The Beef is ON

James Byrne and Chad Mader

The Beef is ON brings practical beef industry insights and updates from your hosts, James Byrne and Chad Mader - Beef Cattle Specialists at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Join us for discussions on management, nutrition, production practices and the latest trends across Ontario's beef sector.

Reach out with questions or suggestions for future episodes at thebeefison@ontario.ca

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20 episodes
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Avg 33 min
English

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Yesterday · 38 min
Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Calving Seasons
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad discuss the pros and cons of calving the spring, fall or winter. While spring is certainly the most common among Ontario producers, there are some downsides to spring calving, and some advantages to considering other options. This conversation gives everyone something to think about - whether you are looking to change your calving season, add a second one, or just better understand how to refine the one you have.
October 30 · 1 min
Fall Webinar Series
Send us Fan Mail Just wanted to take a moment to let everyone know about our upcoming webinar series. To register, follow the link below: Meeting Registration - Zoom
October 29 · 36 min
Understanding your Forage Test Results
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad help improve your understanding of forage test results. What are the most important numbers to look at, what do they mean, and ultimately how do you best connect the best forage with the appropriate animal and production stage? For additional resources, you can check out: https://www.ontario.ca/page/feed-analysis-reports-explained https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/navigating-feed-tests/ https://www.ontario.ca/page/soil-leaf-and-petiole-tissue-and-forages-and-feed-testing-labs#section-3 https://www.beefresearch.ca/producers/canadian-feed-testing-labs/
October 23 · 40 min
Bale Grazing
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad discuss the advantages and considerations related to bale grazing beef cows.
October 15 · 30 min
Marketing Options for Cull Cows
Send us Fan Mail What do you do with cows that no longer fit your system? In this episode, James and Chad review various options for marketing cull cows. The first step is identifying cows that aren't working for you, but once you've done that, there are options to maximize the value of that cull cow. This discussion outlines those options, and addresses some common practices that may not be as profitable as they appear.
October 9 · 36 min
Getting the Best from Grazing Cover Crops
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad review ways to get the most out of grazing cover crops. For additional resources, you can check out: Cover Crops - BeefResearch.ca Field Crop News – Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in partnership with the University of Guelph - search for 'cover crops' Selector Tools – Midwest Cover Crops Council
October 1 · 31 min
Grazing Corn Stover
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad discuss the benefits and limitations of grazing cattle on corn stover. For additional resources on this topics, you can check out the links below. https://dairyandbeef.wordpress.com/2024/10/29/utilizing-corn-stover/ https://www.ontario.ca/page/grazing-corn-stover https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/overextended-grazing/
September 25 · 26 min
Summer Student Profile
Send us Fan Mail Something a bit different in this episode - we profile the Summer Employment Opportunities program, through which James and Chad hire students each summer to work with them. Today you will hear James' conversation with Kelsie Armstrong and Chad's conversation with Cate Thompson, about their experiences working with OMAFA this summer. The link below is where all Ontario Public Service positions are posted - and where you will find SEO postings for summer 2027 - likely sometime in January Ontario Public Service Careers - Search for Jobs
September 18 · 32 min
Fall Pasture Management
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad are joined by OMAFA Forage and Grazing Specialist, Christine O'Reilly. The conversation includes discussion on managing pastures as we approach the end of the grazing season. For additional information, you can check out the links below. How do I repair pugged pasture? – Field Crop News Publication 30: Guide to Forage Production | ontario.ca (information on pasture seeding starts on page 14)
September 13 · 32 min
Corn Silage Management - Part 2
Send us Fan Mail Today is the second half of the conversation James and Chad had on all things corn silage. If you haven't already heard it, the first half of this conversation is in the previous episode.
September 3 · 33 min
Corn Silage Management - Part 1
Send us Fan Mail This episode is the first half of a conversation James and Chad had on corn silage management. They discuss harvest timing, target moisture levels, storage options, and the basics of fermentation. The second half of this conversation will drop follow next week. See here for an example of milk line: Corn Silage Harvest Timing | Crop Science US
August 27 · 41 min
Beef Cattle Fertility - with Dr. Rex Crawford
Send us Fan Mail Chad is joined today by Dr. Rex Crawford, owner of Dufferin Veterinary Services. They discuss bovine fertility from a veterinary and management perspective - from breeding soundness exams and bull health to when, why and how to diagnose pregnancy in your cow herd. Dr. Crawford shares a wealth of information for anyone in the cow/calf business!
August 20 · 33 min
Making Good Culling Decisions
Send us Fan Mail I this episode, James and Chad review some average culling rates for Ontario, and discuss the factors that should be considered when making culling decisions in your beef herd.
August 14 · 33 min
Silvopasture - with Christoph Wand
Send us Fan Mail Today, James is joined by colleague Christoph Wand - Livestock Sustainability Specialist with OMAFA to discuss all things silvopasture. They explain what silvopasture means to them, the advantages of incorporating this practice into your grazing system, and some factors to consider when doing so. For additional information, please see: https://www.ontario.ca/page/silvopasture-ontario
August 6 · 30 min
Common Beef Industry Questions
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad are trying something a little different. Rather than make one topic the focus of the entire episode, they tackle some common questions that often arise with producers either new to the industry or looking to explore new options. At one point James refers to a Beef Symposium presentation by Kristin Thompson from BCRC. The video recording of that presentations can be found at: Records for Genetic Improvement - Kristin Thompson There is also a podcast version of this presentation previously released on this feed on March 12, 2026. Please remember, if you have questions that you would like to see them discuss in a future episode, they can be reached at: thebeefison@ontario.ca
July 30 · 35 min
Bonus Episode - Beef Symposium 2025 - Understanding Bovine Respiratory Disease with Dr. Jeff Caswell
Send us Fan Mail In this bonus episode, we hear from Dr. Jeff Caswell, speaking about bovine respiratory disease. This was originally presented as a webinar as part of Beef Symposium 2025. The original video recording can be found here: An improved understanding of how Bovine Respiratory Disease develops, Dr Jeff Caswell, U of Guelph - YouTube
July 25 · 30 min
Benefits of a Compact Calving Season
Send us Fan Mail in this episode, James and Chad dive into several of the reasons that keeping - or getting - your calving season fairly compressed will help make you money. The calculator referred to in the pod can be found here: Value of Calving Distribution Calculator - BeefResearch.ca
July 16 · 42 min
Beef Cattle Efficiency Research with Dr. Katie Wood
Send us Fan Mail Today Chad is joined by Dr. Katie Wood, Associate Professor in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph. Katie talks about how she ended up in the world of beef cattle research, outlines some of the great research she currently has underway, and lets us in on some of her plans for future projects! The link to the Beef@Guelph side Dr. Wood refers to is: University of Guelph :: Beef Research in Action
July 9 · 36 min
Supplying Water for Beef Cattle
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, James and Chad discuss options for supplying water to your cattle. They also cover the main considerations around water quality and quantity, and the importance of water to cattle health and production. For additional resources, see Water Management for Beef Cattle - BeefResearch.ca
July 2 · 39 min
Bonus Episode - Dr. Jessica Sperber, Beef Symposium 2025
Send us Fan Mail In this bonus episode, we hear from Dr. Jessica Sperber, speaking about best practices for newly received calves. This was originally presented as a webinar as part of Beef Symposium 2025. The original video recording can be found here: Management practices for newly received calves, Dr. Jessica Sperber, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Please note that Dr. Sperber refers to NHTC - these are "Non-hormone-treated-cattle." For additional webinars on the topic of newly received cattle, please see: Producer Resources - Ontario Cattle Feeders

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