Brandon-area farmer, Brett McRae recently began trialling an intensive grazing plan.

Cattle producers implement new grazing options

Using forage to finish cattle takes a strong focus on everything from cattle genetics to forage quality

Ryan Boyd would rather be searching for newborn calves in waist-high grass than snowdrifts. The western Manitoba grain and cattle farmer has joined the ranks of producers changing things up on the cattle side of their operations in search of lower operating costs and better environmental stewardship. He’s found that producing forage-finished cattle requires a



French farmers cry wolf over sheep killings

Paris | Reuters — French farmers, who regularly bring livestock into Paris to punctuate their protests, drove some 250 sheep into the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on Thursday to highlight an unusual concern — that a growing wolf population is killing their flocks. Wolves were reintroduced to France in the 1990s under an international

File photo

Australia, China on track to sign lucrative cattle deal

Sydney / Reuters – Australia will export up to 1 million head of cattle a year to China, worth around A$1 billion ($856 million), to meet booming demand for red meat under a long-awaited deal set to be signed shortly, Australian officials said on Friday. Shipping live animals from Australia to China has been discussed for many years. Official talks began


sweet clover

Livestock producers, beware of sweet clover toxicity

Mould can convert the naturally occurring chemical coumarin into an anticoagulant

Improperly curing hay made from certain sweet clover varieties such as white and yellow sweet clover can cause severe and often fatal hemorrhages in livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats. “Unfortunately, proper harvesting can be difficult,” says Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University Extension Service livestock stewardship specialist and veterinarian. “If cutting is delayed

Randy Eros speaks with customers at the Manitoba Fibre Festival.  photo: Meghan Mast


Wool fibre production for dummies

How one manages the flock can make the difference between getting good fleece or getting ‘fleeced’

Randy Eros, a shepherd from just outside Winnipeg, jokingly blames his wife when explaining why they are in the sheep business. Eros and his wife began raising sheep more than 30 years ago — initially just for wool. “It’s my wife’s fault,” he told a workshop at the Manitoba Fibre Festival Sept. 6. “She’s a


This alfalfa field turned lake near Broad Valley might not be producing much forage this year.  
photo: jennifer berry

Hay shortages loom for cattle sector

Many producers are having to graze their hayfields

Heavy rains and overland flooding have put the status of this year’s grazing and hay supplies in serious doubt, cattle producers say. It’s an evolving situation, but the financial impact of flooding and excess moisture will devastate producers especially since many have not recovered from 2011 flooding, says Manitoba Beef Producers. The association is meeting

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Producer sales were lower before Easter

But buyer interest was strong, especially for replacement stock available through a herd dispersal

Producers delivered 400 sheep and goats to the April 16 sale at Winnipeg Livestock Auction, the last sale before the Easter holiday. Although the number of animals on offer was lower than the previous sale, buyer demand was strong. The buyers showed high interest in quality ewes. No differences between wool and hair ewes, but


Easter lamb trade affects April 2 sheep and goat sale

New-crop lamb prices have not returned to levels of two or three years ago

The Winnipeg Livestock Auction received 700 sheep and goats for the April 2 sale. There appeared to be a decrease in the expected Easter lamb prices. The strong bidding was on the younger and well-developed quality ewes. The cull ewes were clearly identified by the lower bids. There appeared to be no differences between the

Man with RFID equipment at trade show.

Lamb co-op ready for spring launch

Branded, value-added Canadian Lamb Company sets sights on underserved market dominated by imports

Four years in the making, the Canadian Lamb Producers Cooperative (CLPC) is ready to start buying finished lambs this spring. “Our plan is to start small and ramp up,” said CEO Terry Ackerman, at a recent information session hosted by the Manitoba Sheep Association. The CLPC, which targets 650 to 1,000 members across nine provinces,