Travis Toews says he doesn’t try to be a trailblazer when it comes to innovation – but he keeps a close eye on those who are.
“I don’t have what you might call an over-the-top personal story of implementing new technology,” says the 47-year-old, who operates Melbern Holdings, a 1,200-head cow-calf operation, with his wife Kim and family near Beaverlodge in Alberta’s Peace River region.
“But like most commercial operations, we’re applying current technology and looking at what we might adopt in the future. We know we need to do that to remain competitive.”
That’s a big reason why Toews, who is past-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, agreed to serve as co-chair of the Agri-Innovators’ Committee, a newly formed group created to advise Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on agricultural research and development. Toews said he joined the committee because he would like to see more opportunities for farmers in this country to innovate.
“Very often there’s a disconnect between some of the tremendous research that’s taking place and the tech transfer piece that gets it commercialized and adopted on the ground,” he says.
But the flip side is that farmers have to seize those opportunities, and Toews admits that’s not always easy.
Take, for example, one of his most recent innovations – a completely new cattle-handling system. As his herd numbers increased (about 75 per cent in the last few years), it became apparent that the old, largely wooden structure wasn’t up to the job. The new system, installed in 2009, has steel railings for chutes, pens, alleys, and the crowding tub; heavy-duty gates; lots of concrete so cows and their handlers won’t be slipping in mud; and a new 30-foot drive-over weigh scale and hydraulic squeeze chute.
The design of such systems has been revolutionized by research into cattle behaviour, producing a host of factors to consider: Cattle often balk at flapping objects, people, and dogs so you need solid sides at certain points, but you must also provide sight lines for handlers. Cattle’s panoramic vision (they can see what’s beside or slightly behind them) feeds into their herd instinct – they like other cows beside them. So chute design has to recognize their intense dislike of going in a single file and also their desire to follow the leader. The overall design should put handlers on the edge of their flight zone, but not in it.
These and other factors mean there is a myriad of choices for configuring alleys, pens, chutes and every other part of the system. And when you’re spending a six-figure sum on a new system, as Toews did, you want to get it right.
“We visited a lot of operations and saw their systems, went to a lot of trade shows, and we’re somewhat familiar with the experts and their recommendations for cattle handling,” says Toews.
“We also – and this is maybe the most important thing – made a lot of our own observations over the years. We’ve looked at how cattle move and their flight zones, how much area is ideal to sort cattle, how to maintain control without creating undue stress. All of that was kind of boiled down when we developed our system.”
Toews says he’s pleased with the result and, in this case, figures they pulled the trigger at just the right time. And given the amount of time spent tagging, vaccinating, and preg-checking cattle, it’s been a good investment.
“It’s a meaningful figure just for the labour-saving piece alone – it’s probably cut our cost of processing virtually in half,” says Toews, who is also an accountant. “Plus it’s also meant far less stress on the cattle, and that means fewer health concerns and better productivity.”
But not everything he tries works out.
“People have talked a lot about the benefits of swath-grazing,” he says. “So we grazed both standing corn and swaths. We tried it for a few seasons, but after doing the number-crunching, we’ve gone back to more traditional forms of feeding. In our situation, there was no cost advantage and you lost a lot of control over your feeding rations and being able to manage the nutrient and energy intake of the cattle.”
Although it didn’t pay dividends, Toews likes this type of innovation.
“Being innovative doesn’t always mean buying the latest and best equipment,” he says. “It’s much more than that. Often it’s the methodologies that are really specific to your operation that improve your efficiency or productivity.”
Sometimes, it even goes beyond that. Several years ago, Toews decided he would produce all of his own feed. The move was made, in large part, because he feared rising ethanol production would lead to tight stocks and sharp swings in feed prices – a scenario that played out in spades this summer when corn prices surged 60 per cent in a matter of weeks.
Working for cattle associations and other groups has allowed Toews to travel extensively, and he says wherever he’s gone, he’s found farmers trying new technology, production systems, and management practices. Those people are the competition, he says, and Canadian farmers can’t afford to fall behind them.
Which is why he’s always looking around to see what others are doing.
“The crucial thing is always being aware there are fresh ideas, and new technologies and methodologies that are available. Then you have to decide what’s right for you and your situation.”