From working through the backlog of fat cattle, to the set aside program, and on to market demand, Bob Lowe, president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), is cautiously optimistic about the cattle value chain recovery from the lows of April and May. Looking back to spring and early summer, there was a backlog of... Read More
Dr. David Hughes, aka Dr. Food, has travelled the world speaking about the business of food and drink. Recently, he didn’t have to travel far from his home in Wales — only as far as his armchair — to deliver his message as the opening keynote speaker at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, held online... Read More
The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) program is for young people across Canada between the ages of 18 and 35 who are passionate about the beef industry. Since its inception in 2010, the CYL program has had over 120 graduates, which is certainly cause to celebrate. “We’re very excited to mark this event with the industry,” says Jessica... Read More
The Canadian Angus Association (CAA) has recently taken breeding to a whole new level by incorporating genomic technology in addition to the regular testing of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). Kajal Devani, director of science and technology at the CAA says because of all the data and pedigree information they collect, they’ve put it to good... Read More
When a farm business transitions from one generation to the next, there’s a laundry list of technical things to do — business structure changes, estate planning, loans, and insurance. But there’s more to farm succession than just the technical aspects, and Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has created a new role within the organization to help... Read More
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) Council took the opportunity recently to meet face-to-face, hear from a guest speaker, and review achievements of the council to date. According to Anne Wasko, chair of CRSB, some of the latest highlights include: Harvey’s Canada sourcing certified sustainable beef; Atlantic Beef Products being audited and certified to... Read More
Labour shortages in agriculture are a challenge across nearly the entire sector, and unfortunately the issue cannot be fixed overnight. At this year’s Canadian Beef Industry Conference held at Calgary, Alta., the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) gave an update on the state of labour for the beef industry, along with agriculture as a... Read More
If you have a goal or a vision, how do you push past adversity and make what needs to happen, happen? Karl Subban, motivational speaker, educator, and father of five, says that the key to getting where you want to go is to believe in the power of your own potential. That’s where our success... Read More
The type of trace mineral you feed your cattle matters, and, at least one research study suggests that paying a little more can result in a net return on investment when it comes to choosing the type of zinc, copper, cobalt, or selenium product you choose to feed. Dr. Matt Hersom, from the University of... Read More
Costco Canada is asking producers for more, high-quality Canadian beef. Chris Tindall, AGMM fresh meats for Costco, presented to attendees of the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary last week, discussing how industry can build alliances with producers, the needs of the beef industry, and the desire to grow availability of AAA and Prime beef.... Read More
Canada Beef has launched an export market development (EMD) program aimed to stimulate market development activities and grow market segments in an effort to increase Canadian beef in the export market place, says president Michael Young. “It’s a new program that our committee just approved three weeks ago now, and what it does is it... Read More
In addition to maintaining or improving current trade relations, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is also focused on diversifying beef exports. However, the work comes with challenges. Back in June, China had requested Canada to hold off its export certificates to the country. Since then, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has submitted the technical... Read More
Sometimes you have to move slow to get where you want to go. The same can be said for cattle handling. Low stress cattle handling techniques don’t just make sense for animal welfare, they’re also a key component of verified sustainable beef production. Veterinarian Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, head of animal handling, field research and facility... Read More
Talking with your family about farm succession needs to happen sooner rather than later, emphasizes Darrell Wade, president and founder of FarmLife Financial. Wade’s key message at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in London, Ont., was to start the succession conversation early. As he explains in the video below, his family didn’t, and when a... Read More
As a first-timer heading to the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) in London, Ont. in less than two weeks, it excites me to see the vast amount of topics covered in the three-day conference. Everything from best transport practises, breeding, and how knowing what the packer wants can help you as a producer in the... Read More
The federal Liberals’ reluctance to show that they want to move forward on the Trans-Pacific Partnership could be due to competition for votes in certain Ontario, Quebec and B.C. ridings in 2019, according to a trade expert with the Canada West Foundation. It’s difficult to get an answer on why Canada has not been more... Read More
McDonald’s, Swiss Chalet and Cargill have committed to funding a pilot project that is designed to pay cattle producers a financial incentive for producing beef that meets verifiable sustainability standards. The “Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Project” was soft-launched at the recent Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary. It will begin in October, with the first... Read More
The expansion cycle in the cattle markets can tend to be a bit of a rollercoaster, and it’s not always easy to tell where we are at on that ride. Don Close, animal protein analyst with Rabobank, says in his opinion, the current US cattle market is still on the upward rise. “We think we... Read More
Over the past couple of decades, those who make a profit off of the environment — farmers, ranchers, miners, and loggers — have seen a fair amount of negative publicity. As people involved in some of these industries, we know the negativity isn’t always accurate, and Bruce Vincent with Environomics Incorporated more than agrees. “The... Read More
When penciling out the cost of replacement heifers, it’s easy to think of all of the obvious costs, the cash costs. But Kathy Larson, research economist with the Western Beef Development Centre, encourages producers to consider the opportunity costs of raising animals as well. “Opportunity costs are essentially non-cash costs. The biggest one being the money... Read More