For generations, Saskatchewan’s Touchwood Hills have been cattle country, a place where rolling grasslands, sheltering aspen bluffs and dependable water shaped ranching livelihoods and rural communities.

Sweeping job and program cuts across AAFC are reshaping Canada’s research landscape, as the Liberal government targets a 15% budget reduction across all federal departments. Seven research facilities are slated for closure.

Winter has faded in the rearview mirror, yet the summer road ahead is dogged by one unwelcome word: drought. Or, at the very least, excessive dryness. On beef ranches in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, producers are also facing forecasts of an El Nino effect, which could worsen the conditions.

Strong cattle prices don’t automatically mean strong cash flow. Many beef producers have learned the hard way that good prices can still lead to tight cash, tax surprises and rushed decisions.

Reproductive efficiency is a main driver of profitability in beef operations, as an open cow still eats and grazes but doesn’t produce a weaned calf. Herds often focus on genetics, body condition and synchronization, yet trace mineral status is a common, hard‑to‑see limiter of conception, embryo survival and calving season length.

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most significant health and economic challenges in both beef and dairy production.

Weather patterns have been difficult to nail down with any degree of accuracy this year. In Saskatchewan, late snowfall has delayed thawing and therefore grass growth and typical seeding plans.

In 1993, the Eusi family left their dairy farm in Switzerland, arriving in southwestern Ontario with a vision for building something that could support not just one generation, but many to come.