The Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence builds on Saskatchewan’s rich pedigree of research and teaching in livestock and forage production. At this unique centre, USask scientists in agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering have access to new facilities and technologies, larger herds and additional acres of forage and grazing land— all near Saskatoon. As researchers go further in their discoveries, they will find new ways to improve the global food chain.

Pooling all of this research power not only benefits livestock producers and the agriculture industry. Undergraduate and graduate students gain valuable, hands-on experience and opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research investigations. In addition, the LFCE is positioned to attract world leaders in beef and forage research to collaborate on a wide range of projects.

If you are interested in carrying out a research project at the LFCE, please contact the centre's director Dr. Scott Wright (PhD) at scott.wright@usask.ca. The first step to conducting research at the centre is to complete a Notification of Intent to Conduct Research Using LFCE Assets. It’s critical that this be completed during the planning phase of your project and submitted to Dr. Wright for review. 

Current Research

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Completed Research

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Graduate Theses

Archives - Western Beef Development Centre

Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey

About the Survey

The Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey (WCCCS) was an industry-led survey carried out in 2014 and 2017. The survey was an initiative led by the Western Beef Development Centre and involved collaborations with producer associations and provincial extension specialists in western Canada. The aim of the survey was to better understand the management practices followed by cow-calf producers and to collect production information to generate benchmarks for producers to compare to. Similar surveys have been conducted in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada with all results summarized in the 2019 Adoption Rates of Recommended Management Practices report by the Beef Cattle Research Council.

The questions asked in the WCCCS were based off previous producer surveys such as the "Alberta Beef Herd Analysis" conducted by Alberta Agriculture from 1998 to 1998. A report summarizing findings for Alberta’s survey can be found by clicking on the title below.

Production Indicators and Management Practices from 1988 to 1998

2014 Survey 

Using the 1998 survey as a starting point, a new survey was developed with questions related to the 2013 breeding until 2014 weaning time frame. The survey was expanded to all cow-calf producers from British Columbia to Manitoba. Producers had the option to complete a paper copy of the survey or an online version. Everyone's individual results remain confidential, but they are aggregated to generate productivity and management practice benchmarks that are widely shared with industry.

WCCCS I - Aggregate Report

WCCCS I - Production Indicator Report

2017 Survey

The second WCCCS survey was conducted during fall/winter 2017/18. In 2017, both Ontario and Atlantic Canada conducted similar surveys. The survey asked questions related to the 2016 breeding season until weaning of the 2017-born calves plus questions on management practices.As with the 2014 survey, the 2017 survey was a collaborative effort between producer associations, provincial governments and research organizations.

WCCCS II - Aggregate Report

Funding Sources

The 2017 survey would not have been possible without the financial conribution provided by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agiculture and the Canada-Saskatchewan Growing Forward 2 Bi-Lateral Agreement and the Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association Industry Development Fund.

The researchers thank the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture's Agriculture Development Fund and Agriculture Canada's Growing Forward II through Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development for providing financial support to assist in conducting the survey in 2014.