Precision Cattle Ranching for Improved Reproductive Efficiencies with Dr. Susan Markus

Episode #12: Precision Cattle Ranching for Improved Reproductive Efficiencies 

Dr. Susan Markus has over 30 years of extensive experience in beef cattle production and sheep nutrition being currently involved in a large cow/calf, backgrounding and feedlot operation with her husband and 4 children in east central Alberta (Castor, AB) Canada.  In addition, she has been a leader in the Paintearth 4H Beef Club and regularly organizes field trips and educational activities for her club and district. Having grown up on a large mixed farm (cow/calf and grain) in northern Manitoba and regularly driving tractors to perform tasks prior to the development of no-till practices, Susan developed a keen interest in cows that set the path for her future education.  

She holds a PhD in Animal Behaviour from the University of Alberta, a Masters in Ruminant Nutrition from the University of Manitoba and a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan.  Susan started her career with Manitoba Agriculture as an agrologist in the southwestern town of Boissevain.  Dr. Markus has been with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry for 25 years, initially as a beef and forage specialist in Coronation, AB, and since 2006, as a Livestock Research Scientist in the Livestock Research and Extension Branch.  Susan is also an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta and regularly mentors students in various class projects and research.   She started with Lakeland College as a Livestock Research Scientist in their applied research program Feb 2021.

Her background in extension and adult education allows her to bring the science of animal research and new technologies into the classrooms for students and onto the ranch for livestock producers.  While Susan’s research involvement is varied from production, genomics, feed efficiency and nutrition to economics, she maintains a key interest in supporting practical ideas from the livestock industry. 

Dr. Markus is currently working on a project called, “Precision Cattle Ranching for Improved Reproductive Efficiencies”. The project uses three different groups of replacement heifers, located in Manitoba (at MBFI), Alberta and BC. In this episode, she discusses how this project came to be and what objectives she and her team are looking to achieve. She shares her thoughts on managing breeding herds and developing replacements in beef cattle, and how this relates to growth traits, carcass traits and fertility.

A number of different technologies are being used in the study, each was selected for a specific purpose that offers technology that is related to the selection of replacement heifers.  Technology included in this study includes boluses, chute exit scores, confirmation assessments, carcass traits and carcass ultrasound, growth traits, reproductive trait ultrasounds, and cameras to detect heat.

She summarizes what Precision Ranching means, and how targeting the right animals in the right program can be useful for beef cattle producers.  This study brings forward many tools that can be useful in decision making for your program and assist you in increasing profitability.  Dr. Markus also shares information on how producers can use some of the technology in their herd, the cost associated with some of these and the hope for the availability of this technology in the future.

Before we wrap up, Susan shares information about the new Agriculture Technology Degree at Lakeland College.

If listeners want to find out more about the project, you can contact Lakeland College and ask to speak with Dr. Markus.

Lakeland College Website: https://www.lakelandcollege.ca

Stay tuned for a follow up on this project in the future!  Further information and results will be available from MBFI once this research is concluded and data is analyzed.

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA). 

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

Twitter: @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: information@mbfi.ca