Canadian Beef Cattle Podcast

Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) is a serious disease that can lead to abortion, infertility, immune suppression, and calf losses. If the virus crosses the placenta in the first four months of gestation, calves may be born persistently infected and shed high levels of the virus throughout their lives—posing a major risk to unvaccinated cattle. In this episode, we explore why it’s critical to keep BVD out of your herd and how different v...

Biosecurity hazards on beef operations are sometimes overlooked, but the risk of introducing disease to your farm is real—and more common than many realize. This risk increases in the fall, when cattle return from community pastures, grazing leases, or pastures bordering neighbouring livestock. In this episode, we cover five practical strategies to help prevent sickness before it starts this fall.

Until the Cows Come Home: Five S...

Experiencing Drought? Five Things You Can Do to Help Manage Your Herd, Pastures, and Health (art...

Grazing cattle on neighbouring farmland can benefit both cattle producers and crop farmers when done correctly. In this episode, we explore the advantages of bringing cattle and crops together, featuring experiences from producers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario who have successfully grazed cattle on neighbouring cropland.

Relevant Links:

The Benefits of Bringing Cattle and Crops Together (article)

Grazing Crops (article)

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Getting the Dirt on Cleaning Versus Disinfecting (article) 

Preventing a Biosecurity Breach ...

Cattle producers and veterinarians recognize the need for remote drug delivery devices (RDDDs) when animals can’t be safely caught, handling poses significant risk, or when timely treatment is critical for a positive outcome. In this episode, we explore when RDDD use is appropriate, the pros and cons of these tools, and resources available to help guide decision-making. Learn how to use RDDDs effectively while staying within beef q...

Producing Dairy-Beef: Starting off on the Right Hood (article)

Dairy-Beef: Shifting From the Parlour to the Feedlot (article)

Artificial Insemination ...

Every living thing contains carbon, and everything – including cattle and grasslands – plays a role in the carbon cycle. In this episode, we explore how the carbon cycle works, the role beef production plays in it, and how carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions affect beef producers on their farms.

Beef Cattle and the Carbon Cycle (article)

Carbon Cycle and Beef Cattle (webpage)

Environmental Footprint of Beef Producti...

Forage variety matters. A locally developed variety might not be the best choice for your situation and sometimes a variety developed elsewhere might be your best option. Drs. Bill Biligetu (University of Saskatchewan) and Annie Claessens (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) recently evaluated how different forage varieties performed under different growing conditions across Canada.

Relevant Links: 

Choosing Forage Varieties Withou...

As humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agricultural societies, domesticated cattle became a cornerstone of farming life. Their natural resilience to disease made them an ideal livestock choice. But even hardy animals like beef cattle face health threats. In this episode, we explore common high-risk situations that could compromise your herd's health—and share practical, preventative strategies producers can...

Developing a grazing plan is an important first step to ensure effective grazing management on an operation, and it can help save a producer on their cost of production in the long run. A grazing plan that matches animal numbers to predicted forage yields is something that should be done prior to animal turn out. This episode we will review several key steps that should be included in a grazing plan.

Relevant Links: 

Developing a...

In this episode, we explore how to rejuvenate forage stands—whether for hay or pasture—by using practical methods to boost productivity. Learn how shifting to higher-yielding, more nutritious forage species can improve livestock health and farm efficiency.

Relevant Links: 

Forage Rejuvenation: Fertilization and the Influence on Soil pH (article)

Rejuvenation of Hay & Pasture (webpage)

Rangeland & Riparian Health (webpage)

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious virus with serious consequences for the beef industry. Effective on-farm biosecurity measures can help prevent the disease from entering, spreading within, and leaving your herd. In this episode, we’ll highlight practical tools and strategies to support disease prevention, along with resources to help you identify the signs of FMD and take action to stop its spread. These efforts ...

The goal of a cow-calf operation should be for each breeding female to deliver a healthy calf to weaning each year. While this sounds simple enough, there is a long list of variables that must fall into place before that can happen. In this episode, we’re breaking down the key considerations to keep in mind when it comes to your beef cattle breeding program. From timing and nutrition to herd health and preg checking - to help you i...

With drought a recurring reality in many regions across Canada, you might wonder what affects pastures more – the drought, or overgrazing during drought? Recent work from the University of Alberta studied how grazing season and intensity affected forage yield and root mass under drought conditions.

Relevant Links: 

Icebergs and Native Forages - What You Can't See Can Sink You (article)

Grazing Management (webpage)

Drought-Related...