EDUCATION & RESEARCH

50 breeders from across Canada were on hand for a very informative Breeders School. Starting on  Thursday evening, PJ Budler, from Texas, analysed and sorted through a set of fat steers. With interaction from the crowd on which to leave in the ring and which to excuse, he ended up with what he considered the best two.
 

Friday morning started with Amie Peck, the program manager for the Public and Stakeholder engagement program, discussing ways to build public trust in the way beef cattle are raised in Canada. Under the Canadian Cattlemen Association, they have successful projects like Guardians of the Grassland and tools and resources available for producers to advocate on behalf of the industry.

Following was a very interesting discussion by Dr. Roy Lewis DVM on vaccines, vaccinations and protecting your cattle from disease. He talked about everything from calfhood vaccinations to fetal protection for your cowherd along with many other herd health tips.

Dr. John Campbell DVM talked about some of the emerging conditions that cause fertility problems in today’s cow herd. He also talked about nutritional deficiencies and several infections that cause abortions and calf deaths. On a different topic he talked about some of the common causes of lameness and how cattle producers should recognize and deal with them.

PJ Budler gave another very informative presentation before going through about 15 heifers and 15 bulls and sorting them down to his top two. There was great interaction with the participants which added to the exchange of knowledge among all who attended. Don’t pass up the opportunity if you can attend these in the future.