Wowk Ranch near Beauvallon, Alberta, specializes in breeding, training and selling high-quality horses of various breeds and runs 200 commercial cattle that they feed with a team in the winter.

When I talk with producers who installed automated milking systems, most say the first three days are the worst, the first three weeks are hard, and things are better within three months. By the sixth to ninth month, they say the automated milking system is better than the previous milking system, as both cows and people have adjusted to the major lifestyle change.  

How often has the calving book been lost or accidentally destroyed by the calf being warmed in the feeding pickup? Or when has information failed to be recorded toward the end of the calving season because our attention turns to other matters that time of year?

Known as the “six essentials,” selection for these traits can improve profitability of any herd, of any breed, in any location: disposition, fertility, weight, conformation, hardiness and milk production.

If you were in need of replacements, would you be excited to buy your heifers?

While choosing replacement females may seem like a singular task, you know that months and years of strategic planning lead up to the moment. Every replacement heifer is evidence of the work that’s been done and is the foundation of future herd performance and profitability.

Over the past few years, genetic testing has become more readily available and used by commercial cattlemen. Information that was once used mainly by registered cattle producers is being utilized to make improvements on commercial operations and produce higher-performing cattle by making decisions with more information.

Should this cow stay in the herd or should she find a new career? Robots don’t lie. Let their data help you decide. 

Kathi Creamer remembers it like it was yesterday – the moment she knew she’d found her life’s calling. She was 9 years old, following her 4-H club as they made their rounds of the National Western Stock Show in Denver.