Claresholm Livestock Demo Day – October 22, 2009

All UFA VIP beef producers are invited to attend our Livestock Demo Day at the Claresholm UFA Farm and Ranch Supply store on Thursday October 22nd.

High River Livestock Demo Day – October 14, 2009

All UFA VIP beef producers are invited to attend our Livestock Demo Day at the High River UFA Farm and Ranch Supply store on Wednesday October 14th.

Early Weaning Beef Calves

Many producers are busy making plans to extend the grazing period on their forage stands due to the impact of the drought this summer. Most of the province did receive some moisture over the last month which has resulted in some relief for the forage stands. There are a number of alternatives to consider when dealing with drought reduced forage stands.

Forage Harvest Tips

The majority of the province received some moisture over the last couple of weeks which  spelled relief for many producers in the drought areas.  Most of the producers in the province have delayed their forage harvest for a couple of weeks to account for the cool spring and early June frosts.  Producers are now just planning their forage harvest either as green feed or silage as we move into the last week of July.

Supplementing Cattle during Periods of Drought

Drought-affected pastures and native range generally do not produce adequate forage to maintain “normal” stocking rates, so producers have a few options to consider.  Depending on the situation, a producer can elect to reduce the stocking rates where possible or choose to supplement the existing forage cover with energy, protein or a combination of both.  The option then is to determine what delivery method is most cost effective. 

Solar Watering Systems

Many producers have recognized the importance of a quality water source for their grazing livestock. Equally important to managing the upland grazing areas are the management of the riparian areas. Producers are now installing alternate watering systems to preserve the quality and stretch the quantity of water available to the grazing herd.

Advantages of a Short Calving Season

The majority of cow calf producers have moved to a shortened calving season as they evaluate their economic and production records. Most cow/calf producers would agree that a calving season of 45 to 60 days is a desired goal today. If your calving season extends beyond the above period, shortening the breeding season will yield some advantages.

Calving Checklist Camera Winners

Heather Westerlund (left) & Shane Westerlund (right) from Llomax Lakeview Ranch in Esther, accept their Rostech prize from Janice Tanaschyk, Assistant Manager Consort Farm & Ranch Supply store.

We received over 1500 completed calving checklists from the program and are excited to announce the following winners of a wireless barn camera, antenna and receiver!

Care of the Newborn Calf

There have been many studies that have focused on the causes of calf mortality. There was a large scale survey done in the United States by the Veterinary Services as a part of the National Animal Health Monitoring System. The results showed that the period of highest calf loss is within several days after delivery, and the vast majority of losses occur during the first 3-4 weeks of life.

Body Condition Score

Over the last couple of weeks I have received a number of calls related to cow condition as we move into the last trimester of pregnancy. Given the cold weather that we experienced, it was difficult to maintain body condition on a straight forage diet.