Beef cattle 4-H projects provide youth with opportunities to expand their knowledge of the Canadian beef cattle industry and cattle production while developing leadership skills. Throughout the year, members learn principles of cattle selection and evaluation, nutrition and feeding, health, reproduction, marketing and more.
The Beef Cattle Research Council is pleased to offer resources and tools for the next generation of beef cattle producers with the new For 4-H Leaders webpage on BeefResearch.ca.
The following are a sampling of the resources available.
nfographics on Key Management Practices
Biosecurity: Beef producers value pens and pastures of consistently healthy cattle with low treatment costs. Daily habits go a long way to reduce or prevent the spread of disease. It is important to understand the risks associated with working with beef cattle every day to ensure both the animals and the people who care for them remain safe.
Feed testing: Understanding the quality of the feed being fed on a beef cattle operation is paramount to maintaining animal health and welfare. Visual assessment of feedstuffs is not an accurate means to assess quality and may lead to cows being underfed and losing body condition or result in overspending on expensive supplements that aren’t necessary. It is recommended that producers test feeds prior to feeding to ensure cattle nutritional requirements will be met.
Informative Videos
How to Perform Hands-On Body Condition Scoring: By having an accurate measure of your cows’ body condition, you’ll have a good indicator of how to manage their rations to maximize productivity.
Interactive Tools and Graphics
Closed Herd: Biosecurity hazards on beef operations are sometimes overlooked; however, the risk of introducing disease onto your farm is real and relatively common. Routine practices such as shared fence lines, buying replacement breeding heifers or bulls, borrowing stock trailers, outsourcing farm work or hosting visitors can bring unwanted diseases onto your farm.