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Research shows curious calves retain that trait.
Livestock

Is your calf shy or a risk taker?

Studies confirm different personality traits

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – People working with cattle often recognize different personality types among individuals. There are the friendly calves, the shy ones and the curious types. Research from the University of British Columbia has been able to quantify personality types among dairy calves and that knowledge could improve their welfare. Why it matters: If researchers […] Read more
Calves that receive adequate colostrum within the first two hours of life are given the best start.
Livestock

Success with beef starts at the calf level

A veterinarian says farmers cut back on animal health as a cost saving

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Calf health is the No. 1 priority for success on a beef operation. The top third of producers invest the most in genetics, nutrition and animal health. They do not cut back on feed because they do not want calves to lose weight, said veterinarian Joe Gillespie of Boehringer Ingelheim. Why it […] Read more
Reduced beef production in Ontario has resulted in less land planted to hay.
Crops, Livestock

Ontario producers told to make way for hay

More forage in a crop rotation helps improve soil health

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Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Ontario farmers are being told they need to get back into hay production. “We want farmers to consider hay production as a complement to row crop and cash crop production to renew soil,” said Fritz Trauttmansdorff, a farmer and founding member of the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-operative. Why it matters: Soil […] Read more
What the bottom of a normal bovine foot looks like.
Livestock, News

Research project hopes EPDs can catch lameness in cattle early

Members of the Canadian Angus Association are asked to score cows when they come in this fall for pregnancy checks

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Lameness in cattle is a painful condition that affects their welfare and overall performance. Why it matters: Lameness is an important animal welfare issue that also affects producer profitability. Good feet and legs are primary considerations when selecting animals that can move easily year after year. The Canadian Angus Association received nearly […] Read more
Yield, quality and stand persistence are the most important things about forage, an agronomist says.
Crops

A good forage stand requires agronomic base

Keys to success include planting at right time, proper seed bed, seed placement, quality seed and weed control

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers seeking to build a strong forage stand need to use proper crop rotations, fertility and water development, a forage agronomist told a recent Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association conference in Moncton, N.B. Peter Ballerstedt, with the seed company Barenbrug USA, said producers must pay attention to agronomy and make amendments before […] Read more
A well-designed trailer provides maximum clearance, adequate ventilation, reasonable loading angles, rounded corners and non-slip floors.
Livestock

Improved trailers good for livestock welfare

There’s a lot of innovation happening in livestock trailers and they make for healthier animals

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Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Livestock transportation is a heavily regulated industry and new technology should make life easier for haulers and animals. Innovative designs are becoming more available in North America, especially for trailers designed to haul pigs and chickens, said Jeff Hill, animal welfare specialist with Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions. Why it matters: Animal […] Read more
Those who manage biosecure livestock barns are careful to have visitors suit up properly, but statistics show employees might not be as careful when entering and leaving barns.
Livestock

Food safety starts with biosecurity

A University of Montreal study of poultry farms showed biosecurity mistakes can lead to contamination throughout a barn

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Many food safety issues could be resolved at the farm if people changed their behaviour, a veterinarian told those attending a recent meat conference in Toronto. “Some food safety risks could be better controlled early in the food production chain,” said Manon Racicot. The spread of campylobacter, for example, could be curbed […] Read more
Getting ready for disease challenges requires national planning.
Livestock

Co-ordinated animal disease response sought

The National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council is working with government and industry representatives

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The catastrophic consequences of a potential foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Canada terrify the livestock industry. Different sectors have already experienced the impact of foreign animal diseases like BSE, avian influenza, porcine epidemic diarrhea and bovine tuberculosis, said veterinarian Megan Bergman, head of the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council. Why it […] Read more
The box can hold up to 50 chicks and is designed to prevent dead-on-arrivals.
Livestock, News

4-H youth solves problem of chick death with “Safer Chick-ments”

A 14-year-old Canadian created a new design for the boxes in which chicks are shipped and applied for a patent

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Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – It all started with a 4-H project for 14-year-old Mac Dykeman. A member of a 4-H poultry club at Langley, B.C., she was often dismayed when her orders from the United States arrived with dead birds in the shipment. “I would receive them and open the box and many times find them […] Read more
Brett Schuyler checks new apples that are just starting to appear in the orchards.
Crops, Livestock

Sheep complement fruit production on Ontario farm

The Schuylers raise sheep, maintain apple and cherry orchards and grow corn, soybeans and wheat

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Reading Time: 4 minutes When farmers are told they have a good story to tell, a prime example may be found at Simcoe, Ont. Schuyler Farms is a diversified livestock, crop and fruit farm owned by brothers Marshall and Drew Schuyler, and Marshall’s sons Brett and Ryan. They grow about 3,000 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, maintain 1,200 […] Read more

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