Livestock producers aim to produce high quality, safe agricultural products while using less land, water, feed, fuel and fertilizer, and generating less manure and greenhouse gas. Sustainable management practices ensure the welfare of animals while protecting their environments and maintaining economic stability. In this inquiry, you demonstrate your ability to handle livestock and provide for basic physical needs, including feed, water, space, ventilation, safety and health. You also assess and compare sustainable production practices and goals.
| Need To Know | |
| Feeding | |
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Find out about the nutritional requirements of livestock
in this Need to Know card.
Beef cattle requirements for feed & water
| Sheep requirements for feed & water |
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Consider how nutritional requirements should be adjusted for changing weather
conditions, growth, maintenance and reproduction. How to adjust beef cattle feed requirements | How to adjust sheep feed requirements |
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Watch this video to find information on feeding livestock. Feed livestock |
| Housing | |
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Explore basic requirements for adequate light, air
and ventilation. Beef cattle requirements for light, air & ventilation | Sheep requirements for light, air & ventilation |
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Find out about minimum space requirements for living spaces. Space requirements for beef cattle | Space requirements for sheep |
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Explore practices and equipment for maintaining the safety and hygiene of
livestock and their living spaces.
How to clean beef cattle holding structures
| How to clean sheep holding structures |
| Handling & restraining | |
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Explore best practices and facilities for humane
and safe handling and restraint of livestock.
How to handle & restrain beef cattle
| How to handle & restrain sheep |
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Consider how safe handling and restraint practices apply to transport. How to handle beef cattle during transport | How to handle sheep during transport |
| Addressing health & welfare | |
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Find out about your responsibility for identification and
care of common livestock pests, ailments and disease. How to deal with pests, ailments & disease in beef cattle | How to deal with pests, ailments & disease in sheep |
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Understand some basic practices for injections, and spaying and dusting livestock. How to administer basic treatments |
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Watch this video to understand the importance of regular monitoring of livestock. Monitor livestock |
| Caring for young | |
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Explore the needs of calves or lambs in these Need to
Know cards. Caring for calves | Caring for lambs |
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Watch this video to find strategies for caring for young calves or lambs. Caring for young |
| Need To Do | |
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Demonstrate your ability to meet basic livestock production needs, including feed,
water and housing. Demonstrate production practices to meet basic needs |
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Demonstrate your ability to apply production practices for animal health and safety. Demonstrate production practices for animal health & safety |
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Apply requirements and recommendations from Codes of Practice to areas of care for
humane livestock production Apply guidelines for humane care & handling |
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Use these graphic organizers to help you complete the learning tasks. Wheel Chart | Storyboard |
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When you are finished the learning tasks, respond to the reflection question. Reflect Five |
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These weblinks will help you complete the learning tasks. |
| Need To Know | |
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Find out how weather, climate, soil and the land can affect feed and sheltering decisions for livestock. Livestock & the environment |
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Explore sustainable livestock production management strategies that include disease prevention, biosecurity, food safety, pollution and biotechnology. Sustainable livestock production systems |
| Need To Do | |
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Identify features in the production environment and assess their suitability to sustainable production activities. Assess environmental suitability |
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Identify and support two goals for sustainable livestock production. Identify sustainable production goals |
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Use these graphic organizers to help you complete the
learning tasks. Plus-Minus Chart | If/When-Then Chart |
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When you are finished the learning tasks, respond to the reflection question. Reflect Six |
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These weblinks will help you complete the learning tasks. Find information about sustainable and humane production practices in Socially Conscious Consumer Trends Animal Welfare from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/inter/5886-eng.htm Explore a perspective on agricultural activities and climate change in Food and our planet from the David Suzuki Foundation. www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/food-and-our-planet/food-and-climate-change/ Find a specific point of view about the impact of agriculture on the environment. http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildwater/concerns Explore the information in What is Sustainable Agriculture? http://asi.ucdavis.edu/sarep/about/def Find examples of sustainable beef cattle management and production in Guide to Raising Healthy Beef. http://kewaunee.uwex.edu/files/2010/05/GuidetoRaisingHealthyBeef.pdf Find out about the watershed approach in Getting to Know Your Local Watershed. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex5600?opendocument Find out more about riparian areas on the Cows and Fish: Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society website. www.cowsandfish.org/index.html Explore Riparian Areas: A User’s Guide to Health. www.cowsandfish.org/riparian/usersguide.html. Consider the information on intensive livestock grazing in Management of Intensive Livestock Grazing. www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=558a013f-6263-49f1-a71c-85fedb3a38c1 Find an effective summary of the relationship between livestock and the environment in Pasture Management. www.livestockandland.org/PDF/Pasture%20Management.pdf Explore information on manure management, surface water management and good neighbour relationship practices in Beneficial Management Practices – Environmental Manual for Livestock Producers in Alberta. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex13088/$file/400_28-2.pdf?OpenElement Find an overview of manure management practices in Managing Livestock Manure. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex12395 Explore the information and illustrations in Siting to Prevent Water Pollution. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/eng1739 Find out more about water pollution in A Primer on Water Quality: Impact of Livestock Production Practices on Water Quality. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/wat3349 Get information and links in Air Quality Resources for Alberta Livestock Producers. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/epw10940 Find more information on cleaning and disinfecting housing and handling facilities in Biosecurity Principles and Best Practices. http://docs.abvma.ca/documents/ABVMAlambbooklet/web/flipviewerxpress.html Access Species Specific Biosecurity Standards to find information and resources from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/cpv13243 Find more detailed information about biosecurity strategies in Biosecurity: Health Protection and Sanitization Strategies for Cattle and General Guidelines for Other Livestock from Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food. www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/vet/facts/09-079.htm Find detailed information on biosecurity, including monitoring flock health, record-keeping, food safety, breeding and handling in Keeping Flocks Healthy: Sheep and Goats. www.agf.gov.bc.ca/lhmr/pubs/keeping_flocks_healthy.pdf Find resources about food safety from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development on the Animal Health and Assurance Division website. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/afs7821. Go to the Verified Beef Production website for information and resources. www.verifiedbeef.org/index.htm Get an overview of Canada’s Verified Beef Production Program. www.verifiedbeef.org/downloads/introduction_pamphlet.pdf Find information about the Canadian Sheep and Lamb Food Safe Farm Practices Program. www.cansheep.ca/User/Docs/ OFFS%20Brochure%20Eng%20Final%20Art%20LR.pdf The Western Canadian Flock Health program, although not currently running, provides an excellent information source about standardized and sustainable health practices. www.ablamb.ca/documents/2007WCFHP.pdf Consider the information and consult different resources on farm safety from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/All/aet623 Explore a European perspective on breeding and reproductive approaches in Sustainable Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction – A Vision for 2025. www.euroqualityfiles.net/vision_pdf/vision_fabre.pdf |