Farms can be a powerful positive force in the world. Scheopp column published in Alberta Farmer Express June 4.
Columns
Leaning on the healing power of the farm
Farmers can play a role in making our society - and the world - stronger and more resilient
Get that horse a pedicure: Proper trimming for a healthy horse
Proper hoof care mimics natural wear and keeps a horse moving better
Failure to trim hoofs properly can lead to heel deformities, weak frogs, laminitis and affect movement. Here's how to correct toe position and get the horse on the road to recovery.
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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