Montreal · Boehringer Ingelheim · G K Jim Group of Companies · Gateway Livestock Group of Companies · Meyers Norris Penny · Dola Livestock · Macquarie Private Wealth · Grandview Feeders · Butte Grain Merchants · Pfizer Animal Health · CrossIron Mills · Remedy Animal Health · The Hartford AAA Sponsors · Sunset Feeders · City Packers Feedlot · GrowSafe Systems Ltd / Cowgirl Cattle Company · Sun-Dial Livestock · Viterra Feed Products AA Sponsors · Alert Agri Distributors · Scotiabank · Strangmuir Farms Ltd. · CIBC · Western Financial Group · Pritchard & Co · Canart Cattle Company · Direct Energy · Canadian Angus Association

· Canada Beef Inc. · KCL Cattle Company · Livestock Identification Services · Mesabi Ranches · Farm Credit Canada · JGL Livestock · Kasko Livestock · TransCanada Pipeline · Merck Animal Health · TD Canada Trust · Thorlakson Feedyards Inc. · Reg Cox Feed Mixers Media · Canadian Cattlemen magazine · Alberta Beef magazine · Chat 94 · Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Connection Hole Sponsors · 2W Livestock Equipment · Acclaim Hotel · Adams Ranch · AFSC - Cattle Price Insurance Program · Ag. Value Group · Alberta Beef Producers · Alberta Cattle Feeder Association · Alberta Hereford Association · Alert Agri Distributers · Ballco Feeders · Bar 4 Bar Land and Cattle

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M.C. Quantock “Canada’s Bulls”... and cows too!

850 head

OUR FIRST EVER “CANADA’S COW SALE” SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10 2011, Nilsson Bros in Vermilion AB The first major female sale in our history... On December 10th, 2011 we’ll share our genetics with the industry. Never in 40 years have we sold this many females from the heart of our herd.

• Big-Bodied fleshy cows.

• Big-girthed-Big gutted cows.

All of our spring calving cow herd... none retained Red and Black Angus females bred for April and May calves. Bred to our best homebred Red and Black Angus bulls (uniquely our own genetics) plus 100’s of cows bred to our best Fleckvieh Simmental bulls for powerful hybrid calves.

• 100’s bred to Flechvieh Semi bulls.

• Red and Black purebred cows bred Red, Black and Simmental.

All of our Bred Replacement heifers... none retained Absolutely our best bred to our own proven Red and Black Angus bulls.

We have kept and bred all our hybrid females in all our lines, none have been sold, these are bred to calving ease Red Angus for April calves.

All of our 2010 Open Replacement heifers... none retained All our Red and Black Angus and Hybrid line females available as “extra age” opens ready to breed whenever you want. Every heifer sells, none retained. All will be 14 months plus by sale time.

• Fault-free cows in their prime.

• Every 2009/2010 replacement heifer sells-bred and open-none retained.

These are the females behind year after year million dollar bull sales built on solid commercial demand. These cows are the “real deal”. 850 head of homebred, “one-iron” unique genetics in volume-100’s of half sisters, 100’s of “hard nosed” purebred red and black angus cows in their prime, 100’s of hybrid heifers bred and open in all our hybrid lines, absolutely all our purebred red and black replacement heifers. “Unpampered real world cattle” that make “real money” everyday.

• Milk.. and lots of it.

• Trouble-free cows.

We will share these great young females with our customers old and new. They’ll sell in groups like any commercial cow sale. We’ll offer some choice for seed stock breeders to access outstanding individuals. It’s a genuine “first in our lifetime” opportunity from “Canada’s Bull Supplier”.

All the sisters to our Hybrid Bulls • Red/Black Angus X Semi “Super Baldies” - bred and open.

• Hereford x Semi “H-2’s” bred and open.

We’ll buy back the bull calves ... talk to Mac We will retain our 500 fall calving cows and 200 of our 2011 replacement heifers. We will still be “Canada’s Bull Supplier” still covering the pages of the magazines in the months before our annual sale. Still covering Canada with over 450 bulls every January.

• Hardworking “real world” cows.

• Red/Black Angus x Gelbvieh “Super Guppies” bred and open.

Mac & Pat Creech

Call Mac... 1-800-561-BULL (2855) .. email: mcquantock@hotmail.com

Jim Pulyk NBI 780-853-0626 • Ted or Chris at TBarC 306-933-4200 • Sale live on DLMS • www.mcquantock.com • Box 888, Lloydminster, Alta. S9V 1C3

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M.C. Quantock

450 bulls

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... 9,300 Bulls ... 43 sales ... 73% repeat customers ...

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 2012, Lloydminster, AB

100 Red Angus

100 Black Angus

75 Red Super Baldies

60 Black Super Baldies

25 Hereford

25 H-2

40 Super Guppies

30 Charolais

feeding grazing

BALE-GRAZING SUPPLEMENTATION

By Steve Kenyon

O

ne thing that I have learned over the years is that every year is different on the farm. As managers, we need to be flexible and have the ability to adapt to the changes in our lives. One change that I am looking at this fall is supplementation with my bale grazing.

First off, as a review, bale grazing is a method of feeding harvested feed but we use a grazing mentality. It reduces the labour and equipment costs associated with traditional winter feeding. The key to bale grazing is to have the hay delivered right to the pasture.

The more times we handle bales, the more costly it is. We spread the bales out across a paddock like a checkerboard and remove all the twines in the fall. A long rectangular paddock is best suited for bale grazing. To feed out these bales, we now play leapfrog with a couple of electric fences all the way down the field. I prefer a four-day graze period. This means I allow the herd into four days’ worth of feed at a time. I feel the balance between labour, animal nutrition and feed “waste” is optimal. (Of course, this is not really “waste.”) On the first two days, they eat pretty well, and yes, on the last day, they have to work pretty hard to get a decent meal. You have to be tough and force them to clean up.

This is where my dilemma comes into play this year. I have a herd of bred heifers to bale graze. They are still growing and they have a baby in their tummy. I will need to meet their nutritional requirements. With the poorer-quality hay that I am predicting this year, how do I supplement these heifers to meet their requirements and still keep the costs economical? With all the moisture we had this year, a lot of the hay produced this season will either be rained on a few times, overmature or simply not have the nutrients in it because of the fast growth. Whatever the case, with poor-quality hay, I will have to supplement my bred heifers. The majority of the ration can still be fed with bale grazing on my four-day graze period.

Moving the fence takes me about one hour a week. Let’s look at a couple of ways I have supplemented.

On day four, I could take out my bale truck and unroll a bale or two of high-quality feed. This will give each animal a few extra pounds of good hay on the cleanup day. The amount of supplement will of course need to be worked into the overall ration.

Depending on your operation, this 8 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

With all the poor hay this year Steve looks at supplementing his bale grazing with some good hay…

could also be done by feeding silage as the supplement as well. The key to this system is that you are still only starting a piece of equipment once every four days to supplement.

For me, to feed 350 bred heifers, unrolling two 1,400-pound alfalfa bales would give an extra eight pounds per head. If I am aiming to feed 28 pounds per head per day, I would feed 104 pounds with the wire and supplement the remaining eight pounds on day four. If it takes me a half-hour of labour every four days at a labour rate of $65/hr., I would add approximately 4.6 cents/head/day to my yardage costs. (I have stated before that my bale-grazing yardage is usually around 15 cents/head/day.) This would bump it up to about 20 cents/head/day. If our poor-quality hay costs three cents per pound delivered and our goodquality hay costs four cents per pound delivered, our total cost of feed will be 86 cents. Adding our yardage cost of around 15 cents makes it $1.06 per head per day.

I also have supplemented in the past with pellets. I used a non-grainbase pellet but that is because I prefer a grass-fed system. If I can purchase a screenings pellet for let’s say $175 per tonne… let’s see what our total costs add up to.

If I supplement pellets with five pounds per head on day two and day four of my bale grazing, that might give me the boost in nutrition I am after. Now you can feed the pellets however you want but with 350 head, that is a lot of five-gallon pails to put into a feed bunk.

Quite a few years ago I saw a pellet feeder that goes behind a bale truck that allowed you to roll out your supplementation on the ground with your bale truck. It did not take me long to figure out a cheaper way to make one.

I use a wide flotation tire that I pick up with my truck simply by putting a piece of pipe through the middle. I

… or rolling on screening pellets with a homemade tire feeder.

cut a hole in the tread which allows about a five-gallon pail worth of pellets to dump on the ground with every rotation. My only cost on this tire was the cost of the replacement chain on my chainsaw. I fill it up, and lift it up onto the truck deck to take it out to the field. The tire I use will hold about 750 pounds of pellets without any modifications. If you mount the pipe and close in the sides, it will hold much more than that. When I feed the pellets, I learned quickly to drive past the herd, turn around and roll out the feed coming back into the herd.

This allows the slowpokes to still get an adequate amount of pellets. If you try it you will see why. It is amazing at how well they clean up the pellets.

The piles end up about 20 feet apart and the animals stand around it in a circle and there is very little waste.

Again, if this takes me an extra half-hour each time I supplement, at $65 per hour, this adds approximately 4.6 cents/head/day to my yardage costs each time I supplement. Let’s say you needed to feed pellets every second day to supplement your ration. Add

9.2 cents/head/day. Your overall feed cost here might be 75 cents for hay (25 lb./head/day at 3.0 cents/lb.), 20 cents for the pellets and about 25 cents for yardage. This puts me at about $1.20 per head per day. Does this work in your gross margin?

Now these are just random scenarios I used for my calculations and all of these rations are of course subject to the quality of your hay. Put in your own numbers and see what you can come up with. I would highly recommend feed testing your hay this year and developing a ration to fill the nutritional requirements of whatever class of livestock you are feeding. But do not forget about the labour and equipment costs associated with the feeding method you choose. You need to pay yourself and cover your fuel, repairs, depreciation and your opportunity costs. Ranching is a business!

Make sure you treat it like one. C Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. in Busby, Alta., www.greenerpasturesranching.com , 780-307-6500, email skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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feeding supplements

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH BIODIESEL SUPPLEMENTS? The research results are due out next spring

By Debbie Furber

C

anada’s biodiesel industry is in its infancy relative to global biofuel production, but it may be hastened along by the federal two per cent mandate on renewable content in diesel fuel and heating oil passed on July 1 of this year with compliance expected by December 31, 2012.

Economics will dictate how the biodiesel industry plays out, as well as whether the byproducts — meal and glycerol — go into industrial markets or for livestock feed, says Dr. Tim McAllister, principle research scientist with AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Centre, where researchers are working in advance to determine the value of biodiesel byproducts in ruminant diets so the beef industry will be ready in the event that they become readily available.

Visiting scientist Dr. Emma McGeough looked at the potential of canola meal to lower methane production resulting from normal ruminant digestion, while PhD candidate Jorge Avila Stagno examined the potential of glycerol for the same purpose. The feeding phase of these studies wrapped up in late summer and data are now being compiled with the goal of publishing the results next spring.

Biodiesel is an oil product made from crushed oilseeds, animal fats and/ or recycled cooking oil (yellow grease) from the food-processing and food service sectors. It doesn’t contain any petro components itself, but can readily be blended up to 20 per cent with diesel fuel and 50 per cent in heating and stove fuels.

According to the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA), four of the 13 operational plants in Canada use canola seed or have the capacity to use canola seed as feedstock. They are located in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with a demonstration facility using canola, camelina and mustard seed in Alberta. The remainder are largely yellow grease and multi-feedstock plants in Alberta, British Columbia and concentrated along the U.S. border in Ontario and Quebec. New multi-feedstock plants are under construction at Lethbridge and Sombra in Ontario.

10 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

The byproducts from plants that utilize oilseed are meal from the crush and glycerol from the biodieselmaking process. Glycerol is the sole byproduct from plants that use oil and fat feedstocks. McAllister says that both byproducts have potential to be used as an energy source to replace a portion of the barley grain or silage in backgrounding and finishing rations.

The properties of canola meal as a feed ingredient are well understood, however, its potential to reduce methane emissions is a new area of research.

The solvent-extraction method leaves about two per cent of the oil in the meal, whereas the meal from the screw-press method of extraction, which is often used when oilseeds are crushed for biodiesel production, contains 10 per cent or more residual oil. McGeough indicates that it is the higher oil content in the meal from the screw-press method that could reduce methane emissions from cattle.

Glycerol is what’s left behind after the fatty acids are released from the feedstock for use as biodiesel. Glycerol is a thick, syrup-like product that literally runs slower than molasses in January, so there may be some practical considerations surrounding its use in feedlot diets, McAllister adds.

Based on the findings from earlier studies by Dr. Karen Beauchemin, a research scientist in ruminant nutrition at Lethbridge Research Centre, Stagno suspects that the digestibility of glycerol should be very high. It is a simple compound with three carbons that is very close to the chemistry of propionic acid, which is a three-carbon volatile fatty acid normally produced in the rumen that is important for the synthesis of glucose. If glycerol added to the diet and synthesized in the rumen results in an increase in the production of propionic acid, it could also reduce methane emissions because both propionic acid and methane require hydrogen in order to form in the rumen.

Feed-grade glycerol was substituted for up to 21 per cent of the barley in the diet for Stagno’s study and McGeough substituted high-oil canola meal for barley to a level that resulted in five per cent oil in the diet.

Early indications are that neither of the byproducts had an adverse effect on animal health, or feed efficiency.

If these byproducts decrease methane emissions, feed efficiency should improve because the energy expelled as methane would instead be used for growth.

There are two challenges to the use of glycerol as a livestock feed, McAllister explains. It is not yet approved as a feed additive, so an application for its approval for this purpose would have to be made to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. As well, the glycerol from biodiesel production would have to be upgraded to feed-grade quality by removing the methanol added during the process of making biodiesel.

A glycerol-methanol mixture may be fine for industrial uses, but methanol is highly toxic to livestock, making the mixture unsuitable as a feed ingredient. Removing the methanol adds cost to the product, so economics will dictate whether biodiesel companies can get a better return for raw glycerol sold into industrial markets or glycerol upgraded for use as livestock feed.

The other economic variable is how much beef producers are willing to pay for it. In Western Canada, the value of byproduct feeds is usually related to the price and feed value of barley, so producers will need to know the value of glycerol as a feed, to see if it is an economically viable alternative.

At present McAllister says the limited supply of feed-grade glycerol is a major impediment to its use as a feed ingredient. Producers need to have sufficient supply of any ingredient on hand to avoid frequent changes in ration. Larger oilseed-based biodiesel plants will likely need to come online to supplement the existing glycerol stream, which is largely from recycled deep-fryer oil.

The high demand for the use of oil from oilseeds for human consumption and food preparation is another impediment to biodiesel production in Canada. The demand for canola oil is particularly strong due to its healthful fatty acid profile and unique properties for deep frying in the foodprocessing sector. This keeps farmer deliveries flowing into the food stream and prices top grades of canola out of reach for biodiesel production, which is often relegated to using lower grades of oilseeds. Soybean is also used as a feedstock and the potential for alternative oilseeds, such as camelina and mustard, are being explored.

Tim McAllister

Jorge Avila Stagno

Even so biodiesel production in Canada appears set to explode relative to the quantity produced today.

Many of the plants in operation today have capacity to produce small quantities from one to 10 million litres per year (mly), with a couple around 20 mly. The largest are the 45 mly Rothsay plant in Quebec, a division of Maple Leaf Foods, which produces biodiesel for the company’s own transportation needs, and the BIOX Corp. multifeedstock plant at Hamilton, Ont., producing 66 mly, with a second similar-sized plant proposed.

According to the CRFA another five plants are proposed, with the largest being oilseed and canola feedstock plants producing 265 mly at Lloydminster and 237 mly at Vegreville, Alberta. A proposed multi-feedstock plant at Sarnia, Ont., could produce 170 mly, while two in Quebec would produce 100 mly from vegetable oils at Becancour and 40 mly from multiple feedstocks at Richmond. The two www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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plants currently under construction in Lethbridge and Sombra will have the capacity to produce 66 mly and 50 mly, respectively.

To keep posted on the latest developments in biodiesel production, visit the CRFA website at www.greenfuels. org. The biodiesel plants themselves will be the best source of informa-

tion regarding availability and pricing of the byproducts should they become readily available and glycerol receives approval as a livestock feed in Canada.

The results from the studies in progress at Lethbridge Research Centre will be carried in future issues of Canadian Cattlemen.

C

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Sat December 10, 2011 • 11:00 A.M. Neil Montgomery Herd Dispersal and Leonard Karst Herd Dispersal followed Bred Cow & Heifer Sale.

Sat December 17, 2011 • 11:00 A.M. 3rd Annual Shayne Cristo Bred Heifer Sale and Dwight & Lynn Therrien Herd Dispersal followed by Bred Cow & Heifer Sale.

Amaglen Limousin :: Darlingford MB Ian & Bonnie Hamilton 204.246.2312 amaglen@inetlink.ca

Bar 3R Limousin :: Marengo SK The Rea family 306.463.7950 / 306.968.2923 r3bar@hotmail.com

Campbell Limousin :: Minto MB Bill & Lauren Campbell 204.776.2322 / 204.724.6218 cam.limousin@xplornet.com

Cochrane Stock Farms :: Alexander MB The Cochrane families 204.573.6529 / 204.724.0892 www.cochranestockfarms.com

Diamond C Ranch :: Ponoka AB Neil & Sherry Christiansen 403.783.2799 christiansen@xplornet.com

Eden Meadow Farms :: Zehner SK Terry & Lynette Hepper and family 306.781.4628 thepper@yourlink.ca

Excel Ranches :: Westlock AB Ron & Barb Miller 780.349.2135 / excelranches@hotmail.com www.excelranches.com

Gutek Farms :: Hendon SK Jeff / Raymond Gutek 306.338.2002

Hi-Way Limousin :: Bethune SK The Fuchs families 306.638.4422 / 306.789.8863 306.638.4800 / d.fuchs@sasktel.net

cla_supersizeAd_sept11.indd 1

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- Wally Schaus, feedlot operator for over 40 years Schaus Land & Cattle Elmwood, Ontario

Ivy Livestock :: Duchess AB Rick & Mary Hertz and family 403.378.4190 / rhertz@eidnet.org www.ivylivestock.com

Lazy S Limousin :: Rimbey AB Stan and Ty Skeels 403.704.0288

Murphy Ranch :: Altario AB Frank & Donna Murphy 403.552.2191 / 780.753.1959 murphyranch@xplornet.com

New Life Limousin :: Harriston ON Gary / Justin Burgess 519.338.3327 cats@wightman.ca

Pinnacle View Limousin :: Quesnel BC Swann and Kishkan families 250.747.2618 / kishkan@quesnelbc.com www.pvlimousin.com

Richmond Ranch :: Rumsey AB Jim & Stephanie Richmond 403.368.2103 / bulls@richmondranch.com www.richmondranch.com

Top Meadow Farms :: Clarksburg ON Mike Geddes, manager 519.599.6776 / topmeadow@bmts.com www.topmeadowfarms.com

Windy Gables Limousin :: Warkworth ON Bryce and Nathan Allen 705.924.2583 brycea@alleninsurance.com

Y2K Limousin :: Caledon East ON Robert Nimmo 905.584.4477 / 416.580.5714 farm@robertnimmo.com

09/09/11 9:39 PM

feeding feedlot

PRACTICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF FEEDING DDGS IN WESTERN CANADA

By Debbie Furber

S

peaking at a special conference this past summer in Lethbridge, Dr. Darryl Gibb, innovation and business development specialist with Viterra at Lethbridge, and Dr. Barry Robinson, nutritionist and owner of Great Northern Livestock Consulting at Westlock, Alta., took a look at the practical and economic implications of feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) to feedlot cattle.

Robinson and Dr. Tim McAllister of Lethbridge Research Centre cochaired the conference sponsored by Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the U.S. Grains Council. It was a one-time event focusing on DDGS to spotlight research findings from the western provinces and the northern states and their application in the feeding and management of DDGS in Western Canadian feedlot diets.

Though the economics of feeding DDGS doesn’t generally compute favourably for cow-calf producers, Robinson says this co-product from ethanol production is used extensively in the swine industry, as a high-quality protein in the dairy industry and, in recent years, has become a valuable source of energy and protein in backgrounding and finishing beef cattle, particularly in southern Alberta. As you go farther north, DDGS becomes less viable as a feed ingredient because of transportation costs.

The vast majority of the supply comes from corn ethanol plants in the northern states, which are producing an abundance of corn-based DDGS relative to the production of wheat-based DDGS from wheat ethanol plants in Western Canada. Most of the DDGS fed in feedlot diets is the dry form of the product. Feedlots in close proximity to ethanol plants can utilize DDGS in the wetcake form, which is higher in energy and generally priced lower than dry DDGS on a dry-matter basis because of energy savings on dehydration at the ethanol plant.

The supply of DDGS from the U.S. plants is fairly consistent, so demand is a major price determinant. The price of DDGS follows the corn market more closely than the barley market,

14 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

Robinson explains. In the summertime, demand for corn DDGS tends to decline, which favours a lower corn DDGS price.

Neil Campbell, general manager of Gowans Feed Consulting and the Canadian representative to the U.S. Grains Council, provided Robinson with the monthly prices for barley and 90 per cent dry-matter corn DDGS delivered to Lethbridge from January, 2010 through May, 2011. Corn DDGS ranged from a low of $160 per tonne, which was very close to par with barley for the month of July, 2010, to a high of $254 per tonne in March of this year, when it was 29 per cent higher than rolled barley.

Plugging the monthly prices into a profit projection model, Robinson computed the relative profitability of feeding corn DDGS in finisher feedlot rations. “During 16 of the 17 months, purchasing and feeding corn DDGS at a 20 per cent inclusion rate was profitable in finishing feedlot cattle in the Lethbridge area,” he says. “Feedlots can pay up to 25 per cent more for high-quality corn DDGS than rolled barley prior to breaking even on this feed ingredient.”

Unlike feed grains, DDGS, even in the dry form, isn’t a feed ingredient that can be purchased during a downswing in the price and stockpiled for long periods in a bin. Due to the high fat content, it may stick to bin walls and, in the worst-case scenario, it will cake and harden in the bin. Flat storage is recommended and under cover, if possible.

Robinson also stresses the importance of knowing what you are buying. High-quality DDGS will be golden brown in colour, not dark or burnt looking. Typically, the fat content is nine to 12 per cent, though some plants have found other uses for the fat and are now partially defatting DDGS. His best advice is to purchase DDGS through a reputable supplier and communicate with the supplier regarding the minimum fat guarantee and maximum mycotoxin level.

THE VALUE OF DDGS Gibb points out that the market cost of DDGS and the value of DDGS in a ration are two different matters.

Though the cost of DDGS usually results in an increase in the total cost of the ration, the higher energy value

Dr. Darr yl Gibb

Dr. Barr y Robinson

of corn DDGS substituted for some of the barley grain in the ration can reduce the overall cost of gain.

Corn DDGS is generally 12 per cent higher in net energy (NE) than barley and the NE of wheat DDGS is similar to that of barley grain. Knowing that energy intake drives performance, nutritionists use a standard equation to predict performance based on energy content of the feed for the purpose of estimating its value.

It’s important to remember that the value of DDGS changes with the inclusion level in the diet, Gibb says.

Numerous studies suggest that the efficiency of utilization of DDGS declines as the inclusion level increases above 20 per cent of the dry matter (DM) content of the diet.

Typically, when corn and, or wheat DDGS is added to a ration at the 20 per cent level, daily consumption tends to increase somewhat, but the improvement in average daily gain (ADG) and the feed-to-gain (F/G) conversion can be significant. At a 40 per cent inclusion rate, intake and rate of gain increase a bit more, but feed conversion drops off. Bumping it up to a 60 per cent inclusion rate has a negative effect on the ADG and feed conversion because of the reduced digestibility and a corresponding decrease in NE of the diet.

A 2007 study by Buckner et al shows the value of corn DDGS relative to barley grain priced at $210 a tonne and silage (38 per cent DM) worth $60 per tonne. The biggest bump in performance came with the first 10 per cent of DDGS added to the ration, therefore, the value of

the DDGS in the ration was greater and the producer could afford to pay more for it at that rate than when including it at the 20, 30 or 40 per cent rate. Compared to the ration without DDGS, including DDGS at the 10 per cent rate resulted in an improvement in ADG from 3.30 to 3.55 pounds and the F/G dropped from 6.17 pounds of feed per pound of gain to 5.84, pegging the value of the DDGS in the ration at $345 per tonne. If the producer paid more, he would be losing profit. At the 20 per cent inclusion rate, ADG increased to 3.70 pounds and the F/G dropped another notch to 5.65, however, the value of the DDGS in the ration decreased to $320 per tonne. This is because F/G, which is the economic driver, was improved by 5.4 per cent with the addition of the first 10 per cent of DDGS and adding another 10 per cent improved the F/G by only 3.3 per cent. At the 40 per cent inclusion rate, ADG dropped off to 3.51 pounds and the F/G increased to 5.95, therefore, if the producer paid more than $234 per tonne for the DDGS, he or she would have been money ahead feeding barley grain and silage.

“The bottom line is that as the price of DDGS climbs, we may need to consider reducing inclusion,” Gibb explains. “When the price is on par with barley, I’d feed at least 30 per cent. When it is at a premium to barley, I wouldn’t feed any more than 20 per cent.”

The value of DDGS in a ration Continued on page 16 www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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Continued from page 14

is even greater if it replaces some of the silage as well as some of the grain, he adds.

As illustrated in the accompanying example, the value of corn DDGS is $251 per tonne when it replaces 20 per cent of the barley in a ration, and jumps to $262 per tonne when it replaces 15 per cent of the barley and five per cent of the silage (relative to barley at $210 per tonne and 38 per cent DM silage at $60 per tonne).

Gibb formulated three rations with the same cost of gain — 74 cents per pound. The control diet was 86 per cent barley grain, 10 per cent silage and four per cent supplement. Two diets contained corn DDGS at the 20 per cent inclusion rate.

Option one was to reduce the barley grain to 66 per cent and keep the silage the same as that in the control diet. The second option was to reduce the barley by 15 per cent and the silage by five per cent. The cost of the DM per tonne was lowest for the control diet, however, the cost of gain worked out to be equal for all three diets because of the predicted

Jenna

improvement in ADG and F/G resulting from the addition of DDGS. This example illustrates a second important point. Including DDGS could provide greater flexibility in formulating rations because it can replace a portion of the grain and, or silage.

Gibb adds that, because part of the starch is being displaced by fibre, fat and protein when DDGS is included in the ration, producers could be more aggressive when processing the grain.

That is, they could tighten the roller so that none of the kernels remain intact without the worry of increasing the potential for digestive upsets.

Gibb’s final word of advice is to consider all costs alongside the abovementioned benefits when assessing the value of DDGS in your feeding program. On the negative side, you will have an additional feed ingredient to manage and handle every time you mix a load and storage losses can be an issue for piles left exposed to the elements with shrink (loss due to wind) estimated to be as high as five per cent under some conditions.

The increase in the nitrogen and phosphorus level in the manure can be a negative or a real bonus if you

Silvertop Simmentals

Complete Herd Dispersal Rimbey Auction Mart, December 2, 2011 @ 5:00pm

ADG, lb

0DDGS

10DDGS

20DDGS

30DDGS

40DDGS

3.30

3.55

3.

3.57

3.51 5.95

Feed/gain

6.17

5.84

5.65

5.98

Corn DDGS value Based on $210 barley, $60 silage

$345

$320

$240

$234

Buckner et al., 2007 CONTROL

EQUAL SILAGE

LESS SILAGE

Barley

86

66

71

Silage

10

10

5

Supp

4

4

4

20

20

232.25

241.15

242.94

NDF, %

20.6

22.98

21.3

NEg, MCal/kg

1.30

1.34

1.36

Pred. ADG

3.21

3.29

3.35

Pred. feed/gain

6.12

5.93

5.79

COG, $/lb

0.739

0.739

0.739

251.00

262.00

Corn DDG $/tonne DM

DDG value, $/tonne

Barley = $210/tonne, silage (38% DM) = $60/tonne. Corn DDG 12% higher in NEg than barley

have a large land base for annual crop production or pasture. A plus for producers managing intensive land bases is that feeding corn DDGS decreases manure production due

to the improved digestibility of the diet and feed conversion when corn DDGS displaces some of the barley, and more so when it displaces some of the silage as well.

C

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16 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

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www.canadabeef.ca

A new Chapter in Canadian Beef Marketing

AN ECONOMIC SCENARIO Given the prices supplied by Campbell and using a University of Saskatchewan study conducted by Lee-Anne Walter and Dr. John McKinnon as a baseline for performance of cattle finished on a typical ration of corn DDGS at the 20 per cent inclusion rate, Barry Robinson looked at whether corn DDGS would have been a profitable choice in 2010 and the first five months of the current year.

The control diet for the baseline study was 86.6 per cent rolled barley with 7.7 per cent silage and 5.7 per cent supplement. The research diet was 66.4 per cent rolled barley with 20.3 per cent corn DDGS, 7.6 per cent silage and 5.7 per cent supplement.

The start weight was 825 pounds and the finished weight was 1,440 pounds.

Dr y-matter intake (DMI) for the control group was 22.9 pounds per day, while that for the corn DDGS group was 22.4 pounds. The difference in the feed-to-gain (F/G) ratio was highly significant with the study group gaining a pound for ever y 6.1 pounds of dr y matter consumed, while the control group consumed 6.4 pounds of dr y matter to put on a pound of gain. The difference in average daily gain (ADG) wasn’t significant in this trial, with the control group gaining 3.56 pounds per day versus 3.65 pounds per day for the corn DDGS cattle.

Robinson used his computer modelling program to mimic the ADG, F/G and DMI for the control and corn DDGS groups in

the trial. In addition to the monthly barley grain and corn DDGS prices, other input costs included yardage at 45 cents per day, miscellaneous costs of $10 per head, 65 per cent moisture silage at $55 per tonne, a barley rolling cost of $10 per tonne, supplement at $330 per tonne and interest at six per cent, with the cattle valued at market price.

Considering the improvement in ADG and feed conversion ever y month, feedlots that included corn DDGS at the 20 per cent inclusion rate would have come out ahead of those feeding a barley grain ration by at least $7.74 per head and as much as $26.45 per head, he explains.

Since the difference in the ADG between the control and study groups wasn’t significant in the baseline study, the last column shows that there would have been a benefit based on the feed conversion advantage alone. To arrive at the feed conversion benefit, Robinson subtracted the ADG benefit of $8.63 per head, which was calculated on a cost per day of $2.88 per head and the cattle finishing three days sooner in this model.

Robinson concludes that, given the feed conversion benefit, a feedlot could pay up to 125 per cent of the price of rolled barley for high-quality corn DDGS to be fed at a 20 per cent inclusion rate in a barley-based finishing feedlot ration. Paying a little more could be economically viable if the improvement in ADG is taken into account.

Month

A new chapter in Canadian beef marketing On July 1, 2011 Canada Beef Inc. became the official, independent marketing agency for Canadian beef. The Beef Information Centre (BIC) and Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) joined the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency (National Check-Off Agency- NCOA) and are now operating as one organization, Canada Beef Inc.

In 2010, the Canada Beef Working Group was mandated by beef producers and other industry stakeholders to investigate and develop a new organizational structure for maximizing efficiencies and effectiveness for domestic and international beef marketing activities.

In developing its recommendation the CBWG took into consideration the long-term needs of the industry; the funding and marketing challenges that lay ahead; the contribution and needs of stakeholders; the results of the due diligence reviews of the BIC and CBEF; the results of the previous studies and the opportunities to simplify the funding and approval structures.

On January 6, 2011 the CBWG presented the results of its investigation and its recommendation – to create a single independent national beef cattle marketing, promotion and research organization.

Board of Directors

ECONOMICS Corn DDGS % of barley price

$/head benefit for 20% corn DDGS ADG & F/G

$/head benefit for 20% corn DDGS F/G

Jan. 2010

121

12.52

3.89

Feb. 2010

122

11.87

3.24

March 2010

109

19.46

10.83

April 2010

109

19.49

10.83

May 2010

125

10.30

1.67

June 2010

111

18.33

9.70

July 2010

100

24.70

16.07

Aug. 2010

100

26.45

17.82

Sept. 2010

112

17.92

9.29

Oct. 2010

111

18.86

10.23

Nov. 2010

122

11.80

3.17

Dec. 2010

122

11.80

3.17

Jan. 2011

126

9.76

1.13

Feb. 2011

127

9.07

0.44

March 2011

129

7.74

-0.89

April 2011

127

8.87

0.24

May 2011

121

13.85

5.22

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

CANADIAN CATTLEMEN / FALL 2011 17

W

Canada Beef Inc.

W

Ten provincial association members have been selected as inaugural board members: Brad Wildeman (Chair), SK; Dane Guignion (Vice Chair), MB; Grant Huffman, BC; Chuck MacLean, AB; Jeff Warrack, AB; Paul Sharpe, ON; Gib Drury, QC; Jennifer MacDonald, NB; Jim Bremner, NS; John MacDonald, PEI.

Brad Wildeman (Chair)

Industry representation covers all sectors along the beef value chain: Dwight Greer, Eastern Meat Solutions, Beef Processing and Distribution; Brian Read, XL Foods; Francis Labrecque, Levinoff Meat Products; Mike Kennedy, Cargill; Arthur Batista, Ecolait; and Scott Ellerton, Sysco Canada.

Canada Beef Inc. Executive Robert Meijer, former Director of Corporate Affairs for Cargill Limited, was appointed President of Canada Beef Inc. effective August 1, 2011. Meijer brings 14 years of policy, regulatory, legislative, political and communications experience to Canada Beef Inc.

W

Canada Beef vision and mission Vision To position Canadian beef as the premium beef product of choice for domestic and international markets Mission To enhance and sustain the profitability of Canadian beef producers through excellence in product promotion, positioning and the facilitation of domestic and international marketing initiatives

feeding equipment

GRASS CONVERSIONS A CINCH WITH AN AGROWDRILL

By Debbie Furber

H

anson’s Bell L Ranch near Airdrie, Alta. has taken on a different look with each of the passing generations since Wayne Hanson’s great-grandpa registered the Bell L brand in 1909.

His grandfather secured the ranch’s first purebred Hereford cow in 1943 that came in the deal when he purchased his ranch at Symons Valley.

The ranch became widely known for its reputation herd of Hereford cattle as his dad built up the purebred business as part of a mixed farming operation near Airdrie through the latter quarter of the century.

Hanson has moulded his ranch to the realities of the 21 century. He combined his last crop in 1990 and in 2002 replaced the purebred herd with commercial Hereford-Angus cows that grew to 500 head when he sold them out in 2008 and established a custom grazing operation. As the fifth generation, his son, Wyatt, was proud to use the Bell L brand on his small herd of purebred Hereford and Hereford-influence cattle that he started in 2010.

This year, Hanson custom-grazed 1,700 yearlings for four customers.

Depending on the weather and grass growth each spring, the cattle arrive sometime during the last two weeks of May and load out around October 1. He charges a flat rate ranging from 60 cents to $1 per head per day, based on every 100 pounds of weight coming in.

He expects gains to average 1.75 to two pounds a day across the 120day grazing season. It seems to take a couple of weeks for the cattle to really settle in and the faster they can quiet them by riding through them every day, the better they will do. Once they reach that 700-pound mark, he says they seem to hit their stride and can be gaining as much as three to 3.5 pounds a day during the last half of the grazing season.

“Temperament is just about as important as the quality of the cattle and can make all the difference in how they gain on pasture,” Hanson says. “When it comes right down to it, good pastures and good management will allow cattle to gain to their full potential.”

Every type of forage offers a different level of nutrition and growth

18 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

throughout the grazing season. All of his perennial forages are tame grasses with one of three legumes — alfalfa, milkvetch or sainfoin. He likes the rye grasses and fescues for hard grasses, smooth brome and meadow brome.

Some pastures include all varieties.

The Hansons have been swath grazing annual cereals since 1960 and he still grows some triticale, winter wheat or oats for this purpose. The original barbed-wire fences are laid out in quarter-mile stretches. He found that leaving the cattle a month at a time in each pasture resulted in uneven nutritional intake, with nutrition being high for the first 10 days, dwindling off for the next 10 days, then very poor for the last 10 days.

“Either the cattle suffered or the feed wasn’t utilized to the degree I wanted to see. Now, with the electric fence set up and temporary cross-fencing, moving the cattle more often isn’t a lot more work,” he says. He experimented with one-, three-, five- and 10-day moves and found that moving the cattle every three or four days provided the most return for his time spent.

He remembers getting 100 cow days per acre when the cereals were sown into a cultivated seedbed with commercial fertilizer. Now, with finetuned rotations and no-till seeding with an Agrowdrill, it’s not unusual to get 220 cow days per acre without the use of commercial fertilizer.

The Agrowdrill is a high-clearance seeder for sowing forages, cereals, oilseeds and pulses into sod, stubble, or cultivated ground. Two important features are the heavy-duty coil tynes that keep the seed boot at an even depth in the ground and the Baker boot-type openers, which cut a tiny inverted T-shaped furrow. The seed drops into the horizontal part of the opening where moisture is retained in a micro-environment that promotes optimum germination in all soil types.

Hanson says with the Agrowdrill, sowing forages into cereal stubble is now a one-pass operation. Before it took a half dozen passes to cultivate the field, float the grass seed and then harrow and pack it. It worked fine with timely precipitation, but if it turned dry and windy, he could lose half of the seed and a good part of his investment in time and operating costs.

Not only does no-till seeding reduce soil degradation, but with Agrowdrill, he finds, he can sow 30 per cent less seed per acre because

of the seed placement and moisture retention results in excellent germination and establishment.

The only thing he would have done differently on the 700 acres he converted to pasture with the Agrowdrill was to be more diligent with weed control when he had more options in the way of herbicides the year before sowing the mixed forage stands.

Converting old pasture to cereals for swath grazing was just as easily accomplished in one pass with the Agrowdrill. He starts by spraying out the hay in the spring, then sowing triticale into the sod and grazing it the first year. It was grazed once again the next spring, left to grow and then cut for swath grazing after it had headed out. Those are the bonus days, Hanson adds, because the cattle don’t like grazing triticale once it gets coarse, but it is more palatable when it reaches the soft-dough stage, so it’s just as well to pull out and save it for swath grazing.

The Agrowdrill handled the conditions without any problems. He says the toughest part about seeding into sod with Agrowdrill is being able to see where you’ve seeded because the openings are so narrow!

AGROWDRILL The Agrowdrill was introduced to Canada six years ago by Graeme Finn, who was familiar with the Agrowplow and Agrowdrill system manufactured and promoted as the premier soil care system since 1989 in his native Australia, where he grew up on his family’s cattle station.

The Finns are dedicated year-round graziers with a herd of 50 cow-calf pairs at their ranch near Madden, Alta. They don’t turn a wheel delivering feed to the cows. From fall to the end of the year, they graze stockpiled forages, then move onto mixed oatbarley swaths that carry them through into calving around May 1.

When the Finns first started winter grazing, they let a horse graze with the cows to teach them how to root for the swaths in spells of heavy snow or icy conditions. They haven’t had to do that for years because the mature cows teach the young ones and any cow that has to be pampered gets shipped before the next winter.

They also rent Hanson’s pasture near Crossfield to run 400 yearling heifers that they buy each spring at about 600 pounds and sell at 850 to 900 pounds through a bidding pro-

Hanson planted forages in cereal stubble with good results in one pass using an Agrowdrill.

cess directly off pasture at the end of September. Finn adds that they haven’t gone it alone in this venture. For overall marketing strategy, they rely on advice from market analyst and consultant Brenda Schoepp of BeefLink.

His father-in-law, Don Evans, a cattle buyer and rancher, looks after purchasing the cattle on their behalf.

The size and versatility of the Agrowdrill fit Finn’s requirements for a no-till seeding system for forages and cereals in his operation. Impressed with Finn’s results, Hanson partnered up on the AD500 Agrowdrill for use in his operation as well.

Agrowplow representatives made the trip to Canada to see for themselves and four years ago, established the company in North America with Finn as manager.

Finn says the most popular model on the Prairies is the AD500 because of its capacity to direct seed forages and cereals in heavy trash conditions or into sod. Direct seeding generally saves one inch of moisture loss for every tillage pass you would have to make to prepare a seedbed for conventional seeding with a hoe or disc drill. That’s invaluable when soil conditions are dry and equally important in preserving moisture you do receive during rainy spells, he adds.

With the Agrowdrill, you can get onto pasture or sod to seed shortly after a rain because so little soil is disturbed by the openers and you’re not trying to slug through mud.

The AD500 comes in eight-foot or 15-foot working widths with 18 to 26 runs with inverted-T openers on seven-inch spacings on three tool bars.

An hydraulic-lift coulter bar, with either plain or fluted 14-inch discs that can be left to swivel or be locked into place, is standard on this model.

It features a two-compartment hopper with individual lids and Agrowplow’s twin-distributor metering system for even seed distribution. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

The slots are so narrow its hard to see where you’ve seeded into the sod.

The Agrowplow itself is a nonand Agrowdrill are being established inversion tillage tool for rootbed renon farms and research centres across ovation every six to eight years on the Prairies. The equipment is now existing pasture, hayland and cropavailable through a number of indeland. The heavy-duty shanks can be pendent dealers in Alberta and Sasset to the depth necessary to slice katchewan listed on the company’s through and shatter the hardpan layer website at www.agrowplow.com. For and aerate the soil without mixing more information, contact Finn at less-fertile subsoil with topsoil. Dem403-946-5300, or his associate, Doug 1106004plots // NAHSS09116004 // T&L: 10 x 6-5 inch NO BLEED // 4C Advertorial onstration using the Agrowplow Bidulock at 403-588-0528.

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9/26/11 1:28 PM

More efficient Means More Hereford.

Hereford — making black better.

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For the Commercial Cattle Producer

2.

For the Purebred Breeder

3.

For the Buyer

Free of charge, list the Hereford & Hereford influence commercial cattle you have to offer, all you have to do is fill on the online submission form at www.hereford.ca/submit_cattle.asp or call us at 1-888-836-7242.

Have some commercial Hereford cattle to market? Do it for free on the Hereford website. Fill in the online submission form at www.hereford.ca/submit_cattle.asp or call us at 1-888-836-7242.

If you are looking for commercial Hereford influence cattle we can help you source them from all over Canada. Your options include; visiting www.hereford.ca/view_cattle.asp to see an up-to-date list of the cattle that have been submitted, calling the office at 1-888-836-7242 or send us an email at brad@hereford.ca. We’ll do whatever we can to fill your order for Hereford influence cattle.

5160 Skyline Way NE Calgary, Alberta T2E 6V1 Phone: (403) 275-2662 Toll Free: (888) 836-7242 Fax: (403) 295-1333 Toll Free: (888) 824-2329 info@hereford.ca

coMe celebrate tHe new Hereford Complete details on the 2012 World Hereford Conference can be found at www.hereford.ca

Pre Conference Tour The pre-conference tour will start in Vancouver on July 8th, after which the B.C. Hereford Association, along with Henry and Vilma Braun and Copper Creek Ranch, will host cattle and social events on July 9 th.

The tour will follow with a visit to Douglas Lake Ranch, the largest commercial cattle operation in Canada, with 7,000 Hereford mother cows. Banff, Canada’s famous first national park, will be the next stop, on route to Calgary. •

WHC Cattle Events The cattle events kick off on Monday, July 16th, 2012 with the WHC Junior Bonanza show and junior events. Cattle events are being held in Olds, which has some of the best livestock facilities in Alberta.

July 17th features the open show, with separate divisions for Polled and Horned animals.

Wednesday, July 18th is Ranch Day, featuring a pen show with three classes of combined horned and polled cow-calf pairs and three classes of combined horned and polled yearling bulls. Herd bulls will also be displayed.

Limited edition Bronzes will be awarded to the Grand Champions for both open and pen shows. •

Post Conference Tour The Post-conference tour will include stops in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. Saskatchewan tour stops include a Hutterite Colony, the RCMP Training Centre and Museum in Regina and a barbeque and cattle social at Crittenden Bros. The Manitoba tour includes a visit to the Agriculture Canada Research Station and supper at RSK Polled Herefords at Brandon.

Tour participants then fly to Toronto and travel to the Orangeville area on Monday July 23 rd , where the Ontario Hereford Association is planning a full day of activities. On Tuesday, July 24th, the WHC tour will end with a visit to Niagara Falls. •

World Hereford Conference Program - July 8-25, 2012 Date

Program

Location

Sunday, July 8

Arrive in Vancouver, Pre-Tour

Vancouver

Monday, July 9

Hereford Field Days

Abbotsford /Princeton

Tuesday, July 10

Douglas Lake Ranch

Kamloops

Wednesday, July 11

Banff National Park

Banff

Thursday, July 12

• Pre-Tour guests arrive in Calgary • Attendees arrive in Calgary • Registration – Sheraton Hotel

Calgary

Friday, July 13

• Arrival of Attendees and registration • AM - WHC – Council Meeting • PM – WHC Conference • Evening – Meet and Greet Social Supper

Sheraton Hotel

Saturday, July 14

• WHC – White Hat Ceremony and Official Opening • Conference Technical Sessions • Chuckwagon Races and Grandstand Show

Calgary Stampede (Palomino Room)

Sunday, July 15

• Western Style Pancake Breakfast • Free Day

Sheraton Hotel Calgary Stampede

Monday, July 16

• Tours Junior Hereford Show

Olds Ag Society Facilities

Tuesday, July 17

World Hereford Cattle Show

Olds Ag Society Facilities

Wednesday, July 18

• Ranchers Day • Closing and Barbeque

Olds Ag Society Facilities

Calgary Stampede

Thursday, July 19-22 Post Conference Tour

Saskatchewan/Manitoba

Monday, July 23-25

Ontario

Post Conference Tour

feeding health

IMPACT OF DDGS ON THE SHEDDING OF E. COLI 0157:H7 …cause for concern or a red herring?

By Debbie Furber

I

n contrast to results from initial studies in the United States suggesting that feeding distillers grain to cattle increases fecal shedding of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (E. coli 0157) bacteria, a comprehensive project at Lethbridge Research Centre is showing that there is no direct link between the two.

University of Lethbridge PhD candidate and research affiliate Jennyka Hallewell conducted two studies under the supervision of doctors Tim McAllister, Kim Stanford and Jim Thomas. The commercial cattle study involved 6,817 yearling steers to evaluate the total number of E. coli 0157 bacteria as well as the survival time of E. coli 0157 in feces samples.

It was followed by a challenge study on 32 steers.

In the commercial cattle study, the yearling steers were divided equally into three pens fed barleybased rations either with or without dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS). One pen received the control diet without DDGS, the second group received 22.5 per cent corn DDGS (CDDGS), and the third group received 22.5 per cent wheat DDGS (WDDGS). Fresh fecal samples were collected from the pen floors on a monthly basis for 11 months for a total of 558 samples.

There were no significant differences in E. coli 0157 numbers among the three diets. Overall, about 30 per cent of the samples from each pen tested positive for E. coli 0157.

The second part of the study was to test the persistence of E. coli 0157 in feces from cattle on the abovementioned diets. The samples were inoculated with a five-strain mixture of naldixic acid-resistant E. coli 0157. (Naldixic acid-resistant strains are selected-for in the lab to allow researchers to track the bacteria.)

Portions of fecal samples were tested weekly until E. coli 0157 could no longer be detected in the feces for three consecutive weeks.

The number of E. coli 0157 in samples from all three diet types declined steadily and uniformly, with 22 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

no significant differences in the persistence of E. coli 0157 in the feces among diets.

In the challenge study, the steers were inoculated with a four-strain mixture of naldixic acid-resistant E. coli 0157. They received one of four barley-based finishing rations: without DDGS, 40 per cent CDDGS, 40 per cent WDDGS, or 20 per cent CDDGS and 20 per cent WDDGS. Fecal grab samples from individual steers were taken for 70 days to obtain a total of 544 samples.

Although there were no significant differences in overall rates of shedding among the diets, the numbers of E. coli 0157 did differ on certain days when the CDDGS group had lower numbers of E. coli 0157 compared to the other groups.

Hallewell says the design of this study with a large number of animals and samples taken in the commercial cattle trial along with the challenge study may account for the difference in findings from the earlier studies, many of which had a low prevalence of E. coli 0157 shedding in the sampling group and, or fewer sampling periods. As well, a laboratory study last year by Yang et al found that E. coli 0157 concentrations vary with the source of corn or wheat DDGS, suggesting that factors other than diet alone may be important.

DIET EFFECTS Diet composition affects total E. coli population insofar as it alters the microflora and pH level in the digestive tract. E. coli prefer a slightlyacidic (low pH) environment.

Cattle fed high-starch, grain-based diets typically have a more acidic environment in the digestive tract than cattle fed forage-based diets and some studies have shown that total E. coli counts are higher in feces from cattle on grain-based diets than from those on forage-based diets. The type of grain in the ration may make a difference, with some studies showing E. coli 0157 counts higher in feces from cattle on barley-based rations than from those on corn-based rations.

DDGS contains very little starch because most of it is removed from the grain in the ethanol production

Based on these studies, DDGS don’t increase shedding of E. coli 0157:H7.

process. Therefore, replacing some of the grain with DDGS could lead to a decrease in acid production, thus raising the pH level in the digestive tract relative to that in cattle on grain-based rations without DDGS. Hallewell’s commercial study did find that fecal pH was significantly different among diets, however, fecal pH had no effect on the prevalence of E. coli 0157 shedding.

The form of distillers grain — wet versus dry — in the ration could also alter the pH level in the digestive tract, however, studies investigating the effect of wet distillers grain on fecal shedding of E. coli have shown conflicting results as well.

A 2009 study showed that steers on backgrounding diets including 13.9 per cent wet distillers grain shed twice as many E. coli 0157 as those on the corn grain-based control diet.

In the finishing phase, the presence of E. coli 0157 in the feces and on the hides was much higher for steers fed 40 per cent wet distillers grain than for those not receiving wet distillers grain. Yet a year later, another study concluded that feeding 20 per cent wet corn distillers grain had no effect on fecal prevalence of E. coli 0157.

OTHER CONTRIBUTING FACTORS Hallewell points out that only about 10 to 25 per cent of cattle harbour E. coli 0157 and, typically, they are intermittent shedders, with some animals testing positive for the pathogen one day and negative the next day.

Some individual animals seem to have unique shedding patterns with periods of high shedding and longer periods of reduced shedding. These animals, called “supershedders,” commonly have E. coli 0157 concentrations of more than 10,000 colony-

Jennyka Hallewell

forming units per gram (cfu/g) and as high as 100,000 cfu/g, whereas, the concentration of E. coli 0157 in feces from the intermittent shedders generally ranges from 10 to 100 cfu/g.

The age of the animal can affect the prevalence of E. coli 0157. Calves and heifers have been found to shed more E. coli 0157 than adult animals and they are more likely to shed E. coli 0157 just after weaning.

There is a seasonal effect as well, with the warmer months of May through September being the peak shedding time.

Animal housing has been implicated in the spread of E. coli 0157 within a herd or pen. Bacteria spread from animal to animal by direct contact as well as shared feed and water sources, therefore, the prevalence of E. coli 0157 shedding can be higher among animals kept in close quarters. The presence of other persistent animal reservoirs, such as wild ruminants, birds, flies and dogs, that can transmit E. coli 0157 can be a factor, as well.

At the feedlot, stress from transwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

port, weaning, animal turnover, high stocking density, and mixing of animals can affect the numbers and spread of E. coli 0157. Levels tend to be highest shortly after entry to the feedlot and usually decline thereafter.

However, that trend can be influenced by environmental factors, such as mud and even the hours of sunshine, she adds.

Evolution of E. coli bacteria may also contribute to an increase in prevalence. Based on evidence that E. coli may develop resistance to volatile fatty acids, which are fermentation byproducts that are present at higher concentrations when cattle are fed grain, it follows that E. coli

0157 could also develop an increasing tolerance to digestive acids. Acidtolerant bacteria would have higher survival rates than other bacteria in the digestive tract.

The presence of all of these factors presents challenges in assessing diet as an individual factor as no single factor alone is responsible for shedding of E. coli 0157, Hallewell says.

It’s not clear as to whether E. coli 0157 was a newly emerging strain when it was first identified as a foodborne pathogen in 1982, or whether it had always been present in cattle and improved detection methods led to its discovery at that time. Though E. coli 0157 is now the most com-

monly isolated pathogenic E. coli that causes disease in people in North America, new pathotypes are continuously emerging and some of those have been implicated in disease in people as well. One thing for certain is that new strains of potentially pathogenic E. coli will continue to emerge.

The beef industry has been working to address the E. coli 0157 issue through research projects such as those mentioned above to determine the effect of diet on fecal shedding and by implementing practical measures on farms and feedlots to prevent runoff from manure from directly entering waterbodies. Pack-

ing plants have invested millions of dollars to implement a number of safety measures to prevent E. coli 0157 bacteria from tag on the hide or from the digestive organs from contaminating meat. Processes such as steam pasteurization, steam vacuum cleaning and lactic acid washes alongside adherence to strict hygiene protocols are standard in federal packing plants.

Taking steps to determine the factors that define the ecology of E. coli 0157 and identify methods to reduce its presence on the farm will continue to ensure healthful, safe beef products for consumers, Hallewell concludes.

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Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011 23

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feeding management

By Janet Kanters

U

p, down but never out, the North American beef industry keeps going on optimism in between profitable closeouts. The most upbeat producers are those who see the consumer as final player and have learned to focus on beef with taste and tenderness.

Western Feedlots, with locations near High River, Mossleigh and Strathmore, Alta., fits that mode. The company works co-operatively with cow-calf producers, specialized feeders and market investors, sharing carcass data to help improve herds so that subsequent calf crops keep improving.

Indeed, Western pioneered the concept of returning both feedlot and carcass information to ranchers in the mid-1990s. Travis Hickey, general manager of cattle strategies for the company, called that program successful even though carcass data wasn’t linked to individual animals in those days.

“Today, we can provide weights on arrival, average daily gain during the feeding period, death loss, carcass weight, quality grade and yield grade, all on an individual basis,” he says.

Quality-oriented ranchers who sell direct to Western earn premiums above the market — better-than-average prices because feedlot managers knows their cattle will perform better than average. Ultimately, they will feed for less and/or earn carcass-merit premiums from the packer.

Ranch customers Charlie Fullerton, who uses only Angus bulls on black and black baldy cows north of Pincher Creek, Alta., has been feeding with Western for more than 20 years. He retained ownership until the last two years when he sold direct to the feedlot, which has shared performance and carcass data for several years.

“That lets us see which cows and bulls are doing the best; I’ve culled some cows partly on their carcass data,” says Fullerton. “I still have a few to cull.” He attributes an improvement in grade from 50 per cent AAA to 75 per cent AAA to that and adding more Angus genetics, but it has not moved up much in the last five years.

“I select bulls mainly on looks,” he admits. “I’m kind of old school, but will look at numbers to a point.”

More attention there could lead to premiums from higher grading calves, but at least he sees that potential.

“A lot of people don’t think about premiums for quality, or even know what they have. You don’t unless you 26 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

feed them,” says Fullerton. “Then if they don’t perform on the grid, you’ve got to start changing something.”

Another 20-year customer, Twin H Cattle Co., near Goodsoil, Sask., looks forward to getting individual data now. Trevor Himmelsbach calves 800 Angus-base cows there with his brother Roy, father Paul and uncle Gerhardt, starting in late winter. They are weaned in October and custom fed at Western Feedlots.

“We were glad to hear Western is sharing the individual carcass data,” says Himmelsbach. “We’ve seen the group data for many years, but could not link that to our own records until now.” The group data has shown an improvement over time similar to that of Fullerton’s cattle.

“We’ve had a big improvement, but looking forward to more,” says Himmelsbach. “The bulls I use for AI, I try to select those that will marble well, get a good ribeye and a little less fat — high-grid bulls you might say.

Being able to select on the cow side as well, we can make more improvement in those traits.”

Group data showed Certified Angus Beef (CAB) brand acceptance less than 20 per cent and no more than one per cent Prime. “That’s not where I want those to be,” he says. “We can make a lot of progress there, looking back on which cows are producing CAB and Prime, and AI’ing those to get even better replacements in their progeny.”

It pays to know Known genetics can be an advantage at the feedlot, helping performance predictability, but especially in the first few years, there are still a lot of variables. Experience shows the effect of a change in feeding program,

photo janet kanters

WORKING TOGETHER FOR BEEF QUALITY, PROFITS

Travis Hickey is general manager of cattle strategies at Western Feedlots.

next few years, and then even higher into the next decade.

Building up information saves money, but current information can help, too. If there are enough calves from one ranch to fill a pen with no mixing, and if vaccinations can be verified, a feedyard can avoid duplication and thereby lower the breakeven price.

“Predictable performance will bring a premium, as long as it’s better than average,” notes Hickey. Commodity calves make up the average with “very predictable health outcomes for the most part, and we’ve built our protocols to reflect that.”

To gain more knowledge whether from one ranch or a put-together pen,

Predictable performance will bring a premium, as long as it’s better than average… Travis Hickey implant or market weight. The more that is known over the years, the more value, but it’s an ever-changing body of knowledge, says Hickey.

“Genetics change from one year to another with the use of different bulls, and there can be large variation within a herd,” he says.

He would like to feed more cattle from repeat sources like Fullerton and Himmelsbach, but those currently amount to less than 10 per cent of Western-fed cattle. Hickey would like to see that reach 50 per cent in the

Western set up an individual animal management (IAM) program. “We’re using phenotypic and other characteristics to aid us in predicting what we don’t know and how we should manage the unknowns from year to year,” he says.

IAM goes beyond The renewed, more detailed information-sharing initiative strives to return more than individual carcass information, adds Hickey. “We work with producers

in understanding how their cattle performed relative to their cohorts managed using similar protocols, in the areas of performance, health and carcass attributes.”

The program sets goals for every pen of cattle when they arrive at the feedlot, but Western research data determines how the cattle should be managed. For example, one pen of placements may be sorted into more than six different groups based on their individual attributes.

“Attention to detail is paramount when using these IAM strategies,” says Hickey. “If you miss a marketing date by one week on a group of cattle, it can be hugely detrimental.”

Western sorts individuals off from a pen as they are ready for market to reduce the variation in carcass weight and manage optimal end points.

“We encourage cow-calf producers to get more than just carcass data back, because carcass data without other information is of very little value,” adds Hickey. “For example, as the industry adopts beta-agonists and new implant technologies, it drastically alters the carcass composition. If you don’t know how cattle were managed when you’re looking at your carcass data, it may push you toward a herd selection decision that may not be the right direction.”

Shared values Producers who want to retain ownership can, and Western has several financing options to make that happen. The IAM program has meant less Continued on page 28 www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Simmental and Angus are two of the strongest beef breeds in Canada. Together these genetics cross to make outstanding performance calves.

The Simmental Angus cross cattle have been proven year after year to be the top performers for commercial cattlemen across the country.

Using a Simmental bull on your Angus cowherd is highly beneficial for hybrid vigor, and for producing good quality, high performance calves.

Give your cowherd the best they deserve, give them hybrid genetics that work!

Canadian Simmental Association

13, 4101-19 Street NE, Calgary, Alberta T2E 7C4 Tel:(403) 250-7979 E-mail: cansim@simmental.com website: www.simmental.com

Most in the Canadian cattle industry believe there is and will continue to be a shortage of Charolais bulls. Becoming a PROFITABLE PUREBRED CHAROLAIS BREEDER can begin here…

sterling ColleCtion sale, sasKatoon, sK Over 30 years of quality tradition

nov. 24th deC. 2nd

photo janet kanters

Canadian Western agribition sale, regina, sK High Quality right from the show strings

P-3 ranCh/bar PunCh ranCh disPersals, MediCine hat, ab deC. 12th 350 head of White, Red Factor & Full French to choose from drd Charolais disPersal, regina, sK deC. 17th 100 head of Red Factor and White from 25 years of breeding JMb Charolais sale, virden, sK deC. 19th Over 100 head from a herd that is competitive every time they go to town Call for more information and EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES or view the catalogues online at www.bylivestock.com

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helge and Candace by • regina, sK • 306.584.7937 helge cell 306.536.4261 • Candace cell 306.536.3374 charolaisbanner@gmail.com 9/23/11

2:03 PM

Page 1

20TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Fence Lines to Corporate Board Rooms Prominent speakers identifying opportunities and connecting the pieces to address consumer concerns and pressure from special interest groups.

December 7 & 8, 2011 • Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, SK Phone: 306.249.3227 Email: facs@sasktel.net Website: www.facs.sk.ca Adele Buettner, Executive Director

New software lets Western manage individual cattle for optimum production.

Continued from page 26

focus on traditional custom feeding, since all data is available to the producer simply by selling to the feeding company or one of its dealers.

“In the last couple of years, I’ve actually encouraged producers not to feed their own calves but just simply sell to us and focus their attention on what they’re good at,” says Hickey.

“Then we’ll work with them on the areas we’d like to see them focus on.”

That’s usually different for each producer, but marbling and quality grade are often up for discussion.

“It’s a complex puzzle, and high quality grade doesn’t necessarily mean profit, but all else being equal, an average-yielding carcass that grades upper AAA and fits the CAB brand can be worth $50/head more than AA of the same weight,” says Hickey.

It’s not uncommon for a load of Western-fed cattle to go 80 per cent AAA, and some have gone 100 per cent or better, but the CAB share has been more commonly in the 10 to 15 per cent area. That can improve while making progress on feed efficiency at the same time, says Hickey, based on company data. That is, you don’t have to give up quality when selecting for feed efficiency.

Not every rancher would make a good fit in this kind of a relationship that includes beef quality. For those who have no experience feeding, he suggests working backward from endproduct marketing goals.

“We are very focused on carcass quality; we’ve built our production protocols with that in mind,” he says.

Canada can produce high-quality beef consistently, says Hickey.

“When you combine the advantages of our barley-fed cattle with our national traceability systems, strict animal health protocols and 28 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

highly regulated food safety standards, I truly believe we have some of the safest and highest-quality product in the world.”

These factors help explain Canada’s record of regaining access to international markets relatively quickly, post BSE, he says.

“I have the opportunity to tour foreign delegations through our feedlot on a regular basis, and I can tell you with 100 per cent confidence that these international customers are blown away with how much information we have on cattle,” says Hickey.

“They really like our traceability and trust our feeding programs. This is becoming more important with the average consumer everywhere, so Canada is in a great position moving forward.” Cattlemen should continue to record and provide data on their cattle even if they sell them, he adds, so the industry can grow in the highervalue marketplace.

That’s especially true if everyone in the cattle business gains a better understanding of the whole industry.

Seeing how changes in production practices impact health, performance and carcass quality, they can manage cattle to better fit the market.

High grain prices forces cattle feeders to look at efficiencies in more detail, especially feed efficiency.

“One of our challenges is to improve feed efficiency without sacrificing quality grade,” says Hickey.

Even though the company database indicates it can be done, it won’t just fall into place.

“New technologies are available that can drastically decrease carcass quality, so understanding which animals should get these products and which ones shouldn’t will be more important in the future,” he notes. “That is IAM in a nutshell, and that’s one of the areas where Western is focused.”

C www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Balog

JOHN ANDROKOVICH ESTATE LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA Auction Services – Lethbridge, Alberta

FARM “Working For You – Working With You”

The Producers Source of Western Canada’s Best Stock Cows & Bred Heifers Monday, November 14th, 2011 - 1:00 PM Special Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale – 300 head Balog Cow Palace, Lethbridge, Alberta

Tuesday, November 29, 2011 - 1:00 pm

66 Ranch (Chuck Beasley & Guest Consignors), Duchess, Alberta Complete Commercial Cow Herd Dispersal Duchess Community Hall (Cattle will be sold on Video)

Featuring East on HWY 3 to RGE RD 21-1 (Howe Road) then South 4 1/2 kms to TWP RD 8-4, 0.8 kms DIRECTIONS – From Lethbridge: G.A. Mckendrick Ranch Ltd., Cochrane, Alberta Featuring – From Lethbridge: South on HWY 4 to RGE RD• 1200 21-1 (Howe Road) then 1 km North to TWP RD 8-4, 0.8 km East.

Complete Dispersal Fancy Black Angus Females

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2008,

9:30 AM

• Tremendous High Quality Straight Bred, Home Raised Females Bred to 200 Tremendous Reputation Ranch Cows • 80 Solid Red, Red Brockle and Red Blaze Cows High Performance Beasley 66 Ranch Easy Calving Bulls • Chuck, Kelsey and Melissa have purchased the entire Badlands Angus • 80 Solid Black, Black-white face & Black Brockle Cows (Sewall Bros.) Purebred Angus Herd and thereford the sale of the Com• 40 Straight Bred Hereford and Hereford-cross Cows LUNCH AVAILABLE TERMS CASH or GOOD CH mercial Herd.

75 - 1st Calf Heifers • The majority of the cows are Home Raised (one iron) HAVING RECEIVED INSTRUCTIONS, WE WILL SELL AT AUCTION THE FOLLOWING: 350 - 2nd Calvers • Cows are 6-10 years old 400 - 3rd, 4th, 5th Calvers • Cows and Bred to Sibbald and Shoderee Red Angus and Mckenzie Black Angus Bulls, June 3 - August 30; and to one JoNomn Hereford 375 - Mature Cows Bull for two weeks.

This is one of the Top-Reputation Producing Herds in Western Canada!!

4WDMonday, TRACTORSNovember

SWATHERS 21,2011-1:00 pm

1-1996 Case IH 9370 4WD Tractor, 360 HP, 2890 HRS, Standard Shift, 4 Hydraulics, Excellent 24.5R32 Radial Duals (SN)JEE0036651 Beautiful Big Horsepower Tractor 1- Case IH 4894 4WD Tractor, 5995 HRS, Power Shift, 4 Hydraulics, PTO, New 20.8R38 Radial Duals, Plumbed for Air Drill (SN)16280361 Nice Clean Tractor

1 - 1998 Premier 2930 Diesel swather c/w 25’ MacDon 972 Harvest header w/PU Reel, 1853 HRS, Cummins Diesel, New 21.5L-16.1 Front Tires (SN)117229 Excellent Machine 1 - Hesston 8100 Diesel Swather, 1410 HRS, c/w 21’ header & PU reel, DSA and Keer Shear 1 - Versatile 400 Hydrostatic 20’ SP Swather 1 - Case IH 725 PTO Swather 1 - Case IH 730 PTO Swather 1 - 8’ swath roller 1 - 6’ swath roller

1 - MF 265 Diesel Utility Tractor, 3PH, PTO, 2 Hydraulics, 4 speed hi/low trans., Brand New Rubber, 18.4-26 Backs, 7.5-15 Fronts

& hoist, roll tarp, good 10.00R20 rubber (VIN)1GDN7D4E1CV593143 1 - 1966 Mercury 750 Full Tandem, 5+4 trans. c/w 18’ wood box & hoist 1 - 1966 Ford 700 3 Ton, 5+2 trans. c/w 14’ steel box & hoist

Monday, December 5, 2011 - 1:00PM Special Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale Balog Cow Palace - Lethbridge, AB

Featuring

TILLAGE & FIELD600 EQUIPMENT Head

1 - Flexi-coil System 95 48’ Harrow Packer Bar (SN)H015717 1 - Morris CP-743 Cultivator c/w Extended Harrow, rear hitch 1 - Rite Way 48’ Harrow Packer Bar 1 - Hutch Master 24’ Hydraulic Double Disc c/w Friggstad extended Harrows, rear hitch 2 - IHC 150 14’ Hoe drills c/w hitch & fertilizer boxes 1 - MF 128 28’ Cultivator c/w Extended Harrows 1 - 20’ Graham Holme Hydraulic Cultivator 1 - 12’ Graham Holme Hydraulic Cultivator 1 - Melroe 923 7 Bottom Hydraulic Plow 1 - Noble 24’ Blade, spring hitch, rock pans 1 - Noble 35’ wing type Blade, spring hitch, rock pans 1 - Noble 24’ Crazy harrows 2 - Noble Straight Blades (14’ & 12’) 1 - Ashland 60D Hydraulic Earth Mover, 2.5 yard (SN)14874 1 - Kirchner 10’ Hydraulic Land Leveler 2 - Kirchner Hydraulic Ditcher 1 - 3PH Ditch Filler 1 - Morris B3-36 Multiplex 1 - Gandy 430 24’ Hydraulic Applicator

2 - Chev 350 Pumping Units, Natural Gas, 6”, (one w/ Monarch Pum Berkley pump - completely reconditioned) - large quanity of intakes, valve openers, end plugs, couplers & irrigatio 1 - Lombardini Gen Set on cart w/ fuel tank (SN)1858707 1 - Duetz Diesel Gen Set on cart w/ fuel tank

C & E Livestock (Cletus Grubb), Gull Lake, SK Complete Dispersal 139 Fancy Ranch Cows Featuring COLLECTIBLE TRUCKS & TRAC • 80 Solid Black 2nd, 3rd & 4th Calvers - No Brands- Slick 1 - 1949 Mercury M47 1/2 ton, step side short box BAR D BAR RANCH - Homewood, British Columbia FWA TRACTORS - 1951 Mercury M-1 1/2 ton, V8, short box • 40 Young Yellow Charolais & Red Baldie Cows 3rct to 5th1 Calvers • 60 Straight Raised, One Iron 2nd calving Hereford Females 1 - JD 2950 FWA Diesel tractor c/w JD 260Bred, FEL & BigHome Bucket (new cutting blade), 1 - 1953 Ford F100 1/2 ton, V8 Flathead, short box step side • 20 Mature Black Angus Cows 8890 HRS, 3PH, 540/1000 Hydraulics, 18.4R38 Backs, 13.6R28 BredPTO, to2Reputation Black AngusFronts Bulls - Bulls In June, 2011 1 - 1956 GMC 9300 step side short box 1 - 1966 Mercury 100 1/2 ton, Twin I Beam, Custom cab, V8, little ru • Cows are Bred to Corbiell & Blume Hereford Ranch BullsTRACTORS • 2WD 120 Straight Bred - Home Raised - One Iron 3rd & 4th Calving Hereford 5 - Mercury 100 1/2 tons, Twin I Beam, Custom Cab, V8 (1-1962, 2 TANDEM TRUCKS Bulls in June 3/11 1 - JD 4840 2WD Diesel tractor, 7015 HRS, PTO, 3 Hydraulics, 8 Front Weights, 1966) Females - Bred to High Performance Red Angus bulls - Bulls in June Brand New 20.8R38 Duals (SN)P010054R 1 - 1991 Freightliner Tandem Truck, Detroit 60 Series Diesel Engine, 18 Speed, 410 Bar D Bar Ranch, Homewood, BC 1 - IHC McCormick Farmall Super M Tractor, PTO, good 13.6/12-38 1 - IHC 1086 2WD Diesel Tractor,-Cab, 3239 HRS, PTO, 3 Hydraulics, 10 Front 11/11 Very Fancy Young Females Rear End c/w 20’ steel box & hoist, roll tarp, remote control end gate, 11R24.5 run) Complete Dispersal Weights, 18.4-38 Radial Duals rubber, Beautiful well kept Truck (VIN)1FUYZSEB8ML443539 1 - JD steel wheel wooden manure spreader • 100 Black, Black-white face & Black Brockle Cows-Tandem 2ndTruck, to 8th 1 - 1998 Freightliner 3406 Calvers Cat Engine, 15 Speed c/w 20’ steel box • 300 Power Black & Red Angus Cows, Mostly 2nd, 3rd & 4th Calvers UTILITY TRACTORS & hoist, roll tarp, new 11R24.5 Rubber, Air Ride, Nice & clean Bred To High Performance Charolais Bulls - Bulls in June, 2011 QUAD & YARD EQUIPMEN • Cows Bred to High Performance Black & Red Angus Bulls; 1 - JD 2140 Diesel Utility Tractor, Canopy, 3460 HRS, 3PH, PTO, 2 hydraulics, Front (VIN)2FUPYXYB7JV285101 1 - Honda Fourtrax ES 4x4 Quad Weights, 18.4-30 Backs (good) (SN)385679 Excellent Popular Tractor 1 - 1982 GMC 7000 Tandem Truck, 427 Gas, 5+4 Transmission c/w 20’ steel Bulls box in June 10/11 1 - Honda XR200 Dirt Bike, rebuilt engine, runs good Very Productive Cows!!

Special Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale – 300 Head Balog Cow Palace, Lethbridge, Alberta

COMBINES & HEADERS 1 - 1987 MF 860 Diesel Combine c/w MF 9001 Header & Swath Master Draper PU, 2477 HRS, hopper extensions, straw chopper, Big 24.5-32 Fronts, New 12.424 Backs (SN)H20371 1 - 1986 MF 860 Diesel Combine c/w MF 9001 Header & Victory Super 8 PU, 2783 HRS, hopper extensions, straw chopper, 24.5-32 Fronts, New 12.4-24 Backs (SN)H20384 1 - 1983 MF 860 Diesel Combine c/w MF 9001 Header & Victory Super 8 PU, 2421 HRS, straw chopper, 24.5-32 Fronts, 11.2-24 Backs (SN)17648 1 - MF 760 Diesel Combine c/w Victory PU header & straw chopper 2 - 30’ MF 9030 straight cut headers c/w header transports 1 - 24’ MF 9024 staight cut header c/w header transport 1 - MF 9001 header c/w Westward Melroe 388 PU 1 - Melroe 388 PU

TRUCKS & TRAILERS

Monday, November 28th, 2011 - 1:00 PM 1 1 1 1

-

1997 Ford F250 HD 4x4, Automatic, 168,000kms (VIN)1FTHF26H8VEC94106 Dodge 300 Service Van (runs) 16’ tandem axle flat deck trailer (brand new deck, good rubber) 20’ 4 wheel wooden flat deck trailer

Special Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale Balog Cow Palace, Lethbridge, Alberta

AIR DRILL Featuring 1 - 1995 Flexi-coil 5000 39’ Air Drill (SN)P059740, 9” spacing, only 1 season on

1 - JD 10 steel garden wagon

This is a nice set of Ranch Cows 1 - Howse 5’ rotary Mower AUGERS & TANKS

1 1 1 1 3 1 1

-

Brandt 1370 PTO Swing Auger (like new) Westfield MK80-61 PTO Swing Auger Keho Airflow Bin Fan, single phase 1200 gal portable 4 wheel water cart, poly tank c/w Honda 5 HP water pump 125 gal slip tanks w/ electric pump 500 gal propane tank on cart 1000 gal steel tank

2 - Yamaha Golf Carts (1 for parts)

SHOP TOOL & MISCELLANO

Energair 1 Air Compressor w/ 5.5HP Honda, Portable Arch 250 Weld impact wrenches, floor jacks, bench grinder, vises, socket sets, wrench s screwdrivers, files, post mall, extension cords, shop vac, hyd. Jacks, cre wrenches, punches, chisels, clamps, heavy long chains, shovels, forks, b all jacks, acetylene welder, funnels, grease guns, New 18.4-34 Tractor Aluminum Loading Ramp, 25m/l railroad ties, quantity wood fence pos floating rod, truck box trailer, wooden box utility trailer, quantity bin part box, 2 - 8’x10’ wooden tool sheds on wood skids,6’x20’ steel truck bo container, 7’x53’ semi trailer stroage container, Chev 50 storage bus, p much more.

Thursday, December 8, 2011 - 1:00PM Special Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sale Balog Cow& Palace - Lethbridge, AB IRRIGATION GEN SETS

Kay & Laurie Wynder, Aetna points c/w Flexi-coil 2320 Cart (SN)P058572 Like new popular machine 45m/l - 7”x30’ main line Featuring 10m/l - 4”x40’ hand move **Annual Bred Heifer Sale** Leitch Farms, Brandon, MB SPRAYER 1 - pipe trailer 1 - 2000 Flexi-coil 67XL 110’ Field Sprayer, 1250 gal tank, wind screens, hydraulic 2 - Irrigation guns on wheels • 75 Fancy - Home Raised 1st Calf Heifers (3/4 Angus Cross 1/4 Simmen700 Fancy Ranch Cows markers, 18.4-26 rubber (SN)A0-U089809 Like new! tal) All A.I. Synchronized - Bred to Red Angus Bulls for January calving • 350- Red Angus X Simmy & Black Angus Cross Simmy Cows 3 - 6 Years Old-Mostly Home Raised, One Iron • 25 Fancy, Black Angus 2nd Calvers - A.I. Synchronized, Bred to Black Cows Are 1/4 and 1/6 Simmental Simmental Bulls for February Calving Most cows are solid in color Wikkerink Farms, Bow Island, AB • 350 - Yellow Charolais Simmy X Hereford & Angus X Simmy Cows **Complete Cow Herd Dispersal** 4- 7 Years Old • 180 Fancy Ranch Cows, Home Raised, One Iron, 2/3 Solid Black Angus, Very Fancy- Big Ranch Cows 1/3 Black Brockle & BWF, Rich in Ebon Hill breeding, Black Angus Bulls, Cows Are Bred To Solid Red Purebred Easy Calving, Ebon Hill and Stryker, Bulls in May 10 – Aug. 15 – Full Health Program High Performance Simmental Bulls To Start Calving April 20/12 including Breed-Back and Scourguard Also Selling • Tremendous set of Fancy - Home Raised - One Iron Angus Ranch Cows All buyers are required to register prior to the auction sale or prior to bidding. Full settlement MUST be made on the date of the auction sale.•Terms bank draft approved company cheque or a signed commitment from a financial institution. Anyone issuin 22- are 2-3cash, & 4certified Year cheque, Old Solid Redand Simmental Breeding Bulls “Stop Payment” Cheque will beHeifers, liable for inconvenience fees. Calvers, Upon purchase of merchandise, it becomes the sole responsibility of the buyer and remains at the risk of the buyer. All merchandise will be sold on an “AS IS - WHERE IS” basis without warranty or recourse. Nei • 27 Bred 67 - 2nd,and 3rdlegal & 4th 65-5th to 7th Calvers One Sets AUCTION SERVICES nor the consignor shall be responsible for loading, any loss or damage whatsoever to any items. All items left by the buyer shall be subject This to removalIs and/or storageOf fees atThe the sole Great discretion of the BALOGOf AUCTION SERVICES. All items shall be available for exa Pakowki Ranching Ltd.will be responsible for any errors in description or condition, authenticity or for default in or concerning any items. Please inspect all merchandise before bidding. No item will be released or re intending buyers prior to the sale, but neither BALOG AUCTION SERVICES nor theCo. consignor Ranch Cows Inof Western Canada!! complete settlement has Red, been made. sales are No Cows bidder shall retract bid. Any dispute arising in as to any 10th bidding, shall be determined by the auctioneer at their discretion.

In case dispute the item shall be put up for advance bids and should there be no advance bid the b • 40 RedAll Cross & final.

Black bred tohis Black Bulls - Bulls July

the party from whom the auctioneer accepted the last bid. All announcements from the auction block supercede every other information either written or oral. All sales final. Neither the owners nor the auctioneers are responsible for errors in description or condition. Listing is to be con as a guide. SUBJECT TO ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS AND PRIOR SALE.

FOR UPCOMING SALES Check & EVENTS PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: www.balogauction.com out our website for more info: www.balogauction.com

“The Complete Auction Service”

R. C. (Bob) BALOG 327-1016

Box 786 Box 786 • Lethbridge, Toll Free 1-877-320-1988 Lethbridge, AlbertaAlberta Phone403-320-1980 320-1980 North •America Toll Free 1-877-320-1988• Phone LOUIS BALOG DARWIN BALOG Company Licence 109042 Company Licence 109042 Company Licence 109042 WEBSITE: www.balogauction.com E-MAIL: sold@balogauction.com WEBSITE: www.balogauction.com E-MAIL: sold@balogauction.com 331-0611 647-2212

MARK LENZ 330-7600

BRAD 642-

feeding grazing

BALE GRAZING SUITS THESE WINTER FEEDING PROGRAMS

By Heather Smith Thomas

L

etting cows feed themselves during winter reduces feed costs. A lot of time and expense can be saved if you don’t have to haul feed in from the fields and then haul it back out to the cows. Bale grazing provides economic and environmental advantages over traditional confinement feeding.

Lorne Klein, grazing and forage specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says a few people were doing it 30 years ago but may have been thought poor managers — leaving bales out in the field for cows to eat. “Over the past 30 years, but especially the last 10 years, some people began to realize the benefits of this method. Several things came together to make it more feasible. First was portable windbreaks, so cattle could be grazed in fields without shelter. Second was use of electric fence, to control cows’ access to the bales. Third was realization that snow can be used as a water source,” explains Klein.

This enabled stockmen to utilize fields that had no water.

NECESSITY PROMPTED BALE GRAZING Brian Ross and his wife Rosalie run 700 cows in southeastern Saskatchewan. They began bale grazing after BSE, when the cattle market plummeted. “Up to that point, we thought we were doing things as efficiently as we could. But when that happened, we had to scramble — we had to get more efficient or get out of the cattle business,” he says.

“The price of hay has usually been fairly reasonable. The costs that keep going up are equipment and fuel.

It was harder and harder to make ends meet. So we focused on ways to save on equipment and fuel. When we analyzed it, bringing hay in and stacking it, and hauling it out during winter — starting a tractor every day — our costs were about $10 per bale,” says Ross.

“In 2004, when we started bale grazing, we hauled bales to the cows to feed them for a week at a time. Now we don’t move bales off the hayfield, except on our rented land. We leave them where we make them, and move the cows to the bales during winter.

Our cows are in three bunches. We turn the groups of cows into enough

30 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

The bonus to bale grazing is the increased production in following years from the manure and residue left behind.

bales to last about 30 days. Even with just Rosalie and I looking after the cattle, our winters are easier. We have time to do a lot of other things.”

Unlike most ranchers who bale graze, Ross doesn’t use electric fence.

He just turns a group of cows into the whole field. “I start with fields closest to my water source. They graze those bales for about 30 days, then we let them into the next field. Toward the end of that period we make them start to clean up that hay. You need an estimated end time on each group, or your waste can become too much.”

Depending upon how cold the weather is, cattle may eat the bales quicker or slower. The weather determines how much you make them clean up. “You have to keep monitoring the cows and hay. But when it comes time to move them we just open a gate and chase them into the next 30 days’ worth of feed,” Ross says.

He’s done this for five winters.

“We’ve gone through some good winters, and some hard winters. Snow isn’t a factor; cattle tend to clean up the bales they’re working on before going to new ones, tramping through the deep snow.”

He has an old bale processor but it’s parked in the trees. “We don’t need it now, and it costs too much to run.

Any time you can get away from using equipment and fuel, it saves time and money — letting the cows do more of the work. They have the time to do it,” says Ross.

“But after doing bale grazing, I think our biggest advantage is the fertilizer benefit on our hay land. It

takes a couple of years to kick into effect, with residue from the bale grazing, but now those fields are producing more than they’ve ever produced in my lifetime.” He is making more hay, with no fertilizer costs.

“If it hadn’t been for BSE and tough times, we never would have tried this.

But along with it we’ve gone to later calving. We don’t start calving until mid-May and don’t wean calves until March. They winter with the cows on bale grazing. We stick creep feeders out there if it’s a tough winter — like last winter — and calves do well,” says Ross.

The calves are not stressed, being with their mothers, and come through winter with no health problems. “The health issue on the calves is a real benefit. I haven’t given a shot of antibiotic in the winter for a long time,” he says.

He markets the calves as yearlings after a summer on grass.

During winter the cows often use snow as a water source, but Ross makes sure they have water — especially since he started leaving calves on the cows. “I felt they should have water, even though I’m not sure they need it. After the pairs are in fields a half mile or more from the water source, we see them licking snow.”

They often prefer to lick snow, rather than walk to water, but the water is there if they want it.

“The biggest change, regarding our haying, is that we went to a net-wrapped bale. It makes the cows work a littler harder to start on a bale. They have to eat in from the butt ends, rather than the sides. They

don’t waste as much hay, and have a tendency to clean up a bale before they go on to the next one, because they know they have some tough pulling ahead of them to get it going,” explains Ross.

“There’s also less trouble with the net wrap than with bale twine. We gather up the net wrap in the spring,” he says.

MANY WAYS TO DO IT Pablo Pareja came from Colombia a few years ago to work for Paul Meunier and Sons Farm at Barrhead, Alberta. “They run a feedlot but also have a cow-calf operation. They’ve been doing bale grazing for five years.

Last winter they had 1,100 cows bale grazing and the rest in swath grazing or fed silage,” says Pareja.

His job is taking care of the cattle in winter, doing the feeding. “Most of the bales are brought from other fields to the bale grazing field. Usually we split the paddocks in long narrow rectangles to make it easy to move the electric fence. The cows have access to a three day supply of hay — about 35 pounds per head per day, but we increase it about 30 per cent if the weather is below minus 20 C or the hay is poor quality,” he explains.

“We use twine and net wrap. It’s a bit of work to get it off the bales before we let the cows in, but if you do it in the fall before it’s frozen (and keep in mind how easy it will be to feed the cows in winter!) it’s not too Continued on page 32

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Continued from page 30

bad. With the net wrap, we cut it close to the ground, then flip it up over the bale. Once you have all the bales cut, one person with a loader lifts the bale and the other person pulls the net wrap,” says Pareja.

“The big advantage is the labour and cost saved for winter feeding — with no equipment, no manure spreading, etc.

Another advantage is how it improves the soil dramatically. The disadvantage is that this system is competitive for the cows, making them clean up the bales — so you need to have the right kind of cows.” He does not recommend bale grazing for cows in late pregnancy because they may lie in the “holes” they make after cleaning up hay where the ground wasn’t frozen and may not be able to get up — and bloat.

Steve Kenyon, near Busby, Alta., has been bale grazing for 13 years.

He has his own mobile grazing school and helped set up the bale grazing method for the Meunier operation.

An aerial view of bale grazing on the Paul Meunier farm.

“When Pablo first arrived from Colombia, he had never experienced winter feeding. I taught him how to bale graze when he went to work for this ranch, and they were bale grazing 1,200 cows. They bought another 150 cows and put them in a separate area. It was already winter, and they wanted to get the new cows fencetrained before they turned them in with the other cows. The new cows weren’t accustomed to electric fence, and were breaking through it to get to the bales. The ranch managers saw it wasn’t working and decided that until they got those cows trained, they would just feed them.”

Pablo’s job was to bale graze the 1,200 head and take the bale buster out to feed the small group. “He told me it was taking him more time to feed the 150 cows than the 1,200 cows. He couldn’t understand why anyone would ever haul feed to cows.

He’d never seen it done either way — and it made a lot more sense to him to bale graze,” says Kenyon.

C

AUCTION MARKET DIRECTORY Brooks, AB. Ph: (403) 362-5521 Fax: (403) 362-5541 Website: www.bowslope.com E-mail: bowslope@eidnet.org Rod MacLean 793-3060 Lachie McKinnon 362-1825 Ross Annett 793-4715 Lowell Johnston 820-0516

Selling Cattle Online!

Serving Alberta’s Livestock Industry since 1940 Regular Sale Every Friday 9 AM • DLMS Sales Every Thurs 10 AM OctOber SaleS • Wed. Nov. 16 - All Breeds Calf Sale, 10:00 AM • Mon. Oct. 24 - Red & Black Calf Sale, • Sat. Nov. 19 - Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon • Tues. Oct. 25 - Red & Black Calf Sale, • Wed. Nov. 23 - All Breeds Calf Sale, 10:00 AM 10:00 AM • Wed. Oct. 26 - Limo & Charolais Calf • Sat. Nov. 26 - Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, Sale, 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon • Sat. Oct. 29 - Rancher Calf Sale, • Wed. Nov. 30 - Bred Cow & Heifer 10:00 AM Sale, 12:00 Noon • Mon. Oct. 31 - Red & Black Calf Sale, 10:00 AM December SaleS NOvember SaleS • Sat. Dec. 3 - BSSA Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, 12:00 Noon • Wed. Nov. 2 - Limo & Charolais Calf • Mon. Dec. 5 - Last Chance All Breeds Sale, 10:00 AM Calf Sale, 10:00 AM • Sat. Nov. 5 - Rancher Calf Sale, • Wed. Dec. 7 - Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, 10:00 AM 12:00 Noon • Mon. Nov. 7 - Red & Black Calf Sale, • Sat. Dec. 10 - Bred Cow & Heifer 10:00 AM Sale, 12:00 Noon • Wed. Nov. 9 - Limo & Charolais Calf • Wed. Dec. 14 - Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, 10:00 AM Sale, 12:00 Noon

Direct Livestock Marketing Systems

Direct Off-farm Sales Thursdays at 10:00 am

Daily Presort Sales Purebred Sales 1-780-554-4939

Visit www.dlms.ca

Feeder cattle sales every Friday.

Slaughter cattle sales weekdays.

Broadcasting Ring Sales Daily

Regular cattle sales every Thursday.

Special calf sales Saturdays.

www.teamauctionsales.com

www.calgarystockyards.com

403-234-7429

Regular cattle sale every Tuesday 9 am Please check our website for all special sales.

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

www.grunthallivestockauctionmart.com

32 CANADIAN CATTLEMEN / FALL 2011

For recent market reports and upcoming sales, please visit our website, www.killarneyauctionmart.com

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zXX Calgary Stockyards “The Hub of Livestock Marketing”

Regular Weekly Sales Special sales as advertised.

Auction Mart - 204-523-8477 Fax- 204-523-8190 Scott Campbell - 204-724-2131 Allan Munroe - 204-523-6161

Alberta’s Largest Producer Owned Auction Market

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

Killarney Auction Mart Ltd, Where We Have Excellent Buyer Support and Customer Service is #1.

Regular Cattle Sales — Every Wednesday Special Fall Feeder Sales — Every Monday Horse Sales Every 2 Weeks

The Heart of Alberta’s Finest Feeder Cattle 4504 – 42 St., Innisfail, AB T4G 1P6 403-227-3166 • 1-800-710-3166 iamarket@telus.net • www.innisfailauctionmarket.com Jack, Danny, Duane and Mark Daines

K.L.C.

Kawartha Lakes Co-operative Auction

580 Woodville Rd. RR#3 Woodville, Ontario Livestock Auctions every Saturday Stocker Sales - Wednesdays in Spring & Fall * Chicken, Rabbits and misc farm items: 9:30 a.m. * Pigs, Sheep & Goats: Ring #2 at 10 a.m. * Cull cows, bulls, finished cattle, bob calves, horses, stockers, bred cows, cow/calf pairs: Ring # 1 at 10:00 a.m.

For more info. call 705-439-4444 • www.klcauction.com

• Fresh calves straight from the producer • Checked for castration and clearly identified • 64 special feeder sales, all vaccinated calves Information and pocket calendar at: Feeder Calf Sales Agency Phone: (450) 679-0530, ext 8891 Fax: (450) 442-9348 E-mail: emartin@upa.qc.ca

Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec

Triple “J” Livestock Ltd. Sekura Auctions

Sekura Auctions

Triple “J” Livestock

www.sekuralivestock.com www.triplejlivestock.com Ph: 780-542-4337 Toll Free: 877-349-3153 Fax: 780-542-3444 Ph: 780-349-3153 3351 – 50th Street South Fax: 780-349-5466 Drayton Valley, AB 9004 – 110A Street Westlock, AB “We’re Not just buildiNg a busiNess We’re buildiNg a reputatioN” Welcome to

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FA L L S A LES

Rancher Calf Sales . . . . . . . . . . . Mon & Wed at 10:00 am Stock Cow & Bred Heifer Sales . . . . Tues & Fri at 1:00 pm Feeder Cattle Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Thurs at 11:30 am Pre-Sort Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sat at 10:00am

vJv Foothills Livestock auction

Box 10, Stavely, AB T0L 1Z0 email: foothillsoffice@vjvauction.com Rob Bergevin, Manager 403-625-7171 (cell) Sales Barn 403-549-2120 Fax: 403-549-2253

Toll Free: 1-877-549-2121 Regular sales eveRy FRiday at 9 a.m.

For a complete listing of our sales visit www.perlich.com Or contact us by phone at:

Special Calf Sales Mondays throughout the Fall

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

For all your marketing needs please give us a call or stop by!

403-329-3101

Picture Butte Auction Market

Box 6, Picture Butte,

Connection AB T0K 1V0 Your Total Auction

Reg. Feeder & Slaughter Cattle Sales–Tues. 10:30 a.m.

Reg. Cattle, Hog, Sheep Sales – Sat. 11 a.m.

Special Calf Sales in the Fall Phone 403-732-4400 Fax 403-732-4405

Owner/Auctioneer: Erik Dunsbergen Office: Jenn Koot

Winnipeg Livestock saLes Ltd. Tuesday Slaughter Sale 9 AM Friday Feeder Sale 8 AM Scott Anderson 204-782-6222 Darren Tully 204-461-1434 Claude Deslaurier 204-447-0215/204-447-2446 Box 13, Group 220, RR#2, Winnipeg, MB. R3C 2E6 Ph. 204-694-8328 • Ship/Rec. 204-694-6784

www.winnipeglivestocksales.com www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Handling cattle: Think like the world is watching Whenever Ontario beef producer Dan Ferguson handles cattle on his 70-cow operation he gets a lesson in a fundamental reality of beef production today. “Everyone is watching.”

Located a little over an hour east of Toronto, he’s

surrounded by acreages, and many weekend urban farmers. “I get access to more hay and pasture properties,” he says, “but I have to be a lot more transparent. My handling facilities are next to the side road, so whenever we handle cattle, people stop and watch. I have neighbours who phone and ask when we are processing so they can come over and watch.

“You can’t say no to them; they would suspect we are hiding something. They want to know what you are doing, where the needle goes and why. You have to be very confident you are presenting them with a product image they are going to feel comfortable picking up and taking home at the retailer.”

Family run, average size Ferguson’s operation is typical of a lot of smaller operations, certainly in Ontario, but also across the country. The 70 female cow-calf operation is about provincial average. It’s family run and supported by off-farm jobs.

“Team Ferguson,” as he likes to call his family crew, are the labour supply. That includes his wife and business partner and their four children, from late teens to their early twenties.

“I like the word team,” he says, “but in sports terms I am also the first to admit that Team Ferguson does not always have its game face on. Sometimes things just don’t go the way they should,” he says.

That’s why he believes the Verified Beef Production (VBP) program is a lifesaver for operations like his, because of the support and templates it provides for managing everything from herd health to shipping.

“When I as a senior member of the family call out an order to the rest of the family on handling day, they may not always listen. But because we have a written document, everyone is in charge because everyone can read for themselves.

“If that is the protocol for shipping and this is the manifest that needs to be filled out, and these are the

things to be checked everybody just reads that and does it, including the trucker who picks them up. He really respects that manifest in the shipping side of things.”

Chart your course Part of the lesson from VBP workshops is to be prepared and chart your course before you’re doing the hands-on part of it, says Ferguson. That way you don’t have to be thinking on the fly.

One of the facts of our business is that a lot of people have off-farm jobs. So when you get people and the cattle together, you want things to go as smoothly as possible.

With VBP, you can see ahead of time exactly what you need to get the job done. You can go to the vet clinic in advance and get the product in advance so it’s at chuteside and you’re ready for the job at hand with the people you need.

“At our place if we’re doing a herd health day where we’re processing cattle, everybody knows there are written instructions and everybody can keep a cool head in these circumstances. It’s nice to be guided by the document that we’ve set out for the process that guides you for that operation on that day.

“I think that’s one of the key strengths of this program. It creates an attention to detail, so if someone has a short temper, is having a bad day this helps keep the whole process on track.”

Other benefits Having those records and management processes written down often also make it easier when applying for various programs and being prepared for services such as national traceability. “We’ve found by having records and documentation to back it up it’s less stress on producers and the system to get up to speed,” he says.

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feeding management

TIPS FOR STOCKPILING FORAGES

By Debbie Furber

T

he use of stockpiled forage for fall and spring grazing is becoming a common strategy to reduce the cost of wintering beef cows. When managed properly, stockpiled forages can meet the nutritional requirements for mature cows in early to mid gestation during the late fall and early winter. Feed value does decline significantly from December through to March and April, however, with adequate supplementation, stockpiled forage can be a valuable resource for early spring calving on pasture.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives forage and grassland specialist Jane Thornton looked at the potential of stockpiled forages in an extended grazing system during a three-year project starting in 2000, when stockpiling was in its infancy.

The key then, as it is today, is to graze or hay the stand in mid July, then let it regrow, she says. This will give you the best balance between quality and quantity for grazing from October through to whenever snow conditions make the forage inaccessible.

Mature, dry cows need at least one ton of dry-matter forage per acre to compensate for weather effects in late fall and early winter. Leaving the forage untouched after an early summer graze will provide adequate quantity come fall, but the stand will be mature and of low nutritional quality — even moreso if there has been leaf loss. Research through many years consistently shows that quality declines as forage matures, she explains. On the flip side, if the last graze or cut prior to winter grazing is postponed until late summer, the regrowth will be of excellent quality, but the volume won’t be there.

Thornton compared the regrowth yield of alfalfa and 11 varieties of grass in field plots at four locations in southwestern Manitoba. Regrowth was highly dependent on growing conditions from year to year. Even under less-than-optimal conditions, the for-

ages known to have strong regrowth potential — meadow brome, orchard grass, alfalfa and tall fescue — consistently outperformed the others.

Thornton suggests grazing the softer forages, such as meadow brome, earlier in the fall to reduce the risk of losing them under snow cover. Harder grasses, such as fescue and Russian wild rye, are more likely to stay standing, making them easier for the cattle to find in the snow.

The recommendation is to leave about 1,000 pounds per acre (three to four inches of residue) behind after grazing stockpiled forages. Attempting to graze below that level will limit a cow’s daily dry-matter intake, resulting in a loss of body condition regardless of the quality of the forage. As with summer grazing, leaving residue behind conserves moisture, protects the soil from erosion and improves nutrient cycling, promoting longevity and productivity of the stand.

The results of the nutritional analyses show that, while all of the stockpiled forages except alfalfa supplied adequate energy (total digestible nutrients) and all but Dahurian wild rye met the crude protein requirements for dry cows in mid-gestation during the fall and early spring, the relative feed value (RFV) of all forages had declined sharply by March, with only tall fescue and timothy being borderline for this class of cattle.

RFV is derived from a formula using the ratio of two fibre components of the forage: neutral detergent fibre (NDF), which represents the total fibre in the forage, and acid detergent fibre (ADF), which represents the smaller and least digestible portion of the forage. The NDF is filling and limits how much the animal is physically capable of consuming.

As a final reminder, Thornton says it’s important to plan ahead. Take time this winter to figure out how you will work stockpiled forage rotations into your overall grazing plan for the upcoming year.

For more information, contact Jane Thornton at 204-729-1387.

C

Three-year average yield of forage regrowth between July 15 and freeze-up in SW Manitoba.

34 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

The record on stockpiled forages The following three graphs present an overview of Thornton’s findings regarding the suitability of all 12 forages for stockpile grazing three classes of cattle in the late fall and early spring. Again, the quality varied from year to year, therefore, feed testing is the only way to be sure of the quality of your stockpiled forage. The graphs are a handy reference for forage selection if you are faced with having to repair forage stands damaged by excessive moisture or renovate some old stands and are considering stockpiling forages for the first time or expanding your stockpiled acres. However, it is advisable to consult a forage specialist, agronomist or your provincial forage association regarding the suitability of these varieties to your growing area.

Three-year average of total digestible nutrients (energy) in stockpile forages in SW Manitoba.

Three-year average of crude protein in stockpiled forages in SW Manitoba.

Three-year average of relative feed value of stockpiled forages in SW Manitoba.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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7 mi. E. of Irma on Hwy. #14 or 11 mi. W. of Wainwright - Look for Hereford Sign

feeding finance

A BANKER’S VIEW OF FEEDER OPERATIONS

By Debbie Furber

I

n most cases, your personal guarantee rates right up alongside having the equity and financial strength to carry a loan when you walk into a bank to arrange financing for a feedlot operation.

“If we are going to put our skin in the game, we need to know whether you are willing to put some in too,” says Bank of Montreal (BMO) agrimanager Glen Snyder, who oversees the loan application process for feedlot financing in Saskatchewan. Snyder gave participants at this year’s Western Canada Feedlot Management School at Saskatoon a rundown of the BMO’s 5M process to assess agribusiness applications on the merits of men, management, markets, materials and money.

Most financial institutions have a similar review process.

“Initially, there are three necessary qualifiers prior to drilling down into the 5Ms, Snyder explains. First off, you need to be able to provide the cash and, or equity equivalent necessary to back the loan. In most cases for asset term loans, it will be the lesser of 25 per cent of the cost of the asset or the appraised value. For operating loans, it’s usually 25 per cent of liquid assets, those being the assets that could be easily and quickly converted into cash.

For new startups, the equity requirement is typically 40 per cent of the lesser of the cost or appraised value of the land and facilities. In Saskatchewan, the government established the feedlot construction loan guarantee to help producers address this challenge. It covers 25 per cent of the construction cost up to $750,000 for a 10-year period. Under this program, either a startup or a major renovation or expansion of an existing lot would require 20 per cent equity.

Financial strength, as measured by personal net worth and credit bureau history, is the second priority for the bank. This indicates your integrity and ability to inject cash if necessary to replace possible operating losses down the road. A new startup would need a detailed business plan, whereas an existing operation may use its financial statements from recent years. However, an in-house business plan would be required if there are special circumstances, such as a major expansion, change of ownership, or change in business structure.

The final qualifier is the willingness of the shareholders or owners to commit by providing personal guarantees.

The amount of the personal guarantee is negotiable, but usually falls between 36 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

50 and 100 per cent of the operation’s outstanding liabilities. Communityowned feedlot startups present somewhat of a different situation. It’s not feasible to obtain guarantee commitments from the large number of shareholders, therefore, the equity requirement is 40 per cent rather than 25 per cent.

“If you don’t qualify, we don’t just decline the application. We discuss how we can get you qualified,” Snyder adds. “For example, if you need more equity, we go out and do a valuation.

If you still don’t qualify, but have a strong financial history, we may be able to mitigate the shortage of equity with a supporting personal guarantee.”

If you qualify, then it’s on to the 5Ms. For an existing feedlot with good records at hand, the entire process will probably take about a month from the time of initially walking in until you have an answer. New operations should allow six to nine months to develop a business plan and arrange financing because of the time it takes for the board of directors to show due diligence.

The 5M assessment works the same way as the qualifiers. It’s a process with each factor related to each of the 5Ms rated on its own merit, Snyder explains. If you don’t meet a requirement, he will look at the whys and hows. A case in point is the debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) for clients coming to the BMO from another financial institution. It’s an indication of profitability and the ability to cash-flow annual principle and interest payments. The BMO looks for a DSCR of around 1.25:1 ($1.25 in net income for every $1 in debt to be serviced). If it’s on the low side, it could be due to high interest rates or the existing payback term being too short on some loans and it may be possible to restructure financing to achieve a reasonable DSCR. “Our preference, and that of most financial institutions, is all or nothing,” Snyder comments. This means that if you need financing for fixed assets, the bank prefers to carry the equipment and operating loans as well.

The main reason is that it enhances the service, understanding of the operation, and relationship between the client and lender.

Occasionally BMO partners with Farm Credit Canada (FCC), with FCC financing the hard assets and BMO financing the operating loan. Cattle purchases can be financed directly through the BMO, or through local feeder associations, regardless of which financial institution is financing the association.

For custom feeders branching out

into owning cattle, Snyder generally recommends going through a broker that offers a total package of services including financing, price and foreign exchange risk management, and repurchase. Financial institutions can help with foreign exchange hedging, but not with hedging and options on cattle pricing.

Obtaining financing is a step-bystep process that requires open communication and a good working relationship between the bank and the owner, and for new startups, between the bank and the contractor, financial consultant and other major players on the project, Snyder says.

MEN AND MANAGEMENT Of the 5Ms, men and management together constitute a large section of the application.

Taken into consideration are the board of directors’ and, or owners’ trustworthiness, education and employment background, level of experience in the cattle industry and managing people, level of success in their own businesses, along with industry and community connections and involvement as well as whether any conflicts of interest exist. As it relates to management, the focus is on the key positions of general manager and chief financial officer.

The organizational structure, operations manuals, employee policies, labour availability and competing industries in the region, use of professional consultants, such as veterinarians, nutritionists and commodity and foreign exchange brokers for risk management, are also important.

Of course, financial and production management are crucial. The use of computer software for accounting, payroll, inventory control, monthly statements, rolling projections and real-time foreign exchange management is noted. Preferably, it will be linked to the production software program, with the capability to do summary reports of pen closeouts, monthly summary reports and benchmarking reports.

Risk management is another key factor. In the general business area, a financial institution will require you to carry policies on the incomeproducing assets, third-party liability, environmental risk, and loan insurance. Other types of policies to be considered include business interruption, contract frustration, key-man life insurance and personal death insurance. Production insurance categories that may be applicable are crop and forage production, hail, livestock transportation, and inventory insurance. Income insurance is rec-

Glen Snyder

ommended through the use of tools such as AgriStability, provincial livestock insurance plans, hedging on the futures market, foreign exchange insurance, break-even software, and contracts to mitigate feed supply risk.

MONEY BMO’s guideline for equity percentage is 50 per cent. Your equity, or net worth, is the market value of your assets less existing liabilities against those assets, while your equity percentage is your equity divided by your assets.

The guideline for the debt-to-equity ratio is 1:1 (one dollar in equity for every dollar in debt).

The DSCR is your earnings before interest, tax and depreciation (EBITA) divided by your existing principle and interest payments. The guideline is 1.25:1 for the past three to five years.

If any one year is less than 1.25:1, the reason for the variance is determined by reviewing individual income and expense items.

Your future cash flow viability is analysed by rolling your existing debt, new debt and future money needs into an “average year in the future” budget to determine whether a 1.25:1 DSCR exists. Likewise, your balance sheet is recalculated factoring in the proposed financing to determine your equity position, which should be no less than 50 per cent.

The margin conditions, or loan-tovalue ratio guideline, is a maximum of 75 per cent for fixed assets and equipment. For operating loans, the loanto-value ratio shouldn’t exceed 75 per cent of your inventory value plus accounts receivable, minus accounts payable of more than 30 days and previous charges against inventory.

However, the loan-to-value ratio requirement will vary subject to the level of government guarantees.

Commonly, financial institutions will ask you to agree to maintain certain financial standards known as www.canadiancattlemen.ca

“covenants,” such as annual capital expenditure maximums, maximum debt-to-equity at year end, DSCR minimums, and dividends or cash withdrawal guidelines.

MATERIALS A financial institution will look at whether the land base for feed production and manure disposal is owned or leased and if, leased, the terms of the agreement. Other considerations include the percentage of feed produced versus feed purchased, whether the operation meets provincial permitting requirements, expansion potential given the existing permit and the water supply.

With regard to the facility itself,

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

the quality of construction materials, state of repair of the existing lot, a user- and animal-friendly layout, and backup water and power supplies are important considerations.

Also noted are the condition of equipment, maintenance records, onsite repair capability, capacity of feed mill and availability of licensed cattle, batch and truck scales.

MARKETS If you are a custom feeder, the financial institution will look at the number of clients, whether you are backgrounding and, or finishing cattle, and the type of feeding contract (weight gain, costplus, or a combination).

If you own the cattle, you will need to show a procurement plan that takes into consideration break-even calculations, transportation costs, and terms of sales contracts with packers.

ROLL IT UP The 5Ms are rated on their individual merits, then rolled into a single rating. Your application is then riskrated according to the overall rating.

If approved, the interest rate charged will be influenced by your risk rating.

The general health of the beef industry is always a background consideration, Snyder adds. As of July, the cattle industry was rated as outperforming the broad market on the

strength of the declining cow herd and short beef supply in North America relative to increasing global demand with U.S. beef exports on the rise due to the weakness of the U.S. dollar.

Looking ahead, trade barriers, foreign exchange rates and interest rates are factors that will affect the cattle industry’s “outperform” rating.

Going forward, markets are bullish for finishing cattle in Canada, versus bearish for feedlot demand and finishing cattle in the U.S. USDA long-term projections for cow-calf operations see producer margins above cash expenses to increase from $94.97 per cow in 2011 to $144.48 per cow in 2020.

C

Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011 37

feeding forage

LESSONS LEARNED FROM WET HAY By debbie furber

T

he 2010 growing season saw double the historic average precipitation across most parts of Saskatchewan and near triple in some localities. It was welcome coming out of a drought in some areas; not so much in others with ample moisture to start off the season.

With a similar scene unfolding this year across many parts of the Prairies, Dr. Greg Penner, assistant professor with the department of animal and poultry science, and Dr. Steve Hendrick, assistant professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, shared some of the lessons learned about forage quality from 2010 with producers during the Western Beef Development Centre field day at the Termuende Research Ranch near Lanigan, Sask.

In general, the heavy rainfall took a big bite out of feed quality and highlighted the importance of paying attention to fibre content in perennial and annual forages baled for hay and put up as silage, Penner says. Producers have been well coached to look at protein and energy levels when formulating rations and generally assume that if those requirements are met, the cows will winter fine, however, there were a lot of thin cows coming into calving this spring.

In most instances, it wasn’t for lack of feed in front of the cows. The widespread issue was that the neutral detergent fibre content of the forage was generally on the high side, while the crude protein and total digestible nutrients (energy) were on the low side.

Typically in Saskatchewan, alfalfa hay cut in mid-bloom has an average protein content of 16 to 18 per cent, energy of 60 to 65 per cent and fibre content of 45 to 50 per cent. Alfalfagrass hay generally averages 13 to 16 per cent protein and 56 to 58 per cent energy, with 54.5 per cent fibre.

Samples of the 2010 alfalfa hay crop from eight regions across the province averaged 14.6 per cent protein, 57 per cent energy and 57 per cent fibre. Alfalfa-grass hay averaged 12.7 per cent protein, 56.9 per cent energy and 62.4 per cent fibre.

As for fibre content in alfalfa hay, the low end of the range was close to average in two regions, but the high end ranged from 60 to 72 per cent across the province. The fibre content 38 Canadian cattlemen / Fall 2011

of alfalfa-grass hay ranged all the way from the low of 43 per cent to the high of 77 per cent in the North Battleford region alone.

The prolonged wet conditions affected fibre content only insofar as it delayed cutting beyond the optimal stage of maturity, Penner explains. As plants mature, the leaf-to-stem ratio decreases and changes in nutrient content can occur quite quickly. The leaf material contains much of the protein and digestible fibre, while the stem is largely fibre, some of which is not digestible. Thus, the change in proportion of the leaf and stem can have a large impact on quality.

The lower-than-average protein and energy content was due to large plant volume, which has the effect of diluting, or lowering the concentration of total nutrients in proportion to plant tissue, even after dry-down.

High water content in the forages has implications during the grazing season, too. Cows have to be capable of increasing forage intake to obtain an adequate level of nutrition because they are consuming so much water. Dr. Paul Jefferson showed that the crude protein level in annual forages decreases in direct proportion to increasing levels of precipitation by applying differing amounts of water through dripline irrigation on barley, oats and millet.

In drought years, the opposite would apply with the water content lower and nutrient concentration higher in smaller volumes of plant material.

Leaching is another factor that contributes to a decrease in forage quality during wet years, Penner adds. Rainfall on the windrows and bales can cause leaching of soluble nutrients from the forage. Excessive moisture can also cause movement of nutrients within the field, for example, nutrients may accumulate in low areas due to run-off, or move below the root zone making them unavailable to plants during the growing season.

THE EFFECT OF HIGH FIBRE When dietary energy is low, the fibre content of forages in the diet limits how much forage a cow is able to eat. Even though she may appear full and there is hay left in front of her, she will be malnourished because she is physically incapable of consuming enough hay to meet her basic nutritional requirements during gestation and after calving, without factoring in body condition score and weather effects.

Penner and Hendrick work through an example to illustrate this point.

1. How much will a cow eat?

Dry matter intake on a daily basis is about 2.5 per cent of a cow’s body weight, equating to 35 pounds of dry matter for a 1,400-pound cow.

However, a cow is capable of eating only 1.2 per cent of her body weight in fibre, equating to 16.8 pounds of fibre per day in the total diet for 1,400 pounds per cow.

2. What are the requirements of a 1,400-pound cow?

During the second trimester, mature beef cows need to consume a diet containing about 50 per cent energy and seven per cent protein, which equates to 17.5 pounds of energy and 2.5 pounds of protein. Without increasing feed intake, the same cow requires 21 pounds of energy and 3.2 pounds of protein during the third trimester.

After calving, she needs 22.8 pounds of energy and 3.9 pounds of protein in order to produce sufficient milk and ensure she starts to cycle again before the upcoming breeding season.

3. Does your hay quality meet the need?

Fed at 35 pounds of hay on a drymatter basis (approximately 40 pounds as fed), hay with seven per cent protein and 55 per cent energy, would provide 2.5 pounds of protein and 19.3 pounds of energy on a dry-matter basis to meet the requirements of a 1,400-pound cow in the second trimester. To meet her needs during the third trimester, she would require hay with nine per cent protein and 60 per cent energy. After calving, her nutritional needs could be met with hay with 11 per cent protein and 65 per cent energy.

4. What about fibre content?

While the energy and protein values may appear to be sufficient in order to meet the nutrient requirements, remember that cows require pounds of energy and protein, not percentages.

To ensure that fibre doesn’t limit the intake of energy and protein, divide the pounds of fibre she is capable of eating (1.2 per cent of her body

weight, which equates to 16.8 pounds in this example) by the fibre content of your forage. If your alfalfa hay was on par with the 2010 provincial average of 57 per cent fibre, she would have been able to eat only 29.5 pounds of hay per day, which is far less than the 35 pounds she should have eaten.

5. Are there nutrition gaps?

Again using the 2010 provincial average for alfalfa hay of 14.6 per cent protein and 57 per cent energy, they calculate how much of each nutrient would be available on a dry-matter basis in 29.5 pounds of hay with 57 per cent fibre. Based on these values, a cow would be consuming 4.2 pounds of protein per day (29.5 X 14.6 per cent), which would more than meet her requirements right through calving, however, she would be short on energy, with only 16.8 pounds of energy per day (27.5 X 57 per cent) during that same time period.

This deficiency in energy caused by high fibre content, explains why cows lost weight even though they had lots of feed available.

6. What’s the remedy?

Your options would be to purchase hay that meets her requirements, or bring in high-quality hay to blend with your high-fibre hay, or supplement the hay with grain to bring up the energy level in her diet.

The lesson learned from 2010 is that by the time you have thin cows, it’s too late to take corrective measures and the nutritional deficiencies will be amplified as calving approaches and post-calving, Penner says.

First, make every attempt to graze or cut perennial and annual forages at the optimal time to balance yield and quality. If wet weather delays grazing or swathing, it’s possible to manage the feed you are dealt with as long as you know what you have, he says. This requires testing of your forages to determine energy, protein and fibre values alongside knowing the requirements of your cows as gestation progresses. C www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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market talk with Gerald Klassen

Feeder cattle overview

I

’ve had many inquiries over the past month regarding the price outlook for feeder cattle. Many producers are in the process of deciding if they should sell their calves now or background over the winter. Lower calf crops, feedlot placement abnormalities, historical-high feed grain prices and fed cattle prices are all factors to consider when analyzing the feeder cattle market. It is also important that producers watch the futures market for price signals. I often say, “Producers need to understand what the market is trying to tell them.”

In this article, I will provide a brief overview of the major factors influenc-

ing the feeder market and try to define the current fundamental structure.

The Canadian calf crop has been shrinking since 2007. In addition to lower calf numbers, cow-calf producers are starting to hold back on heifers. These two factors suggest that the available feeder cattle pool in Western Canada is down about 100,000 head or about two per cent in comparison to last year. The U.S. cattle herd is not expanding but the feeder cattle pool is down about 200,000 head or one-half of one per cent in comparison to 2010.

The point is that the decrease from year to year is relatively negligible on both sides of the border.

March 2012 feeder cattle minus October 2011 feeder cattle

March has gone from a $3 discount to 4.90 premium over the October.

The market is anticipating stronger prices in late winter.

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More importantly, producers need to watch feedlot placements.

The drought in the U.S. southern plains (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma) has caused feeder cattle to be placed sooner than normal. From January through July 2011, U.S. feedlot placements totalled 12.380 million compared to 12.930 million head last year, which is an incease of nearly 550,000 head. Moving into the winter, placement numbers will drop below year-ago levels. We want to stress that placements seasonally decline in November and December and then marginally increase in January. January through March 2012 placements have potential to be down by as much as 200,000 head each month in comparison to 2010. This equates to a 12 to 15 per cent decline in available feeder cattle numbers.

In past history, an eight to 10 per cent drop in feeder cattle placements increases fed and feeder cattle by three per cent to five per cent.

U.S. corn prices have come under pressure during the harvest season.

However, the corn fundamentals will remain historically tight which should keep prices in the top third of the historical price range of $6 to $8 per bushel. However, we are seeing many feedlots in the U.S. southern plains use hard red winter wheat. Wheat fundamentals are relatively bearish in comparison to corn as the export market remains flooded with Black Sea supplies. Western Canadian bar-

ley supplies are also very snug and the wheat crop will be very good quality. Western Canada is deficit in feed grains and will have to import U.S. corn or DDGS. At the time of writing this article, DDGS were trading at a $10 to $15 discount to barley in the major feeding regions of Western Canada limiting the upside on barley.

The overall bearish feed grain outlook for 2012 will now start to be friendly for feeder cattle prices.

April live cattle futures have been trading near contract highs of $128 per cwt and producers in Western Canada have been able to lock in fed cattle for late winter at some very high prices in excess of $120 per cwt. Firstquarter 2012 beef production will be down sharply in comparison to 2011 and this will keep fed cattle prices very firm in the March-April time frame.

In conclusion, I want to draw attention to the feeder cattle futures market spread between October 2011 and the March 2012 contracts. Notice back in June, the March 2012 contract was at a discount to October 2011. At the time of writing, the March contract was at a $4.90 premium to the October. The futures market is telling producers to hold on to their feeder cattle through the winter and sell in March. Lower feedlot placements in the first quarter of 2012, neutral to bearish feed grain prices and a strong fed cattle market reinforces the price action in feeder cattle futures.

Gerald Klassen analyzes markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in southern Alberta. He can be reached at jkci@mymts.net or 204-287-8268.

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feeding grazing

USING SUMMER ANNUALS TO EXTEND FALL GRAZING

By Heather Smith Thomas

E

xtending the grazing season can help reduce production costs for cattle.

Even though about 95 per cent of swath grazing in Western Canada is done with perennial forages, some producers are using summer annuals to extend their grazing period in the fall and winter. Lorne Klein, a grazing and forage specialist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, says producers in his area are mainly using oats, barley, corn and millets for this purpose.

“These are usually swath grazed, but corn is generally left standing. Basically we are using cereal crops, seeded in the spring. We have about 105 to 115 frost-free days here. It’s a trade-off regarding seeding date. If you delay the seeding date you will have better quality of feed later in the summer, but the potential yield will be reduced due to the heat of summer,” he explains.

“When swath grazing was first invented, people were trying a lateJune/early-July seeding date. Normally, our wettest month of the year is June. If we try to seed a crop after the June rains, then we are getting into the hot, dry weather of July and August — and the yield is potentially reduced. So then we decided to look at warm-season crops like the millets.

But now we realize that if we don’t seed ahead of June rains — whether

it’s a cool-season crop like oats or barley or a warm-season crop like millet or corn — we may not have a window of time in which to seed. It may rain all through June,” he says.

“Then the rain suddenly stops and you are waiting for the fields to dry enough to seed, and you’re getting into July, and it doesn’t rain again. Currently we are recommending that people seed in early June before the June rains begin, even though every year may be different. This year we had many acres that were left unseeded, on much of the farmland in southeastern Saskatchewan. It rained from April through June and didn’t stop raining, so many grain farmers were not able to put in a crop,” he says.

The annuals that are commonly used to extend the grazing season are oats, barley, or millets seeded early.

“After 65 days we cut the crop and put it in a windrow, holding it at that stage of maturity. Leaving it stand is not an option because it matures too much, and if you try to graze it standing, the cattle trample and waste too much. So we put it in a windrow,” explains Klein. What you do with it afterward may depend on seeding date.

“Let’s say it was seeded May 20 and cut July 25. Rather than leaving it lying there weathering from July 25 until November 1 (before they start grazing it), some people are rolling it up with a minimum of twine, and bale grazing this forage,” he says.

“There has also been some talk lately about planting cocktail cover crops — putting in as many as 10 different species. You might put in sunflowers, beets, corn, millet, oats, barley etc. The research on this has been very thin, however. There are numerous ranchers in North and South Dakota who are doing this, and claiming some benefits, but there is virtually no research on it up here,” says Klein.

EXPERIMENTAL PLOTS IN EASTERN IDAHO In Western Canada and the western U.S. ranchers often run out of latesummer and fall pasture, especially when productivity of cool-season perennial grasses is limited during heat of summer. In 2008 the University of Idaho’s Nancy Cummings Research, Extension and Education Center (Salmon, Idaho) began looking at ways to extend grazing with use of summer annuals.

“We looked at species that grow well in dry corners of pivot-irrigated ground, to increase hay yield or pasture,” says John Hall, extension beef specialist.

“This evolved into a project to increase forage production for fall grazing.”

Test plots were continued for three years, 2008 through 2010. “Last year, production was a little lower, and we felt this was due to the cooler summer,” says Hall.

When irrigation was available during the 60-day growing season the first year, some species produced two to three tons to the acre. Part of the plot was given only a month of irrigation, with water turned off August 1, to simulate what happens on many ranches when water is no longer available.

The first test plots contained five species of warm-season annuals: Sudex, Teff (an annual grass produced in Idaho), German Foxtail Millet, Pearl Millet and Grazing Corn, planted July 1. Production varied from 0.5 tons per acre for Pearl Millet — with no irrigation after early August — to 5.6 tons per acre for Sudex (sorghum-sudan grasses) with full-season irrigation. The most promising species that year, according to Hall, were Sudex, German Foxtail Millet and Teff. They all produced

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more than 2.5 tons per acre in less than 60 days.

The next two years the entire plot was irrigated. The same species were planted, but with a change from grazing corn to a short-season silage corn.

“The grazing corn put out more tillers, but in subsequent years we used silage corn because we got more tonnage.

We also used white Proso Millet. The red millet is what the Canadians generally use, but we were not able to get it,” explains Hall.

All three years, the plots were planted the first of July — a late-season planting. “Part of the reason for planting that late was to avoid possibility of frost,” he says. Timing of planting would also depend on your grazing needs.

“Some of the annuals we put in for fall grazing, if planted earlier could be grazed once and left to grow again for fall. This would depend on the length of your growing season. One of our reasons for planting late (since we planned to graze only once, in the fall) is that these plants hit the physiological stage where they provide maximum yield and still have good nutrient quality for fall grazing. For example, corn is usually producing tassels and silk by then, but not much grain formation. The Sudex has headed out but is not mature — and the same with most of the other species.” The frost hits it at that stage and it doesn’t become overly mature.

“With corn, instead of grazing corn stalks, you are grazing frosted standing corn, with more nutrients in the total plant. Over the three years, the nutrient analyses we’ve done — with frost hitting these plants at their maximum growth stage but before they become overmature — crude protein levels have been between nine and 10 per cent on the low side, and on the high side between 13 and 14 per cent.

The energy values also exceed what a dry cow would need after weaning her calf,” says Hall.

This would make ideal forage for young cows or any cows that lost body condition while raising calves through the summer. “This is something we can graze without any need for supplementation,” he says.

“We found that our top-yielding species was corn, if we could get it planted properly. That was one of our frustrations until recently, because we didn’t have a corn planter. The other species are easier to plant. Many people have access to a no-till drill, which can be used for the sudex or German foxtail millet,” says Hall.

“Sorghum sudan grass was a close second to corn, for top production, followed by German Foxtail Millet — another good performer. These are all excellent species, if you plan to graze them once. If you have opporwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

tunity to graze twice, you can use Teff. It produces a crop so quickly that you can graze it several times.

It does require a prepared seedbed, however. This is the only species we didn’t no till. But we just disked the ground a couple times and used a Brillion grass seeder,” he explains.

Over the three-year project, corn produced between three and five tons per acre. “The variation was related to our ability to get it planted properly. The Sudex was very consistent at about 3.5 tons per acre. The German Foxtail Millet was between 2.5 and three tons per acre, under irrigation.

The nice thing about German Foxtail Millet is that ranchers can use it on Canadian Cattlemen_Dec10 12/14/09 totally dry land with no irrigation and

get about one to 1.5 tons per acre — in a country that gets about 14 inches of annual precipitation. Actual production may depend on pattern of rainfall during summer, however,” he says.

“We followed the normal seeding rate on all species, and strip grazed in the fall. On the Sudex and the corn we got about 70 animal grazing days per acre. The German Foxtail Millet gave us about 60 animal grazing days per acre. We grazed these plots in the fall, with heifers,” he says.

“We learned that Sudex and corn work very well if you want to graze after snowfall. They stand up and the cattle can get to it and root it out of the snow.” If you plan to graze the 10:01 Pageafter 1 snow, you might other AM species

have to put it in windrows, creating additional cost.

“If it’s just a light snow, cattle continue to graze the millets, but these mash down in a heavy, wet snow. As long as it doesn’t crust over, cows will dig for it, if they know it’s there, but Sudex and corn worked a lot better because there was always something sticking up for cows to grab and pull out of the snow. We grazed a lot of that in December,” says Hall.

One drawback to annuals is that wildlife are attracted to them. “Deer hit us hard last year. Any time we extend grazing late in the season, in this part of the country, deer and elk come into it.

They didn’t seem to bother the Sudex as C much as they did the corn.”

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is of an individual who influenced many young people as a 4-H leader many years ago and was a prominent figure in Ontario agriculture for years. Who is he?

◆ The Canadian Charolais Associa-

tion held its fall meetings Oct. 22-24.

The board of directors met, the strategic planning xommittee discussed how to position the breed and the association going forward, budgets were discussed and provincial reps attended.

All in all, it was an informative three days for everyone.

2011 Capturing Feed Grain and Forage Opportunities Conference: Feeding is a Changing Game Nov. 22-23, 2011 at the Strathmore Travelodge, Strathmore, AB calf in the September issue. The Oct. 10 issue picture featured Edward Jupp in the foreground and in the background wearing a red jacket is Herb Strandquist.

Highlights Include: • Changed Your Feeding System? How to Handle the Fall-out -Dr. Barry Robinson, Great Northern Livestock Consulting Ltd.

• From Round Bale to Corn Silage and Everything in Between -Dr. Robert Westra

◆ The Canadian Simmental Association is hosting the 2011 Garth Sweet Foundation auction during their AGM and national show at Northlands. The proceeds of this auction benefits the Young Canadian Simmental Association and the breed’s Jr. programming.

• Wintering Sites: Where Do All the Nutrients Go?

◆ The Salers website has been updated at www.salerscanada.com. The Salers office has also started an e-newsletter that can be subscribed to on the website. They will have a new issue ready to go within the next little while.

Breeders and anyone else can check out the Salers pages on Facebook at any time as long as they have an account with the social networking site. Just sign in to Facebook and at the top, type in “Salers” then click — that should bring up the Canadian and American Junior pages. Become their “Friend” and keep up to speed on the activities. Join in and post your own Salersrelated pictures, events and news.

-Don Flaten, University of Manitoba

• DDG’s and Other By-product Feeds: Are They for Me? -Dr. John McKinnon, University of Saskatchewan

Banquet Presentation: Beef Marketing Strategies - Debbie McMillin For more information: Check out the “Coming Events” at www.agriculture.alberta.ca OR the “Upcoming Events” section at WWW.ARECA.AB.CA

To Register: Contact the Chinook Applied Research Association at 1-403-664-3777

Registration Fees (includes GST, coffee breaks, lunches, breakfast) Individual $140 • Farm Unit $250 • Student $100 • Banquet $30

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

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

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 c) 45 to 54

44 Canadian cattlemen / fall 2011

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!

What do you think of: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you and your family like these features?

5 – I always watch for it; let’s see more of it 4 – I regularly read it and like it 3 – I usually read it 2 – There are things I’d rather read 1 – I don’t want it; get rid of it Regular Columns 5 4 3

Regular Columns News Roundup Purely Purebred The Markets

5

4

3

2

1

Market Talk Sales and Events

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

◆ Organizers would like to extend a

HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who came out for the sixth annual Cattlewomen for the Cure Charity Golf Tournament as well as the sponsors. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to have our best year yet by raising $49,000 for the Ronald McDonald Houses of Western Canada This year again, we were also able to donate $1,000 to the local food bank of the tournament winners (Maple Creek, Sask.) and $500 to the local food bank of the second prize winners (Nanton, Alta.). Support of our event has enabled us to make a difference not only nationally but locally too. Don’t forget to check out our website (cattlewomenforthecure.com) for all the latest updates from Cattlewomen for the Cure. This is a golf tournament that I look forward to every year, and I had a fabulous time this year with my group.

The organizers of this event do a fantastic job. Keep up the good work!

◆ A five-member team of high school students from Swan Valley Regional www.canadiancattlemen.ca

54 Teams Spanning North America Test Their Skills at One of North America’s Largest High School Environmental Education Competitions

latest recipient of the CHA Special Service Award for his contribution to the Hereford breed. Jim managed Putney Heath Farms in Ontario for 30 years and marketed Purebred Polled Herefords domestically and internationally. Congratulations to Jim for his dedication to the Hereford breed.

◆ Shippers of livestock and embryos

from Canada can expect export certification fees to stay the same for about two more years. The Canadian The first place team from Swan Valley Regional Secondary School, Swan Valley, Man. Food Inspection Agency has said it will continue to cap user fees at $75 Secondary School, in Swan Valley, yearlings as well as purebred and until September 2013 for a specific Manitoba, beat out more than 50 commercial females. All the sales can list of livestock and embryo indusAbove is a photo of the first place team from Swan Valley Regional Secondary School, Swan Valley, Manitoba, Canada. other teams to win the 2011 Canon be found at www.hereford.ca. tries. Between now and then, the Envirothon, a week-long North AmerCFIA said it plans to work with those MISSISSAUGA, ON., July 29, 2011 – A five-member team of high school students from Swan Valley ican environmental education competi◆ The Canadian Hereford Associaindustries to “modernize the user fee Regional Secondary School, in Swan Valley, Manitoba, beat out more than 50 other teams to win the tion sponsored by Canon U.S.A. Inc., a tion would like to express congratula2011 Canon Envirothon, a week-long North American environmental education competition sponsored by structure.” in digital imaging. winning tions Jim Pipher The cap is specific to export certiCanon leader U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digitalThe imaging.

The winning teamand wasappreciation announced onto Thursday, July 28th, during team closingwas ceremonies at Mount University in of Sackville, NewEast, Brunswick, announced onAllison Thursday, Caledon Ont. Canada. for being the fication fees that are now charged on July 28, during closing ceremonies at The 54Mount teams representing 45 U.S. states, eight Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory tested Allison University in Sackville, their knowledge on various environmental issues and resource conservation, while competing for a share New Brunswick. of over $125,000 in scholarships and Canon products.

The 54 teams representing 45 U.S. eight Canadian provinces and Valley Regional Secondary School team and the "We're states, extremely proud of the victory by the Swan efforts one put forward by all of the other tested teams," their said Colleen Ryan, Senior Director of Corporate Canadian territory Communications at Canon Canada.environmen"To see Swan Valley win and have West Hill Secondary School from knowledge on various Owen Sound, Ontario and Oromocto School from Oromocto, New Brunswick in the Top five is a tal issues and resource High conservatestament to the commitment and dedication these young people have made to the Envirothon program tion, while competing a share of since its introduction to Canada infor 2000.

We're thrilled to support Canadian students in this program." over $125,000 in scholarships and Canon winners, products.

The first-place The first-place Swan Valley RegionalwinSecondary School team, received a total of $25,000 in Canon ners, scholarships.

West Hill Secondary School, Owen Sound, Ontario ($20,000), and Spartanburg Swan Valley Regional SecondHigh School, South Carolina second and third, respectively. The fourth-place team, ary School team, ($15,000), receivedplaced a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships.

West Hill Secondary School, Owen Sound, Ontario ($20,000), and Spartanburg High School, South Carolina ($15,000), placed second and third, respectively.

a per-unit basis with no upper limit, CFIA said. The cap applies to certain swine, cattle, flightless birds, poultry, hatching eggs, horses, sheep and goats, plus the embryo export sector.

The decision to extend the cap on user fees is expected to save livestock producers up to $2.7 million, the government said.

◆ Remington Land and Cattle held

their “Final Drive” cow herd dispersal of their Angus and Simmental cattle Oct. 17 to 19 at their Milk River location. There were 1,606 lots of cattle, over 500 doses of semen, show supplies and sale barn fixtures on offer.

The folks at Remington indicate they are not leaving the cattle business, just switching direction, planning to focus on their commercial herd. So we can still expect to see Remington representatives at bull sales in the future. C

◆ After four years and three months, Karin Schmid will be leaving her role as the breed development co-ordinator with the Canadian Hereford Association. Karin has accepted a position with Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) as beef production specialist. She will be missed at the CHA but they wish her all the best in her new role at ABP. ◆ The Hereford falls sales started with

great success. Five sales have taken place in Eastern Canada by our deadline, all with increased averages for bred heifers, heifer calves and cow-calf pairs over last year. Optimism within the Hereford industry continues to soar as both the domestic and international markets choose to incorporate more Hereford into breeding programs. Bull calves have also seen stronger demand in Eastern Canada as commercial producers are adding Hereford bulls into the mix. One special note was that MHPH 9W YOUNGBLOOD 414Y sold at Medonte Highlands Polled Herefords in Ontario for $36,000 for a quarter interest to the Youngblood Syndicate made up of breeders from Canada and the U.S. The Hereford fall run was just getting starting at the end of last month with several sales to come across Canada featuring bull calves and long

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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Canadian cattlemen15/09/11 / fall 11:50 2011AM45

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7-8—Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan Conference, Saskatoon Inn, Saskatoon, Sask., www.facs.sk.ca 12-14—Alberta Beef Producers Annual General Meeting, Sheraton Cavalier, Calgary, Alta.

13-14—Canadian Forage and Grassland

February 7-9—Canadian International Farm Show, International Centre, Toronto, Ont. 15-17—Alberta Beef Industry Conference, Capri Conference Centre, Red Deer, Alta.

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22—All Star Classic Shorthorn Sale hosted by Alberta Shorthorn Association, Lacombe Research Station, Lacombe, Alta.

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January 2012 28—M.C. Quantock “Canada’s Bulls” Bull Sale, Lloydminster Exhibition, Lloydminster, Alta., www.mcquantock.com

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9-13—Canadian Finals Rodeo, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alta.

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11—Canadian Simmental Association Annual General Meeting and Garth Sweet Simmental Foundation Auction, Northlands, Edmonton, Alta.

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44 11 42 29 9 42 32 28 32 42 17 11 IFC OBC 20, 21 12, 13 43 37 27 45 39 6 19, 32 28

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32

46 CANADIAN CATTLEMEN / FALL 2011

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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