Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Episode 117: Special Edition - Grazing Season in Focus

This special episode brings together key insights, tips and strategies from multiple past episodes into one must-listen edition. Whether you’re a new producer or a seasoned rancher, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you achieve a smooth and successful grazing season - now all that's needed is some timely rain.
 
Relevant Links
Cracking the Code on Grazing Management Terminology: Animal Units, AUMS & How to Apply Them (article)
 
Developing a Grazing Plan (article)
 
Optimizing Pasture Health: A Practical Guide to Implementing "Take Half, Leave Half" Grazing (article)
 
Two Methods, Four Steps for Calculating Carrying Capacity (article)
 
Grazing Cattle on Cropland Can be Mutually Beneficial (article)
 
Grazing Management (webpage)
 

Episode 116: Remember the Four Principles of Pasture Management

Pastures play a vital role in beef cattle operations, but effective grazing management goes beyond simply turning cattle out on grass. In this episode, we explore how managing different pasture types and focusing on four key principles helps maintain productivity, support pasture health, conserve water and protect soil.
 
Relevant Links: 
 
This Grazing Season, Remember the Four Principles of Pasture Management (article)
Carrying Capacity Calculator 2026 (interactive tool)
Plan to Adapt When Grazing (article)
Adaptive Grazing and Grazing Management (webinar)
Grazing Management (webpage)
Calf 911 - How to Manage Colostrum to Allow Newborn Calves to Thrive (resources)

Episode 115: Home on the Range

In this episode, we look at how high crop prices, driven in part by rising global food demand, biofuel incentives, and risk perspective and management, are encouraging the conversion of marginal grasslands into cultivated cropland. As more hay and pastureland is turned over to crop production, wildlife habitat becomes increasingly fragmented, leaving isolated “islands” of grass that may be too small to sustain functioning grassland ecosystems. We explore research using Alberta as a case study to understand the impact that conversion of hay and pasturelands into cropland could have on ecosystem intactness and biodiversity.
 
Relevant Links:
Divergent trends in structural landscape connectivity from historic and potential future grassland conversion in Alberta, Canada (journal article)
 
Beef Cattle and the Carbon Cycle (article)
 
Environmental Footprint of Beef Production (webpage)
 
Gross Margins Calculator (interactive tool)

Episode 114: Selecting Replacement Heifers

Whether beef cattle producers retain females from their own herd or purchase them, replacement heifers are a key investment in the future of the herd. In this episode, two producers share their experiences with selecting and managing heifers, exploring how improving cow longevity can increase lifetime calf production, enhance returns and lower overall costs.
Relevant Links: 
Selecting Replacement Heifers: Boosting Longevity and Return on Investment (article)
 
Replacement Heifer Calculator (interactive tool)
 
Cost of Raising Replacement Heifers (resource)
 
Heifer Development (webpage)
 
Cow-Calf Production Indicators Calculator (interactive tool)

Episode 113: Silage is Top Choice for These Three Beef Producers

Canadian beef producers have been harvesting and feeding silage for decades. There are benefits to silage like flexibility when it comes to weather, producing more feed on fewer acres and potential cost savings, alongside challenges such as added equipment and infrastructure needs. This episode features the experiences of three farmers, highlighting the importance of learning, planning and adapting when incorporating silage on their farms.
 
Relevant LinksSilage is Top Choice for These Three Beef Producers (article)
Silage Cost of Production (article)
Feed Quality, Testing & Analysis for Beef Cattle (webpage)
Water Systems Calculator (interactive tool)

Episode 112: Innovative Water Initiatives to Improve Herd Health

In this episode, we visit a beef farm in Napanee, Ontario, to share one producer’s experience with water management. Hear how practical solutions like improved drainage and filtration, protecting natural water sources and capturing rainwater from barn roofs helped improve water quality and supply for cattle.
 
Relevant Links: 
Fences, Filters and Eavestroughs: Innovative Water Initiatives to Improve Herd Health (article)
Water Systems That Work: A Practical Guide for Beef Producers (resource)
Water Systems Calculator (interactive tool)
Water Management Resources (webpage)

Episode 111: Artificial Insemination Brings Big Benefits to Small Beef Herds

This episode explores how artificial insemination (AI) can help beef producers accelerate genetic progress in their herds. Although AI has been available for more than six decades, adoption among Canadian beef producers has remained relatively low. The episode features producers who are successfully using AI to improve herd genetics and meet their breeding goals, while also sharing practical tips and key considerations to help ensure successful artificial insemination programs.
 
Relevant Links: 
Boosting Herd Genetics: Artificial Insemination Brings Big Benefits to Small Beef Herds (article)
Artificial Insemination (webpage)
Why Use Artificial Insemination (webinar)
Calf 911 - How to Evaluate Newborn Calves Using the Calf Vigor Scoring System (resources)

Episode 110: Solving Problems Starts with Asking the Right Questions

Diseases often begin when a susceptible calf encounters the wrong combination of microbes, weather and management stresses. This episode explores how pneumonia develops in calves and why early protection against viral infections is key to preventing respiratory disease. It also discusses emerging research on whether vaccinating calves against bovine coronavirus, typically associated with scours, may help reduce pneumonia risk, while highlighting the importance of effective vaccination strategies and working with veterinarians to support calf health and herd productivity.
 
Vaccination Infographics & Guidelines (resources)
Stacking Good Decisions to Keep Calves Healthy (article)
Vaccines: Use as Directed (article)
BCRC Webinar Series (registration)

Episode 109: Extend the Grazing Season - Using Stockpiled Forage for Early Spring Grazing

As the seasons change, early-spring grazing serves as a strategic bridge from winter feeding to summer grazing. Rather than simply turning cattle out, success depends on carefully managing cool-season grasses to balance animal nutrition, protect regrowth and maintain pasture longevity. In this episode, we explore how grazing in April and May can help beef producers reduce reliance on stored feed while maximizing stockpiled perennial forage, where and when early-season grazing fits into an operation, and how thoughtful planning and management set the stage for a productive grazing season.
 
Relevant Links: 
Extend the Grazing Season: Using Stockpiled Forage for Early Spring Grazing (article)
Nutrition in Beef Cattle (webpage)
Calf 911 - How to Evaluate Newborn Calves Using the Calf Vigor Scoring System (resources)

Episode 108: How to Evaluate Newborn Calves Using the Calf VIGOR Scoring System

Ideally, after a calf is born, things go well, and the cow and newborn calf thrive. However, it is important for producers to know how to assess calves for subtle signs of distress or trauma that can occur due to a difficult calving. This episode will review how to access calf VIGOR, how it is scored and when to intervene. 
 
Relevant Links:
How to Evaluate Newborn Calves Using the Calf Vigor Scoring System (article)
Calving and Calf Management (webpage)
Calf 911 Resources (resources)
How to Spot Dehydration in Young or Scouring Calves (article and video)
Water Systems Calculator (interactive tool)