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ADOPT Projects 20211076 - Intercropping spring and winter cereals for silage and grazing Read More 20211038 - Methods for establishing saline tolerant forage mixes Read More 20211036 - 4R nitrogen use in mixed forage stands part 3 Read More 20211032 - Growing fodder as an alternative feed Read More

Welcome to the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association The Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association was established in 2009 with the mandate to provide a united voice for the province's beef industry, with representation from all industry sectors and across all regions of the province. As a development commission, the SCA works to develop and promote the industry by investing levies collected through the sale of beef cattle in the province. Latest News Changes to Crop Insurance for 2024 CLICK THE IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Press Releases **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** **The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) is pleased with today’s budget** [Regina, Sk, Mar. 2024] SCA welcomes the changes and expansion of the Forage Rainfall Insurance program, as well as the increase in the number of weather stations to be located throughout the province. The expanded options to insure additional forage crops, including greenfeed, mixed forage and silage as well as additional 38 weather stations, should enable producers to select coverage that better reflects the situation on their operations. Cumulative droughts have taken a toll on many producers in the province and the call for changes to the Forage Rainfall Insurance program came directly from producers at the drought townhall meetings SCA hosted last summer. “The changes to Forage Rainfall Insurance clearly indicates that the government listened to producers’ concerns and acted to improve the program in a way that should help producers expand their coverage and protect their operation,” stated Keith Day, SCA Chair. “It is important that the programs available respond to the situation producers may face. We thank the government listening and acting.” The ongoing drought situation also highlights the need for a stable supply of water for producers and their animals. The announced funding to move forward with the large irrigation project at Lake Diefenbaker is appreciated by SCA. “SCA has been a vocal proponent of the two large irrigation projects. We believe they are transformational, with significant economic benefit not only for our producers, but the province as well,” commented Grant McLellan, SCA CEO. “We took every opportunity available to remind the province of the project’s necessity and importance, and we are pleased to see it moving forward.” For media inquiries or more information about The Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) please email: Colin Hubick colin@saskbeef.com Click Here

2023 SCA Board of Directors Click here for map of districts.

< Back 2017-094: Development of a novel vaccine for protection against Mycoplasma bovis infections in feedlot cattle Researcher: Jose Perez-Casal Funding: $149,788 Mycoplasma bovis is a pathogen causing respiratory disease and arthritis, among other problems. It is increasingly recognized as having an important impact on the health, welfare, and productivity of dairy and beef cattle. M. bovis diseases can be difficult to diagnose and control because of inconsistent disease expression and response to treatments and vaccines. Dr. Perez-Casal will test novel vaccine candidates against an M. Bovis challenge. This approach has already been successful in Sub-Sahara Africa against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia. Results This project resulted in the identification of novel antigens that could be used in the development of a vaccine to control M. bovis disease in feedlots. However, this vaccine wasn't administered orally, and had less opportunity to affect the lungs - a key obstacle that could significantly improve the immune response. The scientists at VIDO (Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization) in Saskatoon, SK are now working on oral and intranasal routes for immunizations. However, the vaccines need to be formulated to reach the deepest sections of the lungs, which could include encapsulations and biodegradable polymers.

< Back 2020-105: Identification of genetic factors contributing to abiotic stress tolerance in intermediate wheatgrass Researcher: Sean Asselin Funding: $17,000 Project Description: Intermediate Wheatgrass is a preferred feed for livestock, which is also drought resistant and can more easily adapt in sandy soils. However, new cultivars have not been bred at AAFC Swift Current for decades. New breeding technologies which take advantage of genome mapping techniques have made an intermediate wheatgrass breeding program more advantageous. Sean Asselin and his research team will ID and validate sources of drought/salt tolerance in intermediate wheatgrass. They will then map the genes of wheatgrass with improved tolerance and identify parts of that genome that shows significant association with drought tolerance. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back 2020-108: Identifying mycorrhizal fungi to enhance field crop and forage salinity tolerance Researcher: Jonathan Bennett Funding; $20,000 Project Description: Mycorrizal fungi allows for better nutrient uptake in plants, through a symbiotic relationship with plant roots that takes advantage of the larger reach of fungi within the soil. While you might have purchased soil that contained mycorrizal fungi, it's important to note mycorrhizal fungi have unique ecologies adapted to regional conditions, and much more varied that those on the market. As some mycorrizal fungi could have adapted in saline soil conditions, Dr. Jon Bennett will mycorrhizal fungi that increase salinity tolerance in plants. He will collect soil samples from saline areas in different soil zones to isolate and culture, then create conditions to create more mycorrhizal fungi spores and growth. Finally, mycorrhizal fungi in saline soils will be compared to marketed fungi. Various crops will be tested to evaluated whether they grow better with the collected mycorrizal fungi than commercial mycorrhizal inoculants in saline soils. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back 2016-186: Effect of Ergot on Beef Bull Fertility Researcher: Jaswant Singh Funding: $28,980 The effect of ergot on cattle has been studied in the past. Beef nutritionists feel comfortable providing their cattle with a low level of ergot in feed, while higher levels of ergot can lead to large wrecks. However, Dr. Singh and his team are investigating whether even these low levels of ergot can lead to poor fertility for bulls in the year that they eat ergot and beyond. They hope to provide better recommendations to bovine nutritionists with this information, which could lead to higher fertility rates in years after ergot contaminated crops. Results A series of studies were conducted to characterize the low-level exposure of ergot on bull reproductive health and semen characteristics. The three studies involved an exposure of adult bulls to low levels of ergot. The results of these studies indicate that adult bulls can tolerate up to 2.2 mg ergot alkaloids / kg of Dry Matter Intake for 8-week period in the spring season without having health effects or any major deleterious effects on bull semen evaluation. It needs to be emphasized that feed supply to cows was highly controlled and these conclusions cannot yet be extended to the severe winter conditions in Saskatchewan without further testing. Further, Canadian standards need to be re-considered and revised in the light of this study.

< Back Belton's Amazing Reverse Seared Tri Tip Tri Tip is a favorite amongst many bbqers because of its reasonable price, short cooking time, and beefy flavor. This recipe calls for a Reverse Seared Tri Tip which is first smoked for close to 90 minutes and then seared over a direct flame to lock in juices and render that delicious crust. Ingredients Ingredients for Reverse Sear Tri-Tip: -2 tbsp of you favorite steak seasoning -1 to 3 pound tri-tip roast (fat cap & silver skins removed) -3 tbsp olive oil Preparation First let’s get smoker fired up to 225 degrees. Rub tri-tip with olive oil and season every nook & cranny w/ your favorite steak seasoning. Place tri-tip on smoker and smoke until internal temp 5 degrees below desired internal temp for doneness. Next, turn heat up smoker to 500 degrees. Sear 3-5 mins on both sides until tri-tip reaches desired internal temp. Remove tri-tip from smoker and allow to rest at least 10 mins. slice tri-tip against the grain. Desired internal temps guide: 120°F = Rare 125°F = Medium Rare 130°F = Medium 140°F = Medium Well 150°F = Well Done Guess what, it's eatin time!!! Previous Next

< Back 2020-110: Collaborative testing and development of forage barley varieties for western Canada Researcher: Yadeta Kabeta ​ Project Description: Dr. Yadeta Kabeta and his team have already developed 6 new varieties that have improved forage biomass yield and forage quality in the past 5 years, compared to Cowboy and Maverick. However, they still have a goal to address lodging and the 25% of the plant biomass that is indigestible by livestock. They intend to provide newer varieties with higher forage yield and fodder quality. Evaluation of barley lines will be evaluated in different soil zones across Western Canada with 5 common check cultivars. They will assess the forage and yield quality of all of these lines, as well as their nutritive value, to determine the average daily gain a backgrounding animal would achieve. This research team hopes to release one or more of its best lines for commercial cultivation. Results: Waiting for research results.

< Back Smoked & Braised Beef Short Ribs Hey there!!! In today’s feature we’ll discuss Smoked & Braised Beef Short Ribs. Ingredients Ingredients: 4 pounds short ribs ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup rub your favorite beef rub, or the one below For the braising liquid: 1 cup dry red wine 1 cup beef broth 1 tablespoon of your favorite rub 2 tablespoons butter Preparation -Let’s get the smoker fired up to 225 degrees. -Coat short ribs w/ olive oil and season every nook and cranny of the short ribs with your favorite rub seasoning. -Place short ribs on smoker for about 3-4 hrs. When the color looks good and meat is pulling back from the bone (internal temp of roughly 165 degrees F), add to a disposable aluminum pan. In the pan add the braising ingredients: wine, beef broth, favorite rub seasoning, and butter. Cover tightly with foil and put back into the smoker. -After one hour, use a meat thermometer to probe short ribs, the ribs are done when you can insert the thermometer and the feel is like inserting into butter. There should not be much resistance, if it’s not like butter it is not quite done yet, and keep cooking until it is. Could be up to two hours in total for the braise. -After you have determined it’s done (roughly 200 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit), remove from smoker and let sit covered for 15 minutes. -Remove from braise bath and serve with your favorite side dishes. Guess what?! It’s eaten time! Previous Next

< Back 2019-122: Development of meadow brome and cicer milkvetch varieties for stockpiled grazing in western Canada Researcher: Bill Biligetu Funding: $50,000 Project Description: Meadow brome has been a very suitable fast-growing grass for late season stockpiling, high forage yield in mid-June, and a higher early spring growth than smooth bromegrass. Cicer milkvetch is a non-bloat legume that maintains its forage quality throughout the growing season. This study will select germplasms that perform greater in late season in terms of forage yield and forage quality for stockpiling purposes. As feeding costs account for 60% of total cost production for beef cattle, lengthening the grazing season can reduce costs for farmers and ranchers in Saskatchewan. Results: As there are now different regulations in place for forage wheat, this research team has worked to develop high-yielding forage wheat lines. They first evaluated 16 new breeding lines at four sites for 2 years (2020 and 2021), so that they could note each line's agronomic traits and nutritive value. Then, they compared the most promising varieties with a well-used forage barley line (Maverick) and a well-used forage oat line (Haymaker). In their promising results, they showed that their awnless, high yielding forage wheat variety had a higher lodging resistance and a higher yield their the forage barley and forage oat varieties. They also had a medium to high resistance for disease. New promising forage varieties are also now in development from this work.