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Udderly relaxed: How massaging newborn calves might make them heavier, healthier
Udderly relaxed: How massaging newborn calves might make them heavier, healthier

CBC

time2 days ago

  • Health
  • CBC

Udderly relaxed: How massaging newborn calves might make them heavier, healthier

When calving season rolls around, cattle rancher Karyn Neilson doubles as a masseuse. She gives every other newborn calf on her central Alberta farm a one-minute, head-to-hoof massage — hoping it'll be the start of a healthier and more profitable herd. "We do that to imitate what its mother will do and create a positive bond with the animal," said Neilson, co-owner of Neilson Beef in Stettler, Alta. "In future interactions we have with it, it won't be viewing us as a predator. It has a positive interaction with us and then it's just easier to handle and such in the future." Using gentle but firm pressure, she starts the spa treatment at the top of the calf's head before moving down their backs and legs, while keeping an eye on their tail. "When you can hit a spot where their tails wag, you can tell you're making them extra happy." Neilson has done this to hundreds of newborn calves in the last five years, as part of a research study with Olds College. They're looking to see if using this technique in the first week of life — a critical period of brain development — can reduce the calves' stress, make them healthier and heavier, and ultimately help beef producers make more money. 47-pound weight gain Lead researcher Désirée Gellatly compares the technique, known more formally as tactile stimulation, to skin-to-skin contact with newborn human babies. "The first time [producers] interact with the beef calf is normally averse — it's to do ear tagging, it's to do shots, it's to do castration. We are trying to see if with one minute of gentle touch at the time of processing the calf, we can switch how the calf perceives us," said Gellatly, research scientist for Olds College's Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production. Inspired by a similar study she worked on with dairy calves in Brazil, she's also hoping to improve calves' health. Between Neilson Beef and another cattle ranch in southern Alberta, Gellatly is set to analyze data from roughly 900 animals next month. She said the initial pilot study, conducted over two years starting in 2020, showed some positive signs. "We found in the first year that animals that received the massage were 47 pounds heavier than animals that did not receive the massage," she said. "In the second year, we found they were about 20 pounds heavier than animals that did not receive the massage." This year, the researchers and producers are conducting DNA testing to rule out whether the sire's genetics are contributing to the weight differences. Gellatly and her research team plan to submit their scientific paper in the next couple of months. "The goal is that producers start doing this not only because it can improve the profitability, but because it's the right thing to do, right? We are taking care of these animals. We are using these animals. So I think it's fair with them that we treat them right." $150 a minute With nearly 15,000 followers on TikTok, sharing this novel approach has been met with some skepticism by other producers. But for Lance Neilson, Karyn's husband, the extra time spent is worth it. "Right now, a calf is worth, say, about $5 a pound when you wean them from their mother. So if you're getting an extra 30 lbs., we're talking $150 for a minute of work," he said. "$150 a minute — that's a pretty good payday for you." He said massages alone aren't magic, but the bond formed sets the stage to layer on other low-stress handling techniques throughout the cows' lives. The Neilsons say it has also reduced their stress. "We are calmer. The cows are calmer…. We don't groan if we have to go to do cows like maybe we did five or six years ago," said Karyn. Low-stress handling Near Nanton, Alta., John Smith and Laura Laing of Platteau Cattle Co. — winners of this year's environmental stewardship award from Alberta Beef Producers — also joined the study two years ago, in a relentless pursuit of improving their cattle's welfare. They said they receive similar pushback, but also a lot of comments from curious folks. They say the credibility is ultimately in the research. "There's a lot of factors and some of those things are really hard to account for. But I know from boots on the ground, what we see is … something good happens when you do it. And I think any producer, if they took the time, the 60 seconds, they would feel the same thing that we feel," said Smith. Laing said the biggest challenge they face is not massaging all of the cows because they're still in the study and need a control group. That's going to change once the data collection stage is over. "We're just going to massage every calf," said Smith.

A ‘vole' lot of trouble: How to protect your lawn from rodent damage
A ‘vole' lot of trouble: How to protect your lawn from rodent damage

CTV News

time19-06-2025

  • Climate
  • CTV News

A ‘vole' lot of trouble: How to protect your lawn from rodent damage

Some Calgary lawns are showing signs of unwelcome visitors this spring, as voles have made their presence known in yards across the city. The small rodents, often mistaken for mice, are causing concern for both residents and pest control experts. 'We found that they had been eating the roots of the plants; we lost roses and a number of other plants as well,' said Allan Legge, a Calgary homeowner. 'They would make these pathways underneath our lawn when the snow melted and you could see the little paths through the grass getting into the flower beds.' Ken Fry, an instructor at the School of Life Science and Business at Olds College, explained that voles remain active year-round, but most particularly through the winter months. 'An undisturbed, heavy snow cover is great for them because it's a nice insulating blanket, and they'll be active all winter long,' Fry said. 'With regard to cycling, there is some evidence that they will cycle in anywhere from three- to six-year periods.' According to Fry, voles cause damage distinct from other rodents. 'You'll see like chew marks or gnaw marks right at the base of a tree, like fruit trees, some ornamental shrubs, things like that,' he said. 'It's really unfortunate because their preferred habitat is really what is a nice yard. The voles want nice, tall, ornamental grasses, a lot of vegetation, a lot of trees and shrubs, it's what they thrive on. So, you really have to take a preventative approach.' Fry adds that homeowners should keep their lawns as short as possible but also try to avoid fertilizing grass past the first week or so of July. 'We tend to pamper grass, it's native to the Prairies and these voles are no dummies. They know that when it gets hot in July and August, there's not a lot of water, so they dig into ground,' he said. 'Fertilizing in July and August might be good to serve aesthetic or recreation needs but it plays into what the vole needs too, which is a good nitrogen-rich food source. Once that gets covered with snow, there is still vibrant growth and a lot of food value for them into the winter.' That's why homeowners are encouraged to get ahead of the problem by contacting a pest control expert. The Pest Control Guy, a Calgary-based company, says it's already seeing a larger than normal spike this year in vole calls. 'This year, yeah, we're having a lot of vole calls—more than usual,' said Kevin, a contractor with the company. 'Customers will ask, 'Kevin, why am I having voles? I've lived here 10 years.' Well, you have a new neighbour, and they have a bird feeder, or there's a new food source around.' Voles leave behind telltale signs of their presence, including burrowed holes the size of a golf ball or a toonie, which can be spotted coming from underneath the roots of trees or near the side of homes. Kevin explained that a good control strategy can range from landscaping changes to commercial bait programs. 'We're not looking to catch a few of these mice or these voles; we're looking to basically feed them,' Kevin said. 'It's like a mini takeout restaurant for voles or mice only.' His bait stations use a slow-acting, dehydrating agent. 'They go back underground where they live, they share it with all the other rodents and after that, they're going to keel over. The good news is, you're not going to see hundreds and hundreds of dead rodents on your property.' Fry also recommends homeowners take simple, preventative steps. 'Clean up debris and coarse mulches; they don't like the sharp edges,' he said. 'The last cut of your lawn, make sure it's really short so there's very little food resource going into the winter. Get a dog and have lots of children—lots of activity in your backyard if you can because it helps collapse their tunnels.' For more robust protection, Fry also suggests 'a mesh fence around your entire property sunk into the ground 10 to 12 inches,' and 'a collar around the base of the tree, far enough away that you're not severing the roots.'

NLC rodeo team earns podium finishes at Canadian national championships
NLC rodeo team earns podium finishes at Canadian national championships

Hamilton Spectator

time28-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Hamilton Spectator

NLC rodeo team earns podium finishes at Canadian national championships

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The sole collegiate rodeo program in British Columbia had several top performances in the national championship in Rimbey, Alberta. According to a press release, Northern Lights College (NLC) took on the best in Canadian college rodeo elite in the Canadian College Finals Rodeo which took place from May 16th to 18th. Several athletes from NLC had podium finishes which reflected 'the quality and depth' of the success of the program, read the release. Among the highlights included Rylie Dowling. Dowling took the breakaway roping championship, a modified version of traditional calf roping where the animal is not thrown down and tied by a rope. Dowling also had a top-ten finish in team roping as a header. Korben Mills and Kayden Russell finished in third place in team roping, as a header and heeler respectively. Other competitors included Wyatt Bondaroff, who finished in third spot in the third round of steer wrestling with a time of 6.6 seconds and secured a top-ten finish. Bondaroff also competed in tie-down roping, finishing seventh overall. Brock Everett took seventh place in steer wrestling, but the top performer from the school was Rylie Bondaroff. Bondaroff secured her second consecutive all-around Canadian cow-girl title. She dominated calf roping, blowing away her competitors with a time of 2.6 seconds in the final round, securing the Reserve Breakaway championship title. The release concludes to say NLC's rodeo program 'has consistently produced championship-caliber competitors at the national college level.' Other schools competing in the championship included Olds College, Vermillion's Lakeland College, Red Deer Polytechnic, the University of Saskatchewan, and amalgamated squads from schools in central and southern Alberta. The Canadian Collegiate Rodeo Association's Canadian College Finals Rodeo took place at the Co-operators Agrum in Rimbey, Alberta. More information about NLC's collegiate rodeo program is available on its website .

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