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Agriculture This Week: Farming always evolving

When you have grown up on a farm in the 1960s and ‘70s it is almost beyond belief the changes in farming we see today. 

It was a mixed farm for me, and that meant pigs and grain. 

In my youth I hauled a lot of ground grain to feed the pigs using cleaned five-gallon pails that originally were filled with some weed spray, or another. 

Looking back over some 40-years it seems like it was such a crazy thing, but repurposing the pails was pretty standard. I’m pretty sure potatoes came from the garden to the cellar bin in similar pails. 

Of course I clearly recall Dad taking plugged nozzles off the sprayer, his gloves getting soaked in the process, and then simply blowing out the nozzle with his breath. 

Knowing what we do now it’s a wonder what health problems were caused in a time we didn’t know better, or were reluctant to change. Dad lived to a considerable age, his heart giving out one day, but one wonders. 


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Episode 143: Choosing the Right Winter Feeding Strategy

Video: Episode 143: Choosing the Right Winter Feeding Strategy

Winter feeding is one of the largest costs for Canadian cow-calf producers, and how it's managed can have a big impact on both herd health and the bottom line. In this episode, we look at common winter-feeding strategies and discuss the benefits and challenges of each. We'll also cover practical ways to make the most of your winter-feeding program, including feed testing, ration balancing and regularly monitoring body condition.