Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Episode 54: Bull Selection to Improve Your Bottom Line

Purchasing the best bull for your operation starts with good record keeping to identify your operation’s strengths and weaknesses. From there you can work to narrow down your search based on your breeding system, genetic goals and budget. The following tips can help guide you in the process of purchasing your next herd sire.
 
Bull Selection to Improve Your Bottom Line (article)
Bull Selection: Using Economically Relevant Traits (article)
Bull Selection: New Calculator to Determine the Value of a Bull (article)
Bull Valuation Calculator (tool)
How to Evaluate Newborn Calves Using the Calf VIGOR Scoring System (article and video)

Episode 53: How to Spot Dehydration in Young Calves

With newborn calves comes risk for disease and dehydration. Having the skills to quickly identify dehydration and knowing methods for early intervention can have a meaningful reduction in the rate of calf illness and death on your farm. This episode will review the steps that can be followed to evaluate dehydration and health status of young calves in order to develop a successful treatment plan. 
 
Relevant Links:
How to Spot Dehydration in Young Calves (article)
Calving & Calf Management (webpage)
Calf 911: Emergency Support for Distressed Newborn Calves (videos)
Calf 911: Dehydration Checklist (resource guide)
Acidosis - Ruminal (webpage)
BCRC Webinar Series

Episode 52: Microbiome - The Little Things May Mean A lot

A “microbiome” is all the microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes) living in a specific environment, and how they all interact with each other. Imbalanced microbiomes can cause numerous issues for cattle, including rumen acidosis, bloat, bovine respiratory disease, and liver abscesses. To adjust an established microbiome can be challenging, but it may be effective to intervene early in a calf’s life.
 
Relevant Links: 
Microbiome – The Little Things May Mean a Lot (article)
How to Manage Colostrum to Allow Newborn Calves to Thrive (article)
Emergency Support for Distressed Newborn Calves (Calf 911 Resources)
 

Episode 51: Six Tips for Managing Beef Cattle in Cold Weather

With winter taking a foothold across Canada, it is important to monitor how cattle are coping with the cold and how it is impacting their ability to remain productive. Learn six tips for managing beef cattle during cold weather.
 
Relevant Links: 
Six Tips for Managing Beef Cattle in Cold Weather (article)
Winter Management of Beef Cattle (webpage)
Water Systems for Beef Cattle (webpage) 
Body Condition (interactive tool)
Calf 911 (videos and printables)
Records for Tracking Genetics Improvement (free e-course)

Episode 50: Ready or Not, Calving is Coming

There are many aspects of a producer’s day-to-day life that are out of their control. The weather, including precipitation, winds and plummeting temperatures, can test the best-made plans in the most organized of operations.  
 
Relevant Links:
Ready or Not Calving is Coming – Plan Ahead for a Streamlined Calving Season (article)
Biosecurity (webpage)
Steps to Reduce Disease in Newborn Calves (webinar recording)
Early Calf Life Survival (webinar recording)
Vaccination of the Beef Herd (webpage)
Calf 911 Checklists (webpage)

Episode 49: Big Cows and Big Questions

Are smaller cows more efficient? They need less feed and wean calves that are a higher percentage of their body weight. In contrast, large cows need more feed, more pasture, and wean calves that are smaller relative to cow size. But what is the right size cow for your operation?
 
Relevant Links: 
Big Cows and Big Questions? (article)
Record Keeping for Tracking Genetic Improvements (e-course)
Genes Behind the Scenes (article)
 
 

Episode 48: The Sandhills Calving Strategy

The Sandhills System involves moving pregnant cows on to different “clean” ground while leaving freshly calved pairs in the field they were born in. This method helps minimize direct contact between older calves and younger calves and reduces the transfer of viruses and the build-up of disease-causing pathogens in the calving area.
 
Relevant Links: 
The Sandhills Strategy (article)
How to Simplify Planning for Strategic Calving (recording)
How to Manage Colostrum to Allow Newborn Calves to Thrive (article and video)
Calving and Calf Management (webpage)
Proper Management Key to Minimize Risk of Calf Scours (article)

Episode 47: Calving Season Timing and Transition

Just as every farm operates with an independent set of circumstances, and every farmer is unique themselves, calving season is going to look different on every operation. There is no one right method or time of year to calve a cow herd.
 
Relevant links: 
Calving Season Timing and Transition (article)
Calving and Calf Management (webpage)
Calf 911 Resources
Records for Tracking Genetic Improvements (e-course)

Episode 46: Genetic IQ: Defining Traits That Matter in Your Beef Herd

In beef production, genetics play a critical role in management and profitability. To overcome challenges in accessing data to make breeding and feeding decisions, the Canadian Beef Breed Council (CBBC) embarked on an initiative called the Canadian Beef Improvement Network (CBIN), which will help to standardize information across breeds.  
 
Relevant Links:
Genetic IQ: Defining Traits That Matter in Your Herd (article)
Keeping Production Data to Improve the Supply Chain (webinar recording)
EPDs: What Do All Those Numbers Mean? (article)
Genetics Record-Keeping (webpage)
Record Keeping for Tracking Genetic Improvements (free e-course)
Advancing Genetic Improvement Across the Canadian Beef Industry (research summary)
BCRC Webinar Series (webpage)

Episode 45: Overextended Grazing

University of Saskatchewan researchers evaluated the performance of mature, pregnant cows winter-grazed on snaplage residue, high-moisture corn stover or whole-plant barley over a two year period.
 
Relevant links: 
Extended Grazing (webpage)
Evaluating Forage Species for Stockpiled Forages (fact sheet)