Every time a beef animal is sold in Canada, the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off is collected, and a portion of it funds research and extension through the Beef Cattle Research Council. The BCRC has a vision of a transparent, competitive and sustainable Canadian beef industry. And, we’re on a mission to support growth in beef demand, increase productivity and earn public trust. Research investments by producers are making that happen.   The BCRC works to advance the Canadian beef industry through industry-led research and extension. We create practical tools and resources that help producers make improvements in: ➡️ animal health and welfare, ➡️ forage and grassland productivity ➡️ feed efficiency and nutrition ➡️ beef quality and safety and ➡️environmental sustainability.  Guided by a board of producers from across Canada, the BCRC has one goal -- to make every producer-paid research dollar count. For each dollar invested through the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off, we leverage two to three dollars from other funding sources.  By bridging the gap between research and real-life application, we empower producers to make economical, science-based decisions to help drive innovation, sustainability and profitability in their operations. Where industry investment and collaboration intersect with research and ranching – that’s where we find advancement through science and the real purpose of the Beef Cattle Research Council. 🍁 Learn more at: https://www.beefresearch.ca/about/fun... 📲 Stay connected! Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeefResearch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeefResearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beefresearc... Subscribe to BCRC email lists: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/subs...
Most cows deliver their calves with no issues. But, the day a calf is born is still the highest-risk day of its life. Things can go sideways quickly after a difficult labour, so planning and early intervention increases the odds of having a live, healthy calf and reducing death losses. Read the #Calf911 series on the BCRC Blog: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/tag/calf-911/ Learn more on the BCRC's Calving & Calf Management web page: https://www.beefresearch.ca/research-topic.cfm/calving-and-calf-management-110
Many regions of Canada experience extended periods of cold weather during the year and these environmental conditions present challenges for efficiently and profitably raising beef cattle. Understanding the impact cold stress can have on the health, welfare and performance of cattle is important, along with implementing management practices to lessen the impact. Beef cattle are fed over winter using a variety of methods. The complexity and mechanization will be unique to the individual operation and management goals. However, the overall objective is to maintain cows in good body condition so they remain healthy and productive even in the coldest of conditions. Learn more on the Beef Cattle Research Council's Winter Management webpage: https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/winter-management-of-beef-cattle/

Shorts

Beef producers value pens and pastures of consistently healthy cattle with low treatment costs. Daily habits go a long way to reduce or prevent the spread of disease. It is important to understand the risks associated with working with beef cattle every day to ensure both the animals and the people who care for them remain safe. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) defines biosecurity as practices that prevent or mitigate disease from entering, spreading within or being released from operations that may contain livestock. Biosecurity hazards on beef cattle operations are sometimes overlooked, however, the risk of introducing disease onto your farm is real and relatively common. Routine practices such as shared fence lines, buying in replacement breeding heifers or bulls, borrowing stock trailers, outsourcing farm work or hosting visitors can bring unwanted diseases onto your farm. 🍁Find more preventive practices at: https://www.beefresearch.ca/prevent
The Beef Cattle Research Council offers webinars on a variety of subjects important to the Canadian beef industry. Thanks to guest speakers who volunteer their time and expertise to support beef industry advancements, and through the Knowledge Dissemination and Technology Transfer project funded by the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-off and Canada's Beef Science Cluster, BCRC webinars are available and free of charge. For the next live webinar, visit: https://www.beefresearch.ca/resources/webinars/webinars-overview.cfm
Cattle require energy, protein, water, vitamins and minerals in suitable amounts to provide adequate nutrition. Requirements will differ depending on the animal’s class, age, condition, and stage of production. Feed costs, including both grazed and conserved feed, are the greatest expense associated with beef cattle operations. Since nutrition is often the most important factor influencing reproductive performance, managing feed resources at a reasonable cost to consistently achieve high reproductive rates will help ensure profitability for beef cattle operations. In the backgrounding and feedlot sectors, feed costs and feed conversion efficiency significantly impact profitability. Across all sectors of the beef cattle industry, feed quality, cost, and efficient digestion/absorption/conversion are key factors in animal health, reproduction, performance and profitability. 🍁 For more information, visit the Nutrition in Beef Cattle topic page on BeefResearch.ca: https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/nutrition-in-beef-cattle/
Do you feel like you have a good understanding of your farm’s profit and production? Do you have goals for the upcoming season? You can learn a lot about your farm when you make the effort to collect and take a look at your financial and production data. Perhaps you assumed an area of your operation was performing better than it truly was and records demonstrate improvement is needed. On the other hand, analyzing data may point to improvements that you didn’t realize occurred. Good farm records are useful to provide the data needed to understand your farm performance and will help take the guesswork out of management decisions. Research shows that when producers set goals and keep records, they can achieve up to 60 more pounds of calf weaned per cow exposed. Benchmarking also helps producers be prepared for challenging times such as drought and other environmental disasters, and will maximize the benefits of your annual VCPR (Veterinary Client Patient Relationship) visit with your herd veterinarian. 🍁A Guide to Keeping Records That Help Make Profitable Decisions: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/guide-to-beef-herd-records/ 🍁 Find more tips on record keeping for beef cattle producers: https://www.beefresearch.ca/resources/recordkeeping/record-keeping-and-benchmarking-overview.cfm 📲 Stay connected! Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeefResearch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeefResearch Subscribe to the BCRC Blog: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/subscribe/
Progrès grâce à la science Le ‘Beef Cattle Research Council’ vise l’excellence dans la production de bœuf et de fourrage au Canada grâce à la recherche, l’innovation et le transfert de connaissances. https://www.beefresearch.ca/fr/