Overview

Ontario accounts for 6% of Canada’s total beef cow population, including backgrounding and feedlot production. Currently, there are approximately 19,000 beef farmers across Ontario. The most popular breeds in Canada include:

  • Angus
  • Simmental
  • Charolais

The Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle serve as the national understanding of care requirements and recommended practices.

Breeding and genetics

Learn about key genetic markers and best practices for breeding to gain insight and improve the performance of your herd.

Health and biosecurity

Learn about biosecurity practices to prevent diseases and how to maintain herd health in different weather conditions.

Care and handling

Learn about beef cattle care, calf management and how to humanely euthanize and dispose of cattle and calves.

Herd management

Learn about the benefits of calving in different seasons and cow-calf production techniques to increase your profit.

Feeding and nutrition

Learn about beef cattle digestion, nutritional health requirements, and feeding and foraging options.

Forage and grazing

Business and marketing

Learn how to prepare a budget, understand marketing principles and optimize herd size to maximize profit.

Housing and facilities

Construct and maintain comfortable barns and handling facilities to improve herd performance. Learn about proper ventilation, flooring and other housing requirements.