At the Beef Farmers of Ontario’s (BFO) annual meeting in Toronto on Feb. 18, Brocklebank told Glacier FarmMedia her focus is on national delivery and stakeholder engagement, noting the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is at a turning point following Dennis Laycraft’s retirement, after guiding the sector through crises for 30 years.

“With a change in leadership, it’s a good time to have that conversation,” said Brocklebank.

WHY IT MATTERS: Alberta’s July exit from the Canadian Cattle Association over fiscal transparency, governance, and communications issues would remove more than half of the CCA’s funding.

“CCA has a strong national and international voice built on sound principles and producer-led advocacy and policy,” she stated. “Producers who come to these boards really want to make sure the industry moves forward as a whole.”

She believes the Provincial Working Group’s unified approach supports that goal.

Provincial Working Group

The Working Group, a coalition of provincial beef associations, seeks to provide the CCA with insights to align with producers’ evolving needs while upholding national unity.

As a fourth-generation Alberta beef producer whose original farmstead was near the Toronto Airport, Brocklebank says she understands that Canadian beef production is diverse, with distinct challenges in cow-calf operations, backgrounders, feedlots, and processing.

Brocklebank noted that even though the conversations can be difficult, openness to solutions and change fosters collaboration and results.

“We’ve experienced that in the past, with policy discussion, that there isn’t always consensus,” she explained. “Generally, it comes (down to) what’s best for the long term and what’s best for the industry.”

Craig McLaughlin, BFO’s past president, sits on the working group with BFO president Jason Leblond. McLaughlin said Brocklebank’s approach to the Working Group’s concerns regarding fiscal transparency, governance, and communications is positive.

“Andrea’s a breath of fresh air. She’s open to change, and she’s certainly been having dialogue with Alberta beef producers,” he said. “She’s optimistic. The Provincial Working Group is optimistic. When you have people with that kind of mindset, you overcome barriers.”

Despite this optimism, BFO members still voiced concerns about how Alberta’s exit from the national organization could affect their CCA check-off payments.

McLaughlin suggested CCA reserves could ease transition costs, but he remains optimistic that Alberta will stay.

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“We found a very unified group that all have the same interest at heart and that’s to make a strong national committee or revamp to make it a strong one,” said Kevin Boone, British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association general manager at the Dec. 9 meeting in Toronto.

WHY IT MATTERS: Alberta signalled in August its intention to leave the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), putting the sector’s national representation at risk.

“CCA is a pretty old, established organization, and I think that every now and again, you’ve got to step back and take a look at what you have and how you’re structured,” said Boone.

If the industry and CCA as a whole want to remain at the top of their field, the provincial members need to provide that direction, he added.

“They’re there to steer the ship, but it’s the directors from every province that are there to tell them how much steam to put in it and where and which way to turn.”

Boone said there isn’t any best time to address the potential fracturing of an organization. However, providing a toolbox of directives from members could help them build forward.

Alberta’s concerns extensive

“It started as a withdrawal,” said Doug Roxburgh, ABP chair, of Alberta’s stance with the CCA. “But I think it’s very much become more of a review.

“It’s been amazing to see what other provinces have had for both positives around CCA but also concerns.”

Alberta’s list of concerns is extensive, said Roxburgh; however, commonalities between provinces and an openness to change fostered positive discussions. The group will craft a review framework to present to the CCA, likely in the spring.

“We went into these meetings with a positive mindset, that we’re coming here to improve our organization,” said Chad Ross, Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association chair.

“It’s healthy to look at governance, communication, financial reporting and funding and find solutions that are good for everyone.”

New Brunswick Cattle chair Trevor Welch said CCA’s representation at the federal level is critical. There are no plans to eliminate the organization. Rather, they will explore restructuring options to ensure it remains sustainable, financially responsible and “more palatable for all the provincial organizations to work with.”

He acknowledged that six or seven months ago, the provinces weren’t sure what to do or how to handle the potential fracturing of the CCA. The workshop showed they were aligned on “nitty-gritty” issues and were willing to work together to find a way forward.

Ross agreed, and while hesitant to give specifics, mentioned “a-ha” moments during the day. He highlighted the need to streamline communication to ensure grassroots voices are heard and to contribute to business plans, strategies and collaborations within provinces and national organizations.

“Then there’s funding it, and that’s always the hard question. How do we fund it all the way across Canada? It’s not going to be equal,” Ross said.

“I think there’s got to be some give and take. How do we negotiate that with the different provinces to be in the federal organization, get it funded and get it working?”

Looking for a better balance

Roxburgh said Alberta believes in a strong national organization that is appropriately funded, but “it can’t come on the backs of Alberta being underfunded within our own province.”

He doubted Alberta beef producers would reach 50 per cent representation based on funding, nor does he want to see less representation for other provinces — but he suggested that’s not the main question.

“I think the question is, how do we build this structure that’s the most effective for not just the producers today, but for our industry going forward?” Roxburgh said. “Things are changing all the time. It’s just about trying to figure out a little bit better balance right across the board.”

Beef Farmers of Ontario president Craig McLaughlin said the real challenge lies ahead — namely, in fine-tuning the funding model to ensure CCA’s sustainability without harming the provincial organization’s budgets, and negotiating representation.

“We feel there’s a time for change, and it should happen now when we’re going to get a new executive director at the national level,” said McLaughlin. “(The recommendations) will help them foster better relations across the provinces.”

Roxburgh said Alberta faced criticism for withdrawing so close to the retirement of Dennis Laycraft, CCA executive vice-president for the last 35 years.

Roxburgh said that the new CCA manager could view the current situation as an opportunity to listen, bring new ideas, explore the working group’s framework and recognize that the CCA isn’t “100 per cent where it could be or should be going forward.”

“We’re certainly going to be respectful to whoever that new person is taking that role and look forward to working with them to help shape the future of CCA,” Roxburgh said.

The post Canadian cattle groups look to renew national organization appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Some of the achievements included an improvement in trade. Canada’s Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) negligible risk status changed in May 2021. Singapore removed all related restrictions, Japan expanded access to processed beef products, and Taiwan removed all remaining BSE restrictions.

Canada’s exports to Japan and Vietnam grew through the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP).

International beef demand hit a record high in 2023, and Canada exported 496,917 tonnes of beef at $5.02 billion.

There have been gains in the environmental component of cattle production as well.

The 2021 National Beef Strategy Assessment found that emissions from beef are down 15 per cent, halfway to the 2030 goal.

Since the start of 2022, the Beef Cattle Research Council has funded 87 projects.

These projects address topics such as animal health and welfare, antimicrobial use, forage and grassland productivity, feed efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Despite challenges such as rising energy, input prices, and food inflation, the groups are pleased with the success.

The Canadian Beef Advisors will renew the National Beef Strategy for 2025-2030, and it will be released January 2025.

The National Beef Strategy is a collaborative effort by the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Beef Breeds Council, Canada Beef, Canadian Cattle Association and its provincial member associations, the Canadian Meat Council, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the National Cattle Feeder’s Association.

The post National Beef Strategy celebrates gains appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

I believe strongly in an integrated Canadian beef industry, and it is with this vision that the Canadian Beef Advisors created the 2020-24 National Beef Strategy. The strategy is designed to take advantage of the opportunities facing the industry while simultaneously addressing the challenges. The development of the 2020-24 National Beef Strategy has been a dynamic, collaborative process engaging all industry sectors and national and provincial organizations.

The Canadian Beef Advisors and provincial cattle associations believe a united industry is a stronger industry, and that a stronger industry benefits all those working in it today and into the future. Substantial progress was made under the 2015-19 strategy and the intention is to continue building on the strengths of existing industry organizations. The National Beef Strategy has provided real value for Canadian beef producers; it acts as a roadmap for the groups as they work together. We have set our industry up for success; now we just need to follow through.

The National Beef Strategy promotes a united approach to position the Canadian beef industry for greater profitability, growth and continued production of a high-quality beef product of choice in the world. The industry vision, mission and pillars remain unchanged from the 2015-19 strategy, but focus areas and tactics have been updated to reflect the current market and regulatory environment that producers face.

The four pillars of beef demand, competitiveness, productivity and connectivity provide a framework that supports producer viability. As it suggests, the beef demand pillar seeks to increase global demand for Canadian beef by supporting the comprehensive cut-out above $270/cwt. Ensuring market access is not only established, but used, promoting the Canadian Beef Advantage, and reaffirming consumer confidence and public trust in our industry will ensure demand for Canadian beef at home and around the world. There are exciting times ahead for agriculture as production adjusts to meet demand from a growing middle class in Asia and new opportunities in other markets.

The competitiveness pillar encourages a competitive regulatory, policy and market environment. Access to labour and keeping youth involved in the beef industry are huge parts of this. Adopting new technologies to keep the industry moving forward and increase efficiencies to reduce cost inputs for producers fall under this pillar. Investing in not only research, but extension, so that producers can use these tools on their own operations, is essential to making this strategy a reality. Traceability systems that work, prevention of future disease outbreaks and evidence-based antimicrobial resistance decision-making are all tools to ensure our ongoing competitiveness.

Improving production efficiencies throughout the supply chain is the aim of the productivity pillar. Canadian genetics have long been regarded as world-leading, and there are exciting possibilities within the Canadian Beef Innovation Network to provide producers with science-based selection tools that will allow them to make informed herd-management decisions. The economic, environmental and social sustainability of Canadian beef has taken root in the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), and supporting the activities of both the CRSB and its global counterpart, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, is at the core of our continued productivity.

The old adage of strength in numbers definitely holds true for the final pillar in the National Beef Strategy: connectivity. The goal of this pillar is to enhance industry synergies and connect positively with government and partner industries. Our industry is made up of many different organizations, each representing a different facet of Canadian beef. However, co-operation between these groups is essential to our prosperity. The Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) has created a national meeting place for Canadian beef producers, and meetings that take place during the annual event set the stage for the further evolution of the National Beef Strategy. Supporting opportunities for cross-organizational learning and stakeholder engagement, both at the CBIC and through the expansion of programs such as webinars, lunch-and-learns, town halls and Beef Advocacy Canada, will allow industry players to collaborate on solutions for industry issues, now and in the future.

As my time as CCA president draws to a close, I am confident that the industry has a clear path to a bright future in the National Beef Strategy, and I look forward to what the next four years will bring.

The post CCA Reports: A roadmap for the beef industry appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

These are a few of the issues contained in the first few pages of the Canadian Beef Advisors’ recently released National Beef Strategy for 2020-2024, which is a successor to the last five-year national strategy.

The Canadian Beef Advisors consists of people from the seven national beef organizations, including the Canadian Beef Check-off Agency, the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef, the Canadian Beef Breeds Council, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian Meat Council, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association.

The strategy provides guidance to the national organizations on the big issues and helps them co-ordinate and use resources more effectively. The advisors invited input last fall through surveys as well as presentations at producer meetings. Provincial associations also advised them on which objectives to keep, revise, and what to add. The Canadian Beef Advisors took that input, drafted the latest strategy, sent it back to the provincial associations for review, and have now finalized and released it.

The Canadian Beef Advisors have organized the strategy around four main sections, or pillars, including beef demand, competitiveness, productivity and connectivity. There is too much information in that report for me to have any hope of covering thoroughly in this column, so I will focus on the youth involvement and succession information, which falls under the competitiveness pillar.

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council reported nearly 41,000 people working in primary production in the beef industry in 2014, the strategy notes. Primary production covers everything from cow-calf to feedlots. More than 40 per cent of producers reported a worker shortage, and overall there were 3,500 jobs that went unfilled. That cost the industry lost sales ($141 million), and 35 per cent of producers delayed or cancelled expansion plans.

In the next 10 years, nearly one in three workers in the beef industry is expected to retire, which is above the overall Canadian agriculture average of 27 per cent. Jokes about ranchers never retiring aside, this means that there is likely going to be a big transfer to the next generation. And, as the report notes, the industry will also have to recruit young people from “general society,” as well as immigrants.

Much of the strategy focuses on working with the Young Cattlemen’s Council and Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Mentorship program, as well as the youth development programs at the breed associations. For example, objectives include co-ordinating communication around job advocacy, approved advocacy projects and social media efforts with the Young Cattlemen’s Council, and empowering the Young Cattlemen’s Council to provide input into the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association policy direction. The advisors also recommend putting 88 “beef enthusiasts” through the CYL program by 2024.

The strategy document also recommends advocating for financial lending options for new entrants and communicating those options to the industry. It suggests creating a program to help young producers with succession planning.

There’s also a communications component to this section. For example, the strategy recommends creating “good news stories” to encourage young producers to start succession planning and giving producers a platform to talk about their succession planning experiences. The advisors want to see 200 graduates through the Beef Advocacy Canada media training module by 2024, and want to get more young leaders advocating for the industry through promotional videos and talking face-to-face with the public.

Engaging the next generation of beef producers is an issue we’re trying to tackle at Canadian Cattlemen as well, so I was quite interested in reading what the Canadian Beef Advisors penned on this issue. We, too, have more stories about succession planning on the list. My editorial ponderings go beyond an occasional succession planning story — I want to publish stories that connect with readers of all stages.

Of course, technology has been a major disruptor in the media industry. We are not immune to that disruption, but so far it has fallen more gently on this magazine than some others. It’s hard to know what the future will bring, but then again, Canadian Cattlemen has survived several decades so far, and I’m optimistic that we can keep adapting.

“In the cattle industry, the successes of the present and future innovations are often closely linked to past experience,” Mona Howe wrote in her story on Chancey Guichon and the James Hargrave Legacy Foundation.

I’ve been thinking about that sentence lately, as it seems to capture so much about this industry; the focus on both tradition and progress and the need for a strong foundation to build on. I think it applies to Canadian Cattlemen as well. I think we have a strong base, thanks to the work of so many who have been involved in the magazine over the years. I hope now we can keep evolving to meet the needs of our readers. If you have any ideas for what you’d like to see or how we should reach more producers, please shoot me an email, call or wave me down at an industry event.

The post Comment: Reading the National Beef Strategy appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

In short, there’s not a lot I can tell you about it. It was great to see so many gathered in one spot to talk about the Canadian beef industry.

Instead, I thought I would give you a few of my musings on the conference as I tramped from one event to another over three days. Four of the five associations that authored the National Beef Strategy were holding meetings on the site so there was no end of places to be.

The first thing I noticed was the swarm of young people at every venue. At this type of event they are usually thin in numbers as they remain at home so Mom and Dad can go to town and take part in the discussions. Many of them were graduates of the Cattlemen’s Young Leader program, and their very attendance at this national convention is a sign of the success of this simple idea. If you want young people to get involved, invite them in.

Unfortunately, this is also one of the programs on the bubble with shrinking checkoff revenues.

Research is another. At the Beef Cattle Research Council meeting they were winnowing through pages of material to set research priorities for funding under Growing Forward 3. It may be a shorter list this time round. The industry kicked in $5 million in national and provincial checkoff dollars for the last beef research cluster, then leveraged it up to $20 million over five years. At the current rate of decline in the checkoff pool they won’t have $5 million to seed the pot, so there may be less to leverage over the next five years.

This past fiscal year the research council received $1.26 million from the national checkoff but even that is a bit misleading because it was also the last year for the so-called Legacy Fund. This financial remnant from the BSE tornado that tore through the industry after 2003 put $3.4 million into the marketing/research pot in 2015-16 compared to $5.4 million the year before. To replace that money the beef community is looking toward the new $2.50-per-head checkoff that should be introduced sometime next year. Not all provinces have signed off on it yet.

This conference was devoted to exploring the National Beef Strategy and some of the issues that need to be addressed to fully implement Canada’s branded beef advantage. So you had people from right across the beef value chain — marketers, packers, producers, retailers, restaurant managers and researchers — sharing the stage, in search of some common ground on how to improve beef sales to everyone’s mutual advantage.

Your view on these issues obviously differs depending on where you sit in the value chain.

What producers and packers see as misinformation about the industry’s environmental impact, animal welfare and the use of antibiotics and growth promotants, the food-service sector sees as opportunity.

Sysco Canada’s Randy White heads the country’s largest distributor of food products to hotels, restaurants and hospitals, and he sees an opportunity to drive local demand for Canadian beef, particularly in Eastern Canada.

Earls Restaurants president Mo Jessa was still apologizing for his clumsy introduction of humane beef, and assured producers he will source all the beef he can from Canadian ranchers, so long as it is certified as raised humanely.

Tim Hortons marketing manager Sam Heath is hoping a new beef sandwich will expand their lunch and summer trade.

All three have an interest in expanding beef sales in Canada, and their marketing approaches are similar: find out what your customers want and give it to them. Earls is targeting millennials with its humane beef message, Tim Hortons is conducting a large consumer study to find out what’s important to its customers, and if they want beef without “added hormones or antibiotics,” then that is what it will source. As Heath points out, nobody, ever got rich fighting public perception.

The overriding message I took from this session is that we can’t depend on the food-service sector to set the public’s perception of us.

As Cameron Bruett with JBS USA put it, we have to stand up and start saying who we are, what we do and why we are doing it.

Bruett believes the Global Sustainable Beef model is the best path forward. To be sustainable we must be profitable and care for people, animals and the planet.

When you boil it down, I suppose that is the challenge embodied in the National Beef Strategy. We may not be there yet, but this conference was a great first step.

The post Comment: What a meeting! appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

It contributed $25,000 in February to the Manitoba Beef and Forage Industry for a collaborative project of science-based research to enhance ecosystems, producer profitability and build awareness of the beef and forage industry.

One McDonald’s executive says the now-completed pilot is just the beginning.

“Now that the pilot is over we are looking at initiatives like the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative (MBFI) that will help us to support and aid the industry get to the next level,” said Jeffery Fitzpatrick-Stilwell, senior manager of sustainability for McDonald’s Canada. “Things are really good in the Canadian beef sector. But, they can always get better and we want to support that.”

He added the restaurant chain is interested in engaging the beef industry in a meaningful and transformational way, and goes beyond simple marketing window dressing.

“This wasn’t just a sponsorship to get our logo on something, we really saw the value in this initiative specifically,” Fitzpatrick-Stilwell said. “This will add real value and we see the long-term benefits.”

The contribution to MBFI came on the heels of the conclusion of the McDonald’s Canada’s sustainable beef project, which was the corporation’s single-largest global investment in sustainable beef.

“We are honoured to be selected for this contribution,” said Ramona Blyth, chair of the MBFI board. “McDonald’s and MBFI are both working on the same goal of strengthening the sustainability in our industry so to have its support is huge.”

On July 26, MBFI hosted a McDonald’s Day Production Tour at its Brookdale research farm to recognize the contribution and give producers and the public a chance to get on site.

“This research farm was just a base thought 18 months ago. We have put a lot of sweat equity into getting here today,” Blyth said. “Infrastructure is up and running, cattle are on the landscape, and our key projects have been started.”

Collaborative mindset

Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says the MBFI project drew McDonald’s Canada’s attention because of its collaboration with industry stakeholders and its holistic approach to improving both the beef and forage sector.

“When MBFI started discussing how it was bringing non-government organizations, government, academic and other groups all together, it was just music to our ears,” Fitzpatrick Stilwell said. “That is how we want to work. We are not the experts, we want to work with those who are and we want to be a part of that story.”

MBFI’s four core partners include Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association, Manitoba Beef Producers, Ducks Unlimited and Manitoba Agriculture, but the organization also strives to partner with research and education facilities and other stakeholders with interest in advancing the industry.

“We have learnt over time that not one person can do all, so if we bring different groups together that are looking for the same outcome, we have more power in numbers,” Blyth said.

Fitzpatrick-Stilwell says that McDonald’s Canada has not committed to any further monetary support to MBFI at this time but will certainly keep tabs on the initiative’s progress.

“Part of why I am here today is to see what is being worked on and the support that is being shown by other groups as well as the provincial government,” Fitzpatrick-Stilwell said.

Provincial support

Provincial Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler was on hand at the production day tour and says the province is highly supportive of MBFI and he thinks the research being conducted at the farm will be a critical vehicle in rebuilding the province’s cattle numbers.

“We want to see our cattle numbers grow and this initiative will help us do that,” Eichler said. “This is just a fantastic opportunity for producers to learn through shared partnerships, and at the end of the day, that is what it is all about, what we can learn and take back to the farm.”

Eichler says there are approximately 450,000 beef cattle in the province and he wants to see those numbers grow back to where they sat before BSE, around 750,000.

“It is a significant gain. I see it probably taking eight to nine years. I know that it is ambitious but… I want to see those numbers grow,” Eichler said.

Eichler adds that the government certainly has a role in creating growth in the beef sector but in the instance of MBFI, a supportive role is best.

“This should not be run by government but certainly supported by government. When we look at the partnerships that are involved in this initiative, it is a win-win for everyone,” Eichler said.

Blyth believes there is great value in having applied research conducted on Manitoba soil and knows MBFI can play a part in strengthening the sector’s numbers.

“As national leaders have told us from time to time, research is the critical component of the National Beef Strategy and we want to see more of that research done on the ground here in Manitoba so that our producers can use the information on their operations,” Blyth said.

This article was originally published in the August 4, 2016 issue of the Manitoba Co-operator

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One step in this plan is a study by Noblepath Strategic Consulting scheduled for completion late this year that will outline the potential for strategic beef alliances and identify problematic regulations so cattle feeders can build a sound case for reform.

“When it gets down to the end, we look forward to a white paper on the production and rules and regulations of each province to take to the governments, provincial and federal. They want to know what’s happening out here and this will help put teeth to it,” says NCFA chair Larry Schweitzer of Hamiota, Man., adding that the study will lay some of the groundwork for components of the new National Beef Strategy.

One pilot project that is being closely followed is looking at a full e-certification system for the export and import of cattle at the Canada-U.S. border. The acceptance of certified e-signatures on shipping documents at three border crossings starting last July has smoothly sped up crossings, aided by the fact both national governments want to see this happen, Schweitzer says.

The online system eliminates the need to run paperwork from the local veterinarian who inspects the cattle to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinarian to be signed in triplicate and then back to the trucker. When the data is online border officials have the proper documentation on their screen before the truck arrives.

Other projects with NCFA involvement include development of a feedlot assessment tool for animal care and an emergency preparedness plan for cattle feedlots that could be used anywhere in Canada.

On another front the NCFA contributed $20,000 over two years to the Canadian Beef Grading Agency’s modernization initiative. Andre Roy from the Quebec feeders’ association is the NCFA representative on the grading agency board.

The NCFA budgets for membership in the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council (CAHRC) and the new Barley Council of Canada and is actively involved with the National Beef Strategic Planning Group, the Beef Value-Chain Roundtable, Market Access Secretariat, Beef Cattle Trade Advisory Group, Beef Cattle Policy Advisory Committee and the new Council of Beef Advisors that will guide implementation of the National Beef Strategy.

As a national group it has also provided input on proposed regulations for product-of-Canada labelling, feed ingredients and labelling, and livestock transportation while keeping the CFIA’s modernization initiative on its radar screen.

Hosting summer feedlot tours and taking part in the Ottawa Advocacy Week each November are a couple of ways NCFA maintains positive working relationships with CFIA officials and fosters an awareness of Canada’s cattle-feeding sector and the association as its national representative.

NCFA lobbying efforts on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has been ongoing since the NCFA was formed in 2007 and ramped up in 2014 to have feedlots designated as primary agriculture, and exempt from the new TFWP fee and worker cap.

The Canadian Agriculture Human Resource Council (CAHRC) is moving forward on the National Labour Action Plan recommendations.

While layoffs in oil and gas industries have eased the labour shortage for Alberta feedlots, labour remains the biggest challenge for packers, followed by the uncertainties surrounding the new Safe Food for Canadians Act.

On the trade front, the NCFA continues to urge Ottawa to stand firm on retaliatory tariffs against U.S. mandatory country-of-origin labelling and press for a first-come-first-serve system for quota administration under the Canadian-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

The NCFA annual report is available on its new website at nationalcattlefeeders.ca.

The post NCFA three-pronged strategy sees cattle feeders looking forward appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

We started the year with fewer beef cows (3.8 million), fewer replacement heifers (531,000) and fewer beef calves (99,400) than last year.

By comparison the Americans are in a more expansive mood. When North Dakota livestock economist Tim Petry recently lined up the two reports it painted two very different pictures.

Total cattle numbers in the U.S. were up 1.4 per cent compared to a 2.5 per cent decrease in Canada. Beef cows increased two per cent in the U.S. and declined two per cent in Canada, beef replacement heifers increased four per cent in the U.S. and declined 1.5 per cent in Canada, cattle on feed in the U.S. increased 0.6 per cent but decreased 8.7 per cent in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

U.S. cattle slaughter declined 7.1 per cent in 2014 while Canadian cattle slaughter increased 3.3 per cent. Cattle prices were record high in both countries in 2014 but with the lower Canadian dollar 2014 beef imports from Canada increased 11.9 per cent and U.S. beef exports to Canada declined 22 per cent.

In other words the Americans are starting to expand while Canadians are content to keep selling while the getting is good.

It’s not hard to understand why this is happening.

Living with BSE for more than a decade left many producers battered, bruised and needing to rebuild the equity lost on their herd through the years. This latest BSE case only stretches out the time the cloud will remain over Canada which doesn’t exactly give the industry a shot of confidence for the immediate future.

• More ‘Comment’ with Gren Winslow: Latest BSE case shows the system works

The heavy discounting that has gone on at the border due to the American’s country-of-origin labelling legislation is another ding to the confidence. The promised final decision is coming down from World Trade Organization next month, but even assuming Canada and Mexico are successful Ottawa would not be in a position to post retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods overnight. Pressure is building in the Congress to fix this mess but so far the Obama administration shows no sign of giving up on it.

Market analyst Kevin Grier who publishes the Canadian Cattle Buyer points to the more erratic returns for Canadians while the American cow-calf man has been posting positive returns since 1999, with the exception of ’08 and ’09, and massive profits in the past year as a key to the difference in attitude.

Age is another factor. Many producers are simply too old to stick it out for another turn. The young ones may want to expand but at the moment the sheer cost of buying your way up is enough to test the nerves of any stockman.

Even if they wanted to expand, Grier says there may not be enough uncropped pasture and rangeland around to handle an expanded herd.

One way or another all these factors came into play when cow-calf producers across the country made their choice to hold or sell heifers last year. On a net basis more went than stayed.

With 100,000 fewer calves in the West this year compared to last and nearly 110,000 fewer steers and slaughter heifers available the implications for the packers and feedlots are rather bleak, according to Grier.

“It is difficult to see anything other than feedlot capacity downsizing and business rationalization. The argument is similar for packer plant capacity.”

If there is one bright spot in the January report it was found in Ontario which has a couple of thousand more cows than last year and a similar bump in replacement heifers. Ontario’s cow numbers are still down 90,000 from 2002, but for the moment they seem to have stopped the slide.

Beef Farmers of Ontario is actively encouraging an increase in the cow herd by promoting a plan to allocate Crown land to producers starting farms in the northern Clay Belt. Land is still priced low enough there to make beef production feasible, according to a study done for the BFO. It all hinges on the province’s willingness to release some Crown land. So far, as reported elsewhere in our April 2015 issue, they have the ear of Premier Kathleen Wynne for their concept.

The addition of 30 economically viable farms per year, each requiring 2,500 acres, over the next 20 years would result in another 100,000 more cows in Ontario. If this seems a tad ambitious, remember what Ontario farmers did with their Corn Fed Beef program.

Canada’s National Beef Strategy doesn’t really address our declining herd numbers. It calls for a 15 per cent increase in production efficiency over the next five years along with an improvement in competitiveness, beef demand and connectivity across the industry.

All are worthy goals but they won’t mean much if we don’t have enough cattle to reach them.

The post The case of Canada’s vanishing cows appeared first on Canadian Cattlemen.

Research shakeup proposed for Saskatchewan

If Saskatchewan is going to meet its target of raising livestock receipts by 25 per cent it needs everyone pulling in the same direction. As a first step the steering committee set up by the province last April is recommending the creation of a centre of excellence to co-ordinate livestock and forage research and extension efforts within the province.

“If the industry is to remain viable, and indeed grow in the face of international competition and increased public concern for environmental impact, food safety, animal welfare and public health, then innovative and transformative research and development is required to ensure that our producers remain economically competitive on a global scale,” says the steering committee draft report unveiled for public discussion last month.

The committee says the University of Saskatchewan is well suited to meet future research needs of the beef industry in terms of the number of faculty members who already have national and international reputations in their fields.

The goal then is to create an integrated beef and forage network that has access to state-of-the-art facilities and provides an environment that fosters a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to research. To that end they recommend integrating existing researchers at the U of S College of Agriculture and Bioresources, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and the Western Beef Development Centre (WBDC) under a single organization.

The research sites would also be centralized at the university’s Goodale research farm and the new U of S research feedlot being developed south of Clavet to replace the older facility on the campus which is too small to simulate modern feedlot conditions. The Termuende research farm near Lanigan would be closed and the WBDC 300-head research herd transported to the 2,000-acre Goodale research farm primarily managed by the Western College of Veterinary Medicine which is closer to the Saskatoon campus.

This assumes the province will find the money to upgrade the Goodale facilities and complete the new research feedlot at Clavet. The total cost of this feedlot alone was estimated at $16.7 million on a grant application submitted in June.

The steering committee believes the synergies from such a plan will foster expanded beef and forage sectors by training highly qualified personnel for the industry to tap into, offer an environment conducive to innovative research into forage breeding and management, herd health, disease prevention and animal welfare and improved technology transfer of this information to producers.

To keep the ball rolling the steering committee would manage the centre and hire a general manager and site managers to look after the various facilities. The current eight-member committee is composed of researchers and administrators representing the university, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the WBDC, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Forage Network (SFN), the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, and is chaired by producer Aaron Ivey, the co-chair of the SFN.

The comment period for input to the draft plan closed on January 30.

Policy

New national strategy sets targets for industry

A new strategy from national and provincial cattle producer and beef marketing agencies has set five-year percentage benchmarks for the industry’s productivity, added value and cost effectiveness.

Canada’s beef sector groups formally released their National Beef Strategy, a guiding document for “how the organizations can work together to best position the Canadian beef industry for greater profitability, growth and continued production of a high quality beef product of choice in the world.”

Specifically, the strategy calls for a 15 per cent increase in carcass cut-out value, a 15 per cent increase in cattle production efficiency and a seven per cent decrease in “cost disadvantages” against Canada’s main beef export competitors — all to be reached by 2020.

Martin Unrau, a MacGregor, Man. producer, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association past president and co-chair of the National Beef Strategic Planning Group, said the plan “will build on and strengthen the foundational pieces of existing work that have enabled the beef industry to grow to date.”

However, he said, the new plan will do so “in a manner which will be more responsive to current and future needs,” allowing “chronic issues” such as industry infrastructure and capacity to be dealt with “more holistically,” for programming to help boost beef demand and “bridge to where industry wants to be in the future.”

Rising worldwide demand for protein has granted the sector “an unprecedented opportunity to increase demand for its beef products,” the planning group said, but noted “significant challenges” including tight cattle supplies, reduced marketings and competition for arable land.

“The need for industry to push itself is now,” Unrau said in the group’s release.

With cattle marketings today at their smallest level since the early 1990s, paying to reach the goals of the strategy may take additional checkoff dollars, the strategy documents note.

Achieving such goals, the strategy says, would take a projected National Checkoff (NCO) investment of about $19 million, or $2.50 per head.

With a $3 provincial checkoff and $2.50 NCO, at 2014 calf prices, producers would be putting 0.43 per cent of revenues into policy, research and marketing, of which 0.19 per cent would be earmarked for research and marketing. At 2014 fed cattle prices, the investment would be 0.27 per cent for policy, research and marketing, including 0.12 per cent for the latter two programs.

Compared to other ag commodities, the strategy group said, beef checkoff investments are “relatively low,” noting the turkey, dairy and chicken industries put up 2.1, 1.46 and 1.2 per cent of what they bring in for revenues respectively. On the other hand, weaner and finisher hog operations put up 0.07 and 0.09 per cent respectively.

‘Loyalty-based’

To boost carcass cut-out value, the strategy calls for development of the Canadian Beef Advantage (CBA) as the “most recognized and loyalty-based beef program in the world,” in part through development of a new National Total Quality Management System and Supply Chain Strategy.

Also, it calls for work to reduce both tariff and non-tariff barriers in export markets, gain “equal or preferential access” in key export markets and eliminate any remaining BSE-related export market access barriers.

Exporting beef products that are in greater demand outside Canada, the group noted, could add over $400 in value per animal.

The strategy further calls for work to “enhance the public image” of Canada’s beef industry with emphasis on “positive industry benefits, and improvements in environmental sustainability, animal health and welfare, and food safety practices.”

To reduce the Canadian beef sector’s “cost disadvantages,” the strategy calls for a “supportive regulatory environment” including regulatory co-operation with trading partners; enhanced research capacity; and improved access to “competitively priced” inputs such as feed, forages and animal health products and to “affordable skilled labour.”

The strategy also calls for the sector to maintain the industry’s “social licence to operate” through “validating production practices and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement in areas of public concern.”

To boost production efficiency, the strategy seeks research and development work on improved forage, grass and feed productivity, improved animal health and welfare and improved cattle performance through selection for “desired traits.”

A two per cent increase in reproductive efficiency, the group notes, translates to a $16.50 decrease in the cost of producing a calf — and a 30 per cent increase in forage production would result in a 15 per cent decrease in cow-calf level production costs.

Reputation management

Among its non-quantifiable targets, the strategy also calls for the sector to “enhance industry synergies (and) connect positively with consumers, the public, government, and partner industries.”

That includes “delivery of timely, concise and effective crisis communications” plus development of a “reputation management strategy” and improvements in the industry’s “ability to speak with a common voice.”

On the regulatory side, the strategy added, that includes engaging government and regulatory agencies to “build and maintain long-term relationships.”

The National Beef Strategy is a collaborative effort by Canadian national beef sector organizations, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (and its provincial member associations), the National Cattle Feeders’ Association, the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Beef Breeds Council and Canada Beef Inc.

Drugs

Scientists track superbug genes to understand antibiotic resistance

Researchers at Colorado State University are investigating the weighty topic of antibiotic resistance — an issue with ramifications for global food safety and public health — by tracking the genetic footprints of drug-resistant bacteria.

They want to determine where infectious organisms originate and how they move through the food system and environment to people. The study, funded with $2.25 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is one of the largest of its kind and is enabled by recent advances in DNA sequencing technology.

The project is expected to provide insights about the factious topic of antibiotic use in food animals, chiefly beef and dairy cattle, and the degree to which the long-standing agricultural practices contribute to development of “superbugs” that infect people whose illnesses are difficult and expensive to treat.

Each year in the United States, at least two million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics; at least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella and campylobacter, two of the many bacteria commonly transmitted through food, cause an estimated 410,000 antibiotic-resistant infections in the country each year, the CDC reports.

• More on the Canadian Cattlemen: Antimicrobial resistance tug of war stands in the way of progress

Just a few months ago, the White House directed key federal agencies to co-ordinate on a “National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.” In November, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges announced a new Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance in Production Agriculture to provide advice and education.

Food-animal production has been blamed for contributing to antimicrobial-resistant illness, but these suspicions are not well founded in science, said Keith Belk, professor in CSU’s Center for Meat Safety and Quality, and Dr. Paul Morley, a CSU veterinarian and infectious-disease expert.

With multiple collaborators, the two are leading the research project, “Paradigm Shift: Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Antimicrobial Resistance Ecology through Whole Genome Analysis of Microbial Communities.”

The scientists hope to gain a much better understanding of the role of production agriculture in antimicrobial resistance. It often is assumed that providing antibiotics in feed rations for livestock contributes to drug-resistant germs, but the practice also has a protective effect, Belk said.

“Most people believe they are consuming antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in their food because of intensive food production systems. In fact, those modern food-production systems are effectively controlling bacteria in food,” Belk said.

In order to successfully solve the problem of antibiotic resistance, scientists must better understand where resistance originates and how drug-resistant germs move through the food system and environment to people, the CSU researchers said.

“Using DNA sequencing technology, the researchers will trace genes that cause resistance in bacteria to determine sources and paths, including whether and how antimicrobial-resistant bugs move from livestock to humans.

Belk and Morley will compare antimicrobial resistance in traditional and organic processes, and in different environments, to identify what resistant genes are present and how they are transferred. They also want to learn whether different production methods affect abundance of antimicrobial resistance.

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