NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

September 14, 2000

Alberta Cattle Industry Tour Slated for October

A cattle industry tour of Alberta, Canada, in early October will be hosted by the North Dakota State Univesity Extension Service and the North Dakota Barley Council.

"Participants will learn about cattle and feedlot management in northern climates and see how feedlots feed diets based on barley and barley silage," says Greg Lardy, NDSU Extension beef cattle specialist and tour leader. Alberta is Canada’s major cattle-feeding province and home to about 2 million beef cows. Alberta is also home to the two largest beef packing plants in Canada.

The tour will leave Bismarck for Lethbridge, Alberta, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. and stop in Minot to pick up more participants The bus will return on Friday, Oct. 13. Preregistration for the tour is required by Oct. 2. Approximate cost for the bus ride and registration fees is $125 (depends on number of participants). This does not include the cost of lodging and meals. For more information or to preregister, contact Lardy at (701) 231-7660 or by email at glardy@ndsuext.nodak.edu.

Tour stops on the schedule include:

• The McIntire Ranch, a 3,000-head ranch specializing in cow-calf and yearling production.
• The Ed Stronk Feedlot, a 5,000-head feedlot feeding tempered barley.
• Highway 52 Feeders, a 14,000-head feedlot that also markets cattle for several other feedlots.
• The Van Raay Feedlot, a 20,000-head state-of-the-art feedlot and part of a network of five other lots.
• Claresholm Feeders, a 15,000-head feedlot.
• Grandview Feeders, two lots, 20,000- and 10,000-head, operated by one owner.
• The Lethbridge Research Center, the premier beef research center in Canada. Research areas include feedlot nutrition and management, physiology and genetics.
• A tour of a packing plant in southern Alberta may also be scheduled.

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NDSU Agriculture Communication
Source: Greg Lardy, (701) 231-7660
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629