It’s a cliché but prevention really is the best cure for hoof problems, according to an Ontario veterinarian who specializes in bovine foot care. And at the top of Gerard Cramer’s prevention list is preventing foot rot and digital dermatitis by ensuring feet are comfortable, clean, regularly trimmed and evaluated. In particular, producers need to
Don’t Stand For Foot Problems In Your Herd
Biobed Offers A Place For Your Diluted Chemicals To Rest
You’ve cleaned out the sprayer, now what do you do with the rinse water? “The common dilemma is what to do with the dilute rinsing,” research scientist Tom Wolf told attendees at the recent Canadian Association of Agriculture Retailers conference. “This is a difficult problem.” But the Agriculture Canada scientist thinks he’s found an answer.
Farmers Urged To Rethink View Of Wetlands
Preserving wetlands is good for farmers, not just ducks, says a regional agrologist for Ducks Unlimited Canada. “When we think about typical farm assets, we don’t think about wetlands,” Paul Thoroughgood told the recent conference of the Canadian Association of Agricultural Retailers. “We think about land, we think about labour and we think about capital.
Data Can Equal Dollars When Selling Cattle
Getting data back on your cattle can help producers make better decisions and earn premiums, says a leading cattle buyer. Feedlots are moving towards a more sophisticated method of valuating cattle and that’s creating opportunities for producers, Travis Hickey told attendees at the recent Ranching Opportunities seminar in Olds. The value for feeder cattle can
Keep Your Information And Create Value For Your Cattle
The cattle industry is moving into the information age and some producers are going to be rewarded for their ability to collect, understand, and respond to data on their animals, says the senior cattle buyer at Cargill Foods. “Information is what you need to focus on,” Aaron Fehlauer told attendees at the recent Ranching Opportunities
Changing Your Paradigm To Change Your Life
The road to higher profits starts with changing the way you see your operation, according to Don Campbell, a Saskatchewan rancher and longtime advocate of holistic management. “Holistic management has made a big difference in my life and that’s why I teach and consult, because I want people to have a better life,” the Meadow
Audits Are Key To Credible Animal-Welfare Program
If you want to prove you’re treating animals humanely, then set clear and measurable standards, avoid fuzzy language in audits, and let independent observers from the outside world see what you’re doing. That was the advice that renowned animal behavioural scientist Temple Grandin delivered to the recent Animal Welfare Forum held at the University of
Famed Scientist Urges Producers To Share The Message
Just days before taking a star turn on the internationally televised Golden Globes awards show, renowned animal behaviourist Temple Grandin urged Alberta farmers, ranchers, and others in agriculture to put themselves in the spotlight. “I can’t emphasize it enough that ag has to do a much better job of communicating with the public,” Grandin told
Animal Welfare Is Of Global Importance
Animal welfare is increasingly on consumers’ radar screens, and is now starting to be seen as a standard of good business, says a University of Calgary animal-welfare specialist. Animal-care standards are being used to differentiate between products and are creating favourable trading opportunities for countries with the best ones, Dr. Ed Pajor told the recent
Between-Row Spraying Good Option, But Challenges Must Be Overcome
Spraying herbicides between rows to hit the weeds and not the crop could give producers more bang for their weed-control buck, but more research is needed, says Agriculture Canada research scientist Tom Wolf. Inter-row spraying has caught on in Australia, where farmers use hooded sprayers to apply non-select herbicide between rows. Wolf, an expert in
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
