Heifer problems - what is it this year?

[Silver]

We are north of Smoky Lake, kind of in the triangle of the MD of Bonnyville, County of St. Paul and County of Lac La Biche. Our farm is only cattle country, not good enough for grain really.

What do you mean with your calves have been to Smoky Lake?

Seems like there is a feedlot in the area that the buyer of our calves have taken them to the last few years. But of course I stand to be corrected. At sale time there's a lot going on and I don't always retain as much information as I'd like lol

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

@faster horses - don't back away from giving out good info.
I used Vigortone for several years, but now use BioZyme products. Bottom line, cattle need good mineral. Our area is extremely deficient in SE. I used to inject my mature cows with MuSe or Multimin a couple times a year. Don't any more.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Seems like there is a feedlot in the area that the buyer of our calves have taken them to the last few years. But of course I stand to be corrected. At sale time there's a lot going on and I don't always retain as much information as I'd like lol

Yeah be interesting at times to know where the calves are going and how they end up doing.
Where do you guys sell the calves? At what auction market?

 

[Silver]

Yeah be interesting at times to know where the calves are going and how they end up doing.
Where do you guys sell the calves? At what auction market?

When we sold at auction we sold at VJV Dawson Creek. Last few years we have sold direct to buyers.
I would really like to be able to follow the calves through to slaughter. We were promised by the CCIA that we would get carcass data when the RFID tags came in, but that was obviously a lie.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

When we sold at auction we sold at VJV Dawson Creek. Last few years we have sold direct to buyers.
I would really like to be able to follow the calves through to slaughter. We were promised by the CCIA that we would get carcass data when the RFID tags came in, but that was obviously a lie.

We usually go through VJV Westlock.

Carcass Data was promised through BIXS years and years ago. I signed up way back when and was hoping to kill my curiosity. In all these years 50 of our animals were traceable and that was I believe about 10 years ago. Whenever I would contact them about it they just blamed it on the packers not signing up to the tracking process. Well, whatever it is........ who gives a **** about cow/calf producers anyway....... right?!

 

[Silver]

We usually go through VJV Westlock.

Carcass Data was promised through BIXS years and years ago. I signed up way back when and was hoping to kill my curiosity. In all these years 50 of our animals were traceable and that was I believe about 10 years ago. Whenever I would contact them about it they just blamed it on the packers not signing up to the tracking process. Well, whatever it is........ who gives a **** about cow/calf producers anyway....... right?!

Pretty much exactly my experience with BIXS and my calls to them. I don't know how they can expect to receive a better product if they won't give us the data to use for improvement. The whole thing disgusts me. Canada had a chance to put more distance between ourselves and our competitors with regards to beef quality and it appears as though we squandered it.