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.

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.