Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Feb 04 2025 54 ep. 9 mins 8

Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast, presented by the Beef Cattle Research Council. The most popular content from beefresearch.ca - available on the go. Each week you’ll hear valuable information on topics ranging from animal health and beef quality to grasslands management and environmental stewardship, and much more. Tune in every Tuesday as the Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast delivers straightforward insights, expert information and a wealth of practical knowledge for Canadian Beef Producers. Subscribe now! The Beef Cattle Research Council is funded by the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off and strives for excellence in the production of Canadian beef, cattle and forage through research, innovation and extension.

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Episode 54: Bull Selection to Improve Your Bottom Line

Feb 04 2025 6 mins

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)

Episode 53: How to Spot Dehydration in Young Calves

Jan 28 2025 7 mins

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

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

Jan 21 2025 11 mins

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 t

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

Jan 14 2025 7 mins

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 (we

Episode 50: Ready or Not, Calving is Coming

Jan 07 2025 5 mins

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

Episode 49: Big Cows and Big Questions

Dec 17 2024 10 mins

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 Improvement

Episode 48: The Sandhills Calving Strategy

Dec 10 2024 10 mins

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 (art

Episode 47: Calving Season Timing and Transition

Dec 03 2024 12 mins

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 Gen

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

Nov 26 2024 7 mins

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 Tra

Episode 45: Overextended Grazing

Nov 19 2024 9 mins

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)