alberta cattle smoky skies

Smoke inhalation can affect cattle

Research shows an effect in housed dairy cattle so outdoor beef animals are surely affected too

Wildfires have exceeded all records in the 2023 season. Both British Columbia and Alberta are expected to see more than two million hectares destroyed. There has been steady growth in the number and size of wildfires since the 1980s. Drought, global warming and storms are generally the culprits and there has been plenty of smoke

Activities like jumping require horses to have an enhanced ability to know how to move in relation to their surroundings.

Garden-grown proprioception

Proprioception gardens mix different types of footing, obstacles and terrain to build a horse’s body awareness

Proprioception is a natural ability shared by humans and horses. It involves the body’s inherent awareness of its position, movement and balance in relation to the surrounding environment. In horses, this perception varies. Different lifestyles and occupations require variable levels of proprioception to navigate daily tasks without stumbling or tripping and when encountering obstacles. However,


Herds vaccinated for scours
may have cross protection
and minimal corona virus
respiratory disease, but we
still need to protect against the
other respiratory pathogens.

Things to bear in mind with bovine corona virus

It’s hard to know when a corona virus is the problem, but it should be on our radar

The common cold, SARS and COVID-19 are all caused by corona viruses and severity of infection varies. The same is true for bovine corona virus. Like other corona viruses, it can cause different syndromes and has long been known as a major cause of calf scours and respiratory disease. Animals with mild respiratory disease will

The critical role of magnesium in horse health

The critical role of magnesium in horse health

Short-changing a horse on magnesium can impact both physical health and temperament

Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral that plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of horses. It is essential for more than 350 biochemical processes in the body of the horse, including generation of cellular energy and decoding genetic information. Understanding the importance of magnesium at the cellular level and its impact on health issues can help


(Alexey Rezvykh/iStock/Getty Images)

Editor’s Take: Simmer down

It’s time for everyone to step back, take a deep breath, and tone down the rhetoric around the issue of fertilizer emissions. Because right now it’s being over-politicized, under-scrutinized and devoid of any rational examination. Here’s what we know so far. The federal government wants to see farmers reduce emissions from fertilizer by 30 per

Horses are hardwired to buck, but sometimes this behaviour becomes a real problem.

Working with a bucking horse

Horse Health: There’s almost always a root cause for this behaviour that must be addressed first

The non-professional bucking horse is a conundrum to the equestrian community and there is limited information on how bucking behaviour can best be investigated. Simply correcting the behaviour with assertive training methods, without understanding the root cause for the bucking, has limited success in preventing this unwanted and potentially dangerous activity. In fact, all horses


“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

The perils of the crystal ball 

The quagmire of uncontrolled variables puts any prediction, even expert ones, on shaky ground

There’s a quote from professional baseball player Yogi Berra: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” It’s hard to say it better, but Dan Gardner’s book, Future babble: Why expert predictions fail — and why we believe them anyway, may just do that and a lot more.  At the essence of it, the

Editorial: Beware of the POTUS effect

Editorial: Beware of the POTUS effect

It’s well known that U.S. President Joe Biden faces a steep challenge when it comes to winning over voters in farm states, but his efforts of late should give farmers here on the northern side of the border pause. That’s especially so when the goals of ramping up production and curbing inflation appear in the


Spring grazing needs to be managed to acclimatize the horse and prevent health issues.

Care required when introducing the horse to spring pastures

Horse Health: Too-rich forage before acclimation can lead to discomfort and health issues

It is tempting to allow horses unlimited access to springtime pastures as soon as the grass turns green, particularly after a long winter. Yet mindful management of this transition in a domestic environment is crucial to the well-being of the horse. In natural rangeland conditions the new spring grasses are covered with a dry forage

There are no limits to how you can put an advance to work for your farm.

Put the cash advance to work in your marketing plan

The APP can give you the flexibility to plan commodity sales and optimize the prices you receive

In the world of business, different strategies often create synergies where one plus one can equal three. Of course, the same is true for farming. There are many agronomic strategies that are used together from advanced seed genetics, to crop rotation and variable-rate fertilizer applications, to tile drainage or irrigation pivots and the list goes