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Contents canadian cattlemen · august 2015 · Volume 78, No. 7

 M A R K ET I NG

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The Saretsky family blazes new trails. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

VJV consolidates 12 under new management

Congratulations!

To our August survey winner, Colin Crockatt, Argyle, Man. This month’s survey is on page 50.

Cover Photo: By Tereasa Basaraba.

Comment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Newsmakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Our History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Holistic Ranching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Research on the Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Straight from the Hip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 Vet Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 CCA Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 News Roundup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Purely Purebred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 The Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Market Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Sales and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 C at t l e m e n · au g u s t 2 0 1 5

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 COMMENT

By Gren Winslow

August Anxieties

There are a lot of balls in the air as we start another fall run

I

f you only look at prices charts it’s a great time to be in the cattle business. It’s only when you start looking longer term that you see plenty of reasons to be anxious for the beef industry this August.

As of this issue going to press Canada is in what appears to be the final stretch run of negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. The beef and pork industries have representatives on the ground in Hawaii but the dairy and supply management lobby are grabbing most of the headlines when it comes to agriculture.

The cattle and hog industries specifically need the tariff reductions promised in this 12-country negotiation if they are to have any hope of remaining competitive in Asian markets, particularly Japan.

Canadian companies sold $100 million in beef to Japan in 2014 under the same 38.5 per cent tariff applied to all our competitors at the time. Since then Japan and Australia signed a free trade agreement that reduces the tariffs for fresh Australian beef to 31.5 per cent and frozen product to 28.5 per cent. The TPP is the shortest way for Canada to catch up.

Everyone in this country’s beef trade is hoping federal negotiators can pull this deal off. The memory of our free trade negotiations with South Korea that stuttered in 2007 and put us at a long-term disadvantage to U.S. and Australian traders still rankles.

China is not at the table in the TPP negotiations but it did sign a free trade agreement with Australia on June 17 — its first with a major economic partner. Australian beef and sheep farmers will see the current tariffs ranging from 12 to 25 per cent on their products progressively written down to zero under this agreement.

That has to send something of a chill down the backs of marketers at Canada Beef who have watched Canada’s sales to Mainland China climb from $12,000 in 2012 to $40 million in 2014 and Hong Kong shipments grow from $75.8 million to $201 million over the same time frame.

U.S. beef and pork producers still do not have access to China but you know their beef and pork industries are pushing every door they can find in Washington to move closer to that goal. Australia has obviously taken a big step in taking advantage of that opportunity. Canada has to do the same while we still have an edge in terms of access and a cheaper currency.

Closer to home the Canadian government is still waiting for an OK from the World Trade Organization to retaliate against the U.S. for refusing to rescind mandatory countryof-origin labelling legislation. Canada has asked for the power to impose more than $3 billion in punitive tariffs on a wide cross-section of U.S. imported goods. Whatever level of tariffs is approved it will be a double-edged stick.

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America doesn’t always take Canada seriously but this particular threat has caught its attention. We are a big buyer of everything American so any slowdown in our purchases can affect U.S. jobs and profits.

The House of Representatives has already passed a bill to rescind the COOL legislation but the Senate Agriculture Committee remains split at this writing. The head of the committee Pat Roberts, supports rescinding COOL while another faction led by Senator Debbie Stabenow is battling to keep a bill to rescind off the Senate floor. Her most recent proposal to adopt voluntary COOL was viewed mainly as a delaying tactic, and was flatly rejected by Ag Minister Gerry Ritz and Trade Minister Ed Fast late last month.

When faced with a problem you have no control over, take care of your family, take care of your land and take care of your cattle. The rest you’ll just have to deal with as it comes My guess is this story will drag on well into the fall, certainly after October 19. The Canadian government has steadfastly said it will impose tariffs if they are approved by the WTO, but I can’t believe any politician would want to go to the polls promising to drive up the cost of groceries, wine and a whole load of other U.S. products. That being the case the Tories will want to wait until well after the election before making any decision on tough tariffs.

That’s assuming the Tories win, of course. A minority, coalition or NDP-led government may have a totally different view of this situation.

To this we can add fears of drought, played-out pastures, and anguish over drenching rainstorms or tornadoes to our ball of potential worries about the future as we start the fall run of the 2015 calf crop.

In truth there is very little we as individuals can do about any of these issues, except the state of the pastures.

You will find more on that topic in this issue.

In the meantime, as one of the authors in this month’s magazine advises, when faced with a problem you have no control over, take care of your family, take care of your land, and take care of your cattle. The rest you’ll just have to deal with as it comes.

Sounds like good advice in uncertain times. c

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 THE INDUST RY

NewsMakers On September 1 Brady Stadnicki becomes the new Ottawa-based policy analyst for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, replacing Ryder Lee who left to become the CEO of Brady Stadnicki the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. Stadnicki was raised on a cow-calf operation in southeastern Alberta and is completing a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Calgary where he analyzed the Growing Forward 2, business risk management programs and the impact of BSE policies in Canada. He will staff the CCA domestic policy committee and act as a liaison with provincial cattle associations.

Jason and Karla Hicks are the 2015 recipients of Saskatchewan’s annual Environmental Stewardship Award. Along with their children, Lexi and Tyrell, the couple operates Jason Hicks Bluestone Stock Farms, a purebred and commercial operation running 800 cows and 1,000 yearlings on 16,000 acres of tame and native grass near Mortlach, Sask. Their focus on grass management and extendKarla Hicks ing the grazing season with swath and bale grazing has returned once tired, fragile cropland to productivity. The winner of the national stewardship competition will be named later this month at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s semiannual meeting in Winnipeg.

Bill Buckner, the president of Cargill Meat Solutions, is one of six people selected to enter the U.S. Meat Industry Hall of Fame this year. Raised in southern Ontario, Buckner joined Canada Packers fresh out of university with a new commerce degree from McMaster University in Hamilton. He joined Cargill in 1987 and over the next 28 years served in senior positions in Canada and the U.S., as corporate vice-president of SA/NV, senior vice-president of Cargill Limited and president of Cargill Meat Solutions, as well as a director of Teys Australia Pty. Ltd. and as director of MetaMorphix Inc. He officially retires at the end of this month.

George Lane, a legendary rancher and one of the founders of the very first Calgary Stam-

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pede in 1912, will be inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City during the museum’s Western Heritage Awards weekend April 15-16, 2016. Born in the United States in 1856, Lane came to Canada in 1883 to be the foreman of the Bar U ranch, now a Canadian National Historic Site, and bought the ranch in 1905. He also established what was thought to be the top Percheron breeding herd in North America.

Tammi Ribey

David Sibbald

Tammi Ribey is the new president of the Canadian Angus Association. In addition to her 25-year-old mixed veterinary practice she maintains a 400-acre farm in Bruce County near the village of Paisley, Ont. David Sibbald is the association’s president-elect. He owns and operates Triple S Red Angus near Calgary with his family. Sibbald is also the first vice-chairman on the Calgary Stampede board of directors.

Tessa Nybo is the new general manager of the Canadian Limousin Association, replacing Anne BrunetBurgess who left to become the general manager of the Canadian Cattle IdentifiTessa Nybo cation Agency. Originally from Sundre, Alta., Tessa grew up on her family’s cow-calf operation and now lives near Morinville, Alta. where her fiancé and his family have a well-established purebred Limousin herd. She is a graduate of the Olds College agricultural management program and has a background in communications and marketing.

Another historical cowboy, the late Earl W. Bascom who rode the rodeo circuit internationally from 1916 to 1940 has become the first rodeo champion to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Born in Utah in 1906 on the 101 Ranch and raised in Alberta on the Bar 3 Ranch, Bascom has been termed the father of modern rodeo. He is credited with designing and making the modern rodeo bucking chute, the rodeo bronc saddle, the bareback rigging and modern rodeo riding chaps. Bascom also introduced Brahma bull riding to rodeo and produced the first

rodeo held outdoors at night under electric lights. After retiring from the sport he became a recognized artist and sculptor recording his rodeo experiences in bronze and works of art.

The Canadian Angus Association has honoured Highway 21 Feeders Ltd. of Acme, Alta., with its Western Feedlot of the Year Award. This award was presented during Cattleman’s Connection Scott Brady Day at the Canadian Angus National Convention to Scott Brady, the cow-calf manager of the feedlot. Highway 21 Feeders is owned by Ed and Lyle Miller and consists of a 25,000-head-capacity feedlot and approximately 8,500 cows. Over 5,000 of their cows were bred by artificial insemination this year. They purchase high-carcassquality bulls and have them collected at stud for use in their AI program. They also run Angus bull tests at their facility.

The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) has presented its 2015 Forage Industry Innovation Award to its former executive director, Janice Bruynooghe of Spring Creek Janice Bruynooghe Land and Cattle Consulting Ltd. Under her direction the council showed an average 15:1 return on investment for industry levy dollars to fund numerous research and industry projects.

Now as the Saskatchewan forage network co-ordinator she facilitates a collaborative approach to research, technology transfer and industry development for all forage and livestock industry stakeholders.

The SFC made a contribution in her name to the Alicia Hargrave Memorial Bursary, College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan.

We were sorry to hear of the passing of Dennis Wobeser, 77, last month in Lloydminster, Sask., after a brief illness. Dennis and Jean Wobeser got into the cattle business in1963. For over 20 years they ran a custom feeding and feedlot company that, at its peak, handled 7,000 head of cattle. In the late 1980s the family and a few employees decided to convert their high-input commercial feeding operation to a lowinput, natural-based grazing operation.

They have been stalwarts of the Holistic style of living with the land ever since. In www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS mak e rs

1999 the Wobesers’ Hi-Gain Ranching operation won the Alberta Emerald Award in the small business category, the first time this environmental award was won by an agricultural organization.

Prof. Jeff Wichtel of the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), University of Prince Edward Island, will begin a five-year term as the new dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) on October 1. A faculty member in the department of health management at AVC, Wichtel has been the college’s associate dean of graduate studies and research since 2009.

He also served at AVC as acting dean, director of animal resources, department chair and chair of the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre.

Before joining AVC, Wichtel taught at Massey University in New Zealand and in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State.

The Canadian Young Leaders program has released the names of the people who have agreed to mentor the 2015 crop of future industry leaders. They are (with their CYL participant in brackets): Aaron and Adrienne Ivey, Ituna, Sask. (Angela Kumlin, Duchess, Alta.); Andrea Brocklebank, Calgary, Alta. (Breanna Anderson, Swan River, Man.); Annemarie Pedersen, Calgary, Alta. (Bethany Storey, Guelph, Ont.); Ben Thorlakson, Airdrie, Alta. (Breeanna Kelln, Duval, Sask.); Brian Perillat, Airdrie, Alta. (Brittany Wiese, Bentley, Alta.); Cathy

Sharp, Lacombe, Alta. (Penny Patton, Athabasca, Alta.); Dennis Laycraft, Calgary, Alta.

(Byron Whitford, Lethbridge, Alta.); Dylan and Colleen Biggs, Hanna, Alta. (Benjamin Campbell, Black Diamond, Alta.); Edward, Stuart and Bryan Thiessen, Strathmore, Alta. (Jodi Flaig, Two Hills, Alta.); John Baker, Erin, Ont. (Ellen Crane, Truro, N.S.); Martin Unrau, MacGregor, Man. (Shane Klepak, Melfort, Sask.); Mike Pollard, High River, Alta. (Brett Hassard, Medicine Hat, Alta.); PJ Budler, Fort Worth, Texas, (Brandon Sparrow, Vanscoy, Sask.); Robert Bielak, Toronto, Ont. (Brendan Zettler, Teeswater, Ont.); Trish Jordan, Winnipeg, Man. (Robert Dixon, Vermilion, Alta.); Tom Lynch-Staunton, Edmonton, Alta. (Elizabeth Homerosky, Calgary, Alta.). c

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C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

7

 our histo ry

Barbecuing Beef

By Harry J. Hargrave, co-ordinator, Range Research, Lethbridge, Alberta Published in Canadian Cattlemen, September 1949

T

here are few menus for outdoor summer gatherings that are more appropriate or more tasty than barbecued beef. Properly barbecued beef has a distinctive flavour which apparently cannot be secured by other means of preparation and it carries a lot of appetite appeal for crowds both large and small. Barbecuing makes it possible to cook meat in quantities sufficient for a family picnic or a crowd of 2,000 people.

The two common systems employed to barbecue beef are the pit method and the open-fire method. For either system it is advisable to use mature beef rather than veal as it is difficult to carve the latter, particularly if it is a little overdone, and it does not have the full flavour of mature beef. A fat, dry cow makes a first-class beef barbecue. If the carcass can be hung for a week or 10 days at low temperature prior to barbecuing, so much the better, but this is not absolutely necessary if such facilities are not available.

The Pit Barbecue

It is possible to barbecue entire quarters of beef using the pit system. However, it is usually more convenient to cut the quarters into pieces that do not weigh more than 50 pounds. If the meat can be boned, then rolled and securely tied it will facilitate carving. Each piece should then be wrapped in cheesecloth. A liberal coating of flour and water paste is then applied over the cheesecloth. The entire piece processed in this manner is then wrapped in clean burlap and securely sewn up at the seams with a large needle and store string. It is useful to attach a length of hay wire to each piece to facilitate removal from the pit after cooking. The meat is now ready for the barbecue pit.

The size of the pit depends upon the meat to be cooked. One that is five to six feet long and four feet wide would be large enough for two carcasses. It should be dug to a depth of six feet. Right alongside of the pit a heavy metal framework is set up about 16 inches above ground. Heavy scrap iron such as old plow beams, mower wheels etc. is useful for this framework, which can be supported by large rocks along two sides.

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On top of this framework several loads of good-size rocks are placed for heating. There should be sufficient rocks so that when they are dumped into the pit it will be filled to a depth of three feet. Sheet metal such as old galvanized iron sheeting is placed around the rocks on the above framework to hold the rocks in place and help hold the heat.

A fire is kindled on the ground immediately below the rocks and kept burning until the rocks are red hot. Old fence posts make good firewood for this purpose and a little coal may also be used. It usually takes six to eight hours to get the rocks red hot.

When this stage is reached, the sheet metal next to the pit is removed and the red-hot rocks are dumped into the pit with the aid of forks and shovels.

A sheet of metal is placed over the rocks in the pit and the individual pieces of meat, prepared as above, are immediately placed on top of this sheet metal. It is useful at this stage to wet the burlap wrapping to prevent it bursting into flame when it contacts the hot metal. Another sheet of metal is now placed on top of the pit and this is covered with a foot of earth to help retain the heat.

The cooking process is now underway.

If the individual pieces weigh 50 pounds or less, it will likely require about six hours to complete the barbecue. If entire quarters are barbecued 10 to 12 hours may be necessary. At the conclusion of the period the meat is removed from the pit and is ready to carve as soon as the wrapping is cut off each piece. This method of barbecuing retains the natural juices of the meat and results in an exceptionally tender and tasty product. The meat is usually served between two slices of buttered bread or in a large bun, flavoured with mustard if desired.

When pit barbecues are held periodically in the same location it is convenient to build a concrete barbecue pit which is always ready for use. In the bottom of the pit a grate is made with an ash pit below it. A space of 18 inches is allowed for the firebox and this is connected to a flue at one end. Immediately above the firebox is a heavy framework supporting two feet of

rocks with an oven of the same depth above the rocks. A set of steps that leads down to the firebox facilitate firing at the end opposite the flue.

Timing is important when preparing a barbecue for a crowd that is scheduled to eat at a certain hour. If that hour is to be 12 o’clock, noon, everything must be ready so the fire can be lit at eight o’clock the previous night. This will allow up to eight hours for heating and the same time for cooking.

The Open-Fire Barbecue

In the southern and western parts of the United States the usual system of barbecuing is somewhat different to that described above. In these areas the meat is barbecued immediately above a bed of hot coals. For this purpose hardwood or charcoal is used for fuel. When the fire has burned down to a bed of hot coals the meat is barbecued above it. Entire quarters of beef can be barbecued on a slowly revolving spit, but it is also possible to barbecue thick steaks on a grill about the hot coals.

Outdoor barbecue ovens built on top of the ground are generally used. Built of brick, stone or concrete, they have a firebox on the ground connected to a six-foot flue at one end. A wire mesh grill two feet above the ground is used for the steak barbecue.

Owing to objectionable smoke it is not customary to use coal for such open-fire barbecues.

Barbecue sauce is an integral part of such open-fire barbecues. During the cooking process this sauce is periodically swabbed over the meat and it adds much to the flavour of the finished product. The sauce used by some Texas ranchers includes the following ingredients: 2 lbs. melted butter 1 pint lemon juice 2 bottles Worcestershire sauce 1 bottle Tabasco sauce Using this method steaks one to two inches thick can be properly barbecued in 30 minutes and the flavour of such steaks is incomparable. c For more of the past from the pages of our magazine see the History section at www.canadiancattlemen.ca.

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Neil sold 200 calves while saddling his horse.

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 packers

By Debbie Furber

Harmony by Design

Vesta plans to begin construction on a European-designed water treatment plant this fall putting him on schedule to open in the first quarter of 2016.

R

ich Vesta’s pride in his family’s state-of-the-industry beef-processing plant is evident as he talks about the features that will make Harmony Beef a one-of-a-kind plant in North America.

The modernized Rancher’s Beef facility located in a vast industrial area east of Balzac, Alta. is now loaded with the latest European technology to provide a safe, comfortable work environment and produce a safe, quality product in the most efficient manner possible.

Vesta and his sons, Jeremy and Christopher chose the new name of the plant to reflect their intent to operate in harmony with all aspects of the beef business. It’s a role Vesta has fulfilled time and time again in a lifelong career in the meat-processing industry serving as both manager and owner of several large packing plants south of the border.

Christopher joined his dad in the packing business after college, while Jeremy’s background is in risk management and grain trading.

Vesta says the original Rancher’s Beef plant was state of the art in its day back in 2006-07 when it was certified as a federally registered, European-approved plant.

Although he realized the extent of the renovations that would be required when he purchased the plant in November 2013 — chiefly a European-designed water treatment plant and mechanical

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upgrades — the job has taken longer than he anticipated.

As of June they were preparing to begin construction on the water treatment plant this fall with a start date for the plant sometime in the first quarter of next year.

“Having our own water treatment facility to recycle and purify water will cut our need for fresh water by 80 per cent. That’s unprecedented in North America. We will still use the same amount of water overall as any plant our size, but we will be an efficient user of water.”

Vesta has no doubt Harmony Beef will be able to meet all the requirements needed to ship product into Asia, Europe and other key markets. As per standard Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) protocol, the plant will operate as a domestic (provincial) plant for the first three months as it ramps up production.

In anticipation of that day marketing and sales staff have been busy hosting plant tours and buying and selling beef from other sources to build up relationships with potential customers. They’ve already been in touch with 250 buyers in Canada alone.

Their procurement strategy has been ongoing as Harmony has been building relationships with a number of western Canadian feeders and is still open to further inquiries.

They will operate on a just-in-time delivery schedule for cattle to eliminate overnight stands. That’s normal industry practice but Vesta says it will be easier to

manage in a mid-size plant, particularly one in a province like Alberta with so many large feedlots relatively close to their doors.

The tour

On a walk-through tour Vesta points first to the receiving area with its covered scale and serpentine-shaped handling system with deeply etched heated concrete floors to provide good footing and easy cleanout even on the coldest days. It’s the one area of the plant that Vesta didn’t see any need to renovate.

Next are the three welfare areas — hide on, hide off and fabrication. In keeping with European requirements each step is carried out in separate rooms, with separate freshair ventilation, complete with precisionengineered fans for quiet operation.

The carcass rail was engineered in Holland for quiet operation. Like the walking beams in the cooler, conveyor table chains and many other structures, the rail is made with stainless steel to avoid corrosion which can potentially become a food safety issue.

The computer-controlled rail is set to run at 93 head per hour, or 750 to 800 head per day at full capacity, compared to 200 head per hour in typical plants of similar size. In this plant the computer stops the rail for 25 to 30 seconds at each work station to give the employees time to complete their task without rushing to keep up with a steadily moving rail. All work stands above floor level can be lifted up or down

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

packers

by air-powered controls to reduce strain on the employees.

Food safety measures begin right at the start. In the hide removal room each station is equipped with three knives and a sterilizer so a clean knife is used for each cut through the hide to lessen the chance of bacteria contacting the meat. Each exposed area is sprayed with a five per cent lactic acid solution that kills bacteria within 20 seconds.

The wash box is next in line, and the evisceration room. The conveyor table in the evisceration room is fitted with dividers to separate white offal (stomach and intestines) from red (kidney, heart, liver, trachea and lungs and head) as they are pulled from the carcass. This

is done to avoid losing all of the drop credit organs from several carcasses should there be an issue with a carcass down the line.

The offal on the table is aligned with the carcass above for examination by CFIA inspectors. Separate rooms are set aside to process white and red offal before it enters the blast freezer. Blast freezers are common in large plants, but less so in mid-size operations like Harmony Beef. Typically, says Vesta, the offal goes into a freezer truck stationed by the plant.

The last step in the evisceration process is splitting the carcass into sides before it enters a high-pressure wash box with 190 F steam for 1.5 minutes followed by a complete lactic acid spray before chilling.

Each of the four coolers that hold 300 head (600 sides) have overhead walking beams that space out the carcasses so they cool evenly. Double-size refrigeration units take carcasses from 92 F down to 40 F or less in 36 to 48 hours to attain the best yield.

Carcasses are then graded and sorted by grade and weight.

From the cooler the sides pass through another lactic acid cabinet on the way to the remodelled fabrication floor with separate lines for the chucks, ribs, loins and rounds. All trim will be sold to further processors.

The cold-storage room has been completely retrofitted from floor to the highest rack and can now hold 27,000 boxes at a time. c

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C at t l e m e n ¡ Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

11

 marketi ng

By Debbie Furber

VJV consolidates under new management

T

he sale of one of Alberta’s pioneer country livestock markets of the 1950s, Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Co. (VJV) at Ponoka, has precipitated a shuffle in ownership of several markets over the past year.

Last August, Henry and Andrea Thalen of Ponoka purchased the Ponoka and Dawson Creek markets from three generations of the Vold family — Ralph, Blair and Nansen — who had owned and operated VJV Ponoka since Ralph and his brother, Harry, founded the business in partnership with Bill and Shorty Jones in 1957.

Henry’s parents, Morris and Sandra Thalen, purchased the Beaverlodge market from Jed and Barb Willis later that fall.

Taking the opportunity to expand their businesses in May of this year Henry and Andrea purchased the Rimbey market and Morris and Sandra purchased the Westlock market, both from Sekura Auctions of Drayton Valley, Alta.

Ownership of the Dawson Creek market was transferred to Morris and Sandra, putting the three northern markets in their hands, while the Ponoka and Rimbey markets operate together under the ownership of Henry and Andrea.

All of the Thalens’ holdings go by the well-known and respected VJV acronym and cattle sales remain the heart of the business with dairy, bison, horse/tack and sheep/goat sales offered at some locations.

It’s said that opportunity only knocks once and the opportunity to buy their hometown market was too good to let slip

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by at a time when the Thalens were looking for something to stay in agriculture and in the Ponoka area after selling their dairy east of town in May of 2014. The family comes from a dairy background in British Columbia and has called Ponoka home since 1996.

The lineup of regular Wednesday cattle sales through the three rings and monthly dairy and bison sales at VJV Ponoka has remained the same and there are no immediate plans to change things.

“It’s a strong market with knowledgeable, experienced staff and they’ve been very helpful in teaching us the business,” Henry says.

Blair Vold stayed on to manage the Canadian Satellite Livestock Sales division and his son, Nansen Vold, is co-manager and fieldman. Craig Jacklin, who has been with VJV for 16 years is feeder finance manager and fieldman, while office manager Dianna Allan has ushered in many changes during her 39 years at VJV Ponoka, and yard manager Mike Dejonge has been keeping things running smoothly behind the scene for eight years.

Shawn Gist is the new manager at VJV Dawson Creek with regular sales now held Tuesdays along with calf/yearling sales Fridays through the fall run and feature horse/ tack sales.

Don Fessler moves from VJV Dawson Creek to manage VJV Beaverlodge, which is undergoing some upgrades scheduled to be completed by August 11. The facility

 su rv ey

Auctions still top choice Auction marts were the top choice for selling calves, according to the recently released Western Canadian Cow-Calf Survey.

Eighty per cent of the 411 cow-calf producers who responded to the survey sold calves at live auctions.

Twelve per cent marketed calves by private treaty (direct), nine per cent by electronic auctions and seven per cent through order buyers. Some producers used several marketing strategies.

The voluntary survey organized by provincial producer associations, provincial agriculture specialists, the Beef Cattle Research Council, Canfax and the Western Beef Development Centre polled producers on their production and management practices starting with the 2013 breeding season through to weaning of the 2014 calf crop.

The respondents controlled 76,000 cows and averaged 28 years of experience raising cattle. Fortynine per cent were from Alberta, 24 per cent from Saskatchewan, 18 per cent from Manitoba and eight per cent from British Columbia.

Full results are available on the BCRC and WBDC websites.

Continued on page 14

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m a r k et i ng

Continued from page 12

reopens with a brand new office, sorting facility and loading and unloading chutes.

Regular sales are now Thursdays with occasional horse/tack sales.

Gary Jarvis, former owner of the Westlock market under the Triple J name, returns as manager of VJV Westlock. Regular sales are Thursdays with monthly sheep/goat sales and occasional horse/tack sales.

Wes Skeels is the new manager at VJV Rimbey where regular sales run Tuesday with monthly horse/tack sales.

VJV Canadian Gold Show Alley sales, featured at Ponoka and Dawson Creek since 2009, have been extended to Beaverlodge.

Show alley sales are held on regular sale days at each location with most groups of show alley cattle sold through the ring, while large groups are sold from their pens. The show alley part of the sale goes online with live video and audio and real-time online bidding through the Online Ringman system to keep pace with ringside bidding.

Show alley sales are for one-owner, source-verified cattle and age verification is strongly recommended. Each producer’s cattle is sorted into uniform groups and a show list is posted to the website and circulated to buyers the evening before the sale. It gives the name of the owner along with the weight and weighing condition, breed, health and feed program for each pen of cattle.

This is an opportunity for consignors to expose their cattle to a wider audience and potentially sell to buyers for branded beef programs who may be willing to bid premium prices on cattle that qualify for their programs. The buyer and prices for each pen are posted on the website as the sale proceeds.

Online purebred sales are the latest addition to the VJV lineup. These sales stream live over the Internet from any location. As always, the Thalens welcome producers to contact them about booking any of their locations for production sales.

Foothills Auctioneers

Meanwhile, Rob and Sharon Bergevin are celebrating with an anniversary auction, August 28, to mark one year as sole owners of Foothills Auctioneers at Stavely, Alta. It previously operated as VJV Foothills Auction under a 50-50 partnership between the Bergevins and Blair Vold since 2005.

Bergevin says the location of the market, alongside Highway 2 only 45 minutes from

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Morris (l) and Henry Thalen and their families have expanded the VJV chain of markets.

major feedlots in the Lethbridge area, continues to be a strong draw for the market and very important in serving customers.

The facility has been modernized with the addition of some new pens and electronic identification tags are now read on arrival. As always, Foothills receives cattle 24-7 into bedded pens with feed and water.

Regular sales are Fridays with all-breed feeder sales Mondays and Wednesdays through the fall run. Due to dry conditions this summer, feeder calf sales start August 18. Bred sales are slotted in as needed.

Purebred production sales and horse sales hosted at the market or off site can be set up to stream live over the Internet with real-time online bidding.

The market continues to offer the financing program, the show alley option in conjunction with the regular sales, and Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction sales Wednesday mornings.

Foothills Auctioneers also runs a farm and ranch real estate and equipment division supported by a marketing program that gives clients nationwide exposure.

The Bergevins are carrying on with Foothills’ 15-year tradition of calling the Calgary Stampede’s Tarp Sale (for chuckwagon tarp advertising) as well as the Stampede’s Western Art Auction for the 10th year.

Bergevin, a longtime supporter of his professional associations, is currently vicepresident of the Alberta Auction Markets Association and an executive director rep-

resenting Alberta on the Livestock Markets Association of Canada (LMAC).

The Foothills market hosted the 2012 Canadian Livestock Auctioneer Championship as part of LMAC’s annual convention in Calgary and is proud to be named 2016 host of the International Auctioneering Championship held annually in conjunction with the Calgary Stampede.

Sekura Auctions

Corey Sekura ended his family’s 49-year history in livestock marketing on a positive note with the sale of the Rimbey and Westlock locations to the Thalens.

“They are great people with good integrity who will carry on the livestock business well,” he says.

The decision to close the Drayton Valley Auction Mart as of May 1, 2013, didn’t come lightly because his parents had started the business in the mid-1960s. Nearly a halfcentury later, the town had grown out and around the market that was originally a half-mile out of town.

He noted the expansion of Sekura Auctions’ real estate and equipment business as another reason for the sale as it became tough to do a good job of operating both divisions. The company continues to sell farms, ranches, as well as industrial and commercial equipment across Western Canada, operating from its head office in Drayton Valley and satellite offices in Westlock and Rimbey. c

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 COVER STO RY · m a r k et i ng

By Debbie Furber

Ready to hire a marketing specialist for your calves?

Ryan Copithorne is betting you are

A

typical marketing plan for many cowcalf producers revolves around hoping to hit a run of good prices when they sell calves, yearlings and cull cows after pregchecking. If the stars don’t align to bring all of the variables together in their favour on sale day — weather conditions for roundup, trucking arrangements, market forces — their profit for the year can go down the drain.

Ryan Copithorne knows that worry all too well. He managed his family’s ranch, CL Ranches, near Jumping Pound, Alta., set up the beef division as director of cattle operations for an 8,500-head investor-owned ranch and today runs 1,200 head on his own ranching operation on private and First Nation lands just west of CL Ranches.

He also knows marketing doesn’t have to be so risky and that cow-calf operators run on limited manpower with little time at the end of the day to devote to developing marketing strategies, or executing those marketing plans in a timely manner.

Looking around, he realized that there are no businesses in Western Canada that specialize in supporting cow-calf producers in their marketing decisions. Backed by his practical ranching experience, a degree in finance with a master’s degree in business administration, and his most recent experience with a cattle-feeding/grain-marketing/ consulting company and his affinity for hedging and marketing, he set up the Cows in Control Marketing Group last fall.

His focus is to provide a service that helps cowcalf producers protect the money, labour, time and expertise they’ve invested in their business.

“When I first started ranching I worked on ways to improve grass and genetics to add value, but all it took was a 10- to 20-cent market move downward to wipe out all that work and profit. I was doing some grain farming as well and saw lots of marketing options not available on the cow side and

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www.canadiancattlemen.ca

marketing

became interested in how I could make those work for cattle,” Copithorne says.

“I also came to realize how important marketing is in our industry and felt that building a marketing tool box for ranchers could take the worry out of marketing so they could concentrate on what they like to do, raise cattle.”

He opens the tool box by explaining the marketing options available and works with each client to develop a year-long strategic marketing plan, then helps them navigate through the year with timely market analysis and advice, plus business connections as needed or requested.

At the end of the day, the producers are still in control of when and how they sell their cattle.

“There are lots of ways to have more control over the price you get and protect high prices,” Copithorne says. “The No. 1 issue isn’t whether prices will go up or down, but by how much they will go up and down, which could be violently, not in modest 10to 20-cent moves, but we could see 40- to 50-cent moves.”

Marketing a year-round priority

Selling your whole year’s production in one or even two shots is risky business, not to mention stressful and really, quite unusual as business goes, even in agriculture. Many grain growers, for instance, market their production year round and rely on hedging strategies to lock in target prices on commodities when they become available.

For cattle, a hedging plan could include strategies such as participating in the cattle price insurance program, forward contracting, and taking positions on the futures market when cash prices are high during the course of the year before selling your calves.

“The first step is to identify the expected actual annual cost of production for your calf crop, then determine a reasonable return on investment (ROI). By using the insurance program, futures or forward contract bids, we are able to determine estimated profitability going forward for either the upcoming calf crop or the weaned calf crop. It there’s a profit that meets your criteria for an acceptable ROI, we develop a hedging program to lock in those returns for some percentage of the calf crop. As the market gyrates up and down through the course of the year, we lock in seasonal highs until, when the time comes to sell the cattle, you are pre-priced in at seasonal highs at an acceptable return.”

Oftentimes there are seasonal highs late in spring that can be hedged with insurance, www.canadiancattlemen.ca

and the feeder futures market seasonally tops in August or September. He suggests forward pricing no more than 80 per cent of your total expected production to allow for unforeseen circumstances such as higherthan-usual calf loss or lower-than-usual weight gain.

“These are examples of marketing times that can be used to price fall calves so that by the time next year’s fall run comes, a large percentage of your cattle is priced at the highs. If you choose to keep the calves, we can set up feeding strategies that hedge and price with the same tools.”

His role is to take the guesswork out by offering education on how to use the hedging tools, market analysis and setting up pushbutton hedging programs so all you have to do is pull the sell trigger to lock in a price.

“ There are lots of ways to have more control over the price you get and protect high prices.”

There are buyers out there interested in forward contracting cattle to ensure a steady supply of the kind and weights of calves they need or prefer at certain times of the year. Copithorne makes sure you won’t get locked into a contract you may not be able to deliver on.

If your operation is too small to put together liner loads of similar cattle to catch buyer interest, he will help you network with other ranchers with similar cattle to fill a liner, share trucking cost and gain more bargaining power in the marketplace.

Putting together liner loads of cull cows to get rail bids from packers has the same advantages and a bonus. Rail bids (on hot carcass weight rather than live weight) eliminate what he calls the silent killer — shrink.

Shrink on live weight could be up to 10 per cent for a long haul with an overnight stand and at today’s market prices per pound that loss adds up quickly. The same goes for calves with a minimum four per cent shrink every time you move them.

Whether you are looking to direct market or forward contract calves, Copithorne offers a “best price marketing program.”

He’ll put together an offer sheet describing the cattle and other noteworthy production details, the price you are asking including slide, shrink and sale conditions.

He will shop the listing around or scan the marketplace to provide you with the best options available at the time so you can take it from there.

“Some producers want to continue to do business through trusted channels they already have in place and we don’t want to interfere with that,” he explains.

Again following the lead of the grain industry, there may be times when storage is to your advantage. For beef producers, feedlots are the storage facilities and he is prepared to help arrange for retained ownership and pen sharing at fully managed feedlots.

For those with the resources to background calves on the ranch, forward selling is one way of financing retained ownership without jeopardizing the cash flow needs of the cow herd.

Currently, commercial breeding heifers are another matter because we are in a short supply cycle, those with control of the calf supply win, he adds.

“So, marketing isn’t just about the right price. We need to manage shrink and freight costs and sell at optimum times when discounts, commissions and basis are the least,” he says.

Starting somewhere

Copithorne realizes that this will be a learning process for many cow-calf producers and there will be many questions, so he has set his fee at a flat rate for a full year of service.

His plan is to start out on home ground in the western provinces with the primary focus on helping cow-calf producers protect and add value to their production by overcoming marketing obstacles. A large part of this will be encouraging producers to network, first with other ranchers to achieve scale and negotiating power in the marketplace, and then with feedlots, packers and order buyers.

In the longer view he aims to address a gaping hole in financial and formal strategies for producers who are starting or expanding a beef enterprise.

“Ultimately, my vision is to provide services that will help grow the cattle herd and beef industry as a whole.”

For more information visit www.cowsincontrol.com or call 403-669-3451. He also offers a monthly newsletter through his website. c

C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

17

 Nutritio n

By John McKinnon

Is Creep Feeding an Answer to Your Pasture Woes?

A

s this summer unfolds, drought has reared its head across much of western Saskatchewan and Alberta. As a result many producers are scrambling to find alternative pasture and hay supplies and soon will be looking for alternatives to traditional winter feeding programs. When the quantity and quality of pasture starts to decline due to drought stress, there are several management steps that producers can take to decrease grazing pressure.

Two of these involve creep feeding and early weaning.

The concept of early weaning has been addressed in a separate article in this issue by Dr. Reynold Bergen.

This article will focus on creep feeding and its potential to increase calf performance and reduce grazing pressure.

Creep feeding in its simplest form is the practice of providing supplemental feed to nursing calves prior to weaning. The intent is to make up for any shortfall in nutrients (primarily energy and protein) that the calf may be experiencing due to a lack of milk production by the dam and/or reduced forage availability, particularly high-quality forage. The intent is to maintain or enhance calf gains through weaning. There are a variety of reasons why producers look to provide supplemental feed to nursing calves. Generally they revolve around conditions such as that faced this summer by many producers including lack of adequate-quality grass, poor milk production and/or body condition in the cows, the need to conserve pasture and perhaps the need to increase stocking density in specific pastures.

How can creep feeding help reduce grazing pressure, particularly on drought-stressed pastures? To help answer this question, let’s first look at the dynamics of milk production and pasture growth in relation to calf growth over the summer. Cows calving in late winter/ early spring exhibit a lactation curve where milk production slowly increases through the first two months of lactation peaking somewhere around 20 pounds of milk per day and then slowly declines over the course of the summer and fall.

Concurrently, pasture quality follows a similar curve with energy and protein levels peaking in late spring and declining over the summer/fall period. Over this same time frame, the calf is growing and transitioning to a functional ruminant (i.e. deriving more of its nutrients from grass versus milk). The calf’s requirements for nutrients such as energy and protein increase rapidly and in many cases can outpace the supply from milk and pasture, thus limiting growth rate and ultimately the calf ’s weight at weaning. This gap between nutrient supply and

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requirement is the reason why many creep-feeding programs evolved. Under drought situations, this nutrient gap can become even larger as milk production declines at a faster rate and the availability of high-quality forage to the calf becomes limiting.

There are several approaches to providing supplemental feed to nursing calves that may or may not provide an economic return. One approach is to limit feed a highprotein (i.e. 30 to 40 per cent crude protein) supplement.

Typically this approach is utilized where there is a good supply of mature or stockpiled forage that is deficient in protein. Providing a concentrated natural protein supplement (urea is not recommended) can enhance forage utilization by the calf resulting in greater weight gains and help extend the grazing season. However, in drought situations where both the quantity and quality of forage is limited, high-protein creep feeds are not the best option. In this latter case, energy is the limiting nutrient in the diet of the calf and a high-energy creep ration is called for.

High-energy creep feeds can be purchased from commercial sources or mixed from homegrown feeds. They are comprised of whole or coarsely rolled cereal grains (i.e. oat, barley or corn), a protein supplement (i.e. canola or soybean meal) and a mineral/vitamin premix.

Protein levels from 13 to 16 per cent and energy values between 65 and 75 per cent TDN (dry matter basis) are typical. High-energy creeps can be fed in specifically designed feeders or in self-feeders with access limited to calves. Consumption will increase with age/weight of the calf and can reach six to eight pounds or more per day, effectively substituting for pasture and to a limited extent for milk from the dam. Both help reduce grazing pressure and conserve pasture. If there is a need to limit intake to prevent overconditioning of replacement heifers, or issues with overconsumption, one can include salt at levels up to 15 per cent of the mix, depending on desired intake.

The biggest issue with creep feeding is the fact that feed conversions are highly variable and have a large influence on the economics of the practice. Research has shown that creep feed to gain ratios can range from 5:1 on poorquality pasture to 15:1 or higher when pasture quality is excellent. Obviously one would question the economics of creep feeding under this latter circumstance, but the practice may have application for those producers short of pasture this summer/fall. The key to profitability will be balancing all costs associated with the supplemental feed against the value of the added weight gain and possibly the extended forage supply that results. c

John McKinnon is a beef cattle nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan

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08/15-23180_04 CC

 marketi ng

By Debbie Furber

AgriClear… cattle marketing on your terms

A

griClear received an enthusiastic welcome from Canadian and American buyers and sellers after it was launched in mid-June, according to company president David Moss. “We’ve had registrations, live listings, and lots of positive response,” he said.

AgriClear is a platform for marketing cattle to anyone anywhere in Canada and the U.S. any time via your computer or smart device with confidence that the payment for the cattle is guaranteed.

AgriClear’s partnership with TMX Group provides this security with a $10 million assurance backstop. All payments are settled through TMX subsidiary, NGX, a leading natural gas and electricity clearinghouse based in Calgary and Houston.

Moss is well known in Canadian beef circles from his time with Western Feedlots, then as COO of Livestock Identification

Services of Alberta, and most recently as CEO (North America) for Integrated Traceability Solutions.

Five years ago Moss and Roland Labuhn, an entrepreneur with wide experience in information technology startups, joined with Nevil Speer, an animal science professor at Western Kentucky University and cattle market columnist, to flesh out the AgriClear concept.

Looking for an investor, the three founding partners crossed paths with NGX president Jim Oosterbaan who happened to be looking for new markets to diversify his company’s portfolio.

“I can’t say enough about how well TMX Group and NGX have listened to industry’s needs,” says Moss. “They’ve completely rewritten their settlement and payment systems to meet the needs of the beef industry.”

By January 2014, the group started putting all the pieces in place under the guidance of an advisory council made up of 45

influential leaders from every sector of the North American beef industry.

Payment Assured

When buyers make electronic deposits for cattle purchased from AgriClear’s website, the funds are held in trust until the cattle are delivered. Only after a buyer and seller confirm that the cattle meet contract specs, will the net sale proceeds be released into the verified account provided by the seller. AgriClear deducts industry checkoffs and other applicable levies before the funds are released.

Buyer and seller pay a transaction fee of $6 per head to AgriClear upon completion.

Registration and membership is free and there is no charge to post or view a listing to sell or buy cattle.

Moss says some people were uneasy about providing banking information at first but Continued on page 22

AgriClear president David Moss (l) with Kevin Chanut director of Financial Services.

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m a r k et i ng

Continued from page 20

Negotiating a contract

their comfort level rises once they understand how their information is secured by the regulated payment and settlement services of NGX, and how quickly payments show up in their bank account.

“Information security is what NGX/ TMX manages on a daily basis. They are world leaders in this arena,” says Moss.

Banking information isn’t required until you want to post listings or purchase cattle, so AgriClear can confirm your ability to close the transaction. Multiple accounts may be registered if you buy or sell as an individual and for a company, or if the cattle are secured by a loan or line of credit with a financial institution.

If a buyer isn’t satisfied with the cattle Moss says the first step is for the buyer and seller to try to find a solution. If both confirm some cattle meet the contract specs, AgriClear will release payment for those cattle and wait for the buyer and seller to negotiate a price for the others.

They will assist when requested and, if necessary, hire an independent dispute resolution specialist to meet with both parties on a cost-recovery basis.

AgriClear utilizes a member rating system, where seller and buyer rate one another after each transaction. In time this will influence the online reputations of both. So it’s only good business for the seller to accurately describe the cattle. Likewise, a buyer who continually throws hurdles in the way of prompt payment isn’t going to gain a trustworthy reputation.

Individuals of legal age, organizations, corporations and partnerships resident in Canada and the U.S. are eligible to market cattle on AgriClear.

Any and all classes can be listed.

Sellers establish their asking price, although AgriClear posts current prices from Canfax and Cattlefax in the U.S. as a guide. In time, once business picks up, members will be able to search out summary AgriClear pricing data from current online transactions.

Members can revise the price, expiry date and any other details on their listings at any time. There is no obligation to sell.

After providing your listing name and location along with key information about the cattle and your asking price, it’s up to you as to how much additional information and supporting photos, videos and documentation you’d like to post.

You may want to detail the vaccination history, feed program, age verification, preconditioning, and any attributes that could qualify the cattle for a branded beef program.

Buyers can search the listings by weight, breed, type, condition, feeding program, and value-added attributes. Search criteria can be saved and buyers can opt to be notified when cattle that meet their criteria are listed.

Alternatively, buyers can post their own listing with the specs they are seeking.

You can list anonymously, up until a deal is being negotiated.

AgriClear is not an auction program with electronic bidding, Moss explains. Your list-

ing may attract multiple offers, but you can only negotiate with one buyer at a time on each listing.

To open a negotiation interested buyers might accept your asking price or post a counter offer. Slide, shrink, delivery, weigh conditions and anything either party feels should be included in the contract also need to be negotiated.

You can end negotiations at any point before forming a contract.

All negotiations are carried out through the AgriClear platform, although you are free to contact the other party to clarify details.

AgriClear monitors all transactions and reports in real time to each party as the negotiation progresses so you’ll always know what’s required next to complete a transaction. A key requirement from industry was to ensure the platform is easy to use and highly intuitive, Moss adds.

Once both parties agree to terms, AgriClear issues a contract term sheet that is binding on both parties. The buyer deposits the estimated value of the contract plus a five per cent overage provision. Any excess is returned to the buyer once the final pay weight and postdelivery adjustments are made.

AgriClear then notifies the seller that he or she can ship the cattle knowing payment is assured and will be released as soon as both parties confirm that the contract specs have been met.

More information is available at https:// agriclear.com or from AgriClear’s customer service people at 1-844-AGRICLR (247-4257). c

- Jen C., Ontario, 2014 AWC Delegate

y! . da ed to it er lim st s gi g i Re atin Se

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C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

Advancing Women Conference East / Canadian Cattlemen 7” x 3.357” / Ontario Quote

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Coast-to-coast oportunities for the Canadian forage industry

By Cedric J. MacLeod Executive director, Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, cedric@canadianfga.ca

The Canadian forage industry is much like forage itself — rich in diversity, ripe with potential, and challenged by countless decisions on where to focus our inputs.

As the growing season kicks in to high gear, I'm reminded of how many returnon-investment decisions we make throughout the year as forage producers.

Do we keep back heifers or sell a few cows? Should I reseed winterkilled acres or overseed pastures? Plant annual forages, bale and sell or graze it off?

There isn't always a clear correct option — each call comes down to the financial opportunity or risk-management choice of each decision. Each day involves a series of important decisions that, ultimately, help us achieve our long-term strategies and goals.

I initiated a rotational grazing system at my home farm in the summer of 1996, the first summer I returned home from a four-year tenure at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College.

In that year, the productivity of our pastures for five cow-calf pairs was doubled, and I was convinced that this was the change our farm needed. This change in management, while small in the grand scheme of the Canadian beef industry, was substantial in my own small sphere of influence. Similarly, small changes to an industry that encompasses 34 million acres of tame forage and 36 million acres of native pasture, can add up quite quickly.

CANADIAN FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION www.canadianfga.ca Ph: 506-260-0872

I have been fortunate to travel across Canada, speaking and interacting with ranchers and dairy operators from the interior of B.C., to the Alberta foothills, to the grey wooded zones of Saskatchewan, Manitoba's Interlake, grass and crop producers throughout Ontario and Quebec, and of course in my home base of the Atlantic provinces. I've provided technical agronomy support to some of the highest producing beef and dairy operators in these regions, and have learned first-hand just how incredibly diverse the Canadian forage production industry can be.

opportunity to highlight the important role of forages in the Canadian agri-ecosystem.

Change can be scary. It's embracing the unknown and, possibly, opening ourselves up to new challenges. It's a difficult concept that causes many to become nervous even when just discussing options for change.

From my years working with young farmer organizations across Canada discussing advanced farm management systems and farm business continuance planning, I tend now to focus on the concept of evolution instead of change, as it implies a more logical movement forward, a more-comforting slow and steady pace, whereas change invokes a feeling of option A stops now, and option B begins.

Coast to coast, the challenges and opportunities facing the forage industry vary considerably. It is our job to focus and prioritize which challenges get tackled first, and which opportunities are first on the list to leverage.

Evolution in the goals we generate for our grass stands, and how we go about achieving these goals has accelerated over the past five years. Recognition of the value of high-quality forages in our livestock rations has created an exciting new

I am excited to have the opportunity to take on the challenge that is the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, and for the opportunity to work towards leveraging the Canadian grass advantage opportunity.

When you tally it up: highly productive and fertile soils, a refreshed and invigorated industry boasting new entrants in every province, a robust beef and dairy complex and a growing export opportunity in North America and abroad — how could I not be excited?

I look forward to working closely with our national and provincial partners to assess where we are, where we need to be, and how we get there. Developing a structured approach to evolution of the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association is my goal, and I look forward to working with you towards it.

Save the Date for the 2015 CFGA Annual General Meeting on November 18-19th in Saskatoon, SK. Canadian Forage in the International Year of Soils – Capture the Intensity .

More information available at: http://www.canadianfga.ca/

 grazing

By Steve Kenyon

Intensive Cell Grazing:

It works!

24

I learned a long time ago you cannot plan for a drought in a drought.

If that is your plan, you are way too late

C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

I

n 2002, we had the worst drought in 80 years; 2003 was also dry and the grasshoppers were insane. In 2008, we had another drought. 2009 was also very dry and it was the only year I had to destock early. Now we are in 2015 and we have a severe drought in my area.

What do you think our pastures will look like next year? Well, I can tell you what some pastures in our area might look like. Similar to what they look like now; brown golf greens. Mine will look just fine.

In our area, we seem to have a drought every six or seven years, I know it’s coming so I can plan for it, and I do.

I actually enjoy having a drought hit. This is when my pastures really stand out. I am looking forward to our Pasture Walk this year. I get to show off! I am happy to say, intensive cell grazing works. I learned a long time ago, you cannot plan for a drought in a drought. If that is your plan, you are way too late. Look back. We know that a drought is coming. We need to be planning for the next drought every year.

Every year I build drought resilience on my land through intensive cell grazing. By managing the forage with the four grazing concepts, (Graze Period, Rest Period, Stock Density and Animal Impact) we help heal the soil, build a solid thatch layer and increase the water-holding capacity.

Step 1: Stop overgrazing. By managing the grazing concepts, we stop overgrazing. Our graze period needs to be short enough to prevent the second bite and our rest period needs to be long enough to allow root energy recovery before the next grazing. Strong, healthy root systems are important to keep your forage strong every year and especially in a drought. If the root system is weak, so is your pasture.

Step 2: Leave more residue. We need to remember that there are three things that we are feeding when we graze. We need to feed the livestock, the soil organisms and the soil. All of that ‘wasted grass’, that a lot of producers can’t handle, is necessary. We need to feed the bugs in the soil as well as build the thatch layer. The thatch acts to the

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grazing

soil like our skin does for us. It covers and protects all of the internal processes. A good thatch layer helps reduce run-off and evaporation. As the thatch is broken down by the soil organisms into humus it increases the soil’s water-holding capacity. Humus acts like a sponge and can hold nine times its weight in water. Leave more residue!

Step 3: Graze for the drought. During a drought we need to adjust our graze period and rest period. Drought will cause the growth of your forage to slow down.

This means your regrowth will be slower and your recovery time needs to be longer.

Therefore, the graze period can be longer and the rest period needs to be longer.

Wait. How can we graze longer when there is less forage because of the drought? That’s how intensive cell grazing helps. Most of our pastures have been resting all spring because we have many paddocks per pasture. While we are grazing one, all of the other pastures are resting and growing. The standing forage in the resting paddocks helps to reduce evaporation. I still have a lot of grass in each paddock that I am grazing. We can stay longer on each paddock because we have been managing

for a drought since the last one. We might not have as much grass as a normal year, but we still have enough. However, to stay longer means we are going to jeopardize step two.

Step two is for every other year. In a drought, we are going to graze a lot more of the forage and leave less residue. It is more important in the drought year to extend your rest period than it is to leave residue. This is only possible if we have left a lot of residue every other year.

Here is how I look at it; when nature gives you a lot of rain, give back a lot of residue.

Then on the year when we don’t get the moisture, we can take more. Nature will forgive one year of abuse, she just won’t put up with the abuse every single year. Let’s call it nature’s bank account; if you want to make a withdrawal, you need to have put in more deposits to make sure that the account stays positive. Deposit residue every year, then in a drought, you can make a withdrawal without it hurting you long term.

On my ranch, because I have made deposits every year since 2009, I have a fair bit of equity built up in my pastures. This allows me to remove more forage this year to lengthen my rest period without it hurting my forage

BEEF EVENTS

stand for next year. All of that equity built up in my pasture also helps hold moisture this year. This means that my drought is actually not as bad as my neighbour’s drought right across the fence. More moisture held in the soil means more forage.

By allowing your animals to graze the bottom part of the plants, their individual gains might be lower. You need to weigh your options. Do you need more grazing days or more gain per animal? Which is more economical for your farm because of the drought? This year from the looks of the hay crops out there, the grazing days will be more economical for my cow herd. Proper supplementation can help mediate this issue.

Intensive cell grazing works. If you are still continuously grazing, come out and take a look. The grass really is greener on our side of the fence. Especially this year with the drought. c Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. in Busby, Alta., www. greenerpasturesranching.com, 780-307-6500, email skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com or find them on Facebook.

ENTRY DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1, 2015

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C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

25

 Holistic R a nc hi ng

By Don Campbell

drought management q & a

Q

. We have just experienced the driest May on record. The growth on my pastures is pretty dismal. I am under a lot of pressure and stress. Can H M help me?

A. Yes, definitely. H M is a decision-making process. Good decision-making is always important. In difficult times it is critical.

Thank you so much for asking for help.

Q. What’s the first thing I should do to get through this drought?

A. The first and most important thing is to take care of yourself, your spouse and your family.

Q. That makes a lot of sense. I know the drought is having a negative impact on our relationships but I never thought of actually doing something to make things better. Can you suggest some actions we might take?

A. That’s a difficult question and a very personal one. Each person and family is unique and will need to find their own best answer.

Some general suggestions might be: 1. Realizing that drought can have a huge negative impact on relationships is a huge first step. Make a plan to maintain your health. Get professional help if that is necessary. Remember being wise enough to seek help is a sign of wisdom and strength not weakness.

2. Talk about the drought with your spouse and family.

3. Associate with positive like-minded people.

4. Maintain a positive attitude. Remember you are in charge of your attitude in all circumstances. A good book to emphasize this is Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. I highly recommend it.

5. Develop a sense of gratitude. There are always many things to be thankful for. Dwelling on these thoughts will help you maintain a positive attitude.

6. Believe in yourself. You have the skills and ability to get through this. Remember that life’s challenges are meant to make us, not break us. When the drought is ended you will be a stronger, more capable person.

7. Put the drought in perspective. Every drought that has ever occurred has been ended by a rain.

Q. I can see that I need to care for my people. What’s the next step in dealing with a drought?

A. There are four key principles to managing during a drought: 1. Slow down your animal moves (increase recovery).

2. Reduce the number of herds you have.

3. Supplemental feed.

4. Destock.

Q. I don’t understand. I’ve been tempted to give my cows more area and to move them faster because the growth is poor. You seem to be suggesting the exact opposite. Can you explain?

A. Your idea of more area and moving faster is a normal response to poor growth. Unfortunately both of these ideas are completely wrong and need to be resisted. Our management during drought is focused on buying more time. Time for the plants to fully recover.

Time to wait for the coming rain.

How can I gain time?

During a drought plants need more time to achieve full recovery.

This extra time is gained by slowing down and grazing more severely.

It can be done even more effectively by using temporary fencing to

26

C at t l e m e n · au g u s t 2 0 1 5

divide pastures into one-day moves instead of five. This will likely result in six days of grazing as opposed to the planned five days. As you increase your moves you shorten the graze period and increase stock density. The result is a more uniform and a more severe graze.

Q. I thought we were supposed to leave grass behind and not graze too severely?

A. This is a common concern. It is something to be aware of when you continuously graze. It is not an issue when you use planned grazing. Overgrazing is different than severe grazing. Overgrazing occurs by staying too long at one time or returning before full recovery. In normal growing conditions a graze period of three to five days is a good guideline. In a drought you can lengthen the graze period. You can’t overgraze a plant that is not growing. When there is no growth there will be no overgrazing by lengthening the graze period. However, there is a great danger of overgrazing by not allowing full recovery. Severe grazing refers to the amount of residue left when the cattle leave a pasture. The ideal is to leave as much as possible. The key is that you need to achieve full recovery. When you graze severely during a drought you will remove some litter. This is not ideal but it is much better than the alternative, which is overgrazing. Severe grazing followed by full recovery is not detrimental.

Q. Should you reduce the number of herds?

A. As you reduce the number of herds you are running you increase the number of pastures available and you increase the stock density. Both of these are helpful for the reasons given above.

Q. Your third point was to supplemental feed. I’ve read that you can’t feed through a drought.

A. Whether or not you choose to supplemental feed is a personal decision. Only you can decide if it is the best option for you. If you decide to supplemental feed it is best to start early and feed to buy more time for recovery. If we use temporary fencing and graze more severely we have the potential to add two or more days. Supplemental feed will add another day or two, buying more time for full recovery and for the rain to arrive.

Q. When should you think about destocking?

A. Once again destocking is a personal decision. Some general guidelines are: 1. Cull cows and yearling cattle can be sold any time. If you are concerned about maintaining your cow herd sell your culls and yearlings early. You will likely be pleased with the returns.

2. In a drought the earlier you sell some portion of your herd the more likely you will be able to maintain the balance of your herd. If you wait until the bitter end you may have to sell all of your herd.

3. It is vital to maintain the health and condition of your animals at all times. This will allow you to receive a good price should you decide to sell at some point.

4. If you sell your herd or a portion of it check out your tax position and make a plan. If the drought is severe there is usually a “rollover” for breeding stock. c Don Campbell ranches with his family at Meadow Lake, Sask., and teaches Holistic Management courses. He can be reached at 306-236-6088 or doncampbell@sasktel.net.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 marketi ng

By Debbie Furber

The Saretsky family blazes new trails

H

ands down there’s no business David Saretsky would rather be in than the beef business and there’s nobody in the beef business he admires more than his father, Tony.

However, the dream of following in his father’s footsteps hasn’t blinded him to new opportunities as the family business, Cantriex Livestock International, evolves through changing times.

“Ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be like Dad,” Saretsky says. “I went with him looking at cattle, meeting people, loading trucks, worked in our feedlot, calved cows and at 17 was a buyer under Dad’s licence. I didn’t realize it at the time but learning from such a wide and diverse range of experiences was a huge advantage to ensure my career in the industry.”

There was a bleak span when Saretsky did have second thoughts about his future in the beef business. He was studying economics at Lethbridge University in 2003 when the Canadian industry was sideswiped by the discovery of BSE in Canada.

“I saw my father’s life work go down the

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drain. His business that had exported more than 200,000 head of cattle per year for almost two decades and his own cattle inventory instantly crumbled. I knew right then that I’d never be able to rebuild the business my father had because times had changed,” he says.

The family stayed the course raising cattle on the farm located between Ponoka and Lacombe, Alta., order buying and negotiating price and basis contracts for clients in the domestic market. Over time, Cantriex regained traction in export markets and had success in Russia and Kazakhstan exporting live cattle, semen and embryos, but shipping cattle globally has been difficult in recent years of record-high domestic cattle prices.

Contacts made through business relationships along the way led from his start in sourcing natural cattle for two of Canada’s largest natural beef brands to his current position as director of cattle operations for One Earth Farms, sourcing and managing natural and organic cattle exclusively for the company.

To be honest, he says he wasn’t even sure exactly what natural cattle were in 2009, when Alberta-based Heritage Angus Beef

(HAB) approached one of Cantriex’s longtime clients, William Hofer at Pine Haven Colony, Wetaskiwin, Alta., about getting involved with the HAB value chain. Soon Saretsky was sourcing natural calves for a second HAB producer, Jason Hagel of Swalwell, Alta., as well as feedlots associated with other natural and organic programs. Today, Cantriex is one of the HAB ranch families and recently switched from cow-calf to grassing yearlings for One Earth.

Mike Beretta of Beretta Farms near Toronto was next to approach Sartesky about finding western cattle for the farm’s organic and natural foods value chain.

Around the same time, One Earth called about buying cows and marketing natural calves from its program.

As Saretsky’s story unfolds, One Earth launched in 2009 by Sprott Natural Resources investment company headquartered at Toronto, acquired Beretta Farms in February, 2013. Under Mike Beretta’s leadership as CEO, One Earth dissolved its cropping division on the Prairies and changed its strategy from becoming “Canada’s largest,

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marketing

most efficient operating farm” to becoming a “fully integrated farm-to-fork company with the goal of creating value through healthy food experiences.”

Looking for a brand presence in Western Canada, One Earth has since acquired Chinook Organics/Diamond Willow Organics, Heritage Angus Beef (HAB) as well as Canadian Premium Meats at Lacombe, Alta., which custom processes beef for both brands.

Canadian Premium Meats is a federally registered, European Union-approved custom meat-packing, -processing and -packaging plant that has been third-party certified to organic and halal standards. Saretsky says it was important to acquire both Heritage Angus and Canadian Premium at the same time in the November 2014 deal because Heritage cattle account for half the plant’s volume and 100 per cent of its beef export sales carry the Heritage Angus brand.

With the purchase of these three entities, he says, One Earth has become the largest vertically integrated, natural beef program in Canada involving 9,000 cows on former Diamond Willow and HAB partnering ranches in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario and upwards of 20,000 calves raised under certified natural protocols each year. The calves are finished at several Alberta feedlots including Cattleland Feedyards at Strathmore, which has developed expertise in finishing natural cattle.

“Natural beef is still a niche market, but it’s been growing for the past five or six years and will continue to grow,” Sartesky says.

“Now you’ll see a portion of beef counters with natural and organic beef even in smaller communities. It’s not big numbers like commodity cattle, but natural cattle are more challenging to source and it takes more time and attention to detail.”

In his position with One Earth he has had the privilege of escorting high-profile tour groups and customers from Canada, Europe, China and elsewhere through the associated ranches and feedlots to meet the families that produce their beef.

“As a beef producer, it’s personally rewarding to see families whether it’s at a restaurant or buying beef at retail, enjoying the food you produced,” he adds.

it was quite an opportunity with such a strong portfolio,” says Saretsky.

David is managing director, Tony is president and David’s brother Phil has already doubled the size of the portfolio since taking over the administration of the program.

“Phil has a good understanding of the program and customers’ needs and has been able to solve some issues for clients. It has been very rewarding to have a part in helping clients grow their operations and has opened other

doors for us because we are always meeting new people,” says Saretsky.

“I’ve been able to work with so many good people along the way and they’ve all been my mentors. It’s a great learning experience just to see how others manage through certain situations.

There’s always something to take away.” c For more information call Saretsky at 403-782-5583 or visit the company’s websites, www.cantriex.ca and www.stockmens.ca.

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C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

29

 researc h o n t h e r eco r d

By Reynold Bergen

Stretching Feed Supplies

W

inter feed will be a scarce and costly resource in much of Western Canada this year. Use it carefully, because the management decisions you make now will impact reproductive and economic performance for at least two years.

Research conducted 25 years ago by P.L. Houghton and co-workers at Perdue University (J. An. Sci. 68:1438) demonstrated how energy intake by pregnant and lactating cows impacted their reproductive and calf performance. At the start of the last trimester (early January for cows calving in April), cows were fed in two groups. One group received a maintenance diet (ME) meeting recommended energy intake. The other was fed a low-energy diet (LE) providing 70 per cent of recommended energy intake. After calving, each group was split again, with cows receiving either the low-energy diet or a high-energy diet (HE; 130 per cent of recommended energy intake). Skimping on nutrition in late pregnancy and after calving impacted both reproductive and calf performance. Compared to cows on the other three diets, LE-LE cows took up to 20 days longer to start cycling, had 40 per cent fewer cows cycling within 60 days of calving, and weaned calves that were up to 73 lbs. lighter.

The diets produced a range of body condition scores (BCS), which were also related to reproductive performance. Cows calving in optimal (BCS 3 out of 5) or higher BCS started cycling at least a month sooner than cows with a BCS of 2. Pregnancy rates were up to 30 per cent higher among cows that maintained a BCS of 3 (or calved in thin condition and improved their BCS after calving) compared to cows that calved in moderate or thin BCS and then lost condition.

Regardless of feed prices, it is more economical to regain body weight and BCS before winter sets in. It takes 20 to 30 per cent less feed to improve BCS by half a point (5-point scale) when the weather is warm and the fetal calf is small and growing slowly than in winter when temperatures are colder and pregnancy is more advanced. Cows in optimum BCS are better insulated and need less feed to keep warm in winter. A cow with a BCS of 2 (5-point scale) will require 1,200 lbs. more hay to maintain her BCS than a cow in a BCS of 3. At 15 cents/lb. for hay, it will cost an extra $180 just to maintain (let alone improve) the BCS on each of those thin cows for the winter.

Maintaining optimum BCS is important to manage winter feed costs this year, optimize reproductive performance next year, and maintain weaning weights in the year after that. Here are a few suggestions to improve BCS now if your cows are thin and feed is already short.

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Creep feeding reduces the calf’s reliance on the dam’s milk supply and poor-quality pasture, as explained in Dr. John McKinnon’s “Nutrition” article elsewhere in this issue.

Early weaning can also help stretch the feed supply. The cow’s forage intake drops by 15 to 40 per cent after weaning, depending on how much milk she was producing. This would save 285 to 765 lbs. of feed ($40 to $115 at 15 cents/lb.) per cow. Also, once the cow has weaned her calf, all the nutrients she consumes can go towards fetal growth and regaining BCS, putting her in a better position to cycle soon after calving, successfully rebreed within 80 days of caving, and maintain a 365-day calving interval. Between 2005 and 2014, a 450-lb. steer calf sold between mid-August and mid-September brought around $100 less than a 550-lb. calf sold between mid-October and mid-November (ranged from $8 to $270 per head). This potential loss will be partly offset by the feed savings on the cows. Early-weaned calves can be fed to increase their weight before marketing, if feed is available and affordable.

Pregnancy checking and marketing open or latecalving cows and heifers early is even more economical this year. Live prices for D1/D2 cows generally drop by three cents per pound between now and early November, or around $40 per head. Each open cow marketed early also means two months’ (roughly $230) worth of pasture or feed that can be saved (or not purchased) for another cow that stays at home. Take a moment to assess the BCS of your cows as they come through the chute so that thin cows can be grouped and supplemented separately.

Testing your feed and working with a reputable nutritionist to design an appropriate winter feeding and supplementation program will help ensure that your mature cows, bred heifers, and replacements will come through the winter in good shape, continue to produce and stay in the herd for years to come. For more information about body condition scoring, go to www. bodyconditionscoring.ca.

The Beef Research Cluster is funded by the National Checkoff and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada with additional contributions from provincial beef industry groups and governments to advance research and technology transfer supporting the Canadian beef industry’s vision to be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy, high-quality beef, cattle and genetics. c Dr. Reynold Bergen is the science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Stock buyer’s C FALL FEEDER SALES

AUGUST 2015

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION

INTRODUCING

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British Colum bia Abbotsford McClary Stockyards Ltd.* Box 40, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6Z4 Phone: 604-864-2381 • Fax: 604-854-3038 Email: mcclarystockyards@shaw.ca • Website: mcclarystockyards.ca Contact: Jono Rushton.............................................................................. 604-302-2944 Dave Rushton............................................................................. 604-556-1979 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 11 a.m. . ........................................ Slaughter, feeder cattle, sheep & goats Every Wed., 1 p.m. . ...........................................................................Dairy & beef cattle Special Sales: Contact for details.

Armstrong Valley Auction Ltd.* 903 Raffan Rd., Armstrong, B.C. V0E 1B7 Phone: 250-546-9420 • Fax: 250-546-3399 Email: mail@valleyauction.ca • Website: www.valleyauction.ca Contact: Peter Raffan............................................................................... 250-260-0758 Donald J. Raffan........................................................................ 250-558-6789 Regular Sales: Thurs., 11 a.m. .......................................................................All breeds Special Sales: Check website for upcoming satellite sales.

Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

Dawson Creek VJV Dawson Creek Auction* 301-116th Ave., Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 3C9 Phone: 250-782-3766 • Fax: 250-782-6622 Email: speed_talker@hotmail.com • Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Manager; Sean Gist.................................................................... 250-219-4419 Owner: Morris Thalen................................................................................ 403-783-1333 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m.

Calf and yearling sales Fridays in the fall.

Special sales: See website for all listings of bred cows & heifer, bull and horse sales.

Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer) Canadian Gold Show Alley • www.vjvauction.com

KAMLOOPS B.C. Livestock Producers Co-operative Association* #1 10145 Dallas Dr., Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6T4 Phone: 250-573-3939 • Fax: 250-573-3170 Email: info@bclivestock.bc.ca • Website: www.bclivestock.bc.ca Contact: Kevin Johnson, Kamloops/Okanagan Falls................................. 250-961-1970 Wilf Smith, Williams Lake.......................................................... 250-398-0813 Al Smith, Vanderhoof................................................................. 250-570-2143 Regular Sales: Okanagan Falls: Mondays Kamloops: Tuesdays Williams Lake: Thursdays Vanderhoof: Fridays Special Sales: Tues., Sept. 1 . ............................................................................Kamloops yearling sale Fri., Sept. 11 . .................................................................................Kamloops horse sale Fri., Sept. 18 . .......................................................................... Williams Lake horse sale Sat., Sept. 26..........................................Williams Lake Pacific Invitational female sale Tues., Sept. 29..................................................Kamloops special calf and yearling sale Wed., Sept. 30; Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28; Nov., 4, 18 . ..........................Williams Lake calf sale Fri., Oct. 9................................................................................. Vanderhoof pre-sort sale Wed., Nov. 11; Dec. 2 . ................................................. Williams Lake bred cow & heifer Sat., Nov. 21..............................................................Vanderhoof bred cow & heifer sale Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

LANGLEY Fraser Valley Auctions 21801 – 56th Ave., Langley, B.C. V2Y 2M9 Phone: 604-534-3241 • Fax: 604-534-4770 Email: livestock@fraservalleyauction.com • Website: www.fraservalleyauction.com Contact: Ken Pearson............................................................................... 604-534-3241 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 11 a.m. ..................................................................... Cattle Special Sales: Aug. 26; Sept. 16; Oct. 7, 7 p.m. . ..........................................Mixed feeder

Alberta BeaverLodge VJV Beaverlodge Auction* Box 56, Beaverlodge, Alta. T0H 0C0 Phone: 250-782-3766 • Fax: 250-782-6622 Email: donfessler@hotmail.com • Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Manager; Don Fessler................................................................. 250-782-5561 Owner; Morris Thalen................................................................. 403-783-1333 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 10 a.m.

Calf and yearling sales Fridays in the fall.

Special sales: See website for all listings of bred cows & heifer, bull and horse sales.

Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer) Canadian Gold Show Alley • www.vjvauction.com

BONNYVILLE Western Pride Auction Co. Ltd.* Box 6587, Bonnyville, Alta. T9N 2H1 Phone: 780-826-2233 • Fax: 780-826-2243 Contact: Marc Jubinville........................................................................... 780-826-0992 Andy Jubinville........................................................................... 780-645-9593 Robert Gagne............................................................................. 780-826-1131 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 10 a.m.

Special Sales: Contact for details.

BROOKS Bow Slope Shipping* Box 1299, Brooks, Alta. T1R 1C2 Phone: 403-362-5521 • Fax: 403-362-5541 Email: bowslope@eidnet.org • Website: www.bowslope.com Contact: Manager, Lachie McKinnon........................................................ 403-362-1825 Assistant manager, Erik Christensen......................................... 403-363-9942 Cole Webb ................................................................................. 403-793-5387 Art Paetkau................................................................................ 403-501-9750 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Fri., Sept. 11, 10 a.m. ......................................................74th Annual Anniversary sale Mon., Sept. 21, 1 p.m. ............................................................................. Sheep & goats Wed., Sept. 30, 5:30 p.m. ......................................................................... Horses & tack Oct. 19, 26; Nov. 2, 10 a.m. ..................................................Red & Black Angus calves Oct. 22, 29; Nov. 5, 10 a.m. ........................................................ LimoX & CharX calves Nov. 9, 11, 18; Dec. 7, 10 a.m. . ...................................................................All breed calves Internet Sales: Every Thursday, DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Every Friday, TEAM • www.team.com (see Calgary)

CALGARY Calgary Stockyards — Strathmore 1 mile west of Strathmore on the Trans-Canada Hwy. Phone: 403-934-3344 • Fax: 403-934-4383 Email: info@calgarystockyards.com • Website: www.calgarystockyards.com Contact: Don Danard................................................................................ 403-234-7429 Bryan Danard............................................................................. 403-934-1644 Jason Danard............................................................................. 403-519-8916 Will Irvine................................................................................... 403-560-4343 Bill Wilson.................................................................................. 403-560-5265 Ben Payne.................................................................................. 403-633-4175 Lester Gurnett............................................................................ 403-681-3151 Cliff Pahl.................................................................................... 403-854-1900 Cody Resch................................................................................. 306-628-7717 Jeff Van Wert.............................................................................. 403-793-9988

Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 9 a.m. ....................................................................................... All classes Every Wed., Nov.and Dec., 11 a.m. ..................................................Bred cows & heifers Special calf sales: Every Sat. through the fall Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com Calgary Stockyards Ltd. #200-5925 12th St. S.E., Calgary, Alta. T2H 2M3 Contact: Jason Danard............................................................................. 403-519-8916 Don Danard................................................................................ 403-234-7429 Bryan Danard............................................................................. 403-934-1644 Will Irvine................................................................................... 403-560-4343 Bill Wilson.................................................................................. 403-560-5265 Ben Payne.................................................................................. 403-633-4175 Lester Gurnett............................................................................ 403-681-3151 Cliff Pahl.................................................................................... 403-854-1900 Cody Resch................................................................................. 306-628-7717 Jeff Van Wert.............................................................................. 403-793-9988 Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com Real time bidding, pictures, pre-approval required for bidding.

Contact: Jason Danard............................................................................. 403-234-7429 Regular Sales: Thurs., 9:30 a.m. MST............................................................................Slaughter cattle Fri., 9 a.m. MST...........................................................................................Feeder cattle

CLYDE North Central Livestock Exchange Inc. Box 119, Clyde, Alta. T0G 0P0 Phone: 780-348-5893 • Fax: 780-348-5704 Email: jchesher@nclclyde.com • Website: www.ncl.com Contact: Len Hrehorets............................................................................. 780-991-6737 Garth Rogers.............................................................................. 780-349-1491 Levi Pedgerachny....................................................................... 587-987-1252 Regular/Presort Sales: Tues., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Contact for details.

Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Edmonton DLMS #303 13220 St. Albert Trail, Edmonton, Alta. T5L 4W1 Phone: 780-554-4939 • Fax: 780-732-4385 Contact: Jeannie Chase ........................................................................... 780-554-4939 Email: jeannie@dlms.ca • Website: www.dlms.ca Internet Sales: Thurs., 10 a.m. MT — DLMS Direct off-farm cattle sales Daily (fall, winter & spring) — Live broadcast of presort sales from auction rings across Western Canada. Purebred & Specialty sales.

Pre-approval required for bidding.

Participating markets: Assiniboia Livestock Market; Balog Auction Services; Bow Slope Shipping Assoc.; Burnt Lake Livestock Market; Cowtown Livestock Exchange; Heartland Livestock Services (HLS) Lloydminster; HLS Yorkton; HLS Prince Albert; HLS Swift Current; HLS Moose Jaw; HLS Brandon; HLS Virden; North Central Livestock Exchange (Clyde); NBI Vermilion; Provost Livestock Exchange; Saskatoon Livestock Sales; Southern Livestock Exchange (S.A.L.E.); Weyburn Livestock Exchange.

FORT MACLEOD Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange Box 1330, Fort Macleod, Alta. T0L 0Z0 Phone: 403-553-3315 • Fax: 403-553-4264, toll free 888-553-7715 Email: darren@livestock.ab.ca • Website: www.livestock.ab.ca Contact: Darren Shaw.............................................................................. 403-601-5165 Justin Keeley............................................................................... 403-627-6534 Dan McDougall........................................................................... 403-634-0604 Allan Lively................................................................................. 403-627-7776 Sheep & hogs............................................................................. 403-601-6534 Regular Sales: Starting with yearlings & feeders, Every Tues., 9 a.m.

Check our website for up-to-date information on fall calf sale dates.

Internet sales: Canada L.I.V.E. • www.canadalivestockexchange.com Highwood Buying Station, High River, Alta.

Ph. Fort Macleod Auction for more info.

HIGH RIVER Southern Alberta Livestock Exchange Box 5145, High River, Alta. T1V 1M3 Phone: 403-652-3343 • Fax: 403-652-3446 • toll free 888-652-7743 Email: darren@livestock.ab.ca • Website: www.livestock.ab.ca Contact: Darren Shaw.............................................................................. 403-601-5165 Allan Lively................................................................................. 403-627-7776 Justin Keeley............................................................................... 403-627-6534 Cody Sawley............................................................................... 403-652-0684 Darren Shaw (sheep & hogs)..................................................... 403-601-5165 Regular Sales: Starting with yearlings & feeders. every Mon., 9 a.m.

Check our website for up-to-date information on fall calf sale dates.

Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

INNISFAIL Innisfail Auction Mart* 4504 – 42 St., Innisfail, Alta. T4G 1P6 Toll free: 1-800-710-3166 • Phone: 403-227-3166 • Fax: 403-227-2202 Email: iamarket@telus.net • Website: www.innisfailauctionmarket.com Contact: Danny Daines............................................................................. 403-391-0580 Mark Daines............................................................................... 403-350-0200 Duane Daines............................................................................. 403-358-4971 Grant Daines.............................................................................. 403-350-1519 Kyle Daines............................................................................... 403-598-0311 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9 a.m............................................................................. All classes of cattle Every Mon. in the fall, 10 a.m................................................................... Presort calves Visit us on Facebook.

LETHBRIDGE Balog Auction Services Inc. Box 786, Lethbridge, Alta. T1J 3Z6 Toll free 877-320-1988 • Phone: 403-320-1980 • Fax: 403-320-2660 Email: sold@balogauction.com • Website: www.balogauction.com Contact: R.C. (Bob) Balog........................................................................ 403-382-5727 Louis Balog................................................................................ 403-331-0611 Brad Balog................................................................................. 403-642-7444 Darwin Balog............................................................................. 403-330-2681 Mark Lenz................................................................................... 403-330-7600 Ron Reid..................................................................................... 403-625-0233 Jason Aman (Sask.).................................................................... 306-948-2019 Cal Ramsay (Sask.).................................................................... 306-398-7343 Randy Ames (Sask.)................................................................... 306-573-4620

OLDS Olds Auction Mart Ltd.* 4613 – 54 St., Olds, Alta. T4H 1E9 Phone: 403-556-3655 • Fax: 403-556-2688 Website: www.oldsauction.com Contact: Dan Rosehill............................................................................... 403-556-4458 Jim Crawford.............................................................................. 403-556-4457 Greg Sanderson.......................................................................... 403-559-7204 Joel Waddell............................................................................... 403-512-6151 Tyler Rosehill.............................................................................. 403-507-1782 Patrick Cassidy.......................................................................... 403-559-7202 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. ............................................................... All classes Special Sales: Every Fri., Sept. to Dec., 10 a.m. .............................................Presort calves (load lots) Every Fri., Dec. to Apr., 2016, 10 a.m. ..........................................Preconditioned calves Every Tues., Oct. to Dec., 1 p.m. ...................................... Bred heifers & cow dispersals

PICTURE BUTTE Picture Butte Auction Market 2001 Ltd.* Box 6, Picture Butte, Alta. T0K 1V0 Phone: 403-732-4400 • Fax: 403-732-4405 Website: www.picturebutteauction.ca • Email: operations@picturebutteauction.ca Contact: Erik............................................................................................. 403-308-6662 Steven........................................................................................ 403-715-9305 Regular Sales: Tues., 10:30 a.m. ...................................................................................................Cattle Sat., 11:30 a.m. .......................................................................................... All livestock

Regular Sales: Every Wed., 10:30 a.m. ...................................................................Finished cows & bulls Every Wed., 1 p.m. .................................................................................... Yearling sales Special Sales: Fri., Aug. 14, 1 p.m. ............4th Annual Fall Roundup Brand of Excellence video cattle feat. yearlings & calves for immediate and future delivery — Balog Cow Palace Every Fri., Oct. 2 to Dec. 18, 10:30 a.m. . ......................................... Rancher calf sales Tues., Oct. 20; Nov 3, 10:30 a.m.....................................British breed rancher calf sale Tues., Oct. 27, 10:30 a.m. ............................................... Angus appreciation calf sale Tues., Nov. 10, 10:30 a.m. . .................................................All breeds rancher calf sale Every Mon., Nov. 2 to Dec. 21, 1 p.m. ................................ Stock cow & bred heifer sale Every Thurs., 10 a.m. ............................... Weekly video Internet auction (www.dlms.ca) all classes of cattle Perlich Bros. Auction Market Ltd. Box 1057, Lethbridge, Alta. T1J 4A2 Phone: 403-329-3101 • Fax: 403-327-2288 Email: auction@perlich.com • Website: www.perlich.com Contact: Bob Perlich................................................................................. 403-382-7800 Darcy Moorhead......................................................................... 403-635-0308 John Perlich................................................................................ 403-331-9911 Ken Lidberg................................................................................ 403-382-8189 Regular Sales: Thurs., 10:00 a.m. . ...............................................................................Slaughter cattle Thurs., 1:00 p.m. . ................................................................................... Yearling cattle Special Sales: Every Mon. & Wed., Oct. to Dec., 10 a.m.................................................Rancher calves Every Sat., Oct. 11 to Nov. 15.................................................................... Presort calves Every Tues., Fri., Nov. to Dec., 1 p.m. . ..................................... Stock cow & bred heifers

MEDICINE HAT Medicine Hat Feeding Co.* 3381 Gershaw Dr. S.W., Medicine Hat, Alta. T1B 3N2 Toll free 1-800-452-3129 Phone: 403-526-3129 • Fax: 403-528-9355 Email: office@mhfc.ca • Website: www.mhfc.ca Contact: Lyle Taylor................................................................................... 403-528-0797 Nolan Herman............................................................................ 403-502-6417 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9:30 a.m.

Special Sales: Aug. 7, 9, 21; Sept. 5, 9 a.m. ....................................................... Presort yearling sales Oct. 9, 19, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30; Nov. 2, 4, 6, 9, 13, 20, 10 a.m. ..........Presort calve sales Wed., Nov. 18; Dec. 16, 1 p.m. ........................................................Bred cows & heifers Fri., Nov. 27; Dec 4, 11, 11 a.m.

Special sales: Tues., Aug. 25; Sept. 15, 10:30 a.m...................................................... Yearlings/calves Tues., Oct. 27; Nov. 3, 10:30 a.m. ........................................................ Yearlings/calves

Ponoka Vold, Jones and Vold Auction Co. Ltd.* 4410 Hwy. 2A, Ponoka, Alta. T4J 1J8 Phone: 403-783-5561 • Fax: 403-783-4120 Email: office@vjvauction.com • Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Manager, Nansen Vold............................................................... 403-783-0349 Owner, Henry Thalen................................................................... 403-783-0090 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 8:30 a.m. . ........................................................Butcher cows/bulls (ring 2) 9 a.m. . .................................................................................Stockers & feeders (ring 1) 11 a.m. . ....Cdn. Satellite Livestock Auction followed by Cdn. Gold Show Alley with live online bidding (ring 1); Hay & straw (outside) 12 noon......................................................................... Dairy cows/baby calves (ring 3) 2 p.m. . ......................................................Bred cows & heifers, cow-calf pairs (ring 2) Special Sales: See website for all listings of bred sales and bison, bull and dairy sales.

Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer) Canadian Gold Show Alley • www.vjvauction.com

PROVOST Provost Livestock Exchange* Box 808, Provost, Alta. T0B 3S0 Phone: 780-753-2369 • Fax: 780-753-2493 Email: plec@plecattle.com • Website: www.plecattle.com Contact: Jerry Hewson............................................................................... 306-753-7788 Dean Lawes................................................................................ 780-753-0803 Darcy Lakevold........................................................................... 780-753-8669 Casey Lawes.............................................................................. 780-753-1466 Wayne Black............................................................................... 403-575-0200 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 9 a.m. .....................Calves, yearlings, butcher cows & bulls Special Sales: Mon., Oct. 19 to Nov. 23, 9 a.m...........................Presort live broadcast all breed calves Mon., Oct. 26; Nov. 9, 9 a.m.................Black & Red Angus, Limousin X calves featured Wed., Oct. 28 to Dec. 16, 12 noon ........................................ Bred heifers & stock cows Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

RED DEER Burnt Lake Livestock Mart 131A-28042, Hwy 11, Red Deer, Alta. T4S 2L4 Phone: 403-347-6100 • Fax: 403-340-3560 Website: www.burntlakelivestock.com • Email: kduncan@burntlakelivestock.com Contact: Mel Glencross............................................................................. 403-358-9442 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 9 a.m. ........................................................................................Slaughter Every Thurs., 10 a.m.. ................................................................. Feeder cattle & calves Special Sales: Aug. 20, 27; Sept. 3, 10, 17, 10 a.m. ...............................................................Yearlings Sept. 24, 10 a.m. ..............................................................................Calves & yearlings Oct. 1, 22; Nov. 5, 10 a.m. .........................................................Angus influence calves Oct. 8, 15, 29, 10 a.m. ................................... Charolais & Simmental influence calves Nov. 5, 10 a.m. .......................................................................... British influence calves Nov. 12, 19, 10 a.m. . ............................................................................ All breed calves Nov. 12, 10 a.m. ............................................................................... Bred cow & heifers Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction Box 26005, Red Deer, Alta. T4N 6X7 Phone: 403-346-8365 • Fax: 340-2019 Email: csla@cslauction.com • Website: www.cslauction.com Contact: Manager; Blair Vold.................................................................... 403-783-0660 Owner; Henry Thalen.................................................................. 403-783-0090 Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction now offers a total Internet service, in association with Online Ringman, the largest Internet auction company.

Live sales are broadcast every Wednesday at 11 a.m. on www.cslauction.com featuring live video with Internet bidding on the cattle as well as phone-in bidding.

Live Auctioneer, Live Video, Real-Time Bidding.

Call for details on bull sales or farm sales.

RIMBEY VJV Rimey Auction* Box 680, Rimbey, Alta. T0C 2J0 Phone: 403-843-2439 • Fax: 403-843-3485 Email: cindyam@live.ca • Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Manager, Wes Skeels.................................................................. 403-373-3081 Owner, Henry Thalen..................................................................403-783-0090 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: See website for all listings of bred sales, bull sales and horse sales.

Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer) Canadian Gold Show Alley • www.vjvauction.com

STAVELY Foothills Auctioneers Inc. Box 10, Stavely, Alta. T0L 1Z0 Toll free: 1-877-549-2121 Phone: 403-549-2120 • Fax: 403-549-2253 Email: office@foothillsauctioneers.com • www.foothillsauctioneers.com Contact: Rob Bergevin.............................................................................. 403-625-7171 Kim Cochlin................................................................................ 403-625-1035 Lorne Depaoli............................................................................. 403-652-0344 Steve Schlaht............................................................................. 403-485-8348 Jordie Waters.............................................................................. 403-601-1377 Ken Stadiwiser........................................................................... 403-888-5092 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 9 a.m. ..................... Slaughter cattle, feeder cattle to follow Special Sales: Every Mon., Oct. to Nov. .............................................Contact for details Internet sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction • www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

STETTLER Stettler Auction Mart (1990) Ltd.* Box 1238, Stettler, Alta. T0C 2L0 Phone: 403-742-2368 • Fax: 403-742-8151 Email: sam1990@telusplanet.net • Website: www.stettlerauction.ab.ca Contact: Jim Abel...................................................................................... 403-740-9609 Greg Hayden............................................................................... 403-740-9610 Brad Lohr................................................................................... 780-679-5500 Terry Silbernagel........................................................................ 403-318-5873 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. ................................................................................................ Mixed Fri., 10 a.m. . .............................................................................. Special calf/bred cows

Special Sales: Aug. 11, 25; Sept. 1, 15 ................................................................ Yearling feeder sales Sept. 22; Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov. 6 .................... Presorted calf sales, single owner lots Oct. 2, 9; Nov. 6 . ........................................................................... Angus/British calves Oct. 24; Nov. 20, 27; Dec. 4, 11, 18 . ...............................................Bred cows & heifers Nov. 6 (call for final date)......................................................................Limousin calves Nov. 3.............................................................................. Charolais & Simmental calves Dec. 1, 8 .......................................................................................Preconditioned calves Internet Sales: www.stettlerauction.ab.ca

THORSBY Thorsby Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 379, Thorsby, Alta. T0C 2P0 Phone: 780-789-3915 Email: thorsbystockyards@telus.net • Website: www.thorsbystockyards.ca Contact: Jeff Fritz...................................................................................... 780-203-4953 Mack Vars................................................................................... 780-940-2899 Chance Martin........................................................................... 403-358-0456 Corey Lawrence.......................................................................... 780-940-6301 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Aug. 10 . .........................................................First cattle sale under new management Oct. 8, 15; Nov. 26 . .......................................................................... Special feeder sale Oct 24; Nov. 7, 21; Dec. 12 . ........................................................Bred cow & heifer sale Contact for details.

VERMILION Nilsson Bros. Livestock Exchange Box 3300, Vermilion, Alta. T9X 2B2 Phone: 780-853-5372 • Fax: 780-853-2521 Email: vermilion@nbinc.com • Website: www.nbinc.com Contact: Rusty Stalwick........................................................................... 780-853-7669 Jim Pulyk.................................................................................... 780-853-7669 Les Trach.................................................................................... 780-853-0626 Harvey Trach............................................................................... 780-645-0939 Pat Lawerence............................................................................ 780-645-5172 Steiger Stalwick......................................................................... 780-826-2655 Dave Crittal................................................................................ 780-853-7946 Ryan Noble........................................................................306-344-2188/2184 Roland Goertz............................................................................. 306-875-8636 Kyle Soderberg.................................................. 780-656-0506/306-883-7374 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9 a.m. . .......................................................................Butcher cows & bulls Every Wed., 12 noon ..............................................Presort Internet calf sales all breeds Special Sales: Sat., Oct. 17, 31, 10 a.m. ...................................................................All breed calf sale Sat., Oct. 24; Nov. 7, 10 a.m. .....................................................Angus influence calves Sat., Nov. 21, 28; Dec. 5, 19, 12 p.m. ..................................................Bred cow/heifers Mon., Dec. 7, 2 p.m. ....................................................Westman Farms bred heifer sale Sat., Dec. 12 , 12 p.m. ................ Tingley Farms 300 home raised Black Angus bred heifers & Willow Creek 200 Simmental X influence breed heifers Mon., Dec. 14, 1 p.m. .................................Y-Coulee bred heifer & Red Angus bull sale Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

VETERAN Dryland Cattle Trading Corp.

Box 615, Veteran, Alta. T0C 2S0 Phone: 403-575-3772 • Fax: 403-575-3935 Email: office@drylandcattle.com • Website: www.drylandcattle.com Contact: Ian Goodbrand........................................................................... 780-753-1515 Graham Schetzsle...................................................................... 403-575-4001 Kurt Cole.................................................................................... 403-575-5388 Curtis Perry................................................................................ 403-578-8062 Kirk Goldsmith........................................................................... 403-575-5654 Regular Sales: Every Mon. ...........................................Slaughter cows, bulls & feeders Special Sales: Please check our website for dates for feeder calf, bred cow & bred heifer sales.

viking Viking Auction Market Ltd. Box 100 Viking, Alta. T0B 4N0 Phone: 780-336-2209 • Fax: 780-336-2278 Email: vikauc@gmail.com • Website: www.vikingauctionmarket.ca Contact: Cliff Grinde................................................................................. 780-336-6333 Darcy Sheets.............................................................................. 780-336-6485 Allen Stefiuk............................................................................... 780-632-8701 Robert Kunnick........................................................................... 780-336-6301 Gene Hoffman............................................................................ 780-720-5044 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. .......................................................................Cattle

WESTLOCK VJV Westlock Auction* 9004 – 110 A St., Westlock, Alta. T7P 2N4 Phone: 780-349-3153 • Fax: 780-349-5466 Email: inge@vjvaucation.com • Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Manager, Gary Jarvis.................................................................. 780-349-9596 Owner, Morris Thalen.................................................................. 403-783-1333 Bob Scott.................................................................................... 780-689-9203 Trent Ewasiw.............................................................................. 780-349-0239 Hank Stach................................................................................. 780-898-3733 Wade Schaupmeyer.................................................................... 780-305-4104 Wade Meakin.............................................................................. 780-349-1650 Regular Sales: Every Thurs. 9 a.m.

Every 1st & 3rd Mon., 11 a.m. . ............................................................... Sheep & goats Every 3rd Sat., 10 a.m. . .......................................................................................Horses Special Sales: Check our website for details.

Saskatchewan Alameda Chopper K Auction Services Corp.

Box 370, Alameda, Sask. S0C 0A0 Phone: 306-489-2221 • Fax: 306-489-2238 Contact: Chad Levesque Regular Sales: Call for sale dates.

ASSINIBOIA Assiniboia Livestock Auction* Box 1328, Assiniboia, Sask. S0H 0B0 Phone: 306-642-5358 • Fax: 306-642-4549 Email: ala@assiniboiaauction.com • Website: www.assiniboiaauction.com Contact: Ryan Rutledge, Rene Boutin Regular Sales: Every 2nd Wed., Sept. 30 to Dec. 9 Special Sales: Tues., Aug. 18, Sept. 1, 15...................................................................... Yearling sale Sat., Dec. 5, 12, 19 ......................................................................... Bred cow/heifer sale Internet sales: 11 a.m. (Pre-approval required for bidding) Sat., Oct. 27 & Nov. 24..........................................Presorted Angus & Hereford calf sale Sat., Sept.19; Oct.3; Dec.1.........................Presorted all breed calves and yearling sale Sat., Oct. 17,24, 31; Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28.....................Presorted Angus/Angus X calf sale Tues., Oct. 20; Nov. 10, 17................Presorted CharX & Red AngusX calf/yearling sales Tues., Oct. 27; Nov. 3, 20.................................Presorted CharX or Red AngusX calf sale Dates subject to change, please check our website.

Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Glenavon Candiac Auction Mart Box 39, Glenavon, Sask. S0G 1Y0 • located on highway 48 at Candiac, Sask.

Website: candiacauctionmart.ca Phone: 306-424-2967 • Fax: 306-424-2097 Contact: Kevin.......................................................................................... 306-539-4090 Janet........................................................................................... 306-539-0165 Brad........................................................................................... 306-551-9411 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 10 a.m.

Special Fall Feeder Sales: Aug. 7, 21; Sept., 4, 18; Oct. 2,9 16, 23, 30; Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; Nov. 6, 13, 20, 27; Dec. 4, 11 Pen or 3 bred heifer show and sale with bred cows to follow — Dec. 18

KELVINGTON Kelvington Stockyards Box 640, Kelvington, Sask. S0A 1W0 Phone: 306-327-4642 • Fax: 306-327-4311 Contact: Clint Peterson............................................................................. 306-327-4642 Gary Rudychuk........................................................................... 306-865-7448 Special Sales: Contact for details

LLOYDMINSTER Heartland Livestock Services Box 930, Lloydminster, Sask. S9V 1C4 Phone: 306-825-8831 • Fax: 306-825-7713 Email: lloydminster.lmc@hls.ca or rcopeland@his.ca • Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Wayne Woodman........................................................................ 306-821-6310 Doug Health............................................................................... 306-821-6668 Gerry Kjenner.............................................................................. 780-614-1040 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 8:30 a.m.

Special Sales: Sept. 3, 10, 8:30 a.m. .....................................Regular sale and off-truck yearling sale Thurs., Sept 17, 12:30 p.m. ....... Off-truck yearling and all breeds Internet calf sale Thurs., Sept. 24; Oct. 1, 8, 16, 22, 29; Nov. 19, 26; Dec. 3, 10, 17, 12:30 p.m. .......................................All breeds presort Internet calf sale Tues., Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. ........................................ All breeds presort Internet calf sale Mon., Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. ......................................................Special Annual Black Angus & Red Angus presort calf sale Thurs., Nov. 6, 12:30 p.m. ..................................Black & Red Angus influence calf sale Tues., Nov. 24; Dec. 1, 8, 16, 1:00 p.m. . ................................. Bred cow and heifer sale Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

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mankota Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. Ltd.* Box 248, Mankota, Sask. S0H 2W0 Phone: 306-478-2229 • Fax: 306-478-2443 Email: mankotastockmens@sasktel.net • Website: www.mankotastockmens.com Contact: John Williamson......................................................................... 306-478-2433 Ev Chanig................................................................................... 306-478-2229 Special Sales: (Friday) Sept. 4: Oct. 3...................................................................................................Yearlings Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Dec. 11................................................................................ All classes Oct. 16...................................................... Canadian Rancher Endorsed Angus calf sale Oct. 23.......................................................... Red Angus, Hereford & Charolais calf sale Oct. 30: Nov. 6.........................................................................................Angus calf sale Nov. 13..............................................................................................All breeds calf sale Nov. 20....................................................... All class sale featuring bred cows & heifers Dec. 4........................................... 26th Annual select bred heifer sale & herd dispersal

MAPLE CREEK Cowtown Livestock Exchange Inc.* Box 730, Maple Creek, Sask. S0N 1N0 Toll free 1-800-239-5933 • Phone: 306-662-2648 • Fax: 306-662-2615 Email: cowtown.ls@sasktel.net • Website: www.cowtownlivestock.ca Contact: Tyler Cronkhite............................................................................ 306-661-8786 Jim Wilson.................................................................................. 306-558-4410 Brent Weiss................................................................................ 306-558-4401 Gordie Cameron......................................................................... 306-741-7077 Rocky Houff................................................................................ 403-548-9829 Darvin Mason............................................................................. 306-662-8218 Regular Sales: Tues., 10 a.m.

Special Sales: Thurs., Aug. 20, 27; Sept. 3, 10.............................................................. Yearling presort Tues., Sept. 22; Nov. 10..........................................Off-truck yearlings with regular sale Sat., Oct. 17; Nov 14...................................................................... All breed calf presort Tues., Oct 20; Thurs., Oct. 22 ............................................................ Angus calf presort Sat., Oct. 24..................................................................Angus and Hereford calf presort Tues., Oct. 27 ............................... Charolais Simmental & Red Angus calves presorted Thurs., Oct. 29; Tues., Nov. 3 . .............................. All breeds presort feat. Angus calves Sat., Oct. 31; Thurs., Nov. 5 ,............... All breeds presort feat. Angus & Hereford calves Thurs., Oct. 31; Tues., Nov. 5...............................................All breed calves feat. Angus Tues., Nov. 17, 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15..........................Regular sale with bred cows & heifers Thurs., Nov. 19, 26;..........................................................................Bred cows & heifers Thurs., Dec. 4............................................................Money in the bank bred heifer sale Sat., Dec. 5...........................................Freshly weaned & preconditioned calf presort Thurs., Dec. 10..................................................... Cowtown cowmaker bred heife sale Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Meadow lake Meadow Lake Livestock Sales Ltd. Box 130, Meadow Lake, Sask. S9X 1Y1 Phone: 306-236-3411 • Fax: 306-236-3412 Email: mlstockyards@sasktel.net • Website: www.mlstockyards.com Contact: BrentBrooks................................................................................ 306-240-5340 Blair Brooks................................................................................ 306-240-9883 Boyd Stuart................................................................................ 306-841-7998 Regular Sales: Mon., 9:30 a.m. .....................................................................................Calf & yearlings Thurs., Oct. 1, 11 a.m. ................................................................... Presort Internet sale Fri., Nov. 30, 12 noon ..................................................................................... Bred cows Fri., 5:30 p.m. . ............................................................Horses (check website for dates) Internet sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

MOOSE JAW Heartland Livestock Services Box 608, Moose Jaw, Sask. S6H 4P4 Phone: 306-692-2385 • Fax: 306-692-7996 Email: mjaw.lmc@hls.ca Contact: Grant Barnett............................................................................. 306-631-0410 Jerrad Schollar........................................................................... 306-630-4059 Regular Fall Sales: Starting Thurs. Sept. 3, after the presort sale Special sales: Tues., Aug. 25; Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Oct. 6, 9:30 a.m. .........Presort all breed yearling & calf sale

Tues., Oct. 20, 9:30 a.m........................Presort Red and Black Angus 35th annual sale Thurs., Oct. 22; Nov 5. 12, 19, 9:30 a.m.................................Presort all breed calf sale Tues., Nov. 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15, 9:30 a.m....................................Presort all breed calf sale Tues., Oct. 27; Thurs., Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m............Presorted Charolais Extravaganza sale Tues., Nov. 3, 17, 9:30 a.m............................................ Presort Red & Black Angus sale Tues., Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m......................................Presort Charolais and Simmental sale Thurs., Nov. 26; Dec. 3, 10, 17, 1:00 p.m......................................................... Bred sale Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Johnstone Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 818, Moose Jaw, Sask. S6H 4P5 Phone: 306-693-4715 • Fax: 306-691-6650 Email: info@johnstoneauction.ca • Website: www.johnstoneauction.ca Contact: Scott Johnstone.......................................................................... 306-631-0767 Wayne Johnstone........................................................................ 306-631-7709 Corey Mantell............................................................................. 306-631-1888 Regular Sales: Every Sat.......................................... All breeds bred cows/heifers/pairs

PRINCE ALBERT Heartland Livestock Services Box 186, Prince Albert, Sask. S6V 5R5 Phone: 306-763-8463 • Fax: 306-763-4620 Email: hls.pa@hls.ca • Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Glen Smith.................................................................................. 306-960-4732 Brennin Jack............................................................................... 306-981-2430 Regular Sales: Every Tues. 9:30 a.m. Check website for details.

Special Sales: Check website for details.

Internet pre-sort sales: 11 a.m. Check website for details.

Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Saskatoon

tisdale

Saskatoon Livestock Sales Ltd.* Box 60, Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 3K1 Phone: 306-382-8088 • Fax: 306-382-8319 Email: sls@yourlink.ca • Website: www.saskatoonlivestocksales.com Contact: Michael Fleury............................................................................ 306-222-9526 Harvey Welter............................................................................. 306-227-8684 Alvin Busby................................................................................ 306-221-0905 Pat Tellier................................................................................... 306-291-2720 Ryan Hurlburt............................................................................. 306-292-9812

Edwards Livestock Centre Box 727, Tisdale, Sask. S0E 1T0 Phone: 306-873-5049 • Fax: 306-873-2328 Contact: Bruce Edwards........................................................................... 306-873-5049 Bruce Edwards (Cell)................................................................. 306-873-7779

Regular Sales: Every Mon. & Tues., 9 a.m..................................................... All classes Special Sales: Fri., Oct. 2, 9, 16, 30; Nov. 13, 27, 10 a.m...................... All breeds presorted calf sales Mon., Nov. 9, 23; Dec. 7............................................................... Angus featured calf sales Fri., Nov. 6, 20; Dec. 11, 18, 12 noon.................................Bred cow & bred heifer sales Fri., Sept. 26.................................................Presorted lamb sale, sheep breeding stock For purebred bull & female sales refer to our website.

Regular Sales: Assembly for all local auction markets. Contact for details.

Special Sales: Livestock sales facility available for your elite purebred bull, female sales & commercial stock cow sales. Contact for details.

WEYBURN Weyburn Livestock Exchange* Box 1504, Weyburn, Sask. S4H 3N8 Phone: 306-842-4574 • Fax: 306-842-3610 Email: wle@weyburnlivestock.com • Website: www.weyburnlivestock.com Contact: Dean Martins & Roy Rutledge

Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

Regular Sales: Every 2nd Wed. Sept. 9 to Dec. 16, 9 a.m. ....................................................................Cull cows & bulls

SHAUNAVON

Internet sales: (pre-approval required for bidding) Mon., Oct. 5; Dec. 7, 11 a.m. . ................................ Presort all breed calves & yearlings Mon., Oct. 26; Nov. 9, 23, 11 a.m. . ...............Presort Angus & AngusX calves/yearlings Mon., Oct. 19; Nov. 16, 11 a.m. ..........Presort Simmental & all breeds calves/yearlings Mon., Nov. 2, 30, 11 a.m................Presort Charolais & all breeds calves and yearlings Fri., Nov. 27; Dec. 4, 11, 1 8, 11 a.m. . ............................................Bred cows & heifers

Shaunavon Livestock Sales (88) Ltd. Box 1419, Shaunavon, Sask. S0N 2M0 Phone: 306-297-2457 • Fax: 306-297-2371 Contact: Ralph Oberle.............................................................................. 306-297-7979 Kelly Oberle................................................................................ 306-297-9366 Regular Sales: Usually Mon. at least once a month, 12 noon........Contact for details.

Fall Sales: Contact for details.

Special Sales: Fall sorted calf sales & bred sales. Contact for details.

SPIRITWOOD Spiritwood Stockyards (1984) Ltd.* Box 160, Spiritwood, Sask. S0J 2M0 Phone: 306-883-2168 • Fax: 306-883-3913 Email: ssy@sasktel.net • Website: www.spiritwoodstockyards.ca Contact: Brian Jacobson........................................................................... 306-883-7375 Fred Walter................................................................................. 306-883-7368 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9 a.m. on real-time Internet (includes individual producer presort show pens) Special Sales: Fri., 1 p.m., As needed (Bred cows, pairs, herd dispersals, purebreds etc.)

Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) • www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

swifT Current Heartland Livestock Services Box 367, Swift Current, Sask. S9H 3V8 Phone: 306-773-3174 • Fax: 306-773-8570 Email: swift.current.lmc@hls.ca Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m ................... All classes of feeder & Slaughter cattle Special Sales: Tues., Aug. 18, 9:30 a.m. ..................................................................Off-truck yearlings Thurs., Sept. 10, 9:30 a.m. . ..................................................................Sorted yearlings Thurs., Sept. 24, 9.30 a.m. . .................................... Sorted yearlings & all breed calves Thurs., Oct. 8; Nov. 19, 26, 9:30 a.m. ........................................ Sorted all breed calves Thurs., Oct. 15; Sat., Oct. 17, 24; Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28, 9:30 a.m. .....Black & Red Angus calves Thurs., Oct. 22, 9:30 a.m. .................All breeds featuring Black and Red Angus calves Thurs., Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m. .............................................. Charolais and Gelbvieh calves Sat., Oct. 31, 9:30 a.m. ........................................................ Ranch calves (semi loads) Thurs., Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. ....................................All breeds featuring Simmental calves Thurs., Nov.12, 9:30 a.m. ........... All breeds featuring Charolais and Simmental calves Sat., Dec. 5, 9:30 a.m. .......................................................Last sale of all breed calves Tues., Nov. 17, 24; Thurs., Dec. 3, 17, 1 p.m. ..............................Bred cow & heifer sale Wed., Dec. 2, 1 p.m. ........................Six Mile Red Angus and consigner bred heifer sale Mon., Dec. 7, 1 p.m............................................................... Rock Solid bred heifer sale Sat., Dec. 12, 1 p.m. ..................Bred cow and heifer sale featuring 3 herd dispersals Tues., Dec. 22, 1 p.m. . ................................................... Last sale, bred cows & heifers Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Special Sales: Mon., Aug. 24; Sept. 21, 11 a.m. . ............................Presorted yearlings

Internet Sales: DMLS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

WHITEWOOD Whitewood Livestock Sales* Box 68, Whitewood, Sask. S0G 5C0 Phone: 306-735-2822 • Fax: 306-735-4284 Website: www.whitewoodlivestock.com Contact: Gene Parks................................................................................. 204-729-7118 Rhett Parks................................................................................ 306-735-7813 Glen Vargo.................................................................................. 306-736-7710 Chad Kelly.................................................................................. 306-735-7810 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. .....................................................All types of cattle Special Sales: Oct. 6.....................................................................................Simmental influence presort Oct. 13, 27; Nov. 10, 24..............................................................Angus influence presort Oct. 20...................................................................................Charolais influence presort Nov. 3, 17.............................................................................................All breeds presort Nov. 13, 27; Dec. 11........................................................................................ Bred cows Dec. 16.................................................................................................Last sale of 2014 Visit: www.whitewoodlivestock.com for delivery schedules, market reports & contacts.

YORKTON Heartland Livestock Services Box 490, 107 York Road E., Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W4 Phone: 306-783-9437 • Fax: 306-782-4110 Email: yorkton.lmc@hls.ca • Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Clayton Hawreluik...................................................................... 306-621-3824 Harvey Exner............................................................................... 306-621-5486 Brian Rathgeber......................................................................... 306-621-5421 Regular Sales: Every Wed. April to Sept. 8 a.m......................................................All classes Special Sales: Wed., Sept. to Mar., 10 a.m. ........... Weekly presorts feat. all major breeds & Rancher’s Endorsed Angus Green Tag sales Fri., 11 a.m. . ...................................................................................Bred cows & heifers Fri., Monthly, 5 p.m. ...........................................................Sheep, lamb, goats & horses Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Manitoba ASHERN Interlake Cattlemen’s Co-op Assoc. Ltd.* Box 599, Ashern, Man. R0C 0E0 Phone: 204-768-2360 • Fax: 204-768-3690 Email: icca@mymts.net • www.ashernauction.com Contact: Kirk Kiesman.............................................................................. 204-768-0019 Lorne (Buddy) Bergner............................................................... 204-768-2669 Regular Sales: Every Wed., Mid-Aug. to June, 2016, 9 a.m........... All classes of cattle Special Sales: Sat., 11 a.m.......................................Fall feeders. Contact for details.

BRANDON Heartland Livestock Services* 329 – 12th Street North, Unit A, Brandon, Man. R7A 7K4 Phone: 204-727-1431 • Fax: 204-727-6520 Email: kcleaver@hls.ca • Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Keith Cleaver (mgr.)................................................................... 204-761-0668 Brad Delgaty.............................................................................. 204-867-0406 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. & Every Thurs., 9 a.m. (Oct. to Apr. 2016) Special Sales: Internet presort calves Bred cows. Contact for details.

Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

GLADSTONE Gladstone Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 318, Gladstone, Man. R0J 0T0 Phone: 204-385-2537 • Fax: 204-385-2582 Email: auctmart@mts.net • Website: www.gladstoneauctionmart.com Contact: Tara Fulton................................................................................. 204-870-9524

Virden Heartland Livestock Services* Box 340, Virden Man. R0M 2C0 Phone: 204-748-2809 • Fax: 204-748-3478 Email: virden.lmc@hls.ca • Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Robin Hill................................................................................... 204-851-5465 Rick Gabrielle . .......................................................................... 204-851-0613 Drillon Beaton............................................................................ 204-851-7495 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9 a.m................................................................................ Feeder cattle sale Every Mon., Sept. 28 to Apr. 25, 2016, 9 a.m........................ Butcher cows, bulls & fats Special Sales: Wed., Sept. 30; Oct. 21; Nov. 11, 25.............................................All breed presort sales Wed., Oct. 14; Nov. 4, 18..................................................................Angus presort sales Wed., Oct. 28................................................................................ Charolais presort sale Fri., Nov. 6, 20, 27; Dec. 4, 11, 18............................................................Bred cow sales Jan. to Apr. 2016......................................................... Special presort & bred cow sales Call for details:............................................................................... Sheep & horse sales Internet sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Winnipeg Winnipeg Livestock Sales Ltd.* Box 13, Group 220, R.R. 2, Winnipeg, Man. R3C 2E6 Phone: 204-694-8328 • Fax: 204-697-4476 Website: www.winnipeglivestocksales.com Email: info@winnipeglivestocksales.com Contact: Scott Anderson........................................................................... 204-782-6222 Mike Nernberg............................................................................ 204-807-0747 Jim Christie................................................................................ 204-771-0753 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 9 a.m. .........................................................................Feeder/slaughter cattle 1st Wed. of the month, 1 p.m. . ............................................................... Sheep & goats

Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m.

Ontario

Special Sales: Contact for details.

GRUNTHAL Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart* Box 71, Grunthal, Man. R0A 0R0 Phone: 204-434-6519 • Fax: 204-434-9367 Email: g_lam@hotmail.ca • Website: www.grunthallivestock.com Contact: Harold Unrau.............................................................................. 204-871-0250 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. .......................................................................Cattle Special Sales: Check website for details.

Internet Sales: TEAM Auction Sales • www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

KILLARNEY Killarney Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 1435, Killarney, Man. R0K 1G0 Phone: 204-523-8477 • Fax: 204-523-8190 www.killarneyauctionmart.com Contact: Allan Munroe.............................................................................. 204-523-6161 Regular weekly Sales: Every Mon., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Thurs. ..................Feeder & bred cows as advertised. Contact for details.

Ste. Rose du lac Ste. Rose Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 450, Ste. Rose du Lac, Man. R0L 1S0 Phone: 204-447-2266 • Fax: 204-447-3369 Email: myles@srauction.ca • Website: www.srauction.ca Contact: Myles Masson............................................................................204-447-7054 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 8 a.m....................... Feeder calf sales (1,500 – 2,000 head) Special Sales: Nov. 5, 8 a.m.......................................... Angus influence feeders (1,500 – 2,500 head) Every Thurs., 11 a.m. .......................................................Preweighed show listed sales Bred cow and special purebred sales to be listed this fall starting in November.

Check website for details.

Northern Cattle Sales Network For sale results of the Northern Cattle Sales Network, check our website at www.northerncattlesales.com for location details and sale results.

Hoard’s Station Sponsor: Quinte Cattlemen’s Association Contact: Denton Meiklejohn 2530 Spring Brook Road Spring Brook, Ont. K0K 3C0 Email: farmerdenton@yahoo.ca Phone/Fax: 613-395-2008 • Sale week: 705-653-3660 Special Sales: Register with www.cattleinmotion.com for online bidding.

Sept. 18, 11 a.m. .............................................. 700 yearlings/calves, 90% vaccinated Oct. 23, 11 a.m. ................................................ 700 yearlings/calves, 90% vaccinated Nov. 27, 11 a.m. .....................................................700 head calves, 100% vaccinated Jan. 22, 2016, 11 a.m. ...................................................... 800 head, 100% vaccinated Mar. 18, 2016, 11 a.m. . ...................................................... 700 head, 90% vaccinated May 6, 2016, 11 a.m. ........................................................ 900 head, 100% vaccinated Location: Hoard’s Station Sale Barn, 15 miles north of Belleville, halfway between Stirling and Campbellford on the county road.

Peterborough/ Victoria Counties Sponsor: Peterborough-Victoria County Cattlemen’s Association Contact: Wayne Telford 2264 Chemory Road R.R. 1, Peterborough, Ont. K9J 6X2 Phone: 705-292-9531 • Sale week: 705-439-4444 Special Sales: Sept.30, 11 a.m. ............................................................500 yearlings, 90% vaccinated Nov. 4, 11 a.m...................................................................... 1,000 head certified calves Nov. 18, 11 a.m.......................................... 250 yearlings, 500 calves, 90% vaccinated Jan. 20, 2016, 11 a.m.......................................................... 900 head, 90% vaccinated Mar. 23, 2016, 11 a.m.......................................................... 700 head, 90% vaccinated May 4, 2016, 11 a.m......................................................... 1,000 head, 90% vaccinated Location: Kawartha Lakes Co-op (KLC) Sales Barn, County Road #9, Woodville, Ont.

Thessalon

COBDEN

Sponsor: Algoma Co-operative Livestock Sales Contact: Dennis Kirby R.R. 2, Iron Bridge, Ont. P0R 1H0 Phone: 705-842-5534 • Sale Barn: 705-842-2249

Renfrew Pontiac Livestock 18156 Hwy. 17, R.R. 3, Cobden, Ont. K0J 1K0 Phone/Fax: 613-646-7335 Contact: Ben Dick..................................................................................... 705-498-8056 Matt Dick.................................................................................... 613-633-1598

Special Sales: Sept. 22, 10 a.m. ....................................................................................1,100 yearlings Oct. 17, 10 a.m. ............................................................................................ 350 calves May 7, 2016, 10 a.m. ...................................................................................... 200 head Location: East of Thessalon, off Highway 17 at Green Lane, at the Stockyards.

Wiarton Sponsor: Grey-Bruce Livestock Co-operative Contact: Terry Moser R.R. 6, Wiarton, Ont. N0H 2T0 Phone: 519-375-7957 • Sale day: 519-375-7957 Special Sales: Sept. 10, 10 a.m. ......................................................................... 500 head stocker sale Oct. 29, 10 a.m. ............................................................................................ 500 calves May 5, 2016, 10 a.m. ...............................................................................600-700 head Location: At the base of Bruce Peninsula on Hwy # 6, just south of Wiarton.

Free transportation available from the airport at Wiarton.

BRUSSELS Brussels Livestock* Box 59, 42857 Newry Rd., Brussels, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone: 519-887-6461 • Fax: 519-887-9449 Email: info@brusselslivestock.ca • Website: www.brusselslivestock.ca Contact: Mark Ferraro............................................................................... 519-492-0181 Kevin McArter............................................................................. 519-357-0594 Len Gamble................................................................................ 519-231-0761 Regular Sales: Fri., 10 a.m. . .........................................................................Stocker calves & yearlings Tues., 10 a.m............................................................................. Fed cattle, bulls & cows Thurs., 8 a.m. . ................................................Bob calves, veal, lambs, goats & sheep Special Sales: Sat., Oct. 10, 10 a.m. ...........................................................................4-H Show & sale Fri., Oct. 23, 10 a.m...........................................................................Calves & yearlings Fri., Oct. 23, 1 p.m. ...................................................................Hereford influence sale Mon., Nov. 9, 10 a.m. ............................................................... Bred cow & stocker sale Fri., Nov. 27, 10 a.m.......................................................Calves & yearlings regular sale Fri., Nov. 27, 1 p.m. ...................................................................... Angus influence sale

Regular Sales: Every Tues., 1 p.m. .................................................................All breeds

COOKSTOWN Ontario Stockyards Inc.* Box 402, Cookstown, Ont. L0L 1L0 Phone: 705-458-4000 • Fax: 705-458-4100 Email: info@ontariostockyards.on.ca • Website: www.ontariostockyards.on.ca Contact: Wayne Small............................................................................... 705-435-1423 Murray Morrison......................................................................... 416-233-1526 Brian Pascoe.............................................................................. 705-878-7026 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 11 a.m...........................................................................Stockers & feeders Special Sales: Thur., Sept. 17, Dec. 10................ Yearlings in conjunction with regular sale Tues. Oct, 6, 27............................ Yearlings Thurs., Oct. 15.............................. Cdn. Angus Certified calves/Cdn. Hereford Assoc. calf sale/Leeds — Grenville calf sale Tues., Nov. 10, 24,.............................................. Ontario Stockyards all vaccinated sale Check website for details of bred cow sales.

DENFIELD Denfield Livestock Exchange R.R. 2, Denfield, Ont. N0M 1P0 Phone: 519-666-1140 • Fax: 519-666-1143 Contact: Stan Rees................................................................................... 519-871-5968 Regular Sales: Every Tues.

Special Sales: Sat., Sept. 26; Oct. 10, 24; Nov. 21, 11 a.m. ...............Stockers, bred cows, cow-calf pairs Sat., Nov. 7, 11 a.m. . ................................... Local 100% vaccinated farm fresh calves

GREELY

campbellford

Ottawa Livestock Exchange Ltd.* Box 340, 1643 Sale Barn Road, Greely, Ont. K4P 1N6 Phone: 613-821-2634 • Fax: 613-821-4594 Email: ottawalivestock@bellnet.ca • Website: www.ottawalivestockexchange.ca Contact: Steven Spratt............................................................................. 613-822-1351 Charles J. Menard...................................................................... 819-983-1056 Robert/Richard/Denis................................................................. 613-821-2634

Community Livestock Exchange Hoard Station 2508 County Road 8, R.R. 5, Campbellford, Ont. K0L 1L0 Phone: 705-653-3660 • Fax: 705-653-4610 Email: daveyd@xplornet.com • Website: www.hoardstnsalebarn.ca Contact: David DeNure............................................................................. 705-653-3660 Brad DeNure............................................................................... 705-653-8763

Regular Sales: Mon., 11 a.m. .......................................................................................................Calves Mon., 1 p.m. ......................................................................... Slaughter cows & stockers Thurs., 11 a.m. . ......................................................................Calves & slaughter cows Thurs., 12:30 p.m. . ....................................................................................... Dairy cows Thurs., 2 p.m. . ..................................................................................................Stockers

Regular Sales: Every Tues., 12 noon . ......................................Special sales by request

Special Sales: For upcoming stocker & bred cows sales visit our website.

Special Sales: 11 a.m.

Quinte Cattlemen’s Stocker sales. Stocker sales will be on live video.

Online bidders please pre-register.

Hanover

CARGILL Cargill Auction Market Inc. Box 64, Cargill, Ont. N0G 1J0 Phone: 519-366-2214 • Fax: 519-366-2444 Contact: Alan Anstett............................................................................... 519-366-2214 Alan Anstett............................................................................... 519-366-2214 Calvin Anstett............................................................................ 519-881-6623 Brian Kirkland............................................................................ 519-797-1668 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 7 p.m. ....................................................Stockers & feeders Special Sales: Fri., Sept. 4, 25; Oct. 2, 7 p.m. ......... Charolais & exotic cross yearling steers & heifers Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m. ................................................................................. Local calf sale Fri., Nov. 6, 7 p.m. ..............................................................Local calves & yearling sale

Maple Hill Auctions Box 341, Hanover, Ont. N4N 3T2 Phone: 519-506-1400 • Fax: 519-506-1402 Contact: Andy McCulloch.......................................................................... 519-379-1370 Regular Sales: Mon., 7 p.m.

Special Sales: Every Mon. from Sept. 14 through fall, 7 p.m. ............................................ Stocker sale Sat., Sept. 5, 1 p.m. .......................................................Ontario Autumn Angus Classic Sat., Sept. 12, 1 p.m. ............................................. Ontario Autumn Simmental Classic Sat., Oct. 17, 1 p.m...................................................Bluewater Angus bred female sale Sat., Oct. 24, 1 p.m. .............................................................Up The Ante Charolais sale

Listowel David Carson Farms & Auction Services Ltd.* R.R. 3, Listowel, Ont. N4W 3G8 Phone: 519-291-2049 • Fax: 519-291-5065 Email: info@davidcarson.on.ca Website: www.davidcarson.on.ca Contact: David/Brad Carson..................................................................... 519-291-2049 Don Robertson............................................................................ 519-291-8582 Bill Haalstra............................................................................... 905-774-1739 Regular Sales: Sat., 11 a.m. .............................Stockers, cow-calf pairs, cows & bulls Special Sales: Mon., Oct. 26, 1 p.m. . ................................................Carson’s special fall stocker sale Approximately 600 preconditioned, bunk adjusted and age verified steers and heifers of various breeds. Live video of sale on the website. Check website for time.

Listowel Livestock Ltd.* R.R. 3, Listowel, Ont. N4W 3G8 Phone: 519-291-2200 • Fax: 519-291-1381 Email: listowellivestock1@bellnet.ca Contact: Grant Jackson............................................................................ 519-291-4450 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 1 p.m. .................................................................All breeds Special Sales: Fri., Oct. 23, 12 noon . .............................................................. Local vaccinated calves

NEW LISKEARD Temiskaming Livestock Exchange 883006 R.R. 3, New Liskeard, Ont. P0J 1P0 Phone: 705-647-5415 • Fax: 705-647-4411 Contact: Bill Stewart............................................................................... 705–544-3508 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 2 p.m. . ....................................All classes of livestock Special Sales: Oct. 2, 12 noon ...................................................800 Calves & yearlings

VANKLEEK HILL

RAINY RIVER

Vankleek Hill Livestock Exchange* Box 134, 1239 Ridge Road, Vankleek Hill, Ont. K0B 1R0 Phone: 613-678-3008 • Fax: 613-678-6017 Email: francois-tremblay@live.ca Contact: Francois Tremblay...................................................................... 514-233-9383

Rainy River — Stratton Sales Barn Rainy River, Ont. N0M 1P0 Phone: 807-483-5354 • Email: kaat-james2@hotmail.com Contact: James Gibson............................................................................. 807-271-2005 Live video sales: through DLMS. Sat., Aug. 29 8:30 a.m. ................................................. Yearlings & some calves, cows.

Protocol cattle will be on offer Sat., Oct.3, 8:30 a.m. .................. Mostly spring calves and some yearlings, cows etc.

Some protocol cattle on offer.

Sat., Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. ....................... Late-season calves, some yearlings cows and a bred cow sale. Protocol cattle will be on offer.

Internet Sales: DLMS • www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Tara Keady Livestock Market R.R. 4, Tara, Ont. N0H 2N0 Phone: 519-934-2339 • Fax: 519-934-2715 Website: www.keadylivestock.com Contact: Garry Kuhl.................................................................................. 519-934-1626 Scott Kuhl................................................................................... 519-477-2339 Tom McNabb.............................................................................. 519-794-3072 Regular Stocker Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. All cattle on ONS and catalogued.

Special Fall Sales: Fri., Sept. 25; Oct. 2, 9, 16........................ 1,000 to 1,500 head of grass yearling steers & heifers Sat., Oct. 24................................ Bruce Peninsula Charolais Calf Club sale: 1,200 to 1,400 age verified, vaccinated & presorted calves Tues., Oct. 27...................................... Georgian Bay Charolais Calf Club sale, 1,000 to 1,200 age verified, vaccinated and presorted calves Thurs., Oct. 29..................................... Bluewater Angus Calf Club sale, 1,000 to 1,200 mainly black age verified, vaccinated and presorted calves Sat., Oct. 31......................................... Central Calf Assoc. sale, 600 to 800 all breeds, age verified, vaccinated calves selling in owner lots Fri., Nov. 6, 20......................................... Local calves, preweaned or right off the cow selling in owner lots (800 to 1,000 per sale) Fri., Nov. 13........................................................ 1,000 to 1,500 head of grass and yard yearling steers & heifers Fri., Nov. 27, 5 p.m................................................................................... Bred cow & heifers

Regular Sales: Every Mon., 5 p.m.; Wed., 4 p.m.

Special Sales: (2 p.m.)

Wed. Aug. 26; Sept. 30; Oct 28; Nov. 25............................................................ Stockers

WATERLOO Ontario Livestock Exchange Inc.* Box 443, Waterloo, Ont. N2J 4A9 Phone: 519-884-2082 • Fax: 519-884-0509 Website: www.olex.on.ca • Email: dropp@olex.on.ca Contact: David Ropp................................................................................. 519-749-5072 Brian Yost................................................................................... 519-741-6205 Larry Witzel................................................................................. 519-741-6333 Allen Colwell............................................................................... 519-501-0147 Live Sales: Wed., 1 p.m. ....................................................................................Special stocker sale Thurs., 11 a.m. . ...................................................................................Regular stockers Special Sales: Daily Internet presort sales & direct from ranch sales, contributing markets:

Moose Jaw Swift Current Provost

Lloydminster Vermilion Yorkton

Maple Creek Meadow Lake Assiniboia

Weyburn Mankota Prince Albert

Woodville Kawartha Lakes Community Sale Barn Inc. 580 Woodville Road, R.R. 3, Woodville, Ont. K0M 2T0 Phone: 705-439-4444 • Fax: 705-439-3145 Email: info@klcauction.ca • Website: www.klcauction.ca Contact: Kevin Barker............................................................................... 705-878-2947 Bruce Woodrow........................................................................... 705-879-0507 Sales Barn.................................................................................. 705-439-4444 Regular Sales: Every Sat., 10 a.m. ................................ Cull cows, bulls, finished cattle, veal calves, bob calves, replacement cattle, stocker cattle, bred cows & cows with calves

Special Sales: Wed., Sept. 30; Nov. 18, 11 a.m. .................. Peterborough/Victoria County Cattlemen’s calf & yearling sale, 90% vaccinated To consign contact: Wayne Telford at 705-292-9531 Wed., Oct. 14, 11 a.m. . ........................Special Angus stocker sale: calves & yearlings.

Also accepting other breeds. Contact: Ron Bryant at 707-374-4853 Sun., Oct. 18, 1 p.m........................................... Purebred Autumn Harvest Angus sale Contact: Ron Bryant at 707-374-4853 Mon., Oct. 26, 11 a.m. . ................................................Stocker sale, calves & yearlings Wed., Nov. 4, 11 a.m. ................... Peterborough/Victoria Country Cattlemen’s Certified calf sale. To consign: Wayne Telford 705-292-9531 Wed., Nov. 11, 11 a.m. .................................................Stocker sale, calves & yearlings Sun., Nov. 15, 1 p.m. ..... Purebred Simmental sale. Contact: Glen Kerry 905-852-6887 Wed., Nov. 25, 7 p.m. ............................................................................... Bred cow sale Wed., Dec. 2, 16, 11 a.m. ............................................................................ Stocker sale 2016 Wed., Jan. 20; Mar. 23; May 4, 11 a.m. ........ Peterborough/Victoria County Cattlemen’s stocker sale, 90% vaccinated. To consign: Wayne Telford 705-292-9531

Quebec The Feeder Calf Sales’ Agency 555 blvd. Roland-Therrien, Suite 305, Longueuil, Que. J4H 4G2 Phone: 450-679-0540 ext. 8891 Contact: Eve Martin Feeder calf development marketing officer • Email: emartin@upa.qc.ca

BIC Coopérative des encans d’animaux du Bas-St-Laurent 3229, Route 132 Ouest Rimouski, Que. G0L 1B0 Phone: 418-736-5788 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Aug. 20............................................................................................................. 650 head Sept. 24............................................................................................................ 650 head Nov. 5 .............................................................................................................. 750 head 2016 Special Sales: 9:30 a.m.

Jan. 20.............................................................................................................. 750 head Mar. 10 ............................................................................................................ 750 head Apr. 28.............................................................................................................. 700 head June 2............................................................................................................... 700 head

LA GUADELOUPE Marché d’animaux vivants Veilleux & Frères Inc. 1287, 14th Avenue, La Guadeloupe, Que. G0M 1G0 Phone: 418-459-6832 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Sept. 10............................................................................................................ 700 head Oct. 8............................................................................................................ 1,000 head Oct. 22........................................................................................................... 1,200 head Nov. 19.......................................................................................................... 1,200 head 2016 Special Sales: 10 a.m.

Jan. 21.............................................................................................................. 800 head Feb. 25........................................................................................................... 6000 head Apr. 9 . ............................................................................................................. 500 head May 4............................................................................................................... 500 head

Sawyerville Encan Sawyerville Inc. 420, Route 253, Cookshire, Que. J0B 1M0 Phone: 819-849-3606 • 819-875-3577 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Aug. 27 . .......................................................................................................... 800 head Sept.17.......................................................................................................... 1,200 head Oct. 1 C........................................................................................................ 1,150 head Oct. 15........................................................................................................... 1,500 head Oct. 29........................................................................................................... 1,500 head Nov. 12.......................................................................................................... 1,500 head Nov. 26.......................................................................................................... 1,200 head Dec. 3............................................................................................................ 700 head Dec. 10........................................................................................................... 800 head C: Charolais special sale 2016 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Jan. 14........................................................................................................... 1,500 head

Feb. 4.............................................................................................................. 800 head Feb. 11............................................................................................................. 700 head Mar. 3.............................................................................................................. 950 head Mar. 31.......................................................................................................... 1,100 head Apr. 21.............................................................................................................. 950 head May 5.............................................................................................................. 800 head May 26............................................................................................................. 850 head June 17.......................................................................................................... 1,000 head

ST-isidore Réseau Encans Québec 2020 Rang de la Rivière, St-Isidore-de-Dorchester, Que. G0S 2S0 Phone: 418-882-6341 • Toll free 1-866-839-9475 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Aug. 21.......................................................................................................... 1,400 head Aug. 28.......................................................................................................... 1,800 head Sept. 11......................................................................................................... 1,700 head Sept. 18......................................................................................................... 1,450 head Sept. 25......................................................................................................... 1,350 head Oct. 2............................................................................................................ 1,450 head Oct. 9............................................................................................................ 1,600 head Oct. 16........................................................................................................... 1,400 head Oct. 23........................................................................................................... 1,850 head Oct. 30........................................................................................................... 1,850 head Nov. 6............................................................................................................ 1,450 head Nov. 13.......................................................................................................... 1,650 head Nov. 20.......................................................................................................... 1,800 head Nov. 27.......................................................................................................... 1,850 head Dec. 4............................................................................................................ 1,700 head Dec. 11.......................................................................................................... 1,850 head 2016 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Jan. 15........................................................................................................... 1,850 head Jan. 22........................................................................................................... 1,750 head Feb. 5............................................................................................................ 1,250 head Feb. 12.......................................................................................................... 1,150 head Feb. 26.......................................................................................................... 1,850 head Mar. 4............................................................................................................ 1,200 head Mar. 11.......................................................................................................... 1,600 head Apr. 1............................................................................................................. 1,700 head Apr. 15........................................................................................................... 1,250 head Apr. 22........................................................................................................... 1,000 head Apr 29............................................................................................................ 1,700 head May 6............................................................................................................. 1,750 head May 20........................................................................................................... 1,800 head May 27........................................................................................................... 1,700 head June 3............................................................................................................ 1,875 head June 5............................................................................................................ 1,875 head

New Brunswick SUSSEX Sussex and Studholm Agric. Soc. Auction Barn P.O. Box 5063, Sussex, N.B. E4E 5L2 Phone: 506-432-1841 • Fax: 506-432-1825 Regular Sales: Every other Wed., 11:30 a.m.............................................................................All breeds 11:30 a.m.................................................................................Feeder & stock cow sales Contact for details.

Nova Scotia TRURO Atlantic Stockyards Box 293, Truro, N.S. B2N 5C1 Phone: 902-893-9603 • Fax: 902-893-4483 Contact: Sean Firth................................................................................... 902-670-5999 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 1 p.m............................................. All classes of livestock Fall Feeder Sales: 10 a.m., Sat., Sept. 12; Oct. 17; Nov. 14; Dec. 5 Special sales: Contact for details. * 2015 member of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada (LMAC)

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M-2093_CANCAT_AD_Synovex PLP_EN.indd 1

2015-07-20 10:11 AM

 straigh t f ro m t h e h i p

By Brenda Schoepp

Intentional Design

T

here are many ways to describe intentional design — from the theory of creation to a management style. When I think about the term, I am drawn to compare it to reactive design and how they differ in result from an industry and labour perspective.

This is not a critical singling out of any industry — we can apply the discussion to business and to our lives.

Living with intention involves the weaving and promoting of the complimentary existence of all aspects of our being and our business towards an end. It is a promise to itself driven by core values and evaluated on the prosperity at every level of the design. It is not sustainability which is founded on no injury, nor is it prosperity alone without the consideration of the design itself.

Reactive design is to quickly create a solution that is not considerate of the whole nor of the long term. We often live our lives this way thinking that a business plan is plan enough. And when the real world hits and the plan goes sideways, we react and cheap out or implement something that may have unfavourable consequences, unintentional as they are.

When I consider our agricultural world today it stirs a curiosity in me on turning points when mankind left his interwoven planting and harvesting of food and lost contact with it. In the evolution of agriculture I also wonder at what point we became the lowest class of people in the system even though food and clean water are the foundation of all civilization. And why do we as a society of farmers sometimes treat our people, our employees, without consideration as how they work within our system to the greatest good and the most honourable task on earth?

Urbanization is sweeping the globe and I have seen it rob farms of a valuable workforce the world over. In Canada we are facing a critical shortage of workers to the point where it is estimated 74,000 jobs will need to be filled in the next seven years. Is that a problem or an opportunity to intentionally design our farms and our future?

Job postings for farm managers who must work inside and out and be responsible for the rest of the team in the multimillion-dollar business, such as a large dairy, for $18 an hour are not going to attract a lot of attention from an urban or rural resident. Men and women leave the farm for better wages, a lower cost of living, the creation of their legacy and for a better life. Or is this being disproved? Are they leaving because we hire and fire with the seasons, struggle with providing benefits that are critical to young families and lack the framework of a culture that is reflective of core values and beliefs?

I recall standing on a hill and admiring a most beauwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

tiful fully integrated and intergenerational farm and listening to the father say that we must create a place of nurturing for young people to come back to the farm.

I realized that he wanted his daughters to come home and in the design that was nearly right, one fundamental piece was missing and that was an environment that his daughters could embrace.

From other farms and businesses, feedlots and ranches, I hear tales of missed or misunderstood loved ones because there was a single focus of one or two goals and solutions were often reactive in nature. This differs from a design that includes the needs, wants and desires of all the family, the workforce, the client and the businesses and trades in between.

Think of beautiful art. The artist does not leave out supporting strokes. She does not fail to attach the ear to the head or the flower to the stem. Nor does she fail to protect the portrait and most importantly she paints on canvas, not paper. Reactive design is scribble done in haste to get the message across. Like lovers who must change the meeting place, it can be misinterpreted. More importantly — it is rarely on display. How we live our lives and treat our employees is our art on display.

Collectively it may be time to consider the importance of what we do and what food means to the world and then to ensure our young future employees, both urban and rural, have the training and skills. Going back to the dairy example, managing a dairy is a fine art and should be treated as one with the appropriate skills taught at centres of excellence. That has a value and the team members should be compensated as such. Offering coffee shop wages to a person managing a multimillion-dollar enterprise is an insult. As owners and managers we have an obligation to ensure we design a work culture that is inclusive, mitigates risk, supports all of the team, is beneficial and includes continuous training and advancement. We are accountable to create a culture for the cultivation of character, skills and performance.

Until we stop looking down on labour in a reactive way there will be no ready solution for our farms and businesses. A friend once said that any level of loyalty can be bought and most certainly that may at one time have been true — but there is no staying power in money without culture. Respectful wages for the calibre of work is part of the solution but the whole of the answer is in intentional design for our farms and our future. c Brenda Schoepp is an inspiring speaker, consultant and mentor who works with young entrepreneurs across Canada and around the world. She can be contacted through her website www.brendaschoepp.com. All rights reserved.

Brenda Schoepp 2015

C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

31

 marketi ng

By Ron Friesen

Tight numbers a concern for livestock marketers

T

he bloom may soon come off the rose for record-high cattle prices as economic indicators in the United States suggest a coming slowdown in consumer beef demand.

That was the message from commodity market analyst Jerry Klassen to the Livestock Market Association of Canada’s annual convention in Winnipeg earlier this summer.

A roaring bull market for beef cattle in North America has produced prices cattlemen could only have dreamed of a few years ago. “Producers are amazed at the current market value of cattle,” Rick Wright, LMAC executive administrator, said in an interview during the convention. “Everyone who comes to pick up a cheque, their first comment when they open the envelope is, I don’t believe cattle are worth that much.”

But Klassen issued a cautionary note, saying signs of a slowdown are already on the horizon.

Klassen said consumer confidence and beef consumption go hand in hand. Beef demand increases when unemployment is low and consumer confidence is strong. That’s the case at present. The U.S. economy has improved since the recent recession and consumer food spending outside the home has risen. On the other hand, people are not spending any more money on groceries at home. Meanwhile, U.S. housing starts have peaked and the unemployment rate is expected to hover around the current 5.8 per cent for a while. As a result, further growth in consumer spending is probably limited, which is negative for beef consumption, Klassen said.

As well, future beef consumption may be dampened by an aging population. Klassen pointed out 20 per cent of Americans are in the 46- to 64-year age bracket and will likely eat less beef and more functional foods in an effort to maintain their health.

Meanwhile, the U.S. beef herd continues to grow, with two more years of expansion expected. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts the 2015 U.S. calf crop will be a million head higher than in 2014. The 2016 crop is predicted to grow by another 800,000 head.

At the same time, feed grain supplies may be tighter. USDA expects corn acres to be lower in 2015 and the market will be very

32

C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

sensitive to weather. In Canada, barley ending stocks will be down in 2015 and the projected average price could be seven per cent higher than the five-year average of $215 per tonne.

With the U.S. economy at the peak of its business cycle, fed cattle numbers climbing and tighter feed stocks foreseen for 2015 and 2016, North American beef prices are likely not sustainable long term, Klassen told his audience.

“We are near the highs, given the current economic situation,” he said.

While the U.S. cattle numbers increase, herd rebuilding in Canada continues to be slow. Wright said few new operations are starting up, some grazing land is being converted to grain and investment costs for beef operations are up 60 per cent or more over last year.

“We’ll be lucky if we can maintain our numbers, let alone expand over the next two to three years,” Wright said.

Stirling Fox, head buyer for JBS Food Canada in Brooks, Alta., said the number of cattle on feed in Canada in 2015 is expected to be 100,000 head lower than in 2014. Feeder cattle exports were up sharply in 2014, despite the U.S. country-of-origin labelling rule.

“We have to keep cattle on this side of the border if we’re going to be competitive,” Fox said during his presentation.

On the plus side, Fox called a decline in cow slaughter numbers a positive sign for the industry. Producers appear to be culling fewer cows and retaining more heifers.

The big factor in all of this, as usual, is the Canadian dollar. Fox said downward pressure on the loonie, spurred by depressed oil prices, encourages exports and could affect cattle numbers here.

In a presentation titled “What is Sustainability?” Ryder Lee, then manager of federal provincial relations for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, urged producers to engage with consumers, retailers and animal welfare groups in a “robust process” to show how the industry is sustainable socially and ethically as well as environmentally. Lee has since been appointed CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association.

Just doing things legally isn’t good enough anymore and producers must establish their credibility with other industry stakeholders, Lee said.

If they fail to do so, customers will go elsewhere and governments could impose regulations dictating how beef should be raised, he warned.

Lee cited CCA’s involvement in the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the National Farm Animal Care Council’s code of practice as examples of producers relating with other groups to promote sustainability and animal welfare within the industry.

The meeting also heard from representatives of View Trak Technologies, an Edmonton-based company that focuses on traceability. View Trak partners with CCA in operating BIXS, a record-keeping system holding carcass and animal birthdate records.

During its annual business meeting, members heard about a recent meeting between LMAC, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to discuss livestock auction markets’ participation in Canada’s national livestock traceability system. While individual animal reporting is well established at farms, feedlots and packing plants, group movement reporting at auction markets and assembly yards has a way to go. A study conducted for LMAC several years ago found that RFID readers at Canadian auction marts cannot scan cattle ear tags at the required rate of accuracy.

Wright said auction markets have detailed computer systems to trace animals and clients but not to the extent CFIA wants. Auction markets are willing to comply with full traceability but that will cost money and government must help provide it, said Wright.

“It’s a public good. And if it’s a public good, the government has to pay a big chunk of it,” he said.

The LMAC convention was judged a success, with attendance higher than in recent years, according to organizers. This despite the fact the association is losing members because of a shortage of available cattle. Wright said four markets closed over the last five years in Manitoba alone.

LMAC members elected Scott Anderson of Manitoba to a two-year term as the association’s new president. Elected as directors were Brock Taylor of Melita, Man., Jim Abel of Stettler, Alta. and Kevin McArter of Brussels, Ont. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

marketing  Livestoc k Ma rk et Asso c i at i o n o f Ca na da

1

Calvin Kuepfer (r) from OLEX, Waterloo, Ont. receving LMAC Championship buckle.

2

Allan Munroe (l) of Killarney, Man. was named most congenial auctioneer.

3

Kevin McArter (l) of Brussels, Ont. receiving Reserve Champion auctioneer buckle.

4

Larry Witzel (second from right) of OLEX receives the LMAC Hall of Fame award.

5

Virden Auction Market is named Canadian Angus Association’s Stockyard of The Year.

1

2

4

3

5

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 vet aDvi c e

MARKETING IS WALKING THE TALK: CAN INDUSTRY DO IT?

B

eef sustainability is a catchword. It’s talked about in seminars, at producer meetings, and at major industry gatherings where planning and strategy essay a future for an industry that bounces between really good and really bad. Are we making headway, or just adding to public lectures because people either don’t understand what it takes to put beef steak on the table, or because it’s fashionable to talk about matters like antimicrobial resistance and animal welfare?

Beef sustainability is a short, pithy instructive saying, widely accepted on its own merits by those who muddle in strategic planning. Yet, it’s a term that draws blank looks from a majority of beef producers and associated members of the industry like veterinarians, auction market owners and processing crews in feedlots. I offer this, not in criticism. The words “sustainable” and “sustain” are shibboleths, double-barrelled words that denote old ideas and opinions, often old fashioned and untrue. The word “sustainable” says little about growth and innovation. Progress is not about brushing a fresh coat of paint on the status quo with new language, imagery, and spin. Success requires tough decisions (Mark Holmgren, Bissell Centre CEO, strategist and writer).

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) founded in February 2012 was thought to be the long-awaited catalyst for advancement in beef production (me included). Important players in the business of beef dissected and discussed key issues destined to influence the future of our industry (www.sustainablelivestock.org).

Finally, there is a broad range of stakeholders from all sectors intent on finding answers to questions gripping an industry in the constant turmoil between highs and lows.

David Brooks, New York Times’ columnist in his article “Learning From Mistakes” said, “History is infinitely complex. You can’t go back and know then what you know now. You can’t step in the same river twice. So it’s really hard to give simple sound-bite answers about past mistakes. It’s only useful to ask, what wisdom have you learned from your misjudgments that will help you going forward?”

Experienced players like JBS, Cargill, McDonald’s, Walmart, major pharmaceutical companies and others brought those accustomed to developing strategy and pursuing outcomes to the game, a powerful council of intellect ready to tackle the future. But cracks developed.

Walmart, that accounts for 25 per cent of the U.S. food business, significantly influences supplier practices. Walmart’s recent push on animal welfare was called a game changer. Guidelines issued by the company asked meat producers, egg suppliers, and others to use antibiotics only for disease prevention or treatment, not to fatten animals, which, in its view, is a common industry practice. Guidelines produced by Walmart goaded suppliers to stop using pig gestation crates and housing that doesn’t give animals enough space.

On the beef side, suppliers were asked to avoid painful procedures like dehorning or castration without proper painkillers. Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice-president of Walmart’s sustainability division, said Walmart wants suppliers to produce annual reports on antibiotic use and animal welfare then post them on company websites. It’s also pressuring suppliers to report animal abuse and take disciplinary action.

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Some have criticized Walmart for not going far enough. Activists want Walmart to add teeth to new initiatives by making recommendations and guidelines, supplier requirements, and set aggressive deadlines for implementation. Without it the game changer becomes a spoof.

The North American livestock industry still remains at odds with some of corporate America’s recommendations as being unreasonable and financially unworkable.

McDonald’s committed to a goal of purchasing verified sustainable beef by 2016. In its words, “The process sounds simple, but it’s actually a major challenge because there isn’t a universal definition of sustainable beef.”

Tyson, one of the nation’s largest meat producers, plans to eliminate the use of human antibiotics in its U.S. broiler chicken flocks by the end of September 2017 yet no clear options exist for preventing coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis, serious welfare issues in their own right. Tyson also encourages hog farmers to focus on the quality and quantity of the space for sows when they remodel or build new barns, although Tyson hasn’t established strict time frames for producers to follow and hasn’t addressed the issue of devastating “pandemic-like” disease situations in the swine industry when people try to raise 750,000 to 800,000 swine within a single operation. Realistically, is it possible to deal with diseases like PRRS, corona virus (PED), or circovirus (PMWS) when single operations house 3,000 to 5,000 sows within their barns?

Paul Krugman, New York Times, in an article “Seriously Bad Ideas,” reminds us that bad ideas have remarkable staying power. No matter how often and how badly predictions based on bad ideas are proved wrong, they keep coming back and retain the power to warp policy. The rise of BSE in Great Britain and its spillover to Canada with a devastating and ongoing financial burden — now more than a decade old — is an example.

The Global Roundtable of Sustainable Beef established big-ticket agenda items. Topics like biodiversity, preparing for change, energy, and water management were on the agenda. Yet five years later, we are mired in an energy crisis; widespread drought consumes huge tracts of land that once grew food; and huge food safety challenges have disrupted large sectors of the beef industry. Rather than talk about big-ticket agenda items and progressive change our industry struggles with topics like antimicrobial resistance, prudent use of antibiotics and welfare of farm animals. Issues in this industry are complex and not amenable to “quick fixes.” The interconnected nature of what we do makes functional communication networks a critical feature of success.

“Strategic Planning is like a ritual rain dance; it has no effect on the weather that follows, yet those engaged believe it does. Much of the advice and instruction related to planning is directed at improving the dance, not the weather” (J. Brian Quinn of Dartmouth). c Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to Canadian Cattlemen (gren@fbcpublishing.com) or WCABP (info@wcabp.com).

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Industry heads up: Buckshot, broken needles What to watch for heading into the fall run

Life isn’t always fair and the world of beef on-farm food safety is no exception.

More cases of buckshot in beef products are showing up at beef processing. Most likely this is through no fault of the producer personally. Yet in the customer’s eyes, beef producers are held accountable for producing a safe product.

What to do?

“While it is very infrequent, it is enough of a recurring issue that it is important to deal with,” says Shannon Argent, co-ordinator for the Verified Beef Production (VBP) program in Alberta. “As an industry we try to encourage wildlife organizations to let their members know about the issue.

“Individual producers may want to take precautions as fall hunting season approaches. Counsel hunters not to shoot in the direction of cattle. Avoid grazing cattle on pastures behind hunting blinds or feeding areas for game birds. And producers should never use shotguns for any purpose around animals themselves.”

Broken needles

There isn’t much debate on the broken needle issue. This is directly a responsibility of producers, says Argent. Each time a broken needle appears the beef industry’s reputation takes a hit.

“If a broken needle is suspected, specific steps must be followed, she says. Identify the animal and record the incident on the

Buckshot found in a beef cut causes thousands of pounds of beef product resorting and a run through a metal detector again.

permanent record. If an animal is being sold, the next owner must be notified of the broken needle in that specific animal. The animal may be slaughtered for a producer’s own use. A smaller plant can help manage that process more easily.”

Critical injection techniques

Restrain the animal securely. Use sharp needles, never dull or burred, and never straighten a needle for reuse. That could break, leaving a fragment in the animal.

Keep syringes in good working order.

That helps make it less likely equipment will fail.

Visually inspect needles after use. It’s a simple way to ensure they are intact on the syringe and not bent.

Use appropriate needle size and length.

This depends on the product viscosity and route of injection.

Use proper injection technique. Give injectable products in the neck and use under the skin (sub-Q or SC) method when identified on the product label.

Use detectable needles. Ask for them!

Change needles. Try to change the needle every 10 animals if vaccinating mature animals, or use a new needle each time for sick animals.

Use neck extenders on the chute. They’ll help hold the animal’s neck in place if working properly.

Discard used needles into a sharps container. Don’t risk other cattle, animals or people.

How will you respond?

Here’s a quick recap of the basic, accepted steps to prevent broken needles on the farm or ranch.

“There is no way to completely eliminate problems of broken needles in meat,” says Argent. “The question is how we respond as beef producers and an industry.”

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 prime cuts

By Steve Kay

Tough times in the meat case

M

ay and June are the two best months of the year for retail beef sales in the U.S. But high prices and consumers’ reluctance to spend more on beef put a damper on sales this year.

The week leading up to the Memorial Day holiday has the second-largest sales in volume and value while the week leading up to July 4 has the largest.

The Memorial holiday sales were expected to be as strong as last year. So the daily Choice cut-out reached US$265.59 per cwt on May 19. But sales during the holiday week were disappointing and the cut-out plunged $21.48 in 13 business days. It recovered $12.01 of this

by June 24. But sales in the July 4 holiday week were also weak. Cut-outs values went into free fall and the Choice had lost more than $20 by July 13.

The main reason for the poor sales is that retail beef prices remain at record-high levels for this time of year.

USDA’s All Beef price in May was $6.06 per pound. This was up only two pennies from April but it was up 10.8 per cent from a year ago. This difference has consumers’ attention and they have responded by buying much cheaper pork and chicken. May pork prices averaged $3.69 per pound, down 10 per cent from last year, while chicken prices averaged $1.93 per pound, down 1.0 per cent.

Beef’s year-on-year price increase versus pork’s decline meant beef prices were record high versus pork at both the wholesale and retail levels. This was likely the same in June and July, as the U.S. pork industry continued to produce far more pork than expected. Beef production for the year to July 11 was down 4.7 per cent on last year while pork production was up 6.7 per cent. Broiler production was up 7.2 per cent.

Beef ’s malaise had people scratching their heads for

explanations. The high retail prices and lack of aggressive features obviously had had a lot to do with the poor sales.

But the U.S. economy continues to improve, more jobs are being created and gasoline prices at the pump remain well below last year. Thus consumers had more disposable income and many people expected them to spend some of that extra money on beef.

Maybe they did but at food service not at retail. Restaurant beef sales are above a year ago. That’s the reverse of what occurred after the 2008-09 recession when consumers spent more of their food dollars at the grocery store. Moreover, retail beef sales are weaker than expected because people are saving more money, from the millennial group (eight per cent of earnings) to people over 50 (nine per cent), says analyst Andrew Gottschalk, HedgersEdge.com. In addition, a lot of 10-year home equity loans taken out from 2004 to 2008 are starting to come due. The peak years of 2005 to 2008 saw $360 billion in loans taken out, he says.

Fed beef packer margins improved sharply in June as the cut-outs soared and live cattle prices fell more than $11 per cwt in five weeks. But the cut-outs’ free fall came just as packers were forced to pay more for cattle. So their margins by mid-July were deeply in the red again. Cattlefeeding margins were also mired in red ink because of the record or near-record high prices of feeder cattle that they placed against the spring and summer months.

The industry is hoping that beef sales in the week leading up to Labour Day (September 7) will be solid. This week was third in volume and value last year. But retailers didn’t reduce their beef prices much in July and neither will they in August. Beef ’s summer sales woes are likely to continue. c

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 CCA repo rts

By Dave Solverson

drought concerns

I

t’s been a busy summer for the Canadian Cattlemen Association (CCA), with plenty of activity on a number of ongoing files. CCA officials were in Charlottetown, P.E.I., for the annual July meeting of the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of agriculture, where workforce issues, social licence and the extreme dry conditions in pockets of Alberta and Saskatchewan were among the discussions.

The CCA participated in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) summer meeting in Denver. We compared notes with our U.S. and Mexican counterparts on the status of herd rebuilding and it seems while many areas in Saskatchewan, Alberta and California are suffering from dryness, some pockets in those regions have been receiving enough showers to carry them through, at least over the short term. Nevertheless, most of the U.S. is experiencing great growing conditions and all indications are pointing to herd expansion phase there.

Still, U.S. beef exports have contracted this year as the high U.S. dollar has made them uncompetitive against competitors like Australia. They are focused on driving exports and talked about the need for unfettered market access to key Asian markets. One of the advantages the U.S. feels Canada has in these markets is traceability. The animal ID system has given Canada the competitive edge in access to places like China.

That’s something to keep in mind this year as producers deal with challenging weather. Although recent spotty rains have helped, forage supplies continue to be in short supply. Pastures have been suffering, while hay crops in most areas are well below average. Availability of forage supplies which is critical to carry the cow herd through the winter may depend on if/how much grain crops can be salvaged for forage to be used for cattle feed.

Parkland County Council (west of Edmonton) declared a State of Agricultural Disaster on July 14 due to the impact of extreme drought and severe weather conditions across the rural municipality. In some areas grasshoppers also devastated crops. In Saskatchewan, provincial Environment Minister Herb Cox and Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced that approximately 90,000 acres of Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF) land will be made available to cattle producers facing dry conditions.

Parts of Saskatchewan are also enduring extremely dry conditions this year, making feed an issue for affected cattle producers.

At the FPT meeting, ministers acknowledged the adverse weather conditions faced by Canadian producers and committed to continue to work together to ensure existing programs deliver the needed support.

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The CCA continues to urge those who manage the programs to make decisions in a timely manner to allow producers to make timely decisions that are best suited for their operations.

Turning to market access, mandatory U.S. countryof-origin labelling (COOL) was among the topics of discussion at the NCBA trilateral leaders’ meeting.

Clearly, there is still work to do in states represented by U.S. senators that are advancing an alternative to full repeal. The CCA made it clear that we cannot accept the voluntary program being raised by some senators as it remains based on U.S. origin being reserved for cattle born and raised in the U.S. and therefore would maintain segregation.

Meanwhile, the next steps at the WTO regarding arbitration should be known later this fall. On June 17, the World Trade Organization (WTO) held a special Dispute Settlement Body meeting at which Canada requested authority to retaliate against the U.S. regarding COOL. Canada requested authorization to impose tariffs on more than C$3 billion per year of U.S. exports. Mexico is seeking authorization for more than US$713 million in retaliatory tariffs in a separate action. As anticipated, the U.S. objected to the dollar amount presented by Canada and requested arbitration.

As soon as the WTO arbitration process is complete and the arbitrator’s report is issued — likely later this fall — Canada and Mexico will be in a position to implement retaliatory tariffs on key U.S. exports. At that point, all decisions regarding the tariffs — when they go on, how high they will be, which products will be affected, etc. will rest entirely with Canada and Mexico.

CCA officials will be heading to the latest, and hopefully last, round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in Hawaii. The negotiations will enter their most intensive phase so far and could well be concluded at this meeting of the trade ministers of the 12 countries.

The plan was for chief negotiators to meet starting on July 24 and then be joined by the trade ministers on July 27. The meeting was scheduled to wrap up on July 31, but was open to the possibility that ministers could continue meeting past that date if it appears an agreement could be reached by doing so. The CCA was there to advise and support International Trade Minister Ed Fast and his team for the duration.

Without a TPP, the Japanese tariff on Australian beef will continue to drop lower and lower, while remaining fixed at 38.5 per cent on Canadian beef. Worse yet would be a TPP agreement where Canada is excluded or comes in later than the other 11 countries. Canada simply will not be able to keep pace with its competitors and the result will be the rapid erosion of what had been over $100 million in Canadian beef exports to the Japanese market. c

Dave Solverson is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 THE IN DUST RY

NewsRoundup

Ag in Motion variety trials.

ExHibitions

Ag in Motion off to hot start

Ag in Motion, billed as Western Canada’s Outdoor Farm Expo, debuted under Saskatchewan’s clear blue skies July 21. With an address like NW15-39-8-W3 you know this three-day event puts farmers’ interests first.

Trade show organizers and exhibitors started work last spring on transforming the 320-acre field northwest of Saskatoon into the bustling marketplace bordered by plot after plot showcasing crop varieties and inputs. The event magnified the power of agriculture in action from the business-park streets lined with companies featuring their latest innovations, knowledge and services and demonstration fields featuring seeding and fertilizing equipment.

Ag in Motion is modelled after Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in its 22nd year running each September at Woodstock, Ont. Both shows are a division of Glacier FarmMedia committed to bringing the best in agricultural knowledge and news to farmers and ranchers through its Farm Business Communications and Western Producer print and online publications and now on the ground.

Dennis and Donna McMorris’s Bovine Bucket was one of several exhibits of special interest to cattle producers, many of whom

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find themselves facing the chore of feeding grain or pellets this year to supplement the short hay crop. The Saskatchewan couple invented the feeding system to take the daily drudgery and guesswork out of carrying pail after pail of grain from the chop bin to their cattle every day. The Bovine Bucket’s auger supported over a feed trough safely delivers calculated amounts of grain, pellets or prepared rations in no time flat (www.bovinebucket.ca, 306-333-4904).

Silo-King helps preserve the quality of precious hay, haylage and silage. This product, new to Western Canada a year ago, comes with a long and proven history south of the border backed by eight years in Eastern Canada. Several strains of lactic acid-producing bacteria, enzymes and BHT antioxidant work in synergy to improve the ensiling or curing process and reduce dry-matter loss. The absence of L. buchneri means neither acetic acid nor carbon dioxide are produced during fermentation. The expected benefits for silage include a lower pH to improve bunk life and an increase in digestibility to improve feed efficiency.

For bales, a decrease in curing losses and reduction in heating means more energy available for your cattle and cured hay can be baled at a slightly higher moisture level (www.agriking.com, 800-435-9560).

B-Wrap offers an alternative to storing

Bovine Bucket

bales in sheds or under tarps. One complete wrap of black material with Tama SCM technology sandwiched between John Deere CoverEdge netwrap protects bales from the elements and ground moisture, while tiny pores let water vapour escape the bale. A tab of metal tape on the material triggers the baler knife to cut the wrap and four built-in fasteners keep it in place. B-Wrap requires a dealer-installed dispenser kit and is compatible with John Deer 7-, 8-, and 9-series round balers. You will be able to switch between B-Wrap and netwrap in under five minutes (www.tamacanada.ca, 1-877-690-4442).

Continued on page 42

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marketing

Four steps to direct marketing

By Michael Flood

Most ranchers in Canada keep their attention focused on what they do best: breeding and raising healthy, high-quality cattle.

The slaughtering, processing, and sale to end consumers are things they ordinarily leave to other people. Some ranchers, however, market a part of their beef output directly to consumers, cutting out the middlemen of the cattle industry. Working with processors they package and sell freezer-ready beef to restaurants and individual customers.

One major benefit they enjoy is being able to get a consistent price for their meat: unlike live cattle sales, where the price can fluctuate in response to supply and demand as well

as the animal’s condition, direct-marketed freezer beef can be sold for a consistent price that covers the cost of production and includes a healthy profit. Ranchers can also charge a premium on their beef by being able to certify that it is grass fed, organic, free of artificial hormones, and the like.

Direct marketing beef can be a productive form of business diversification for ranchers but be warned: it takes a lot of time and commitment. Ranchers who choose to direct market have to develop many more skills than just those necessary to succeed at raising cattle: they have to understand food safety regulations, how to market their beef, how to build and sustain positive customer relationships, and how to manage the new line of business to keep it profitable.

If you’re curious about direct marketing, or are looking for a new way to diversify your ranch income, we’ve assembled the following questions to ask to see whether selling to consumers is right for you: 1. Do I have the time?

One thing ranchers learn quickly when they start a direct-marketing operation: it always takes more time than they had thought it

would. Tending a cattle herd is already a full-time occupation, and running a directmarketing business is likely adding another full-time job on top of that. There’s not only a lot to learn and keep up to date on, there are also relationships to be managed, inventories to be tracked, and financials to be kept in order. If you have family involved in your business, it may be possible to assign one of them to develop this end of the business while you devote yourself primarily to the cattleraising and -breeding end of your operation.

Chances are there is probably at least one ranch that direct markets in your area. Getting in touch with them to find out about their experience getting started and how it changed their working life can be very helpful to making your own decision.

2. Do I know where I can find customers?

Direct marketing beef is more complicated than selling to a feedlot but also presents a lot of opportunities. You can sell your beef from a store on your ranch (where you can also sell a range of other products like spice rubs and barbecue Continued on page 44

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News Roundup Continued from page 42

sauces), through a local farmers’ market, or direct to restaurants and supermarkets. You can also sell to municipal buying groups, where consumers band together to buy meat in bulk at a good price for their members.

Start by reaching out through your personal networks — family and friends, your local church group, and a local farmers market. Make up flyers to distribute with price lists. Also contact owners and head chefs at restaurants and find out what kinds of cuts they are looking for. This can give you an initial base of customers to whom you can sell your first direct-marketed beef.

Labelling your meat products is a must, and it is also helpful to have a website to advertise both the quality of your beef and provide consumers with prices. Web-

site hosting is not a great expense but it is important to pay attention to site design and product branding: after all, it’s the image people will have of your product and what they will remember when they want to seek it out again. It’s worth spending money on a good web and graphic designer to get the job done right.

3. Do I know where to find a good processor?

Any beef sold to consumers has to be processed at a federally inspected and licensed slaughterhouse. Processing beef is the second-highest cost in direct marketing after the raising of the cows themselves. You’re going to need a good personal relationship with a processor to make a profit, and for that to happen you’ll both have to find a win/win solution.

When considering a processor ask them what they need to succeed economically — how many carcasses they have to process, how much advance warning they need before delivery of live animals, and what their minimum order size is. Be up front with them about your needs as well, and how much you can pay and still gen-

erate a profit. That way you can find your way to a mutually satisfactory price that pleases you both.

4. Am I prepared to handle delivery?

While your customers can pick up your meat from the processor directly this complicates their lives and can make purchasing from you unattractive. Offering to deliver the meat yourself can be a great boost.

You’ll need to acquire a Food Establishment Permit from your regional health authority and a vehicle capable of delivering meat in a still-frozen condition. Alternatively, you can contract this service to a business that specializes in supplying freezer trucks.

Like many kinds of diversification direct marketing your beef is unlikely to replace your main business of selling to feedlots, but it can provide a valuable source of extra income and, with pre-sales, give you more cash to work with between sales of your herd.

For more info you can check out the Government of Alberta’s informative page on direct marketing beef — just Google “government of alberta direct marketing meats.”

Continued on page 46

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News Roundup Continued from page 44

Associations

SSGA splits with SCA on traceability

There was no shortage of issues to debate with 24 resolutions on the table during Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association’s 102nd AGM at Swift Current.

Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart’s launch of the province’s online premises identification (PID) database during his address to open the conference didn’t sway members set against mandatory PID. They narrowly defeated a resolution to support mandatory PID in Saskatchewan. This was in contrast to the vote on a similar resolution at the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association AGM earlier in the year when the majority favoured asking the province to make PID mandatory.

Industry’s Cattle Implementation Plan committee, which has been working on a manageable road map to full traceability since 2011, is aiming to achieve 90 per cent PID in each province/territory by January 2016, regardless of regulations, according to Canadian Cattle Identification Agency chair Pat Burrage’s report to the conference.

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LMac is a direct link between buyers and sellers. LMac members provide various methods of marketing your livestock. contact the member of your choice to discover your best marketing option.

Livestock Markets association of canada www.lmacmarkets.ca President scott anderson Winnipeg Livestock sales Winnipeg, MB Phone: 204-782-6222 email: anderson1@live.ca

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executive secretary rick Wright Box 1923 virden, MB r0M 2c0 Phone: 204-748-7676 fax: 204-748-2638 email: rickwright.lmac@gmail.com

C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

SSGA members also took a stand against looking into the possibility of setting up a mandatory per-head levy to create a BSE testing fund. The purpose of the proposed fund brought forward and supported at the SCA meeting would be to encourage participation in the BSE surveillance program to meet Saskatchewan’s target by better compensating producers who submit samples for testing.

Much of SSGA’s work over the past year has revolved through legislative doors in consultation on land security, agricultural drainage, surface rights and livestock dealer regulations.

Two resolutions aimed at finding a balance on farmland ownership policy were defeated. Members don’t like the idea of Saskatchewan’s agricultural land being bought up by institutional investors and non-Canadian entities and are particularly disturbed about purchases by the Canadian Pension Plan fund, which they say pits producers against their own money contributed to the plan. However, they recognize the SSGA’s history is rooted in promoting free market enterprise and that the association’s standing policy supports the right of any Canadian citizen to own land in Saskatchewan. Members also respect the government’s desire to promote Saskatchewan as being open for business and that making the call on farmland ownership will be a tough one. The province has created an online survey to gather people’s thoughts on the future of agricultural land ownership in the province (http://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/haveyour-say/farmland-ownership-consultation).

Members are firmly against the Nature Conservancy of Canada and other non-government organizations using public funds from the federal and provincial governments to purchase agricultural land and fully supported a resolution to lobby governments to end funding for this purpose.

They favoured a resolution to limit conservation easements to no more than 25 years on the grounds that easements held in perpetuity devalue property with no consideration given to future needs.

Protecting species at risk has become a prickly topic once again, particularly since Environment Canada issued the greater sage grouse emergency protection order. Members carried resolutions to lobby the Government of Canada to review or change the Species at Risk Act to be less onerous on landowners and land managers as well as to lobby all government ministers necessary to ensure that ranchers who enter into management agreements to provide critical habitat for species at risk are recognized as providing effective protection under the act.

The outcome of all resolutions along with the Ministry of Agriculture’s formal response to ag-related issues are posted on SSGA’s website (http://skstockgrowers.com/ssga-102nd-agmresults/). New this year are videos of presentations by the many high-profile speakers on the conference theme, “Connecting with Consumers.”

The SSGA board of directors returned its executive for another year during the board meeting following the AGM, June 9 at Swift Current. Doug Gillespie of Neville stays on as president, joined

by Shane Jahnke of Gouldtown as first vice, Bill Huber of Lipton as second vice, Helen Finucane of Regina as finance chair and Harold Martens of Swift Current as past president. Stephanie Deg of Weyburn is the new Zone 2 chair replacing Helen Finucane, who was returned as a director at large along with Shane Jahnke, Roy Rutledge of Assiniboia and Kelcy Elford of Caronport. New directors at large are Paula Larson of D’Arcy and Don Peacock of Maple Creek replacing Jason Pollock and Fred Lansdall.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUN DUP

nutrition

Nutritional concerns

Nutritional considerations for the cow-calf herd during drought

By Brittany Wiese, John McKinnon, and Greg Penner

Lower-than-normal seasonal rainfall this spring and summer has led to severe drought conditions throughout much of Alberta and Saskatchewan resulting in poor growth of annual cereals, crops for hay and pasture.

This will have obvious implications on the nutrition and management of the cow-calf herd during the grazing season and into the winter as preserved forages are fed. In cases with limited forage availability, producers may want to apply feeding strategies that reduce forage consumption.

During drought conditions there are many potential nutritional issues to be aware of, the first being water quality. Poor water quality is known to reduce performance of cows and calves. The concentration of total dissolved solids, sulphur and nitrates are indicators for water quality and commonly increase in well and surface water during drought conditions. At high concentrations, these compounds can reduce water intake and cause health problems and even death. Hot temperatures also facilitate the growth of blue-green algae in water sources during the summer months, which can cause sudden death. Increased water requirements during high temperatures must also be considered, and adequate

quality and quantity of water should be provided at all times. Testing your water could be a prudent management decision, especially in a drought year.

Low quantity of forage available during grazing may put cattle at higher risk of ingesting toxic plants during drought conditions, many of which cause neurologic disorders or sudden death. Plants that accumulate toxic compounds due to soil conditions can also be a problem in drought years. Selenium and sulphur are most commonly accumulated in plants leading to toxicities.

Drought-stressed plants are also prone to accumulate nitrates, which if not given time to dissipate prior to harvest, can lead Continued on page 48

CANADIAN SHORTHORN ASSOCIATION Box 3771, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3N8 • p: 306-757-2212 • f: 306-525-5852 office@canadianshorthorn.com • www.canadianshorthorn.com

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47

News Roundup Continued from page 47

to nitrate toxicity when ingested by cattle.

Nitrate accumulation is most common in annuals such as oat, barley, and wheat and is most apparent during early development (milk to dough stages). This must be considered when harvesting greenfeed or when grazing these crops.

Strategies to extend the forage supply

Early weaning and creep feeding calves. When forage supplies are low, producers could consider weaning earlier than normal for their operation. Weaning will allow the cow to dry off thereby reducing the total energy required by each cow to support milk production.

Weaning should only be imposed when calves are eating a sufficient amount of dry matter.

Creep feeding may also be beneficial as calves can receive additional energy, protein, minerals, and vitamins to support growth and development and creep feeding is an effective tool to aid in early weaning of beef calves.

Supplementation on pasture. Supplemen-

tation is recommended for cattle on pasture during drought conditions as a way to prolong pasture availability and compensate for poor pasture quality. Providing a highly digestible energy source such as cereal grains or grain screenings will provide energy to the cattle. This will allow for more efficient capture of nutrients from the diet while decreasing forage intake. Past research has shown that feeding at least three pounds of barley per cow per day results in a marked reduction in forage consumption. The viability of using cereal grains to supplement pasture will depend largely on commodity pricing and availability, coupled with the logistics of

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NEWS ROU NDUP

supplementing daily on pasture. Despite the challenges, this approach could be considered as a way to sustain pastures this season.

It should be noted that cereal grains should be provided daily as infrequent supplementation can increase risk for rumen acidosis.

The use of protein sources as a supplement will not have the same effect on forage intake as protein supplementation may, in some cases, increase forage consumption.

Use of adequate salt and mineral should be supplied to cattle on range to prevent deficiencies due to poor-quality pasture, and to reduce the likelihood of animals seeking potentially toxic salt sources such as lead batteries.

Considerations for winter feeding

Moving into the fall and winter months, producers and their veterinarians should be aware of potential vitamin A and E deficiencies arising after a prolonged period on poorquality forages. Use of straw in diets may increase the need for mineral and vitamin supplementation. Stockpiled forages, hay, greenfeed, or straw bales from previous years and cereal grains should all be tested so that diets fed to cattle meet nutrient requirements.

Drought conditions and prolonged dry feed storage affect both the nutrient quality and concentration of potential toxins in the final feed product. Results should be taken into account when developing nutritional programs for winter feeding of the cow herd.

The authors are with the department of large animal clinical sciences, University of Saskatchewan and the department of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan.

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Associations Drought and water cost focus of BCCA annual

Consultations with government on water security and predator control issues dominated last year’s activities at the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) and returning president Lary Fossum of Dawson Creek expects this year will bring much of the same.

“We’ve had good consultation with government on segments of the new Water Sustainability Act. Water pricing is of great concern and some producers saw an increase in water cost last year, but they felt it was tolerable. More regulations will be coming forward this year and we hope to continue the consultations,” Fossum says.

Predator control has been a work in progress through the years and the association will continue to lobby for better control over predators.

“There was some movement last year,” Fossum reports. “The government has been talking more with us and bringing new ideas forward to allow ranchers to do more on their own on Crown ranges and leases.”

Two resolutions on this topic received support from members at this year’s AGM: one, to continue working with government to improve the effectiveness of predator control and livestock compensation, and another to lobby for wolf trapping on Crown range by a licensed trapper throughout the grazing tenure season when there is a verified kill.

Sharing Crown grazing lands with other users requires a lot of co-operation, but always brings its share of issues as well.

Lary Fossum of Dawson Creek

Between ranching, oil, gas, forestry, trappers, and recreation, Fossum says it’s often difficult to know which ministries have jurisdiction. There is concern that the government hasn’t addressed this well enough to have a handle on the cumulative effect of all of the industries on the same piece of ground.

It can be difficult for ranchers to have their concerns addressed given that grazing tenures are normally a very small part of a logging block. Members were in favour of lobbying for a secondary referral process, whereby logging companies would bring their detailed plans to grazing tenure holders for comment on how logging activities will actually impact grazing, not what might happen based on the logging companies’ initial management plans that are typically quite vague.

“As it is, logging companies are only required to talk once with tenure holders, Continued on pag 50

Stettler Auction Mart WEEKLY CATTLE AUCTION SALES EACH TUESDAY 9:00 am FrIdAY SALES OCTObEr - DECEmbEr

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49

Make Your Decisions Profitable

Limousin Bank on the Carcass Breed

News Roundup Continued from page 49

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CSA Bus. Card Jan04

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though some companies are much better than others at keeping communication open,” Fossum adds.

Members also supported a resolution to lobby BC Hydro to assume responsibility currently held by contractors for complete and successful remediation of rights-ofway and property damage.

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don’t like. There’s also some space for you to tell us what you would like to see in future issues.

ClIp And enClose your mAIlIng lABel. each month, we will draw one name from all the surveys sent in and send that person a Cattlemen cap. It could be you!

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2 1 Nutrition Comment Research Special features 5 4 3 2 1 Newsmakers Letters Calving Issue (Jan.) CCA Reports Custom Feedlot Guide (Sep.) Prime Cuts Stock Buyers’ Guide (Aug.) Straight From The Hip Animal Health Special (Sep.) Holistic Ranching Beef Watch (May & Nov.) What would you like to see? __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ How much time do you and your family spend reading 1666 Dublin Avenue Canadian Cattlemen?  Under 2 hours  Over 2 hours Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

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NEWS ROUNDUP

Members carried a resolution to push forward with lobby efforts to secure new funds reserved for construction and maintenance of fencing along railway corridors that would be additional and complementary to the existing program.

In June, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure announced $4 million over two years to continue the Highway and Railway Fencing Program administered by the BCCA since 2010. Already 650 kilometres of existing fence along highways have been repaired, but the association has received applications for upgrades to 1,600 kilometres. BCCA’s annual cattle loss survey shows a 50 per cent decline in cattle losses due to vehicle collisions since the start of the program.

Members also carried a resolution to extend brand inspection to the lower mainland and whole of Vancouver Island to make it a requirement across the province.

Fossum is hoping that the unusually short list of 11 resolutions, several of which were brought forward just to keep current issues on the table, is an indicator that members are satisfied with the association’s work on their behalf.

HOG HITH

FARM & RANCH EQUIPMENT Ltd

E OU TST

1974

ANDING B

♦

D RAN

2015

BCCA’s AGM at Merritt, marking the first full year under its new governance structure, was well attended with a sold-out trade show. Education Day featured speakers on various aspects of the social licence.

Once again, B.C. Beef Day on the legislative grounds followed directly on the heels of the AGM with an estimated 400 people from the legislature and general public attending this year’s barbecue, up from fewer than 100 at the first one six years ago.

“They look forward to it and we look forward to it because we have direct access to the ministers and can do a lot of lobbying in one day,” Fossum concludes.

Rounding out the board of directors are incoming vice-president Brian McKersie, Canal Flats; past president David Haywood-Farmer, Savona; and zone directors Mike McConnell, Dawson Creek; Renee Ardill, Fort St. John; Larry Garrett, Vanderhoof; Martin Rossmann, Quesnel; Bob Storey, Smithers; Grant Huffman, Riske Creek; Duncan Barnett, 150 Mile House; John Anderson, Merritt; Leroy Peters, Heffley Creek; Linda Allison, Princeton; and Werner Stump, Malakwa. c

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 NEWS ABOUT YOU

By Mike Millar

PurelyPurebred  Elizabeth (Libby) Laycraft has joined the Canadian Hereford Association (CHA) as its new youth programs and foundation manager for the Canadian Junior Hereford AssociaElizabeth Laycraft tion and the Keith Gilmore Foundation. Libby has worked as a consultant since 2006, when she resigned as beef development co-ordinator of the Canadian Angus Association to spend more time with her young family. She has worked with the CHA in previous years, most recently as project co-ordinator of the RFI research project. Libby will provide administrative support to the CJHA throughout the year, and be involved in the planning and organization of Bonanza. She will also work with the KGF Trustees to raise awareness of the scholarships, develop fundraising initiatives and direct the foundation’s outreach to industry, academia, students and alumni.

ory of the longtime publisher of the Canadian Aberdeen Angus News magazine.

The Outstanding Young Angus Breeder Award started last year and is presented to an Angus breeder between the ages of 22 and 30 who has demonstrated a desire to stay involved in the Angus business for years to come.

The Junior Angus Stockman of the Year Award is a new initiative of the Canadian Angus Foundation. This award was developed to recognize those outstanding young cattlemen who are constantly improving their stockmanship capabilities. Tyler is the first recipient.  Saturday, June 20 marked the Alberta Simmental Association’s tour and AGM held in the Carstairs and Didsbury areas. The day’s events included tours at Mader Ranches, Czech-Mate Livestock and Hannah Simmentals followed by the AGM and supper.  Mark Shologan has returned to DLMS, the Internet marketing service, to look after day-to-day operations of DLMS purebred sales on a full-time basis. His return also marks the addition of cattlevids.ca home video to the list of services offered by DLMS. He can be reached at 780-699-5082.

 Canadian Angus Foundation award recipients were announced in June.

T h e 2 0 1 5 Rob er t C .

McHaffie Junior Ambassador is Patrick Holland of Montague, P.E.I. The Patrick Holland Dick Turner Scholarship recipient is Allison Speller of Monte Lake, B.C. The Outstanding Young Angus Breeder is Michael Wheeler of Saskatoon. The first Junior Angus Stockman of the Year is Tyler Dietrich of Michael Wheeler Forestburg, Alta.

The Robert C. McHaffie Junior Ambassador program selects one Canadian Junior Angus Association member to be an ambassador for the Canadian Angus Association at events across Canada and one international experience. Four other CJAA members competed for the award: Brooke Bablitz of Cherhill, Alta.; Raina Syrnick of Gilbert Plains, Man.; Micheala Chalmers of Shanty Bay, Ont., and Katie Wright of Melfort, Sask. All the juniors deserve recognition for their impressive efforts in the competition.

The Dick Turner Memorial Award has been awarded annually since 2010 in mem-

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 The fourth annual Canadian Angus Foundation Building the Legacy Sale in June raised more than $162,000 for the Canadian Angus Foundation. Donors contributed 68 lots of Angus semen and embryos, three picks of the herd, artwork and experience packages. The highest-selling item was a pick of the bred heifers from Cudlobe Farms of Stavely, Alta., purchased for $17,000 by Netherton Angus/Highland Wagyu from Scotland.  Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation’s 1st Annual Cattle Industry Golf Classic in June attracted 54 golfers, representing the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canada Beef and the Canadian Beef Breeds Council.

The foundation is a registered charity, created to provide long-term funding for the Canadian Young Leaders program as well as the industry’s current focus on the environment and research. Initial donations have raised $40,000.

Suggestions are always welcome. My phone number is 306-251-0011 Email: mike.millar@ fbcpublishing.com

The Canadian Angus Assoc. board of directors (l to r): Rob Smith (CAA CEO); Ryan Currie (Que.); Shawn Birmingham (Man.); Tracey Willms (Sask.); Dave Johnson (Sask.); Corinne Gibson (Sask.); Trevor Welch (Maritimes); Brett Wildman (Alta.); Bob Hahn (Alta.); Tammi Ribey (Ont.); Doug Reid (Alta.) and David Sibbald (Alta.).

 The Canadian Angus Association announced a new board and executive during its national annual convention in June.

Tammi Ribey of Paisley, Ont., is the new president and David Sibbald of Calgary was elected as president elect with Corrine Gibson of Fur Mountain moving into the past president position. David Johnson and Tracey Willms replaced retiring directors Kevin Blair and Jon Fox from Saskatchewan. The new directors will serve a threeyear term and will be eligible for re-election for a second term.  The Canadian Charolais Association held its 56th annual general meeting in Brandon, Man., where the members elected Brian Coughlin of Cobden, Ont., as their president for 2015-16 along with two new board members, Mike Elder of Coronach, Sask. and Kasey Phillips of Waskatenau, Alta. They replace out-going past president, Wade Beck of Milestone, Sask. and retiring director Dory Gerrard of Innisfail, Alta. The remaining members of the executive are first vice-president, Andre Steppler, Miami, Man.; second vice-president, Rod McLeod, Rocky View County, Alta., and past president, Brent Saunders, Markdale, Ont. The 2014 CCA annual report is posted online at www. charolais.com.  Canadian Charolais hosted the 2015 World Charolais Technical Conference from June 22-30. The tour that started in

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

PURELY PUREBRED

Regina and ended in Calgary was made up of nearly 60 delegates from eight countries besides Canada. The group visited six farms as well as the Ponoka Stampede, the Roy Berg Kinsella Research Farm, Cattleland Feedyards and Banff for a day interspersed with technical and tourist presentations along the way. Out-going Charolais International president Helgi By termed the tour a tremendous success with lots of information exchanged plus a few sales of genetics.  The Canadian Agri-Business Education Foundation (CABEF) has announced six winners of its annual $2,500 scholarships for post-secondary agricultural education. The winners are: Kayleen Holman, Middle Musquodoboit, N.S.; Ariane Bergeron, St-Samuel, Que.; Julie French, Caledon, Ont.; Christopher Manchur, Gilbert Plains, Man.; Morgan Heidecker, Middle Lake, Sask.; Kyle Wheeler, Strathmore, Alta. The foundation encourages students to pursue their passion for agriculture and bring new ideas and talent to the industry. For details email info@cabef.org.  Angus delegates from 22 countries will attend the World Angus Secretariat in Mexico Oct. 12-27 at three different loca-

tions — Chihauha, Durango and Mazatland/Sinaloa. Members of the World Secretariat meet every second year to share information on issues affecting the breed at the national and international level. But there is something for everyone with speakers, youth programs, commercial and cattle exhibits, workshops, ranch tours and an Angus auction. Interested participants can book their travel with Monica Hillis of TierOne Travel, Calgary, 403-203-9266 or monica.hillis@tieronetravel.com.  The Junior Ag regional 4-H show July 3-6 in Saskatoon was the culmination of a long campaign by Wyatt Millar of Grandora, Sask., who grew his hair, and his 4-H steer Paying it Forward to raise funds for the Saskatoon Cancer Centre. His nine-inch hair was cut Friday night in front of thousands of cheering spectators at Marquis Downs racetrack. It went to the Pantene Beautiful Length’s wig program for cancer victims.

On Monday his steer won the 4-H medium weight division and went up for sale that night. Wyatt’s goal was $10,000 for badly needed equipment at the centre. When the bidding was done $30,700 had been raised

Wyatt Millar

by a consortium of 37 Saskatchewan dairy farmers and ag businesses put together by Bryce Fisher of R & F Livestock who immediately donated the steer back to be resold. The second time around Nienhaus Contracting, Cervus Equipment, Saskview Farms and B&N Metal bid $7,000 and donated the steer to the Saskatoon Food Bank. In total $40,000 was raised for cancer. Donations can still be made online at http://donate.saskcancer.ca.

Continued on page 54

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C at t l e m e n · Au g u s t 2 0 1 5

53

PU R E LY PU R E B R E D

Continued from page 53

 In July the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and Alta Exports hosted Russian Ambassador Alexander Darchiev, agricultural counsellor, Sergey Strokov, and first secretary, Artem Tevanyan at the Canada Beef Centre of Excellence in Calgary to discuss the need for Canadian cattle and genetics in Russia and the opportunities that exist to meet that demand.  Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) will host a new bull calf jackpot, the President’s Classic, Nov. 24 in the Chevrolet GMC Stadium. The event will be sponsored by Semex. A panel of three experts will judge bull calves within their breed, culminating in a grand finale featuring the champion of each breed vying for the title. The total payout for the event will exceed $7,500.

This new event mirrors the First Lady Classic, another jackpot event presented

by Merck, where judges select the top yearling heifer at Agribition. Last year the total amount paid out in the First Lady Classic was $7,600. Entries for both events close October 1.

 Ellen Crane of Cardigan, P.E.I. is the first recipient of the Keith Gilmore Prize for Beef Innovation, a $10,000 scholarship to help her in finishing her master’s degree focusing on feed intake in beef cattle. The Keith Gilmore Foundation will award up to two of these scholarships annually to undergraduate and post-graduate youth based on academic excellence and leadership in the beef industry. Since its inception the foundation has given out more than $300,000 in scholarships. For more information visit www.keithgilmorefoundation.com.  Congratulations goes out to Katie Serhienko of Maymont, Sask. for winning the Calgary Stampede Junior Steer Classic show with her steer Vince. Katie’s hard work and dedication paid off with a scholarship worth $10,000 and $5,000 cash. This was the first year for the steer show under a new format moving from an open event to a junior competition. Katie is putting her scholarship to use right away, as she is enrolled in agribusiness at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alta., this fall. Shilo Schaake of Westmoreland, Kansas had the reserve champion steer and ended up with total winnings of $9,000.

The Canadian Texas Longhorn Assoc. board of directors (l to r): Mike Donnelly, Jeff Jespersen, Clinton Bezan, Deb Lesyk, Tanner Allemand standing in for Daryl Allemand and Mark Stewart.

 The Canadian Texas Longhorn Association recently elected a new executive: Clinton Bezan (president), Rimbey, Alta.; Deb Lesyk (vice-president), Outlook, Sask; Mark Stewart (secretary/treasurer), Ponoka, Alta., and directors, Jeff Jespersen, Stony Plain, Alta.; Daryl Allemand, Shaunavon, Sask.; Jeremy Farmer, Quesnel, B.C., and Mike Donnelly, Bowden, Alta. Information on the association and events can be found on its website www.ctlalonghorns.com. c

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54

C a t t l e m e n · A u g u s t 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 Market Su mma ry

By Debbie McMillin

TheMarkets Fed Cattle Fed cattle prices turned seasonally lower in July as the market headed towards its summer low. Fed cattle supplies are still tight, however, packers are currently comfortable with their stock of purchased and captive cattle as the summer meat trade is typically slow this time of year. In the past six weeks of our reporting period fed cattle prices in Alberta declined by $14.39/cwt, from $203.51 to $189.12/cwt. A seasonal decline is expected and the current price is still nearly $28.50/cwt higher than the same week in 2014. For the first time in three months the cash-to-cash basis dipped back to negative levels at -2.81/cwt in late July. That is weaker than previous levels set in 2015 but still nearly $5/cwt stronger than the same week last year.

Retail beef prices are at record highs, according to Statistics Canada, with the May combined cut average price running 17 per cent higher than 2014 despite larger North American supplies of competitively priced pork and poultry.

Cattle on feed in Alberta and Saskatchewan on July 1, at 750,165 head were down six per cent from last year and a similar amount from the 808,165 posted on June 1. Placements during June were up seven per cent year to year, presumably due to cattle being moved directly on to feed rather than out to dry summer pastures.

Smaller on-feed numbers are definitely evident in the total fed slaughter numbers with steer slaughter down seven per cent from a year ago at 658,466 head and heifer slaughter off by 11 per cent at 416,152 head. Fed exports year to date have totalled just 107,459 head, down 47 per cent from last year.

Feeder Cattle Light volumes of feeder cattle in July continued to trade reasonably strong despite uncertainty over fall feeding costs. The 550-lb. calves slipped slightly

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

from the April high of $330.60/cwt to $323 in late July, which is still $80 better than a year ago. Heavy feeder prices generally gain through the summer as buyers start to anticipate the grass yearling market. The 850-lb. steers peaked in June at $258.60/cwt and have since slipped back about $2.50 to $256/cwt.

Compared to a year ago they are still $53.40/cwt ahead. By mid-July the 850lb. feeder cash-to-futures basis had widened back to levels even with last year at -22.28/cwt.

Although the Canadian dollar to date has averaged nearly 12 per cent under the same weeks in 2014, exports of feeder cattle to date are still running about four per cent behind last year at 220,294 head.

Non-Fed Cattle D1,2 cows peaked in mid-April over $150/cwt. Drought conditions since then brought more cows into the ring through June which pressured prices lower. While the U.S. buyers could use more cows the Canadian D1,2 cow market has been at a premium to the U.S. utility cow market for much of 2015 which has limited exports. The D1,2 cow price is currently holding a sideways trading pattern in the mid-$130s.

The mid-July average of $135.90/cwt was more than $20/cwt higher than a year ago. Exports of cows to the U.S. to date are running 26 per cent below last year at just 99,327 head while Canadian cow slaughter is down 15 per cent at 183,209 head to date. Butcher bull prices are strong on very limited trade, averaging $170.18/cwt in mid-July. Bull exports are down four per cent at 37,103 head while domestic slaughter numbers are more than double last year’s total at 4,406 head. c Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

 DEB ’S OUTLOOK Fed Cattle The fed cattle market near term is expected to find summer lows in both Canada and the U.S. Demand for fed cattle generally picks up as summer supplies dwindle heading towards the fourth quarter. Fundamentally, smaller on-feed numbers in 2015 would suggest tight supplies and a solid fed cattle market.

The Canadian dollar is currently almost 18 per cent under a year ago, which puts a solid export floor under this market.

Competition will be fierce at the retail level with ample pork and poultry available at lower prices, however, beef demand has held its own to date.

Feeder Cattle Rains across parts of the Prairies in late July were a welcome sight for producers looking to extend grazing. Pastures have been dry and depending on grass conditions in the next few weeks we may start to see some calves come to town earlier than normal. Light volumes have already traded for forward delivery at good prices. Early calf sales for October delivery were reportedly priced above last year’s average. Looking further out, calf supply during the fall run will be smaller based on the reduced Canadian beef herd. Weather and feed supplies will remain major factors to watch in the coming month as buyers analyze their cost of gain and risk management options heading into the fall run. The lower Canadian dollar should encourage more competition from U.S. buyers holding a stronger dollar and lower cost of gain.

Non-Fed Cattle Grinding and trim meats remain in demand at record retail prices resulting in a stable cull cattle market. Cow numbers will increase in the fall with normal culling but that number could expand as producers take stock of their winter forage and feed supplies. Higher volumes will pressure prices, however, the weak Canadian dollar should keep a solid floor under the cows as U.S. buyers will be hungrily watching our market for opportunities.

More markets 

C a t t l e m e n · a u g u s t 2 0 1 5 55

MARKETS

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers 210

ALBERTA

190

Market Prices 340 310 280

170

250

150

220

130

190

110

160

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

210

ONTARIO

190

140 120

150

100

130

80

110

60

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers 2015 2014

Break-even price for steers on date sold 2015-16 2014

July 2015 prices* Alberta Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $254.21/cwt Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.08/bu.

Barley silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.50/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.87/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114.62/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.52/cwt Break-even (December 2015) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199.37/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $242.55/cwt Corn silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.64/ton Grain corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.83/bu.

Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.27/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104.46/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.01/cwt Break-even (January 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185.41/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

160

170

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Steer Calves (500-600 lb.)

D1,2 Cows Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Ontario

Alberta

2015 2014

2015 2014

Ontario prices based on a 50/50 east/west mix

Market Summary (to July 4, 2015) 2015

2014

Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,213,952. . . . . . . . . . 1,350,143 Average steer carcass weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869 lb.. . . . . . . . . . . . 844 lb.

Total U.S. slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,815,000. . . . . . . . 1 5,921,000

Trade Summary Exports 2015 2014 Fed cattle to U.S. (toJune 27). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104,050.. . . . . . . . . . . 207,612 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to June 27). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219,384.. . . . . . . . . . .227,638 Dressed beef to U.S. (to May). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212.26 mil.lbs.. . . . 200.59 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to May). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280.95 mil.lbs.. . . . 278.05 mil.lbs 2015 IMPORTS 2014 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104.45 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 115.15 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.09 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 27.38 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.82 mil.lbs. . . . . . . .17.45 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to May) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.35 mil.lbs. . . . . . . .19.81 mil.lbs Canadian Grades (to July 11, 2015) % of A grades +59% 54-58% AAA 2 0.8 23.7 AA 2 1.7 9.1 A 1.6 0.2 Prime 0.3 0.6 Total 33.6 44.4

EAST WEST

Total graded 276,661 972,083

Yield – 53% Total 15.6 60.1 2.7 33.5 0.0 1.8 1.2 2.1 19.5 Total A grade 97.5%

Total ungraded 10,209 3,280

% carcass basis 80.4% 88.1% Only federally inspected plants

56

C at t l e m e n · au g u s t 2 0 1 5

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 market ta l k

By Jerry Klassen

Feed Grain Update

I

’ve received many inquiries regarding the feed grain outlook moving into the fall period. In the previous issue, I mentioned that corn and barley markets had potential to move higher if a minor yield problem materialized. Throughout May and June, a large portion of Alberta and Saskatchewan received less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation. At the same time, excessive rains have tempered corn yields in the eastern portion of the U.S. Midwest. Lethbridge-area barley prices have rallied nearly $50/mt from the early-spring lows; December corn futures reached a high of $4.50/bushel in early June after rallying nearly $0.90/bushel. Feeding margins have now come under pressure and feedlot operators are questioning future market direction. Cow-calf operators have seen feeder cattle prices stagnate through the summer given the uncertainty in feed grain prices. Therefore, I will discuss the price outlook moving forward and potential risk management strategies.

Statistics Canada estimated barley acres at 6.5 million on its June survey which was basically the same as the previous April survey.

However Canadian barley production is now estimated at 7.0 million mt which is down from my earlier estimate of 7.9 million mt back in spring. Drier conditions have lowered yield expectations resulting in a sharp decrease in production. Given the lower carryin stocks from the previous crop year, total supplies as of August 1, 2015 are estimated at 8.0 million mt, down from 9.1 million mt on August 1 of 2014. The 2015-16 barley carry-out has potential to dip down to 0.8 million mt, which is historically tight.

Given the lower production, the function of the barley market is to ration demand through higher prices and encourage the use of alternate feed grains. During the 2014-15 crop year, abundant feed wheat supplies tempered the upside in the barley market but it appears that Western Canada will have a high-quality crop this fall.

Therefore, the market needs to encourage the imports of U.S. corn and DDGS. This will cause the domestic barley market to trade at a premium to imported corn or DDGS prices after the harvest period.

The USDA estimated corn acres at 88.9 million on its June survey, which is down from 90.6 million last year and marginally less than the 10-year average of 89.0 million. On the July USDA report, the USDA left the yields unchanged from the trend forecast at 166.8 bushels per acre. However, adverse wet conditions have plagued some major eastern Corn Belt growing areas. Many analysts are forecasting a slightly lower yield and a minor downward revision in harvested area. Without going into detail on demand projections, one can easily justify a 1.3-billion-bushel carry-out, compared to the current USDA estimate of 1.6 billion bushels.

Notice that the 10-year average carry-out is 1.6 billion bushels so the market is going to experience further volatility for the remainder of the growing season. We will inevitably see some harvest pressure but it will also depend on the U.S. export program during the fall period.

At the time of writing this article, the U.S. winter wheat harvest was in the final stages and the world was awash with wheat. Russian and French wheat is trading into Central America and Mexico limiting export movement for Canadian and U.S. wheat into these

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

u.s. corn Supply and demand USDA 10/11

USDA 11/12

USDA 12/13

USDA 13/14

USDA 14/15

10-year average

USDA 15/16

Potential 15/16

Acres seeded

88.2

91.9

97.2

95.4

90.6

89.0

88.9

88.9

Acres harvested

81.4

83.9

87.4

87.7

83.1

81.4

81.1

80.9

Yield (bu./ac.)

152.8

147.2

123.4

158.8

171

152.0

166.8

163

989

821

1,232

1.456.1

1,777

1,422

SUPPLY (million bushels) Opening stocks Aug. 1

1,708

Production

12,447 12,360 10,780

1,128

13,927

14,216

12,366

13,527

13,187

Imports

27

29

162

35

25

34

25

35

TOTAL SUPPLY

14,182

13,516

11,931

14,783

15,473

13,859

15,329

14,644

USE (million bushels) Feed-wastedockage

4,803

4,548

4,335

5,126

5,300

5,226

5,275

5,100

Food seed industrial

6,415

5,867

6,044

6,505

6,546

5,309

6,585

6,585

Ethanol

5,020

5,011

4,648

5,075

5,200

3,993

5,225

5,225

Domestic demand

11,218

10,985 10,379

11,631

11,846

10,592 11,860

11,685

Exports

1,835

1,543

TOTAL USE

13,053 12,528

731

1,920

1,850

1,842

1,875

1,650

11,110

13,551

13,696 12,434

13,735

13,335

TOTAL CARRY-OVER

1,128

989

821

1,232

1,777

1,422

1,594

1,309

Stocks to-USE-Ratio

8.6%

7.9%

7.4%

9.1%

13.0%

11.4%

11.6%

9.8%

destinations. France and Germany have also experienced a drier summer tempering corn and spring barley yields. A few cargoes of South American corn have traded into the eastern U.S. destinations. Australia appears to have adequate moisture and longer term, the focus will be on South American growing conditions.

Western Canadian domestic feed wheat prices are higher than milling wheat in the major feeding regions. The recent rally in corn and adverse dry conditions in Western Canada have caused abnormal world trade flows and domestic consumption behaviour (milling wheat moving into feed channels). This is tempering the upside in the feed grain market for the time being, while the weaker Canadian dollar is supportive.

In conclusion, I feel the barley market will remain firm and has potential upside after the harvest period. The corn market may have some volatility ahead but I feel the downside is limited. This will take the steam out of the feeder cattle market if fed cattle prices don’t offset the strength in feed prices. c Jerry Klassen manages the Canadian office of Swiss based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Produits Ltd., and is president and founder of Resilient Capital specializing in proprietary commodity futures trading and market analysis. He owns farmland in Manitoba and Saskatchewan but grew up on a mixed farm feedlot operation in southern Alberta.

He can be reached at 204-504-8339.

C a t t l e m e n · A u g u s t 2 0 1 5 57

 GOINGS ON

Sales&Events  ADVERTI SE R I ND EX Page Advanced Agri-Direct 33 Advancing Women 22 Ag for Life 19 AgriClear Ltd. 9 51 Airdrie Trailers Alberta Beef Producers 45 Boehringer Ingelheim 35 Bow Slope Shipping Assoc.

48 Buhler Industries Inc. 27 48 Calgary Stockyards Ltd. Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 21 Canadian Angus Assoc.

50 Canadian Charolais Assoc.

OBC Canadian Forage & Grassland Assoc.

23 50 Canadian Gelbvieh Assoc.

Canadian Hereford Assoc.

IFC Canadian Limousin Assoc.

50 Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society 50 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc.

47 50 Canadian Simmental Assoc.

Canadian Western Agribition 25 Case-IH 5 Cattlemen’s Financial Corp.

51 Foothills Auctioneers Inc. 48 IBC Ford Motor Company Canada Gilbrea Consulting Ltd. 50 Grunthal Livestock Auction 48 Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch Equipment 51 Hub International Equipment Ltd. 39 50 International Stock Foods Livestock Markets Assoc.

46 Manitoba Livestock Cash 48 Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. 48 Meadow Lake Stockyards 48 13 Merck Animal Health Nester Livestock 11 Northlands Farmfair International 37 Olds Auction Mart 48 Ontario Livestock Exchange 48 Perlich Bros. Auction Market Ltd. 48 49 Picture Butte Auction Market Rocky Mountain Dealership Inc. 43 Royal Bank of Canada – RBC 7 Salers Assoc. of Canada 50 Southern Alberta Livestock 49 Stettler Auction Mart (1971) 49 15 Vermeer Corporation Viking Auction Market Ltd. 49 44 Vold, Jones & Vold Auction Winnipeg Livestock Sales Ltd. 49 Zoetis Animal Health A1-A16

 Event listings are a free service to industry.  Sale listings are for our advertisers.

Your contact is Mike Millar at 306-251-0011 or mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com

58

C at t l e m e n · au g u s t 2 0 1 5

Events August

12-15 C anadian Cattlemen’s Association Semi-Annual Meeting, Winnipeg, Man.

September

1 Holistic Management workshop, SG&R Farms, Rapid City, Man.

October

5-6 Advancing Women in Agriculture — Life Skills for Leadership, Westin Harbour Castle,Toronto, Ont. 9 Holistic Management workshop, Richards and Family Farm and Livestock, Bangor, Sask.

9 Expo Boeuf, Victoriaville, Que. 28-29 AFAC Crises Communication Forum, Calgary, Alta.

29-31 Manitoba Livestock Expo, Brandon, Man.

January 2016 14-16 Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners Conference, Sheraton Cavalier Hotel, Calgary, Alta.

July

17-22 International Rangeland Congress, Saskatoon, Sask.

August

21-28 International Limousin Congress, Ireland c

STAMPEDE

By Jerry Palen

November

5-8 Lloydminster Stockade Roundup, Lloydminster, Sask.

6-15 Royal Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont. 10-15 Farmfair International, Edmonton, Alta.

17-19 Canadian Forage & Grassland Association Convention, Saskatoon, Sask.

18-19 Ontario Association of Bovine, Practitioners Fall Meeting, Holiday Inn, Guelph, Ont. 23-28 Canadian Western Agribition, Regina, Sask.

“Gas, bloat, in my book it’s all the same.”

The 2014-15 Canadian Charolais Assoc. board (l to r): Darwin Rosso, Sask.; Brent Saunders, Ont.; Travis Foot, Alta.; Andre Steppler, Man.; Mike Elder, Sask.; Brian Coughlin, Ont.; Ricky Milton, Maritimes; Mel Reekie (general manager, CCA); Bernard Begin, Que. Not pictured: Rod McLeod, Alta.; Kasey Phillips, Alta.

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MAKE LIGHT WORK OF EVERY TOW. WITH ITS BEST-IN-CLASS TOWING* AND DIESEL HORSEPOWER,** AND 860 LB.-FT. OF STANDARD DIESEL TORQUE, SUPER DUTY MAKES EVEN THE TOUGHEST JOBS SEEM EASY. NO WONDER F-SERIES IS CANADA’S BEST-SELLING WORK TRUCK 49 YEARS STRAIGHT,† AND THE TRUCK CANADIANS TRUST TO GET THE JOB DONE. BEST-IN-CLASS: 31,200 LBS. TOWING *| 440 HORSEPOWER ** | FUEL EFFICIENCY ‡

FORD.CA

Vehicle may be shown with optional features. *With F-450, when properly equipp equipped. Class is Full-Size Pickups over 8,500 lbs. GVWR vs 2015 competitors. **440 HP with 6.7L V8 Diesel. Class is Full-Size pickups over 8,500 lbs. GVWR vs 2015 competitors. †F-Series is the best-selling pickup truck in Canada for 49 years in a row based on C Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association statistical sales report up to 2014 year end and YTD May 2015. ^860 LB.-FT. of torque with 6.7L V8 Diesel. Class is Full-Size pickups over 8,500 lbs. GVWR vs 2015 competitors. ‡The 2016 Super Duty with 6.7L Power Stroke diesel has best-in-class fuel consumption. Class is Full-Size Pickups over 3 856 kg (8 500 lbs) GVWR. Diesel fuel efficiency claim based on Ford -simulated city-suburban drive-cycle tests of comparably equipped 2016 Ford and 2015 competitive models, consistent with SAE Standard J1321. Actual fuel consumption will vary. ©2015 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

Based on the Vincentric 2015 Canadian Fleet awards analysis, Full-Size Heavy Duty ¾-Ton Pickup and Full-Size Heavy Duty 1-Ton Pickup segments and the F-250 Super Duty XL Reg Cab 2WD and F-350 Super Duty XL Reg Cab SRW 2WD.

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Auction markets are looking for your calves this fall!

“We have been using Charolais bulls for more than 30 years. Those calves have never disappointed us.

They are always big at weaning, and once they hit the feedyards, they never miss a beat with true gainability.�

Dwayne & Kelly Panylyk Panylyk Farms Ltd.

Panylyk Farms won both the Champion Pens of 5 and 10 at the North Central Livestock Exchange Select Replacement Heifer Show this March in Clyde, Alberta.

2320 41st Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6W8 Phone: 403.250.9242 I Fax: 403.291.9324

WWW.CHAROLAIS.COM Check out our website and social media for upcoming events and news!

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@canCharolais