HomeMy WebLinkAboutFarming '90, 1990-03-21, Page 14A14. FARMING ’90, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1990.
Beef farm operation strives for perfect purebred
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Preventative medicine
Once thecalf has been weighed, it getsa few preventative shots
of medicine. The calves are injected with Vitamin A, D and E.
Then they areneedled with penicillin to prevent naval infection
and lastly they are given a dose of selenium to prevent white
muscle disease which is like muscular dystrophy in humans.
Alsoat thistimeeachcalf is given a tag in its ear which contains
such pertinent information as its dam, sire, birth weight, farm
number and record number. This calf is 21 Z which stands as the
21st calf born in 1990.
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Agriculture
and Food
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David Ramsay, Minister
Huron Park, Ontario
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Ready feed
Once calving time is over, there
is little manual labour required
on a beef farm. The cattle
housed in bushlots during the
winter months are self-fed hay.
Procters load the hay into a
fenced compound in late sum
mer and place a cable that
shocks in front of it to control
the cattle and prevent them
from making a mess of the pile.
All that is required is to move
the cable back when the cattle
cannot reach the hay. A few
times a year, the Procters do
come out and open the bales
with an axe when freezing
weather has frozen the bales.
Mr. Procter here shows how
little rot there is on the bales
from standing outside all win
ter.
Story & Photos
By Lisa Boonstoppel
ESTABLISHED 1873
Raising beef cattle is one type of farming that involves a lot of
long-term planning. Maintaining and improving purebred lines along
with developing a successful crossbreed animal are some of the
futuristic goals beef farmers set out for themselves.
Don Procter, who farms about 180 beef cattle knows all about blood
lines on the Belgrave-area farm he runs with his father Ross. Their
operation revolves around a stock herd of 51 purebred Shorthorn cows
and a few top bulls with which they are constantly striving to breed the
perfect Shorthorn.
Shorthorns are quiet cattle, they have lots of milk and they are easy
calvers, ’ ’ said Mr. Procter when describing the purebred herd. But the
Procters are also developing crossbreed cattle which they say is what
the market is demanding. The Procters’ favourite crossbreed is a
Shorthorn/Hereford cow bred to a Charolais.
“When you cross cattle you pick up a hybrid vigour,” said Mr.
Procter who explained that these calves are usually more fertile, will
breed and calve easier. The calves that are born are also smarter as
well as picking up the attributes of each breed of cattle they are crossed
with.
A large part of running a beef operation is planning the breeding of
the cattle. But a lot of the manual work comes in around this time of
year when the cows are calving and here are some of the chores Mr.
Procter does during calving time.
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