Grazing Management – Try to graze for 7 and feed for 5 months instead of the reverse
Make it a priority to learn more about grazing management and setting grazing plans
Use Legumes in pasture – Alfalfa reduces Nitrogen needs, improves productivity, drought tolerance and pasture quality
Use fertilizer when and where it makes sense
Soil test to know how to manage your soil nutrient needs
Use Electric fencing – It is cheap, allows for fencing flexibility and is quick to put up and take down
Don’t overstock grazing land
Manage your grass for the worst case scenario – the worst that will happen is that you will have too much grass
Use early weaning to manage grass, feed and improve body condition for cows going into winter
Understand and know how to rate Body Condition – It will improve conception rates, colostrum levels and can reduce feeding and bedding needs
Balance rations and know the weights of the feeds you are feeding
Eliminate bedding and feeding in corrals
Let the cows lick snow – research has proven there are no negative issues as long as cattle have access to clean loose snow
Calve on grass and give the cows space for calving and mothering
Select for longevity…. Look at why cows are being replaced within the herd
Run the right type of cows for your environment (ie milk traits)
Focus on reproduction and not on weaning rates
Improve stock handling skills
Pail feed and tame the wild ones
Enhance the vitamin, mineral and TM salt program
Have a short breeding season on the heifers to select for high fertility
Enhance energy in feed program at breeding
Address the main causes of abortion
Fall semen test bulls
More bull power
Extend the breeding season on the cows and/or have a second breeding season for the opensduring times of low values for cull animals
Have a proper vaccination and preventative health program
Replace equipment through custom operators or shared ownership
Use the byproducts from the grain industry – stubble graze, using straw and chaff and screenings
Discover the 80 / 20 rule – 80% of your time will be spent on things that make you 20% of your income; conversely there are things that take 20% of your time and make you 80% of your income – discover which activities are which
Eliminate, Delegate, Cooperate, Procrastinate
Evaluate your skills - do more of what you do well and hire what you do poorly
Set Goals…. Long term and short term – Goals should be the driving force of what you do
Evaluate the best profit opportunity of land use. ie cash crop canola vs. grass production
Turn bush pasture into woodlot management
Keep things simple
Are you fully employed on your ranch?
Build bridges that were burnt and enhance business relationships
Can you as neighbors combine and feed your herds together for 100 days to save yardage costs?
Custom feed cows out / in
What are the off farm job opportunities
Reduce manure handling
Develop and protect natural wind shelter
Use portable shelters
Use portable feeders - Good feed bunks reduce waste and pay for themselves
Consider skip a day feeding and review feed delivery program
Know what it costs you to make feed – including the opportunity cost of owning the land on which it is made
Understand the value of harvest, storage and feeding losses
Know what it costs you to deliver feed – including the costs of replacing equipment when it is worn out
Reduce feed handling and cut feeding losses
Find ways to make use of the feed value in bedding straw
Use water systems to enhance grazing opportunities
Know your cost of a day on pasture and of a day on feed
Use supplements to get the most benefit from forage
Balance rations by phase of production
Understand rumen function and nutrient requirements
Own a scale – to know how much you are feeding, what you are buying and what you are selling, cattle and feeds
Commit to business management. Specific financial and production goals that can be measured and monitored
Make wise purchase decisions to reduce investment and depreciable assets… ie machinery and vehicles
Avoid industry fads that are not cost effective -
Buy replacements and use terminal cross bulls if you are a small producer
Don’t spend money to reduce your taxes if it will cost you a dollar to save 30 cents
Get a good inventory and management accounting system to accurately measure and monitor performance
Learn the meat industry – what are the cuts from a beef animal and who buys it
Learn how meat is graded - there is more to meat that just marbling
Know what you produce…who buys the cattle, where do they go, were they happy with them
Produce a uniform product… breeding, calving length, color
Value-add to the calves….. Pre-vaccinate and wean
Learn and use low-stress weaning methods
Reduce people and stock stress when handling cattle
Be diligent with injection sites, IM injections in neck only or use SQ
Keep and improve your record keeping skills
Improve identification
Own a computer and use it for records, accounting, rations and internet resources
Truckload size your sales
Work with your neighbors for marketing
Know your cost of production…. What is your breakeven?
Know the difference between feasibility (cash cost) and profitability (full cost)
Understand the feedlot performance of your cattle – Average Daily gain is important but Feed Efficiency is even more
Find out about the carcass characteristics of your cattle
Know where your cattle fit into the market
Spread your market timings to reduce risk
Do not try to top the market in the fall, set a strike price and follow through
Be prepared to market…. Have things set up
Send a thank you card to the buyer of your cattle…. You will definitely be remembered
Who else is on your Christmas card list…. Maybe there is another time to send appreciation thank-yous
Direct market your cows and bulls as hamburger, sausage, jerky and high quality meat
Milk you resource team; bankers, AAFRD specialists, feed mill nutritionists, equipment suppliers, accountants etc.
Enhance your resource team; AAFRD, Ag. Canada, researchers, meat processors, etc
Maintain a network of informed and progressive beef producers
Limit your time with negative people– 1 negative person can offset the positivism of 20 people
Get involved in industry organizations - Alberta Beef Producers, Canadian Cattlemen’s Associations, Forage Associations
Are you aware of and using all government support programs
Consider debt restructuring
Do you have a business plan Are you using it?
Look at every tradition you have done and redo them
Don’t let the cows run your life
Pick 5 items on this list and start working on them today
Pick another 10 items and pick them to work on in the next 6 months
Print out this list…. add your own items …Put it on the fridge, in the bathroom, in the tractor and read it from time to time to keep challenging your self
Treat your farm or ranch as a business; the way of life is a nice, but it has to pay for your cost of living

By: Christoph E. Weder, Rod Carlyon, Lorne Erickson and Trevor Yurchak Alberta Agriculture Food and Rural Development

101 Things to reduce cost of production and improve returns for cow calf producers in Western Canada

The contents of this page are no longer available.

This document is maintained by Stacey Tames.
This information published to the web on January 21, 2004.