a calf suckling on a cows teat

Veterinary know-how on the farm

Basic veterinary knowledge could save you extra fees — and your animals. Here’s a refresher about the top common health concerns every farmer should be able to recognize

Reading Time: 6 minutes If you’re a livestock farmer, you’ve likely faced one of the most frustrating situations on the farm: a sick or distressed animal. You feel helpless, unsure of how to provide assistance or relief. According to Dr. Rob Swackhammer, veterinarian with Upper Grand Veterinary Services in Guelph, Ont., who specializes in large animal veterinary care, these […] Read more

cows graze in a pasture of grass in Manitoba

How to take charge of animal health on your farm

Summer Series: Keep these eight strategies in mind to manage and prevent animal health issues on the farm

Reading Time: 4 minutes Balancing animal health with farm profitability can be challenging.  Adopting a proactive approach to animal care is one of the most effective ways to minimize veterinary costs. “Establishing animal health protocols and early intervention as a regular practice on your farm can not only enhance the health and well-being of livestock, but can help farmers […] Read more





Morgan Smallman, J and J Farms.

Ten years on the farm

Canadian producers share the biggest lessons after a decade of farming

Reading Time: 8 minutes Ten years. It breaks down into 3,652 days, or over 87,000 hours. In that way, 10 years can seem like a lot of time. Yet in others, such as when managing a busy farm, it can pass in the blink of an eye. And that decade is certainly filled with vast knowledge acquisition, unexpected surprises […] Read more



farm family standing in a sheep corral

Balancing the ups and downs of raising sheep

The ups and downs of raising sheep can be balanced by a supportive network and shared knowledge

Reading Time: 7 minutes Carla and Tyrone Borsa had already put a lot of research into their Rosthern, Sask., sheep operation even before the first set of cloven hooves hit the pasture in 2022. Almost three years later, that focus on quality sheep production has netted twenty-five mature Dorset ewes and two Canadian Arcott rams. And although the Borsas […] Read more

Summer Series: Podcast with Mark Brock

Summer Series: Podcast with Mark Brock

Reading Time: < 1 minute For the last instalment of our Summer Series podcast, we spoke with Mark Brock, an Ontario grain and sheep farmer and Nuffield scholar, about what drives his business decisions and how he treats farming not only as a lifestyle, but as a business. Listen to this episode and past episodes at country-guide.ca or on Apple […] Read more