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Andrea Stroeve-Sawa’s innovative and holistic management of Shipwheel Cattle Feeders in southern Alberta combines grazing, custom cattle feeding and sustainable practices to create a resilient and efficient operation.
Shipwheel Cattle Feeders, under the stewardship of Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, exemplifies a modern approach to cattle farming that successfully integrates custom cattle feeding with flexible grazing strategies and continuously improves.
Precision livestock farming is the same premise as precision agriculture, with emphasis on using individual animal-level data to make better decisions. The goal is to allow producers to more efficiently and accurately assess animal care needs, resulting in better outcomes for their cattle and a positive impact to their bottom line.
The term, “precision agriculture” is oftentimes associated with row crop farming, but what if gathering critical data to inform decision-making could be applied to your cow-calf operation or feedlot?
A lot of things can have an impact on the efficiency of your cow herd. But producers can boost cattle efficiency and profitability with strategic probiotic solutions.
Ranchers are constantly striving to maximize the productivity of their native rangeland, as raising and selling heavy and healthy calves is key to profitability. Helping producers enhance calf weight gain while maintaining the optimum body condition of the cow herd is critical to keeping operations profitable.
Maintaining energy intake, considering the impact of cooler temperatures on feed, providing adequate water supply and keeping animals dry and comfortable will help maintain production levels during winter months.
An adjusted feeding program for winter that provides adequate nutrients to sustain increased energy demands at all life stages, coupled with practical farm management strategies, will help keep calves, heifers and lactating cows productive throughout the cold season.
As temperatures drop and cows’ nutritional requirements increase, producers should find ways to make sure their herds consume enough quality feed to maintain good health.
As summer bleeds into fall and many forages start to decrease in quality, strategic protein supplementation can be a cost-effective way to maximize forages later into the grazing season.
The transition from summer to fall can bring tremendous uncertainty for beef cattle producers. The shorter day length not only signals the coming cooler weather, but also the end of the growing season for most forages, especially warm-season grasses.
It’s an accepted fact that better feed equates to better animal performance. Here are some tips for keeping up the quality and palatability of your feed so your cattle can live up to their potential.
The palatability of feed has a lot more to do with cattle health than some might think. Much like humans, if food doesn’t smell or taste good, cattle simply won’t eat it. However, we can’t discuss palatability without first considering the hygiene and quality of the forage in the feed.