Federal Government Invests $1.7 million

Yesterday it was announced that the Canadian Government will be making an investment of $1.7 million in the Canadian Simmental Association (CSA).  Rob Merrifield, MP for Yellowhead who made the announcement on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz stated, “This investment will enhance the quality, value and ultimately the overall competitiveness of Canada’s beef and cattle industry.  We are committed to investing in opportunities which will help farmers remain competitive and ultimately increase their profitability.”  This money is being invested into a 3 year project that will use DNA and other genetic data that will help breeders select and breed cattle with more desirable traits such as higher fertility and mothering ability, growth and feed efficiency, and produce a more desirable beef product.  CSA president Rick McIntyre said, “This project will assist Canadian producers in our ongoing efforts to supply premium quality genetics, cattle and beef to both domestic and international marketplaces.”  This investment comes from part of Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program’s (CAAP) five year (2009-2014) $163 million program established to facilitate agriculture’s ability to seize opportunities, respond to new and emerging issues, and test solutions to new and ongoing issues.  This is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan with the next phase using other government programs and initiatives are to continue to help farmers by creating jobs and strengthening the economy.  They plan to help build a stronger agriculture industry by making investments in new and emerging market opportunities. 

As much as this is huge news to the Canadian Simmental Association it is also good news for all of agriculture.  This will allow for huge advancements in the way that farmers breed their livestock in the future and the choices that they will make in their seed stock in the future.  The Simmental’s just get the first kick at the can to either reap the reward or be the crash test dummy.  Either way this is a big step into the technological world that we live in today benefiting the Simmental breed and ultimately all of the breeds.

Until next time,

Luke

What is Agriculture?

Well this weekend we just got the first member of the Marshall family married off and now I find out the next one is getting hitched next summer.  Congratulations to both of them. 

Have you ever asked yourself what is agriculture?  I haven’t, but now that I wonder I can’t seem to put a finger on it exactly.  My first thought is beef, dairy, and crop production.  But then where does the production of everything else like sheep, goats, horses, and other animals fit into that?  If you look up agriculture on wikipedia it states, “Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life.”  Plants and fungi?  What?  I never even thought of that.  Well how about dictonary.com, it states, “the science, art, or occupation concerned with cultivating land, raising crops, and feeding, breeding, and raising livestock; farming.”  Well that sounds more like agriculture to me.  But then what do they mean by livestock?  They state, “the horses, cattle, sheep, and other useful animals kept or raised on a farm or ranch.”  Well that’s where I started but either way I’m not going to start narrowing it down.  I’m still young and just starting to explore the world of agriculture no matter what part or if I think it may be a part of it at all.  I encourage you all to do the same as well.  Get out there and explore as many different types of farms and aspects of agriculture as possible.  Who knows we might meet up meeting somewhere along the way. 

Until next time,

Luke

Green Certificate

Do you remember way back to grade 9 and the first time you got to sign up for high school classes?  So many decisions that ultimately could shape the career you end up with and shaping the rest of your life.  At the age of 15 for most people you don’t realize at the time how truly overwhelming it is.  Well I remember mine.  Not being educated on what some of the classes were I just simply didn’t choose them.  The one that I had my mind dead set against was green certificate.  There was no way I was making signs to protect the environment and become a hippy.  Not that I’m against helping the environment but I would never join a club.  But it wasn’t until the school guidance councilor, knowing my family, asked me why I wasn’t taking it that I actually came to the understanding of what it actually is.

Green Certificate is an industry driven program available to students and adults through the Alberta government.  This apprenticeship style program offers hands on experience under a supervisor (for level I) in the field of studies in cow-calf beef production, dairy production, feedlot beef production, field crop production, irrigated field crop production, sheep production, swine production, beekeeping production, and equine production. 

What makes this program so appealing for many high school students is that it provides trainees with opportunities to enter a variety of agriculture-related, structured learning pathways as a part of their high school program and to earn a credential leading to a career in agribusiness.  Along with that this program can be done outside of school hours and over the summer so that it doesn’t interrupt with actual class time.  Plus you earn 16 high school credits for completing the 3 oral tests and 400 hours of work.  That may seem like a lot of hours but you can be getting paid for them and I completed two in less then 3 semesters. 

Level I of the program provides trainees with more then the basic skills of working on or running a farm but does not overwhelm the trainee.  This level involves a lot of the work to be done with the trainer but the program allows for a lot of hands on work to be done by the trainee.  The benefits of this are that it looks great on a resume and can certainly help if you are interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.  I have completed both the cow-calf and feedlot modules at this level and have enjoyed both of them, growing up and working on the farm anyways has earned me a relatively easy 32 credits already. 

Level II of the program is referred to as the supervisor level as the trainee takes on the role of a supervisor making more decisions regarding the daily happenings on the farm.  The trainee must be able to sufficiently work independently and be able to step into any position on the farm comfortably.  This level calls for more responsibility as it includes directing daily routines, Assesses problems and judges the need for significant and potentially costly actions, ensures the business operational plans and protocols are carried out, this includes breeding, cropping or marketing for example,  maintains operations and production of the physical plant, and supervises the maintenance and repair of equipment and facilities.  This level essentially puts the trainee in charge as if they own the place.  I am starting this level of the cow-calf module over the summer and am greatly looking forward to the challenges that it will present me.

This program has so much to offer that if you have the chance I highly recommend you take it.  You will not regret it, even if you don’t like it as much as you thought you would its better to know now then to find out after you graduate from post secondary looking to get into agriculture.  And the 16 credits certainly doesn’t hurt either.  I guess it also goes to show that you can’t judge a course by its name or I wouldn’t have 32 of the credits that I do.  So be sure and check it out. 

Until next time,

Luke

Cattle's Digestive System

For those who don't know cattle have 4 stomachs, the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and the abomasums.  But what is the purpose of cattle having 4 stomachs?  The reason is because of the amount of roughage that cattle consume.  On average cattle will eat 2-2.5% of their body weight in dry matter everyday!  But how about we start our journey through the stomachs, after cattle have ingested their feed it first enters the rumen. 

Our first stop on our journey is the rumen.  The rumen is the largest of the 4 stomachs and contains millions of microorganisms.  These microorganisms live in a symbiotic relationship with the cow getting a warm safe place to live while they are the reason that the cows are able to consume and digest such a large amount of roughage.  In fact 60-80% of the energy required by the cow is absorbed out of the rumen after the microorganisms have broken the matter down into fatty acids. The reason that this much energy can be acquired so quickly is that there are 25 to 50 billion bacteria and 200 to 500 thousand protozoa in every milliliter of rumen fluid.  But have you even seen a cow just standing there chewing? This is because they are regurgitating, or chewing their cud.  This makes it easier to be broken down as when it is first ingested the feed is hardly chewed.  The cud is then again swallowed and goes through the process in the rumen again. 

As we keep rolling along the next stop is the reticulum.  This honeycomb like structure acts as a filter that stops any indigestible materials from passing on into the other stomachs.  The contents of this stomach can include rocks, nails, or other metals that have been ingested.  This stomach is essential in protecting the remaining two stomachs but if wire or other metal punctures the reticulum it becomes the site of hardware disease, which is an infection or irritation to the heart, diaphragm, or lungs.  This why it is important to keep your pastures, pens, and feed free of metal and other debris.  However they do make special magnets that you can give to an animal that consumes metal to help prevent from the animal getting hardware disease.  

Our third stop along the way is the omasum.  This stomach can be described as looking like a book as it has so many layers that they look like pages.  The omasum serves to create a greater amount of surface area for better water extraction. 

The final stop for us on our journey is the abomasums, this is the “true stomach” o a cow.  It is the most similar to the human stomach, it secretes protein and starch digesting enzymes to further digest the feed that wasn't digested in the rumen.

The contents then make their way through the small intestine where nutrients are further absorbed from, until it makes its way into the large intestine and then of course back on the ground again.  But that is the interesting insides of a cow, at least as far as I’m going to get into.

Until next time,

Luke

The Future of the CWB

The Canadian Wheat Board has been in operation for nearly 76 years.  It is controlled by western Canadian farmers and is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world.  This Winnipeg based organization sells grain to over 70 countries around the world returning all the revenue, less the marketing costs, back to the farmer.  So then why is it that the federal government has stated plans to get rid of the CWB by August 1^st, 2012.  This is because of the thought that the CWB has outlived its usefulness.  A large reason for this is because ever since 1943 Canadian wheat farmers by law have had to sell their wheat to the board at a fixed price that is established by the board.  This law also came and went for oats between 1949 and 1989.  But barley destined for human consumption in Canada or for export has been legally forced to sell strictly to the board as well again at a fixed rate.  Also a concern for the government in trying to erase the deficit is that since 1943 the federal government has spent $1.3 billion cover the board’s deficits.  So why has all of this turmoil been caused by the government wanting to abolish it? 

Defenders of the CWB say that without the board grain prices would fluctuate day to day and farmers would have to negotiate their own price.  However this is exactly what opponents of the board want.  They argue that through the use of the internet farmers could monitor the price and negotiate accordingly, this would allow the farmers the opportunity to make more then they would be able to with the fixed rate used by the board.  There are also those that are in the middle and believe that pooling and negotiating a common price may be a good idea for some farmers, they should not be forced to sell their grain strictly to the CWB.  These farmers believe in a dual market system where they can sell their crops to the open market or to the board.  However this idea was already disposed of in 1997 when critics of the referendum said it wasn’t possible. 

I personally see more economic benefits to having a free market however I’m not the one selling my grain.  There is currently on online “vote” going on for farmers can determine the end result of the CWB.  What this will be interesting to see what is decided as most young farmers are determined to seek possible economic benefits of the board being gone, while the old die hards just want to have a secure market to sell their product to.  I guess time will tell.

Until next time,

Luke

The Winningest Cowboy Ever!

With 20 NFR appearances, 14 World Titles, numbers that most rodeo cowboys will only ever dream about.  But ontop of that in 2010 Trevor Brazile became the first ever cowboy to win 8 World Champion All Around Titles.  Early in 2011 he also set a first in rodeo history becoming the PRCA's first $4-million cowboy.  The way this man is able to handle a rope in the events of Tie-down Roping, Steer Roping, and Team Roping is absolutely phenominal! Here is some of his fine work.

Last night I got to see trevor rope at the Innisfail Pro Rodeo.  There is an afternoon and evening performance today and everything wraps up tommorow afternoon.  If you want to see World and Canadian Champions and high calibre rodeo get out to the Innisfail Rodeo this weekend.

Until next time,

Luke

Why Charolais

            For those who show charolais cattle they know how much extra work is involved.  All the extra washing, it being so much harder to blend, and even the white paint doesn’t really match.  So why charolais?  The charolais breed has been in North America for approximately seventy years starting in the southern United States eventually making its way north to everywhere it is today.  When the breed was first brought to North America it was well known for having more red meat and less fat, what we refer today as cutability.  This is the same reason that they are here for today, increasing carcass weight, yield, and cutability.  So with all of these good traits within the breed why are we still seeing the Angus reign that has been present for so long?  Well times are slowly changing but as a breeder it seems like not fast enough.  I think that charolais cattle should be used on commercial cattle with the intention of the progeny being for slaughter because of the benefits on the rail. 

            Years ago carcass weights were lower then the present day both live and hanging however, as the demand for food and beef increases so does the carcass weight required.  Charolais cattle have always had plenty of size and been able to keep that mass when they hang, their high percentage yield is a great trait that sets the breed out from others.  A large reason for this yield is because as charolais cattle are on feed they consistently build muscle.  While other breeds reach a point at which they don’t develop any more muscle and only turn it into fat, essentially waste, a charolais will continue to build muscle and meat.  This is why if you have ever tried to finish a charolais steer he will never seem to get over finished.  Another reason why as a breed they hang such a heavy carcass is because they start with a large frame.  Charolais cattle have always been and always will be a breed with a lot of size and performance.  This added size and performance is why charolais cross calves have become such a hot commodity.

            Nothing or nobody is perfect as much as I would like to believe that the charolais breed is everything can always get better, that is why charolais cross calves are such a great thing.  Every breed has its good traits, but every breed also lacks in other traits.  If you were to ask the owner of any feedlot they will all give you the same answer regarding breed preferences.  It doesn’t matter what the cross is, any cross is better then any one purebred animal.  The charolais breed has most all the good qualities required in the ideal carcass or feedlot animal however the one missing exponent is the marbling.  This is the strong trait of the Angus breed, this makes a Charolais Angus cross a carcass as close to perfect as you can get.  This breeding has become the most sought after calves by both feedlots and slaughter houses as they are the most likely to grade the best.

            I’ve discussed how charolais cattle can be used to create the ideal animal for feeding and slaughter and the benefits the charolais breed brings when getting it to the rail, so what advantages does the breed bring once they’re hanging.  Earlier I talked about how a charolais will continue to develop muscle instead of just become fat, this along with their natural muscle mass creates a larger rib eye area then other breeds are able to present.  The other huge advantage that they have is that because they don’t get “fat” is their cutability, as well as their overall grade.  Them having a smaller amount of cover, fat on the outside of their body, give’s them a higher grade essentially increasing the value of the product, them never getting “fat” also increases profitability as less labor is required to get the meat to customer quality.  Now that the packing plants and the feedlots having noted this high quality, producers are starting to get a premium for their calves which increase’s the demand for charolais bulls, in the end making it more profitable for everyone.

            The high performance breed of charolais cattle offers many valuable traits that set it out from the other breeds.  Whether it be selling your calves in the fall, feeding them through the winter, or when they’re hanging in the cooler the charolais difference is always noticeable.  These valuable traits are finally starting to be recognized both in the show and sale ring.  We have certainly waited long enough but I think our waiting is finally starting to pay off.  Farmers that are worried about the color of their calves should never be aloud to use that as a reason as we have white, red, and black purebred charolais that all offer the same performance and quality.  The charolais breed is proven, in the fields, the feedlots, and the slaughter houses.  If you aren’t running charolais bulls its time to make the switch, just remember, white makes you money. 

Cattle In Books

Have you ever noticed or when you think back to your childhood to all the picture books your parents would read to you and then you would eventually read by yourself, that whenever there was a picture of a cow it was always a Hereford or a Holstein.  So I ask, why is this consistently the case?  If in were respond my answer would simply be if they knew how to draw a real cow it would be ALL white!  But I’m sure that this isn’t the reason because they do as good of job possible at making the Herefords look good! 

But when I really start to think about it the more I realize that the illustrator is simply trying to exhibit their skill.  The two colors each animal has make it easier for the illustrator to make the animals different from one another and make them identifiable.  It also allows the illustrator to show his or her skill in making the markings consistent as well as it shows that it requires more skill.  Also the breed features of the Hereford being the horns also add an element of difficulty where the illustrator can exemplify their skill.  In the Holstein breed the illustrator is given quite the task of creating the udder.  This adds a level of difficulty to the illustration as well.  Another reason that these two breeds are used is that most of the books are older and both Holsteins and Herefords were very strong in numbers and were simply the most influential breeds in their time.  Not that the Holstein still isn’t. 

As much as I would like to believe that the artists just don’t know how to dram real cattle or all the cattle in books would be white I think that the artists are just more interested in showing off their skills. 

Don’t forget the entry deadline for the CCYA conference is tomorrow as well as the Innisfail Pro Rodeo kicks off tomorrow night with the slack performance.

Until next time,

Luke

Canadian Charolais Youth Assosiation

In the purebred industry every breed has its own association.  Each breed typically has associations that represent each province as well as a federal one.  Under each provincial association there is typically a youth association as well.  In the case of the Charolais breed we have an Alberta Charolais Youth Association (ACYA) as well as a Canadian Charolais Youth Association (CCYA).  I am a member of both.  I take part in my provincial level show and activities as well as the national level ones.  I like to be an active member within my provincial association but my biggest role as a youth member is being one of the Alberta directors on the CCYA National Board.  Being on the national board means that I make decisions on behalf of the Alberta members that affect the CCYA members or show and conference.  I take part in conference calls once every couple months and this past January we all got flown into Saskatoon for our winter meetings.  This is where all of the work really gets done.  Being able to all sit down together for a full day allows us to make any of the big changes necessary as well as create new programs and opportunities for CCYA members to succeed now and into their future. 

Last summer was the first year of the Summer Synergy; this was the first time in 4 years that our breed held a provincial level youth show.  This was a huge boost for us as we were able to get all of the members together and get all the holes in our executive filled up.  This was also very important as in 2012 we will be hosting the CCYA Show and Conference.  The CCYA Show and Conference is a 4 day event in which members of the CCYA from all over the country meet to take part in grooming, keep and cull, judging, team judging, marketing, team marketing, showmanship, and if you choose to take livestock conformation.  But the point of the CCYA Show and Conference is not all about the competition but throughout the conference there are seminars and always fun activities to take part in or great people to meet.  Last Summer my family and I along with 3 heifers made the journey to Dauphin Manitoba to take part in the conference.  The whole time we were there the sun was nearly always out and it was hot!  It was very humid making the mosquitoes just terrible!  But the conference was a lot of fun and it was well worth the trip.   

This year in July our family will again be attending the CCYA Show and Conference only this year we only have to go half as far as it is being held in Saskatoon.  I’m sure that I will reacquaint with the people I meet last year as well as make new friends.  There should be a strong turnout as it is a very central location.  The thing to remember about the conference is that you don’t have to take cattle you can go and compete in everything else.  There is also a commercial division for any females that are visibly Charolais cross (tan, silver, etc). For any of you interested in becoming a Charolais youth member or you are interested in attending the conference you can feel free to contact me or check out the Charolais youth website attached below. 

Canadian Charolais Youth Association
http://youth.charolais.com/

CCYA Conference 2011 Entries
http://youth.charolais.com/Documents/2011%20CCYA%20Conference%20Registration%20Form.pdf

Until next time,

Luke

The Hard Feild

Now that 4-H is over successfully I finally had time to strap on the pads again! Its been a long time since I've played and it felt great to be on the field again.  Unless of course I was the one actually on the field after a play.  Our field is rock hard! I'm sure it is the hardest field in the league or any league for that matter.   Now the pros they get the fancy astroturf where the grass is fake and there are tiny bits of rubber to keep it somewhat soft.  But our school is nowhere near having a small portion of the money to pay for such a field so how can we get a softer field?  Well whenever I'm walking out in the field during silaging or harvest the ground always seems rather soft, so what all do farmers do to keep their soil soft?  Well the most natural way is simply to have good soil.  Good rich black soil will naturally stay softer then drier soil that is not as rich.  Currently there is also a debate about whether or not using the zero till method actually keeps the soil softer and is more porous.  They argue that tilling the land actually makes it harder in the end because your taking the air out of the soil and packing the dirt tighter.  They're belief that the zero till method makes the soil more porous is that the root is the same size as the stem, when you harvest the crop and leave the roots in the soil they then decay leaving an air pocket.  This theory is still being debated and likely will be for quite sometime.  One way that farmers keep they're pastureland "soft" is by aerating it. this allows the air to get into the soil easier giving it more of a cushion.  The natural way to keep pastureland soft is based on rainfall.  the more moist the soil the softer it will be.  Based on what farmers do to keep their land soft to make our football field softer would be to aerate it and water it lots.  If all the grass wasn't so ruined from all the kids playing on it all the time we could fertilize it and cut it lots creating a layer of thatch or dead grass sitting of the ground.  This would help to act as a cushion.  So if our school had the money to afford these things then I would imagine that some of them would be done.  But instead I will just have to be sure that when I have the ball I don't get tackled and the rest of the time I make sure that the other team is always pulling themselves up off of our rock hard field. 

Until next time,

Luke