Sheppard, S. C., Bittman, S., Donohoe, G., Flaten, D., Wittenberg, K. M., Small, J. A., Berthiaume, R., McAllister, T. A., Beauchemin, K. A., McKinnon, J., Amiro, B. D., MacDonald, D., Mattos, F. and Ominski, K. H. 2015. Beef cattle husbandry practices across Ecoregions of Canada in 2011. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 305–321. Beef production in Canada is diverse in many dimensions with numbers of cattle per operation ranging over 10 000-fold, pasture usage from nil to 100%, and types of operations from solely cow–calf to exclusively feedlot finishing. This study summarizes management information obtained from a survey conducted in 2012 (about 2011) on 1009 beef operations in Canada. Many of the results clearly differentiate the practices in the Prairies from those in Ontario and Quebec. Compared to eastern Canada, the Prairies had earlier and shorter calving seasons, higher weaning weights, utilized more winter grazing with a variety of strategies, grew and fed more barley than corn, used more seasonal feeding areas and feedlots (and hence fewer barns), and more commonly spread manure in the fall. Many of the management practices used by cow–calf operations would have low environmental impact, including extensive use of grazing even in winter, low fertilizer inputs and feeding perennial forages with a high content of legumes. Some practices such as not covering forages or manure storage structures were common and could be changed to improve forage quality and reduce manure emissions. Most forage was harvested 3–7 d after full bloom. Earlier harvest has the potential to improve forage quality, which could reduce dependence on arable crops. Finishing operations used more housing, fed more arable-land crops and less perennial forages, and practiced little grazing. Rationale regarding the adoption of many of the management strategies was reported by the producers. For example, winter grazing was adopted primarily to reduce costs and labour, but for some it was also linked to a late calving season. Preferred sources of technical information included their own experience, farm print media, producer organisations and demonstrations at field days. The survey also identified several areas in which the industry may realize improved sustainability.
A BSE discovery in a downer cow in May 2003 in Alberta caused the closure of all international markets to live cattle exports. The Canadian cattle industry has lost $5.5 billion as a result. This paper describes the BSE threat, the border closures, and policy responses & their efficacy.
Plaizier, J. C., Legesse, G., Ominski, K. H. and Flaten, D. 2014. Whole-farm budgets of phosphorus and potassium on dairy farms in Manitoba. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 119–128. Whole-farm budgets of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) were determined on 10 dairy farms in Manitoba between October 2010 and October 2011. These budgets were determined as the difference between total exports, including milk, animals, feed, and manure, and total imports, including feed, manure, animals, and inorganic fertilizer, for each farm. Farms differed in their feeding and manure management strategies. Two farms imported all their feed and exported all their manure. Other farms produced some of their feed and spread most of their manure on their farm. Whole-farm P and K budgets varied from −0.42 to 3.35 and from −1.31 to 11.27 g kg−1 milk sold among farms, respectively. Efficiencies of P and K utilization were calculated as the exports as a percentage of imports. The P efficiency averaged 48%, and ranged from 22.1 to 109% among farms. The K efficiency averaged 37%, and ranged from 10 to 98% among farms. In the fall of 2010 and 2011, 94 and 98%, of fields sampled had soil test P concentrations lower than the concentration above which further accumulation of P would be regulated (60 ppm). Of the farms that spread their own manure, the highest P and K efficiency were on a farm that exported a proportion of the produced forages and did not import any inorganic fertilizer. The lowest P and K efficiencies were on a farm that imported concentrate feeds, bedding straw and most forages, and had the smallest land base per milking cow to spread manure. Variations in P and K efficiencies demonstrate opportunities to enhance these efficiencies.
Bernier, J. N., Undi, M., Plaizier, J. C., Wittenberg, K. M., Donohoe, G. R. and Ominski, K. H. 2012. Impact of prolonged cold exposure on dry matter intake and enteric methane emissions of beef cows overwintered on low-quality forage diets with and without supplemented wheat and corn dried distillers’ grain with solubles. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 92: 493–500. This study was conducted to determine the impact of prolonged cold exposure on dry matter intake (DMI) and enteric methane (CH4) emissions of overwintering beef cows consuming low-quality forage with and without supplemented protein in the form of dried distillers’ grain with solubles (DDGS). The study was carried out with 30 mature, dry, open beef cows (663±52.9 kg) that were fed a low-quality (deficient CP, 6.0% CP) forage (control), low-quality forage supplemented with 10% DDGS (sufficient CP, 8.7% CP; DDGS10) or 20% DDGS (excess CP, 11.6% CP; DDGS20). Carrying out the study from October through February allowed assessment under thermal neutral and prolonged cold conditions typical of the prairie region of Canada (Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan). Average minimum and maximum daily temperatures were 2.7 and 13.8°C in the thermal neutral period, and –23.5 and −11.0°C in the prolonged cold period, respectively. When no protein supplements were offered, cows exposed to prolonged cold consumed less (P=0.01) forage than when exposed to thermal neutral conditions. Enteric CH4 emissions, when measured as litres per day, were not influenced (P>0.05) by dietary protein supplementation, averaging 285.6±11.71, 311.9±11.49 and 282.6±13.02 L d−1 for cows fed control, DDGS10, and DDGS20 diets, respectively. When expressed as a percentage of energy consumed, cows consuming low-quality forage supplemented with 20% DDGS produced 18.5% less (P=0.01) enteric CH4 relative to cows consuming the low-quality forage only, with emissions of 5.3±0.38 and 6.5±0.33% GEI, respectively. Mature beef cows maintained at the same physiological status and dietary regime produced 26.8% less (P=0.001) enteric CH4 (7.1±0.30 vs. 5.2±0.26% GEI) under prolonged cold as compared with thermal neutral conditions. Based on these results, enteric CH4 emissions for the Canadian cow herd that is overwintered outdoors may be overestimated using current International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology.
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