The term “Marginal Gains” or “The 1% Factor” was coined by Sir David Brailsford, who as Performance Director of British Cycling enabled the British Olympic cycling team to win two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. This was the team’s best finish since 1908. Marginal gains theory was largely credited with the team’s success and with achievements at other events. Consequently, marginal gains theory has been adopted across the sports world and by the business community.  Marginal gains theory is simple to understand, and incredibly powerful. It is based on three fundamental princ ..read more

By; Kristin Lee, Flavio Schenkel, Ángela Cánovas – University of Guelph, Department of Animal Biosciences, Center for Genetic Improvement of Livestock, Guelph, ON, Ricardo Ventura, Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ), Brazil , Gordon Vandervoort – AgSights, Elora, ON, Canada In recent years, the beef cattle industry has seen significant advancements in technology, which have enabled producers to make more informed decisions about improving their herd genetics. These advancements include genomics, sensors for monitoring animal health and performance ..read more

Pastures in Ontario usually consist of a mix of bunchgrasses and sod-forming grasses. This diversity in plant structure encourages livestock to sort through the pasture, spending grazing time seeking the most palatable plants instead of maximizing forage intakes. Increased forage intake leads to increased animal production. Pasture management strategies should aim to provide livestock with forage that is both palatable and easy to eat. Wallau and colleagues wanted to better understand how the amount of forage and types of plant structures within a pasture influenced intake rates by grazing cat ..read more

This article was originally published in 2021 in the Milk Producer Magazine produced by Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Written by Christine O’Reilly Sorghum species—including forage sorghum, sudangrass and especially their hybrid sorghum-sudangrass—are gaining popularity in Ontario as forage crops. To increase palatability and digestibility in sorghum species, many producers have been increasing the seeding rates they use. A decade ago, sorghum species for forage use were commonly sown at 20 to 25 pounds per acre. More recently, seeding rates have climbed, and sorghum species are frequently seeded ..read more

By Marlene Paibomesai Colostrum is important for passive immunity, neonate nutritional needs and calf development. Colostrum is a source of immune factors, fatty acids and protein that the calf needs early in life. Colostrum components are absorbed by the small intestine to effectively protect and provide nutrition to the neonate calf. Circulating IgG and other immune factors, such as lactoferrin or leukocytes, play an important role in neutralizing pathogens, which protects the calf from disease. The window of absorption is close to birth with gut closure occurring about 12 to 24 hours after ..read more

A calf’s microbiome is established very early in life. The microscopic world cannot be seen, but it can impact dairy production, health, and the environment. We tend to think of microbes in the context of causing disease, but they are a key driver of life and provide many benefits to animals, especially to the ruminant. The cow acts as a host to the microbes by providing a habitat in which to live, and the microbes, in turn, provide the cow with functions that the cow cannot complete on its own. A review article from the University of Alberta provides insight into how the microbiome might ..read more

Although the fall calf run represents the busiest time of year for feedlots to fill pens, spring tends to be another busy time for cattle movement in Ontario.  Special stocker sales are scheduled throughout the spring season.  Some of these cattle are destined for pasturing over the grazing season whereas others are destined for finishing in a feedlot.  Cattle transitioning into a new feedlot setting marks an important time for dialing in on best management practices in the feedlot – whether in the fall, spring, or any other season.  Taking the time to nurture newly receive ..read more

By: Dr. Melissa Williams, University of Guelph Introduction In the feedlot, cattle are fed high-grain diets to help them reach market weight quickly; however, the large amount of grain fed in the diet does have its downsides. One downside is the increased risk of ruminal acidosis caused by a reduced ruminal pH, which in turn can damage the gut wall. With increased damage to the gut wall bacteria make their way to the liver and colonize to form an abscess, reducing carcass value at slaughter. Since damage to the gut wall increases the wall permeability, harmful molecules can enter the bloodstre ..read more

The third trimester (months 6 to 9) of a beef cow’s pregnancy is the most important time during the feeding period. During the last 3 months of pregnancy, her requirement for energy increases by 34% from 12.6 Mcal/day at the end of the 6th month of pregnancy to 16.9 Mcal/day in her 9th month of pregnancy, see table 1. Most of this increase comes from the energy required for pregnancy which jumps from 1.4 Mcal/day at the end of the 6th month of pregnancy to 6.2 Mcal/day in the 9th month of pregnancy, an almost 450% increase in energy demand. These figures assume the pregnant cow is in good body ..read more

By Madi Lewis, Katie Wood, Koryn Hare, & Michael Steele Introduction Late gestating beef cattle experience increased nutrient demands during the final two month prior to calving due to exponential fetal growth (Bauman and Currie, 1980). In these final two months, the fetus will gain approximately 60% of its birthweight, and mammary gland development is occurring as the dam prepares for production of colostrum and lactation (Bauman and Currie, 1980). The process of colostrum production relative to calving is not well understood. Previous work has shown that cows supplemented with excess ene ..read more