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You Spoke, We Listened: Producers Set the Research Agenda

Your Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off pays for the research and communication work supported by the Beef Cattle Research Council. It’s really important that we understand what specific challenges you face, so that we invest in the right solutions.

Last summer, readers were encouraged to participate in the Beef Cattle Research Council’s on-line beef research survey to help us develop a clear set of priorities to guide research funding decisions over the next five years. Thanks for responding. Here are some of the highlights of what you told us.

What We Did
The survey was open from June through August 2025. It asked you to rate various research issues as Extremely, very, moderately, slightly or not important in the areas of nutrition and production efficiency, forage and grassland productivity, environmental sustainability, animal health and welfare, beef quality and food safety. We also asked where producers look for reliable production information.

A total of 588 Canadians responded to the survey. This article focuses on the responses provided by the 38 seedstock, 337 cow-calf and 20 feedlot producers, as well as the 44 veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians (for the animal health and welfare section). We paid particular attention to issues rated as extremely or very important by 75% or more of respondents, as well as issues that were rated as slightly or not important by at least 25% of the respondents.

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Trending Video

Optimizing Piglet Gut Health for Performance - Dr. Marco de Mik

Video: Optimizing Piglet Gut Health for Performance - Dr. Marco de Mik


In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, we revisit a conversation with Dr. Marco de Mik, Senior Consultant at Schothorst Feed Research, who explores how to enhance gastrointestinal health in piglets for optimal growth. He shares his expertise on how feed formulation, stomach function, and gastrointestinal health directly impact the pig’s growth and development. Learn how to balance nutrient absorption, reduce diarrhea risks, and optimize feed performance. Tune in on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles...

"The stomach is the first barrier to kill bacteria, and it’s crucial for storage, digestion, and antibacterial functions. All of these contribute to overall gastrointestinal health."

Meet the guest: Dr. Marco de Mik / mdemik holds a veterinary medicine degree from Utrecht University and an M.Sc. in Animal Nutrition from Wageningen University. With over a decade of experience in swine nutrition, he currently works as a Senior Consultant at Schothorst Feed Research. He specializes in feed formulation, animal physiology, and metabolism.