StettlerLocal.com May 20, 2022 @ 1:00pm
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) https://www.beefresearch.ca/ is Canada’s national industry-led funding agency for beef, cattle and forage research. It is funded through government, industry, and a part of the national levy (check off).
BCRC does more than research. One of the group's primary goals is to summarize information developed by the research teams and make it available to producers. They are providing scientific information in plain language.
There are eight defined priorities. These range from beef quality to efficient use of feed grains and forages. They also support the Verified Beed Production Plus (VBP+) program http://www.verifiedbeef.ca/ which enables producers to prove that they are using the highest standards for food safety, animal care, and environmental stewardship.
A large role for BCRC is the extension of new information to producers. Podcasts, webinars, and videos provide an opportunity for producers to learn about topics without leaving the farm. All the information is recorded and placed on their website, making it easy to access when it fits into your schedule. BCRC also develops factsheets and research summaries that are posted to their website.
Producers can subscribe to the blog articles that are delivered to your email. The articles summarize innovations or developments from across the country. In addition, previous articles that date back to April of 2011 are archived and available for viewing.
The website also has a number of decision-making tools. This winter, two that were very useful were the Feed Value Calculator and Feed Test Result Calculator. The first calculator provides a mechanism to determine a fair price for feed based on the nutrient content of the forage when compared to the current value of barley (for energy) and canola meal (for protein). The second calculator, compares the feed test results to the nutrient requirements for a specific animal. It does not balance a ration but indicates if the feed is suitable or what nutrients are deficient.
The items mentioned above are a sampling of what is available on the website. Take some time and browse what is available.
Barry Yaremcio
Ruminant Nutritionist