This article written by Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director, originally appeared in the February 2021 issue of Canadian Cattlemen magazine and is reprinted on the BCRC Blog with permission of the publisher.

This column usually tells you about a research project that the Beef Cattle Research
Council (BCRC) has supported using Canadian Beef Cattle Check- Off funds paid by
producers like yourself. Sometimes you may ask yourself “why on earth did they fund
that?” ,“why don’t they do research on this?” or “do they ask producers what they
need?” Well, read on. Here’s your chance to tell us what you need.

The 13 cattle producers from across Canada who sit on the council aren’t the only ones
who decide how checkoff research funds are allocated. You fund us, so we’re asking you what you want Canada’s forage, cattle and beef researchers to work on over the next five years.

It’s easy to provide a general answer to this question — most of us would likely identify
long-term profitability, environmental sustainability, and public and consumer
confidence as important challenges facing Canada’s beef industry. But what are the
specific long-term profitability, environmental sustainability, and public and consumer
confidence challenges you face? It depends on who you are, where you are and what
sector of the industry you operate in. Continue reading →

As someone who follows the BCRC Blog, you’re almost guaranteed to be what we call a ‘Canadian beef industry stakeholder’, meaning you

• own or manage beef cattle,
• conduct research on beef, cattle or forages,
• are a large animal veterinarian,
• own or work for an abattoir/beef processor,
• are a government employee in a beef-related role,
• work or volunteer for an organization that actively supports the beef industry, or
• have another valuable role that supports and relies on Canadian beef production.

You hold a stake in the industry, so the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) relies on your input on research and extension issues.

When you answer these 16 questions by March 5^th, you will inform the next five-year Canadian Beef Research and Technology Transfer Strategy and impact the long-term competitiveness of the Canadian beef industry.

Continue reading →

Do you wonder how your cow-calf operation compares with others in your region, province or herd size range on matters like conception rate and weaning weight? A joint effort representing the cow-calf industry from BC, AB, SK and MB is helping Western Canadian cattle producers do just that.

The deadline to participate is February 28, 2018.

By participating in the second Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey, you can choose to receive a complementary report that allows you to compare your own operation with benchmarks (average numbers from a region).

To thank you for completing the survey, which will provide very valuable and needed information to guide research and extension, you will receive up to $50 in gift cards, in addition to the complementary report.

The survey takes about 45-60 minutes to complete and asks questions related to the 2016 breeding season all the way through to weaning of 2017 calf crop, as well as typical management practices. Many of the questions are the quick check-box style. Any question you are unable to answer can be left blank.

Every cow-calf producer in BC, AB, SK and MB is encouraged to complete the survey. All of the information collected will remain confidential. Information cannot be linked to individual operations as data will be aggregated into averages and benchmarks.

The complementary report will Continue reading →

Ontario cow-calf producers, do you wonder how your operation compares with others in your region or province on matters like conception rate and weaning weight?

The Ontario Cow-Calf Production Survey is being conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph, in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Beef Farmers of Ontario, and the Beef Cattle Research Council. Questions in this survey have been adapted and will be comparable to answers from the Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey conducted in 2014, allowing comparison from east to west.

The purpose of the overall project is to gain a better understanding of the management practices, economics, and disease rates on Ontario cow-calf farms and determine how well Ontario producers compete in a global economy. This survey will obtain basic information on production practices, management choices, disease rates, and rate of technology adaptation in the province.

The findings of the survey will be Continue reading →