Canadian cattlemen

RANCHING FOR BEEF AND SPECIES AT RISK 路 FORAGE & GRASSLAND GUIDE

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DAN DARLING

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Contents canadian cattlemen · March 2016 · Volume 79, No. 3

 FO R AG ES

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Dan darling heads up the cca 32 G ET T I NG STA RT E D

FEATURES Ranching for beef and species at risk. . . . 12 Going national with verified sustainable beef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

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Finding inspiration from within the farm community. . . . . . . 24

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Richardson Ranch at the end of the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Finding inspiration from within the farm community

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 seedstoc k

Verified Beef Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Storage and care of vaccines. . . . . . . . . . . 46

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Dan Darling heads up the CCA. . . . . . . . . . 32

Richardson Ranch 28 at the end of the world

Congratulations!

To our March survey winner, Ted Cormier of York, P.E.I. This month’s survey is on page 74.

Cover photo: Supplied by the Darling family

Comment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Newsmakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Our History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Vet Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Free Market Reflections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Holistic Ranching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Research on the Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Straight from the Hip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 CCA Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 News Roundup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Purely Purebred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 The Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Market Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Sales and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

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 COMMENT

By Gren Winslow

Here’s to those who stand up

B

arring an unforeseen event, this issue should reach your mailbox right about the time Dan Darling of Castleton, Ont. is being elected president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), a position he’s been training for since he accepted the role of vice-president two years ago.

In so doing he joins a long line of ranchers, feedlot operators and mixed farmers who willingly stood up to represent the Canadian cattle industry when their turn came.

Each one of these men would tell you some sacrifice was involved in terms of time spent away from home, and extra chores for their families. In Dan’s case the extra load falls to his wife Mary, his three daughters and his brother.

Each, I suspect, would also tell you it was worth the cost for they’ve had a hand in setting new directions for the industry. Each faced a range of issues, some like the discovery of BSE or the implementation of country-of-origin labelling (COOL) were more serious than others. But none had what you would call a free ride during their tenures.

Dan’s will be no less taxing I’m sure, since he moves to the head of the CCA as the industry is facing something of a crossroads.

Despite a couple of years of unprecedented prices the Canadian industry still remains cautious about expansion. That’s understandable after 13 years of dealing with BSE and the trade-distorting country-of-origin labelling legislation but this industry cannot grow without an increase in the cow herd.

We have seen small shifts in that direction as noted by analyst Charlie Gracey in our February issue, but as I write this no more than a modest change was expected from the January 1 inventory report due out March 4.

At the same time, the U.S. cow herd rose by four per cent, the second increase in two years, with more heifers in the pipeline.

While any increase in the Canadian herd will be a plus it will still leave us lagging behind the U.S. The implications of this situation will be something the CCA and entire industry will have to grapple with if they hope to meet the competitive goals set in the new National Beef Strategy.

Brian Perillat, the senior analyst with Canfax notes our federally inspected slaughter in 2015 was just under 2.5 million head, the smallest since 1994, and fourth smallest in the last 50 years.

As a result our packers operated last year at an average 76 per cent of capacity, the lowest level since 2008. If utilization rates don’t improve, he fears we could risk losing another plant.

This is a disappointing number, particularly since exports of live cattle were down across the board last year.

To get back to 80 per cent utilization Perillat says plants need to process another 150,000 head. If they were count-

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ing on lower exports to fill that supply the first month of 2016 raised some doubts as nearly 22,000 slaughter steer and heifers went south as of February 6, an increase of 77 per cent over last year. Canadian slaughter rates broached 40,000 per week only once over the same period.

Short term the basis might yet send more cattle into Canadian plants but long term, Perillat says, more cattle will be needed to maintain a healthy packing sector.

More cattle require more markets so it’s not surprising Darling expects trade issues will remain a major point of discussion around the CCA board table over the next two years.

Thankfully COOL has been rescinded in the U.S. so the one issue that consumed much of the CCA’s time and treasure over more than a decade has finally been put to rest.

The OIE clock on BSE in Canada has been reset but after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency finally filed its report on Case 19, shipments resumed to South Korea.

I t says something about the beef business when so many capable people stand up and volunteer their time to preserve it Surely the biggest news on this file was China’s sudden appetite for Canadian beef. In one year sales jumped to 32,869 tonnes from 6,800 the year before, adding $255 million to industry coffers compared to $40 million in 2014.

Some of that may have come from shipments that previously went to Hong Kong since sales to the gateway port dropped from $201 million in 2014 to $88 million in 2015.

Either way it appears Canada Beef ’s emphasis on China has more than paid off.

No European country rated in our top 16 client list so it is still to be seen what impact the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will have on our beef exports. Technical discussions are still ongoing for several sectors.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership seems to hold out more immediate benefit but it too may be on a slow boat to ratification now that Trade Minister Freeland has signed the accord.

Of course there will be many more issues to keep Dan and his fellow directors busy in the coming year.

You know, it says something about the beef business when so many capable people stand up and volunteer their time to preserve it. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

WITHIN RANGE. THE LATEST BREAKTHROUGH IN PARASITE CONTROL IS COMING THIS SPRING.

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 THE INDUST RY

NewsMakers Ryan Beierbach of Whitewood is the new chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association; Rick Toney of Gull Lake is vice-chair.

New to the board is Sask­ atchewan Cattle Feeders Ryan Beierbach Association (SCFA) representative Chad Ross of Estevan, replacing outgoing chair Bill Jameson. Brad Welter returns as the other SCFA rep, as do Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association representatives Lloyd Rick Toney Thompson and Harold Martens. All district directors up for election were returned by acclamation at fall meetings.

Duane Thompson of Kelliher was elected for a one-year term. Pat Hayes of Val Marie and Reg Schellenberg of Beechy continue to represent Saskatchewan on the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association board.

The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association elected Martin Zuidhof of Lacombe as chair and Ryan Kasko of Coaldale as vice chair at its January annual general meeting in Lethbridge.

Martin Zuidhof Page Stuart of Vegreville becomes past chair. Kasko, John Schooten of Diamond City, and Keith Ypma of Taber were returned to twoyear terms. The board welcomed four new directors: Jake Bueckert of Warner, Ryan Kasko Greg Schmidt of Barrhead, James Bekkering of Taber, and Jeff Smith of Taber. Directors with a year remaining in their terms are Craig Paskal of Picture Butte; Leighton Kolk, Iron Springs; Jason Hagel, Swalwell and John Lawton, Niton Junction.

Dr. John McKinnon, the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Research Chair at the University of Saskatchewan and a regular columnist to this publication, was awarded the 2015 CanaDr. John McKinnon dian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation at the recent Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference is Saskatoon. His research program has advanced the use of wet dis-

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tiller’s byproducts for feedlot cattle, grain screenings for growing cattle, real-time ultrasound for predicting carcass quality, the impact of the environment on cattle performance in Western Canada and the use of high-lipid feeds for growing and finishing rations.

Killarney-area beef and forage producer Dave Koslowsky is the new chair of the Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association (MFGA) replacing longtime chair Jim Dave Koslowsky Lintott. Koslowsky and his wife Rhonda run a 1,720-acre mixed farm outside of Killarney that includes a herd of 120 cows. He is also a director of the Manitoba Beef Producers. Also named to the board are Ryan Boyd of Forrest, Larry Wegner of Virden and Henry Nelson of Winnipeg.

Ryan and Sarah Boyd and Ryan’s parents, Jim and Joanne, of SG&R Farms north of Forrest, are this year’s recipients of Manitoba’s environmental stewardship award Ryan Boyd presented by Manitoba Beef Producers. The Boyds farm 1,400 acres of perennial pasture, 2,000 acres of crop and 300 cows.

The cattle rotate through a planned grazing system that starts with stockpiled Sarah Boyd forages in early April and ends with standing corn in late December.

High stock densities with frequent moves trample forage residues to help maintain a litter cover that protects soil from erosion.

Dr. Cecilia (Cec) Ruschkowski from Oyen, Alta. is this year’s recipient of the Boehringer Ingelheim WCABP Veterinarian of the Year award. She has operated the Oyen Veterinary Services clinic since she graduated from vet school in 1984.

Last fall Oyen Veterinarian Services was presented with the Merial Student Rotation Award from the University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine. This award is voted on by the students and given to the clinic that has offered the best learning environment in their fourth-year rotation.

Recipients of the 2016 Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference Scholarships totalling $1,500 for students in third- or fourth-year studies in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine or the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan are Kristelle Harper, in her fourth year of animal science, and Cordell Young, in his third year of veterinary medicine.

Heinz Reimer of Steinbach was returned for his third year as president of Manitoba Beef Producers during the February annual general meeting at Brandon.

Reimer was acclaimed to Heinz Reimer his third two-year term representing District 4, as were all of the district representatives whose terms had expired, with the exception of Theresa Zuk, who completed her six-year term limit and was replaced in District 10 by Ken McKay. Serving with Reimer on the 2016 executive are vice-president Ramona Blyth of MacGregor, second-vice Tom Teichroeb of Langruth, secretary Ben Fox of Dauphin, and Peter Penner of Winkler replaces Zuk of Arborg as treasurer.

Graeme Hedley, the former executive director of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), now Beef Farmers of Ontario, will be inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in June. During his 31 years with the OCA Hedley helped develop electronic sales for beef cattle, the Toronto Stockyards Land Development Fund that provides funds to provincial livestock organizations and find ways for the industry to address consumer concerns about animal welfare and environmental safety.

Feedlot operators Shane and Kristin Scho­oten of Diamond City, Alta., were named the 2016 Outstanding Young FarmShane and Kristin Schooten ers (OYF) for the Alberta and Northwest Territories Region on February 5. The couple works alongside Shane’s family operating Schooten & Sons Custom Feedyard Ltd., consisting of four feed yards, a cow-calf herd and cropland, along with managing a separate trucking and custom silaging company. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 our histo ry

Retirement of Wilbur McKenzie

By C.F. Steele, Lethbridge, Alta.

From the March 1947 Canadian Cattlemen

W

.C. Wilbur McKenzie, managing director of the Alberta Co-op Association, resigned his position with the Lethbridge organization and will retire the first of April.

Mr. McKenzie, one of the best-known livestock-marketing men in the West, will look after his personal interests in the city and district and will continue to live in Lethbridge. He plans to take things easier but eventually may buy some grassland in the foothills of the Rockies where he could graze a bunch of “Whitefaces,” which, he says, are “always nice to look at.”

It was back in 1923 that three locals of the U.F.A. in the Lethbridge district set up a provisional marketing board for the selling of alfalfa hay for the members of the association projected. Wilbur McKen­zie became the chairman and the Rev. Normal Priestley, later prominent in the Central U.F.A., and now of Calgary, became the secretary.

A charter was obtained in 1924 and a permanent board set up. An office was organized in Lethbridge with Mr. McKenzie made managing director, a job he has held for 23 years. The association has specialized in handling livestock and general farm supplies, and is today one of the largest and most prosperous co-operative marketing units in the West. For 10 years Wilbur served on the directors’ board of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, which body he helped to organize. He was chairman

of the Alberta Livestock Marketing Board from 1934 to 1936.

The retirement of Mr. McKenzie recalls some of the important phases of the livestock business in southern Alberta. In the early ’20s there was no livestock feeding in the district. Irrigation farmers were growing large surpluses of alfalfa hay, which was baled and shipped by rail to distant markets. In those years the co-operative handled around 15,000 tons of hay for its members annually. This was often a difficult task as there always seemed more hay than markets.

About this time they launched a livestock-feeding project, the idea being to market the alfalfa through livestock. And so the livestock-feeding industry was born.

During the Depression years with the U.S. outlet closed to Canadian beef production, the co-operative turned to Britain and thousands of head of cattle were exported to the United Kingdom. At times an entire boat would be chartered to move the stock.

In 1933 Wilbur shipped a trainload of baby beef to Great Britain, this being the first Canadian baby beef to reach that market. These young choice cattle were from the McIntyre, Ross, McHugh and other well-known ranches and were well received in the Old Country.

One of the highlights of Wilbur’s experience in exporting beef to England was one day late in ’34. His office telephone rang and on answering he was surprised to learn that “London was calling.” It was

William Brown of Brown Abattoirs, Ltd. of Manchester and he said he was ready to cable 15,000 pounds ($60,000 at that time) to buy cattle to be put on feed in the southern Alberta feedlots, the lot to be sent to Brown’s company in the spring, “Our feedlots were all filled at the time,” said Mr. McKenzie and he admitted he didn’t know who he could get to do the feeding.

“However, not to be beaten and lose that much dough, I told him to cable the money and that we would buy and feed the cattle. I heard about some surplus hay in the Red Deer and Lacombe district and I went up there and secured 20 feeders to feed 50 cattle and when spring came Mr. Brown, being a director of the Manchester Lines, chartered two of the company’s boats which sailed with the cattle from Montreal, thus completing an important deal for the co-operative.

“A Ross ranch steer topped the British market one day as this shipment was being sold,” said Mr. McKenzie.

While Wilbur McKenzie has had considerable experience in the export trade to Britain, he holds that the U.S. market is the natural outlet for Canadian cattle and thinks that market should be open now.

The successor to Mr. McKenzie has not been named. c For more of the past from pages of our magazine see the History section at www.canadiancattlemen.ca.

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 environ m e n t

By Debbie Furber

Ranching for Beef and Species at Risk

T

he expansiveness of the native prairie landscape in southern Saskatchewan is in reality an illusion because at tops it’s only 21 per cent of the original grassland area at the time of settlement. Generations of ranching families have conserved vast tracts of native grasslands that may have otherwise been turned over to crops or lost to industrial development in this resourcerich region of the province. To this day, the ranches provide a safe haven for wildlife, some of which in recent years have been designated by Environment Canada as threatened, endangered or atrisk species.

A relatively small area in the Milk River watershed of the far southwest, known as South of the Divide (SOD), is unique in that more than 50 per cent is native grassland and more than 75 per cent is perennial cover. The divide runs in an arc from east of Cypress Hills Provincial Park over to Grasslands National Park at the U.S. border, taking in communities such as Val Marie, Eastend

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and Consul. Water south of the divide runs into tributaries joining the Milk River in Montana that flows into other river systems eventually emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

The SOD region is considered by many to be the last area of refuge for some species at risk because of the amount of habitat remaining. Several of the area’s ranch families have been co-operating with government agencies on test runs to evaluate the potential of results-based conservation agreements. This type of agreement rewards producers for taking steps beyond their normal good-stewardship practices to maintain or create habitat for threatened, endangered and at-risk species, 13 of which are identified in the draft SOD multi-species action plan, initiated in 2007

by Environment Canada, Parks Canada and Saskatchewan Environment.

Four ranching families are embarking on a new two-year results-based pilot administered by South of the Divide Conservation Action Plan Inc. (SODCAP Inc.).

These projects focus on Greater sage-grouse

(GSG) habitat located in an area south of Fir Mountain and just east of Grasslands National Park where the majority of GSG sightings occurred last year.

This area is also affected by the federal GSG emergency protection order issued in December 2013. The restrictions don’t apply to private land, but ranchers, biologists and governments realize that working ranches play a very important role in habitat preservation.

SODCAP Inc. was established in fall 2014 to promote and carry out projects related to the draft SOD action plan, a collaborative approach across a working landscape.

The board includes representatives from the beef industry (Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc.), the energy sector (SaskPower, Crescent Point Energy), the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities as well as a provincial-federal ministry of environment appointee without voting rights.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

environment

Results-based conservation agreements

Results-based agreements describe the habitat needs of species of interest and specify expected results. The producer gets paid if habitat targets are met. All of the details are written into the contract between SODCAP Inc. and the rancher. SODCAP conducts annual inspections following recognized scientific methodologies and issues the payment. Current funding for results-based programming is drawn from Environment Canada for GSG projects and from the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Development Fund (the provincial checkoff administered by the SCA) for broader projects.

“What’s really important is that resultsbased agreements leave the decision-making in the hands of producers because each producer is unique and every operation is different,” says SODCAP executive director Tom Harrison. “The agreements recognize that management is over and above taking care of livestock needs, such as good grass and good range health, that the producer is working toward something more than livestock, and that there is more cost to meet the objective.”

Price discovery is another aspect of this pilot. In essence, Harrison says, producers are learning to market their ability to produce habitat for species at risk.

Fencing, water development or hiring riders to move cattle for grazing management are some of the strategies producers might use to meet their goal, but there’s nothing in the contract that dictates when, where or how a rancher must manage for habitat. If habitat targets fall short of the expected target, no payment is issued for that year, but the rancher is free to make whatever adjustments are needed to meet the targets by the time the next inspection rolls around. SODCAP’s rangeland agrologists are always available to discuss alternate strategies and offer advice.

“The habitat targets are based on the best science-based information reflective of southern Saskatchewan,” says SODCAP agrologist and rancher Kelly Williamson of Pambrun, Sask., who negotiated the contracts for the current project.

The background studies on results-based conservation programming and establishing habitat requirements and recovery action plans for each species has been led by Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc. (Canadian Cattlemen, Fee-for-Service Conservation, August 2014).

Biologists from Parks Canada, Environwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

ment Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment are also drawn into the process, along with pertinent range and grassland information collected

by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and the Saskatchewan Research Council. Then workshops are held to discuss the feasibility of the targets. So far, habitat targets have been established for GSG, Loggerhead shrike, Sprague’s pipit and Swift fox. Others are still in development.

Williamson says the agreements allow for adjustments to habitat targets as new research identifies the need for a change. For instance, most U.S. research was carried out on big sagebrush pastures whereas, less is known about how species react to silver sagebrush which is most common in Canadian grasslands. Anecdotal information, such as a producer observing species in habitat that is different from what the science says it likes, can also be taken into consideration.

esults-based R agreements leave the decision-making in the hands of producers

“The beauty of (result-based agreements) is that it’s not prescriptive. There are lots of opportunities for producers to achieve the target, whereas past programs paid for specific activities, such as seeding native grass or fencing cattle out of areas,” he says. “Maybe it’s not the best fit for everything, but if you want to produce certain habitats, it really strives to achieve that. Our hope is that this style of agreement will be recognized by the federal government as providing ‘effective protection’ under the Species-at-Risk Act.” At the ranch

Miles Anderson of Fir Mountain and Orin Balas of Ponteix are among several ranchers in the southwest who have been involved with other grasslands conservation initiatives and co-operated on results-based programming projects with government agencies in recent years.

Balas says his interest in conserving habitat for Sprague’s pipit started by chance quite

a few years ago when someone pointed to the birds flying high overhead filling up on insects. There didn’t seem to be much information about the pipit at the time and habitat requirements certainly weren’t cut and dried, but local specialists were able to help him with a plan.

This robin-sized songbird is fairly common on open native prairie. It rarely nests in tame forage stands, so conserving contiguous tracts of native prairie is the first step. These birds require litter and standing residue for nesting as well as medium grass height during the growing season to the end of July for protection from predators.

“For me, it meant leaving litter a little more abundant than what many might manage for and trying to exclude cattle from certain areas until late fall and winter,” Balas says. “On the ranching side, it gives me some late-season grazing. Maybe part of the reason for wanting to extend the grazing season is because we pushed back calving from March/April to May/June.”

Instead of fencing cattle out of an important area for pipit habitat, he fences off the water supply to discourage cattle from grazing there in summer. It’s quite a hike up the hills to get to the area so once they go down for water they’re not likely to head back up that fast.

“This is effective for me, but somebody else might do something different, depending on the operation. With results-based programs you can manage habitat around what you normally do,” Balas explains.

Managing grass for pipit habitat also steered him toward year-round grazing. The bonus is that he hasn’t fed a bale for three years. The calves are sold in late fall and the cows winter on stockpiled grass and proteinmineral tubs, supplemented with grain if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Anderson hasn’t had to change much because GSG happen to like the way his family has managed the native range through the generations. It’s so agreeable that birds radio-collared in 2009 for a U.S. research project returned to the ranch year after year. Sometimes, when winters are mild, they don’t leave.

He has co-operated on many GSG studies with agencies on both sides of the border, not only because of the ranch’s location, but because of his interest in conserving habitat for this chicken that has been running on the range for as long as the family has been there.

Continued on page 16

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Continued from page 13

“It’s just the right thing to do,” Anderson says. “Scientists know the details, but ranchers and farmers are big-picture players.

They know the land and if they know what’s needed they can make it happen. We can work well together because the result everyone wants is to make the habitat right and hopefully the grouse will find it right, too.”

GSG are docile birds that can tip the scale at seven pounds as adults. You’d think they’d be easy to spot, but not so, Anderson says.

They come by their name honestly because they look like sagebrush and smell like sagebrush from eating it. They rely on forbs and insects for food because they don’t have gizzards to digest seeds. Oftentimes, the only way to find them is to follow their sounds to the breeding grounds (leks) at nighttime or early morning during mating season.

“What they are good at is raising little ones, so the goal is to give them places to raise as many chicks as they can. We want the habitat as good as we can get it for nesting and brood rearing,” he explains.

Anderson figures as good as it gets for

Rancher Miles Anderson wants to determine why Greater sage-grouse always return to his ranch.

this grouse is a patchwork of grazed and ungrazed areas created by using slow rotations across the range. This provides a balance of the two habitat types the birds need in summer: patches of lightly grazed cover for nesting and nearby patches of heaviergrazed areas where the young chicks can

find the wildflowers and insects they feed on. He’s noticed chick food is more abundant in heavier-grazed patches and actively manages his cattle to maintain this patchwork environment.

Once the cattle have created a suitable patchwork pattern, he moves them on. Nat-

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ural features rather than fences separate his pastures and he spends three or four days riding with the herd after each move until they settle in. Environment Canada provides funding to offset some of Anderson’s costs to create this patchwork habitat and hire people to monitor the benefits.

“We are trying to find out what makes the birds want to be here. If they are in certain areas, then we can assume the habitat is right. If they’re not there, we look for what could be different. We know they need sage and grass, but could it be something else, like not enough insects, forbs or too many predators in other places? Other ranches that don’t have the birds now have the right things going on, so maybe it’s just a matter of waiting for the birds to repopulate.”

Aside from the usual predators, West Nile virus and prairie wildfires that destroyed vast expanses of habitat in the U.S. have become major threats to the bird’s survival in recent years.

On Anderson’s ranch, the birds are largely concentrated in a six-mile strip of sagebrush flats that is part of the traditional cow breeding pasture, which is only grazed from July through August. This seems to suit the GSG cycle of nesting and rearing chicks — leaving for the summer and returning later to teach the juveniles how to survive before dispersing for winter.

“My goal isn’t just to grow lots of grass for cows. I want to have biodiversity and part of the reason the chickens are there is because of biodiversity,” Anderson says.

“The cows are a tool to create habitat and by tweaking management I can make it better for something other than cows.”

He is encouraged by the co-operation that has led to a contract with the neighbouring Grasslands National Park for fall grazing to try to encourage greater biodiversity. The biggest issue in the two years so far has been keeping the cows on the park side of the fence because they don’t like the old, stale grass.

Second to that, the grass is so powerful that it comes back as strong as ever after grazing, so he can say the grass has improved, but creating biodiversity will take time.

The question is always whether providing for one species will take away from another.

In his experience, it might on a small patch, but not across the range, the reason being that the grassland isn’t a single ecosystem. It’s a patchwork of small ecosystems because of varying conditions of soil type, moisture, and slopes.

“Everything has a spot it likes. If you do something drastic to a spot, it will affect what likes to live there, plant or animal,” he www.canadiancattlemen.ca

explains. “The birds are here, so it’s just little done, finances and time to make a comsteps as we learn what’s right and wrong mitment,” Balas says. “This is about what a because we don’t want to do something rancher thinks he can do, not what somedrastic that would take them out.” body says has to be done. There’s no stress Anderson and Balas agree that resultsbecause you’re not penalized if you don’t based conservation programming could be meet the requirements. If you try someapplied to other ecological goods and services thing and it doesn’t work, then you add elsewhere, and that it may be more successful something else. Take little steps, one thing at engaging producers and achieving results at a time and eventually you will get there.” faster than some of the original programming.

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 Sustaina b i l i ty

By Debbie Furber

Going National with Verified Sustainable Beef

A

s McDonald’s verified sustainable beef pilot heads to the finish line this April, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) is stepping out with initiatives that have been in the works since it was formally established in early 2014. Anticipate hearing lots more from this group in the months ahead with the national verified sustainable beef framework and the national beef sustainability assessment projects on track to be finalized by the end of the year.

Producers have been well represented at the CRSB through memberships of provincial cattle associations from British Columbia through Ontario as well as the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and a multitude of national industry organizations. Other members represent processors, retailers, food service, financial agencies, animal health and supply companies, government, NGOs, and conservation groups. From a handful of potential members when the roundtable was first discussed in 2013, membership has grown to 44 organizations with another 40 observers — largely scientific advisors and youth delegates.

Now it’s your opportunity to participate in the process with the opening of the 60-day public consultation on the CRSB’s draft sustainability indicators for primary production on February 9. The document is posted on the CRSB website at crsb.ca.

The Canadian stabilization initiative has advanced rapidly since November 2014, when the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) released its global definition of sustainable beef as, “a socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable product that prioritizes planet, people, animals and progress.” As members of the GRSB, the Canadian roundtable and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association had a hand in setting that definition.

The role of the CRSB is to fit those global principles to the realities of the Canadian beef industry, in part by developing a framework for producing and sourcing verified sustainable beef in Canada.

The first step in this process was to develop production indicators that will need to be measured on the farm, ranch or feedlot, explains CRSB community engagement manager Monica Hadarits. The first draft of indicators for cow-calf and feeder operations were released last month. Indicators for processors and fabricators will follow once they are sorted out.

These indicators are anchored by research, address important elements of sustainability, and are outcome-based. So instead of dictating specific practices, an indicator states an expectation and it is for producers to decide how to achieve it. In this way, they remain achievable no matter where you live.

The final list of indicators was whittled down by CRSB special committee that was set the take last July lead by Tim Hardman with the World Wildlife Fund, and Page Stuart of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association.

CRSB chair Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, a rancher from Jumping Pound, Alta., was amazed at how quickly they reached consensus on the beef indicators. A similar process is going on for other commodities.

“The roundtable does have an advantage when it comes to reaching consensus because we are all sitting on something new. Everyone is trying to figure out how to contribute and wants to be involved,” she says.

“We follow an established and globally accepted platform with

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Alberta rancher Cherie Copithorne-Barnes heads up this national project.

public consultations to ensure validity and instill confidence in producers and consumers. It does take more time, but at the end of the day when the product is rolled out, there will be no surprises.

All stakeholders will have had opportunity for input into the process. Everyone may not agree 100 per cent with everything, but can agree that what we are producing is a solid first step,” she explains.

CRSB members gave their feedback first, before the draft was released for public comment. Likewise, comments from the 60-day public consultation will be reviewed and considered for the second draft that will be subject to public comment for a further 30 days starting in May. The final version will be submitted to the CRSB council for approval and the Global Roundtable for endorsement. Plans call for them to be reviewed again every five years.

In the meantime, a CRSB verification committee, formed in November, must determine how actions taken to satisfy the indicators will be measured at the farm, ranch and feedlot.

This 24-member committee chaired by Emily Murray of Cargill, and Ross Ingram of Loblaw, are working with subject matter experts on verification protocols, and chain of custody requirements. Their work will also be subject to feedback from CRSB members and the community at large.

We already know that they will encourage the use of existing programs such as Verified Beef Production and Environmental Farm Plans to verify progress.

“It could be that we are 99 per cent of the way there and won’t need to add much more. We want to be complementing what we Continued on page 20

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Continued from page 18

Participation in the national verified sustainable beef program is totally voluntary Monica Hadarits CRSB community engagement

already have to create a system that’s also acceptable to others outside of production,” notes Copithorne-Barnes.

Answers to outstanding questions, such as who will oversee and carry out the verifications, who will pay if there is a cost, will start to show up over the next three to four months as the process plays out.

The CRSB will oversee several projects to test the indicators and verification procedures before finalizing a national framework.

It’s fair to say that both committees were given a hearty hand up by McDonald’s Canada which has been conducting its own verified sustainable beef project for some months now. Hadarits says the CRSB has drawn on the knowledge and sources coming out of that project in developing its national indicators and verification protocols, which McDonald’s will adopt when the pilot ends.

Participation in the national verified sustainable beef program is totally voluntary.

Beyond creating a verifiable mechanism for the industry to use, Copithorne-Barnes says the roundtable’s goal is to teach and

inform. Toward that end, all of the indicators and verification protocols will be readily available so that producers can jump right in to become verified, ease into it, or adopt all or part of it for self-assessment and continuous improvement. As producers become familiar with the program they will come to understand why they are using it because of the inherent economic incentive of doing a good job.

Benchmarking sustainability

January’s sneak preview of encouraging results from the environmental life cycle assessment for primary beef production is an early milestone in the national beef sustainability assessment project.

Clearly, Canadian beef producers aren’t starting from square one when it comes to responsibly managing resources considering the significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and resource requirements from 1981 to 2011 reported in the study by researchers at the University of Manitoba, Agriculture Canada Lethbridge, and Environment Canada, and funded by the Beef

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Science Research Cluster. It will provide historical information and background for the CRSB’s environmental life cycle assessment, which is part of the overall national beef sustainability assessment.

The project will characterize 2013 as the starting point against which ongoing environmental, social and economic improvements throughout the entire beef value chain can be measured. The steering committee will establish a set of key performance indicators that identify what needs to be measured and the method for benchmarking progress on a national scale.

The CRSB commissioned Deloitte Canada to complete the environmental and social life cycle assessments in collaboration with stakeholders. Canfax Research Services completed the economic assessment.

The economic assessment has already been reviewed and approved by a thirdparty panel and the others are expected to be reviewed by panels of Canadian and international experts and go to the CRSB members for comment in March or April.

In due course, the scientific reports will be released to the public and Hadarits will be working on interpreting key findings in a manner that can be easily understood by each sector of the industry and consumers.

The project also includes a SWOT (strength-weakness-opportunities-threats) analysis to help guide research, communications, policy, beneficial management practices, and other industry initiatives.

Finally, the action plan will set targets, review beneficial management practices, and recommend strategic actions on the environmental and social sides.

The broad scope of the nation-wide assessment makes it a first for Canada and some aspects make it globally groundbreaking work.

“To get the big-picture perspective we are including things that have never been included before,” Copithorne-Barnes explains. “Life cycle assessments put a lot of focus on emissions, but what about beef’s contribution to biodiversity and carbon sequestration?”

Copithorne-Barnes can truly say that Canada is a global leader in designing a framework to verify the sustainability of its beef industry. While several countries have been considering formal roundtables for sustainable beef, Brazil and the U.S. are the only others that have done so.

The U.S. and Canadian roundtables are sharing information and experiences to make sure sustainability doesn’t become a competitive issue.

All the crop commodity groups have

joined forces to create a Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Crops, which Copithorne-Barnes says is well on its way to establishing indicators and is establishing a life cycle analysis. The beef and crop roundtables are working closely to ensure their programs are homogenous so producers won’t have to enrol in multiple programs.

The stage has been set for 2016 to be a landmark year for verifying the sustainability of Canadian beef production.

“Last year was a huge year of gathering information to make sure the details are valid and accurate when talking with consumers and producers. Now, industry and producers will have a scientific basis and good starting point so that we won’t have to be on the defensive all the time.

This will help alleviate the pressure we feel, but we have to do our part to demonstrate what we do every day,” concludes Copithorne-Barnes.c

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 Nutritio n

By John McKinnon

Cost per Pound of Gain or Cost Plus — Is there a right answer?

A

t last month’s Western Canadian Feedlot Management School, the focus was on backgrounding programs for newly weaned calves. As is often the case at these meetings, an idea for this column pops into my head as a result of discussions with producers or listening to speakers. It was no different at this year’s school where a question from the audience to one of the presenters got me thinking how the cattle-feeding industry has changed over the past 20 years. To give you background, one of the audience participants asked a speaker what method of payment he preferred for settling agreements between those who owned feeder cattle (i.e. the investor) and those who did the feeding (i.e. the custom feedlot). More specifically, the question focused on what method of payment is most appropriate for custom backgrounding arrangements “cost per pound of gain” or “cost plus?” The following is my interpretation of his response.

The speaker’s answer was somewhat predictable in that as an investor he wanted to take performance risk out of his investment and thus preferred payment on a cost-per-pound-of-gain basis. Under this type of arrangement an investor places cattle with the custom feedlot and an agreement is struck on weighing conditions both on arrival and at the end of the program, death loss, the target end weight, daily gain and the program end date. In some cases “slides” are included where discounts are applied for heavy cattle and premiums for lighter cattle. Why was his answer predictable?

Because under this type of agreement, production risk rests with the feeder, not the investor!

What really got me thinking was the speaker’s answer as to why he shies away from cost-plus agreements.

Under these scenarios payment is based on the feedlot’s actual labour, health, feed, and yardage costs plus an agreed-upon margin. The feedlot benefits from a guaranteed revenue stream while the investor takes the production risk. The speaker’s answer, however, went deeper and shows how the industry has changed and unfortunately highlights that many producers have not caught up to these changes. He basically indicated that backgrounding cattle today is inherently inefficient! His argument was why background 550- to 650pound steers for 150 days or so at two or 2.5 pounds a day gain when with today’s cattle and feeding management expertise we can move these cattle on to finishing programs with minimal or no backgrounding and

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reap the benefits of vastly superior gains, improved feed efficiency, reduced days on feed and interest costs and still hit live weight and carcass quality specifications demanded by packers. Feeding expertise has indeed come a long way in the last 20 years.

Today, we are feeding cattle to 1,500 pounds when we used to take them to 1,200 pounds. Cattle routinely gain 3.5 to four pounds when 3.0 pounds was acceptable 20 years ago. Similarly feed efficiency has moved from the 7 to 7.5:1 of 20 years ago, to today’s targets of less than 7:1 and in very efficient lots approaching 6:1.

So the speaker was saying, if he is going to own the cattle and take the production risk as he would with a cost-plus program, then he would want the efficiency of a finishing program over the inherent inefficiency of a backgrounding program. In other words, from a performance, economic and environmental (i.e. methane production) standpoint, backgrounding calves, particularly those weighing 550 or better is becoming obsolete.

Now, there are still plenty of good reasons for producers to background their cattle. Many are calving later and due to lighter weaning weights hold their calves over all or part of the winter. These calves need to be placed on growing programs to get them to target markets. Others are interested in backgrounding lighter calves to prepare them for grass. As well, backgrounding your calves or custom-fed calves may be an integral part of your pasture, hay or silage marketing program.

All of these reasons make sense and I would not argue with your reasoning.

If, however, you argue that you are confident in your ability to precisely grow cattle and know your production costs and therefore have no issues with signing a cost-per-pound-of-gain contract, then I would advise you to at least think twice before doing so.

As this speaker pointed out, production risk including poor gains, feed efficiency and high death loss rests with you. You need to be able to account for this risk, generally through a high level of management, if you are going to be successful. Also remember that in many cases investors who feed cattle likely know your costs as well as your neighbour’s and those of your counterparts in neighbouring provinces.

In my experience, when they negotiate cost-perpound-of-gain agreements, they don’t leave a lot of margin on the table for the feeder. Testament to this is the fact that there are numerous examples of backgrounding operations that have gone broke trying to make a living under this type of agreement. c

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

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

poplarMeadows_CC_jan3116.indd 1

2016-02-04 11:22 PM

 getting sta rt e d

By Debbie Furber

Sarah and Logan Wray with their children Georgia, Bella and Luke.

Finding inspiration from within the farm community

S

arah and Logan Wray never doubted their future would involve raising beef cattle. The real decision came down to how to make it happen. Four years after setting their course they were able to start buying their first quarter of land near Bashaw, Alta., and the seeds had been planted for FarmOn, a virtual resource centre to support and encourage young farmers trying to get a start.

“We wanted to buy land, but found there were so many obstacles to doing it that we decided to step back and take a few years,” she says. Living in Bashaw at the time, they turned to mentors from the business world in Edmonton who helped them learn the ins and outs of buying and selling properties.

Sarah used that period as well to learn the potential of the Internet and social media for networking, learning and marketing.

Both Wrays were well aware of the long hours and hard work ahead if they committed to a future in farming. They had

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experienced it first-hand growing up on their families’ farms; she on a purebred Angus operation near Bashaw for the most part, and he on a 300-head commercial operation near Irricana. Together, they have established their own small purebred Angus herd and a custom-grazing operation.

Jobs well done don’t seem like work when they bring enjoyment and satisfaction, and the Wrays definitely put raising animals in that category.

“It’s kind of therapeutic for both of us because it takes us out of the day-to-day office-type jobs to do what we both love, working with animals. We wanted to raise our kids in that environment, too, around animals and taking part in 4-H and youth programs to make sure those values and skills were passed on to them,” says Sarah.

She credits a large part of what she does today to her past involvement in 4-H and junior programming such as that offered by the Bashaw Agricultural Society with marketing, sales and public speaking com-

ponents. Those experiences ignited the entrepreneurial spirit that underpins her careers in farming, as a founder and ambassador of FarmOn, and her new online store, the Stock Show Toy Company.

The group that gets it

Shortly after starting their farm, the Wrays and six young farmers from the area put their heads together to develop the FarmOn concept and establish the FarmOn Foundation in 2008. It’s a registered non-profit organization that operates on advertising and donations from those with a passion for supporting farms and helping consumers and others in the food chain understand farming. Contract work assisting others in developing social media strategies has also become an important revenue stream.

Sarah, executive director Jackie Northey, videographer Ben Wilson, script writer Shannon Scofield, and financial manager Christine Buelow look after the day-to-day activities. The foundation will be filling

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getting started

producer beforehand to deconstruct each practice from the very first steps onward to arrive at the essentials that a young farmer would need to know to be able to quickly implement it on his own farm.

“It boils down to, if you didn’t look at these three or four pieces you would be in trouble. If you do, you can figure out the rest, so the information is applicable anywhere,” she explains.

So far, about 70 per cent of FarmOn

followers are in Canada, 25 per cent are in the U.S. and the rest largely from Australia and Europe.

Last year, FarmOn and Alberta Farm Animal Care co-operated on producing the first videos in their heart-of-a-farmer series.

A second initiative was the revamp of the FarmOn website at farmon.com.

This year they are showcasing how young farmers are putting ideas presented in earlier videos into practice on their operations. c

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director vacancies at the upcoming annual general meeting in April and welcomes people from anywhere in Canada with interests in farming, food or business.

FarmOn’s founding mission is to help more farmers to farm. It stands for all farmers, regardless of commodity, production method, or size.

A major focus has been the development of educational resources as one way to help strengthen the succeeding generation of farmers because they are tackling huge challenges in a fast-changing world. Ultimately they will be the ones at the helm ushering in another generation as the world population pushes toward the nine-billion mark.

Already in North America, only two per cent of the population produce food for the other 98 per cent and beyond. The craziness is that approximately 70 per cent of farmers have second jobs just to be able to provide food and necessities for their own families because farm expenses eat up all of the farm income and oftentimes more, Sarah explains.

FarmOn does pull in some content with permission from reputable sources, but most of its content is original. The guiding principles for FarmOn video productions came out of discussions with farmers, by asking them to think of three skills and/ or resources they wish they had when they started farming. A lack of time because of second jobs, lack of money, and the knowledge to make the most of what they had were the themes that most often floated to the top.

“Everything we do we keep that in mind, always looking for the junction between economical and efficient,” Sarah says. “On a personal level, to hear their stories and see what they do has been the best education I’ve ever had.”

The videos in the fast-farmer and workshop series feature farmers and professionals who have stepped up to donate time and resources to discuss and demonstrate new ways and innovations as well as tried and true fundamentals in production, marketing, business management and communication. Sprinkled throughout are videos showcasing young producers telling their stories about why they farm, their challenges, successes and hopes for the future.

Their grazing series and case-study videos produced with support from the Alberta Forage Industry Network in 2014 tested a new model for developing content. The FarmOn team talked in depth with each

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2015-12-03 10:48 AM

 vet aDvi c e

rethinking strategic deworming

C

oncepts around deworming the beef cow have moved from “not necessary” to “routine” in many progressive cow-calf operations. The evolution of internal parasite control as an integral component of health management shadowed development of highly effective chemical families that revolutionized parasite control. Reasons for the shift include: • Economic studies that clearly demonstrated deworming pays.

• Evidence that current approaches to deworming were unsustainable due to development of parasite resistance. Resistance was an inevitable consequence of shoddy deworming practices.

• Realization that haphazard, unstructured deworming programs grow increasingly unacceptable to consumers and society.

• The link between parasitism and the need to actively manage nutrition programs.

• Critical evaluation of all factors related to the play between reproduction and parasitism in beef herds.

• A fuller understanding of all factors affecting immunity and health.

Strategically dewormed cattle have shown to produce more milk, show improved feed efficiency, improved reproductive performance, maintain better body condition scores, and possess stronger immune systems. Waiting until animals appear parasitized means parasite damage has already occurred.

Internal parasites exist as complex communities in the gut. Modern technology has provided better diagnostic approaches to assessing parasite load and an improved understanding of parasite response to therapy. The concept of Nemabiome testing has helped unravel the mystery of what species of parasite are involved in these communities and quantify the proportion of each species. A wide variation in management systems means cattle producers should work with a veterinarian to tailor individual parasite control programs, plus develop ways of monitoring the progress of parasite control within herds.

The number of approved products presently available has made the process of deworming easier. Although there is a range of limitations for pour-ons, injectables, drenches, and feed additives the different formulations have greatly expanded options for inclusion in strategic deworming programs.

Many strategic deworming concepts have been developed for calves and replacement heifers, but have fallen short for the cow herd, the real economic engine of commercial cattle operations where body condition, immunity, colostrum quality, milk production and reproductive capacity can be negatively influenced by a heavy parasite load.

The brown stomach worm (Ostertagia ostertagi) is the primary nematode causing production losses in mature cows. Eggs are passed in manure and hatch on pasture. Cattle ingest Ostertagia larva while grazing. Larva penetrate gastric glands lining the abomasum or fourth stomach where they complete their lifecycle and emerge as adult worms. Larva can live in the glands for months and their presence while developing into adults damages the abomasa lining, temporarily disrupting acid production, causing hemorrhage and upsetting normal digestion.

Recent studies have shown that invading gastrointestinal parasites can redirect the host’s immune system. Ostertagia, in particular, has been shown to alter the immune response to vaccines.

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A second form of Ostertagiasis, Type II Ostertagiasis, occurs when worms become less active and encyst in the lining of the abomasum during cold or dry seasons, to re-emerge later damaging the gut lining and causing diarrhea, inappetence and unthriftiness.

Clinical disease caused by Ostertagia is often subclinical. For example, appetite suppression and failure to maintain condition through the last trimester of pregnancy often goes unnoticed by producers. Although subclinical effects are real and significant, they are difficult to quantify.

Low-quality forages amplify the effects of parasitism. Because parasite load is not uniformly spread across a cow herd, individual animals can often suffer exaggerated weight loss compared to a herdmate. It’s been shown that 20 per cent of cows within a herd may harbour 80 per cent of the parasites. There’s an old idiom that you can feed a cow out of a worm problem, but can’t worm a cow out of a feed problem. Nutrition remains a fundamental precept for sustaining brood cows under any condition.

Internal parasites cost the North American beef industry in excess of US$2 billion annually. In a major study conducted by John D. Lawrence and Maro Ibarburu, Iowa State University looking at the economic analysis of pharmaceutical technologies in modern beef production the authors evaluated the impact on costs and resulting beef supplies and prices if existing pharmaceutical technologies were no longer used in beef production. They examined five key technologies: growth promotants, ionophores, antimicrobials, dewormers and fly control. Their model predicted non-users of the five technologies would see more than a US$582/head increase in cost of production over the lifetime of an animal or $151/cwt. Of that amount over $200 or 34.6 per cent was attributable to use of dewormers.

The goal is to prevent economic loss and reduce parasite contamination by eliminating parasite egg shedding for a period of time at least equal to the life cycle of the parasite removed.

Timing of deworming needs to be considered in relation to season of the year, type of grazing program, and management practices.

If the dewormer fails to eliminate egg shedding following treatment, the accrued benefits of parasite control are greatly reduced.

There are two important considerations: make sure cattle are parasite free during the winter and at the beginning of the grazing season.

An important step in strategic deworming occurs after spring grazing begins. Spring deworming should be given after cows have had a chance to graze, but before invading larva have had a chance to mature into adult parasites (approximately six weeks after the first larva are ingested). Even with continued grazing and reinfection, another six weeks will be required for the second round of fecal egg shedding by adult worms. This strategic spring treatment in adult cows prevents egg shedding for 12 weeks or three months into the grazing season.

Effective deworming in late November or early December then again six weeks after grazing commences prevents parasite contamination of the environment for approximately six months. 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).

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 seedsto c k

By Duane McCartney

Richardson Ranch at the End of the World

V

isiting the famous Richardson Ranch on Haida Gwaii, formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands, off the northern coast of British Columbia has been on my bucket list for many years. I was all set to go back in 2001 when I phoned Don Richardson and he indicated that it had been raining for 40 days and not to come. So this past September I finally made it to Haida Gwaii and the Richardson Ranch at the “end of the world” as indicated on the nearby village’s tourism sign.

The ranch is located on the shores of the Hecate Strait, some 130 km west of Prince Rupert, at Tlell on Haida Gwaii’s northern Graham Island. This is halfway between Skidegate (the ferry terminal) and Masset, at the end of the TransCanada Highway on the north end of the island. It is only accessible by the B.C. ferry service.

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Don Richardson, his wife Leslie, son Dane and daughter Jamie operate this remote ranch. The centrepiece of the family ranch is the registered Tlell polled Hereford herd that graze on the estuary of the Tlell river. The ranch, the only livestock farm on the islands today, has a lot of history. In 1904, Tom Hodges better known as “Mexican Tom,” and his mail-order bride homesteaded the ranch. In 1908, the Walsh brothers from Montana purchased the ranch and built a large covered barn with stanchions and space for 100 head. In addition they built a large upright wood stave silo. Don’s grandfather Eric then bought the ranch in 1919. What sold him on the ranch besides the grazing lands were the Coho salmon jumping in the Tlell river that flowed through the farm.

The climate of Haida Gwaii is very mild.

The annual average temperature during win-

ter on the ranch ranges from -2 to +7 C. Winter temperatures are moderated by the Japanese ocean currents. This makes the winters much warmer than the rest of Canada. The islands have the reputation for rain. The rainfall on the east side of the islands is similar to Vancouver and the south coast of British Columbia as the mountains on the west side of the islands create a significant rain shadow.

The average annual rainfall is about 125 cm (50 inches). On the west side of Haida Gwaii, rainfall is similar to the west coast of Vancouver Island. The area has some of the highest precipitation in Canada at about 450 cm (180 inches). This region has some of the largest trees in Canada.

“However, this past summer has been very dry,” says Don. “We didn’t get any rain in May, June and up to the 10th of July. I Continued on page 30

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28 f t JERRY KUHBACHER SWITCHED TO THE VERMEER R2800 TWIN RAKE FOR ITS

RAKING WIDTH

AND ITS LOW COST OF OWNERSHIP

When Jerry Kuhbacher made the move from 16 ft to 18 ft swathers and needed a rake with more capacity — and one that could keep dirt out of his hay — it’s no wonder he switched to the Vermeer R2800, which offers 28 ft raking width and 8.5 ft transport. What he didn’t expect was the ability to rake at 6.5 mph on average, as opposed to 4 mph with his old rake. See Jerry’s full story and more at: makinhay.com/stories

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am short of feed this year and most likely will have to purchase and haul double compressed hay bales from one of the hay processing plants in Vanderhoof on the main land 800-plus km away. These plants normally export their hay to China, Korea and Japan. The trucking and ferry costs are the real killers.” “ I always say, we are not isolated, we are just geographically challenged!”

“Last year I got a real deal on some rejected hay. Three containers of hay had been sent back from Japan due to some quackgrass being discovered in the bales. I still had to pay big time for the freight to get it back to our ranch. I don’t think I will be getting any deals on hay this fall.”

In 1951 Don’s father Doug, purchased the first Hereford bull for the Richardson Ranch from Gerrard Guichon of the Nicola Valley in the interior of British Columbia. This is the current Lieut. Gov of B.C.’s ranch. Over the years the family had commercial Hereford cows and experimented with crossbreeding different breeds using AI.

In 1983 Don and Leslie decided to go the purebred Polled Hereford route and purchased some breeding stock from members of the Yellowhead Hereford Breeders Club and at the club’s first annual sale in Vanderhoof.

“Previously we were with the federal ROP program and by using improved AI sires from different breeds we were able to move our commercial weaning weights from 400 pounds to 750 pounds. However, when we started to move towards purebred Herefords, we had to start all over again to increase our weaning weights.”

The Richardson Ranch has a very interesting grazing program. They have a lot of little paddocks for grazing, but it is the tide that determines when the cattle are moved to a different paddock. Don feeds grass silage from November 15 until May 15 so as not to harm the land through overgrazing or hoof impact. On some of his pastures the land is so wet due to the tidal influence that Don can stick a fork handle all the way down into the bog-type soil.

Over the centuries the wave action has

pushed up the land on the island. “I have about two inches of top soil on top of a solid sand and gravel base. My soils are very saline and deficient in copper, zinc, and selenium. I use lots of nitrogen fertilizer. Our pastures are based on orchard grass, alsike clover, perennial ryegrass, red clover and red top, which looks similar to bromegrass.

I top-dress the pastures with forage seed and fertilizer after grazing for the next year’s growth. In my grandfather’s days, the native red clover grew so thick that it would often stall his horse-drawn hay mower.”

Don does a one-cut silage harvest on his grass pastures and he has often won first prize at the Smithers district fair for his harvested forages. He stores his silage in two shed-covered bunker silos.

His pasture rotation depends on the tide levels and he moves his cow herd between lowland tidal pastures and upland drier pastures.

As we stood in his farmyard looking at his pastures we could see the Coho salmon jumping in the tidal river running through the ranch. It was quite a sight!

Don has a log boom across the river on

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his property line to prevent the high tides from pushing driftwood onto his pastures.

“We have had the log boom across the river for the past 50 years. Before, it would take my grandfather three weeks to clear the meadows of driftwood using the horses.”

Don is a 1978 graduate of Western College of Veterinary Medicine. His son Dane is a recent graduate of WCVM and his daughter Jamie is a graduate of Olds College in beef management. Together they operate the only veterinary hospital and beef farm on Haida Gwaii. The veterinary clinic and their large farm supply store specialize in catering to the needs of small animal pet owners and hobby farmers on the islands.

They have boarding kennels, vacation rental properties and they process their own beef in a government-inspected plant in Vanderhoof. They only sell their meat in their store in Tlell as a major value-added product from their farm.

With son Dane entering the family business, they are planning on enlarging the veterinary clinic which Dane will be heavily involved with. Daughter Jamie will be moving to the Vanderhoof area to help manage a ranch.

It’s the international embryo transfer business and yearling bull sales that make the Richardson herd world famous. They have hosted an annual online web site sale for the last six years. In addition they have been selling bulls to commercial customers at the Vanderhoof and Williams Lake bull sales for 30 consecutive years. Their stock and semen have been purchased by Hereford breeders all across Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, Uruguay, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, just to name a few.

They have a very interesting web site that describes their ranch in pictorial detail (www.qcislands.net/docdon/).

The cows calve in January-March, and after calving, the cows are fed a high level of nutrition to get them cycling quickly.

Don elaborates. “I am looking at two calf crops including embryos per year. Cows are fed heavily starting in late November before calving until after calving. Our top six cows are super-ovulated at the end of March, bred AI, and the embryos are collected during the first week of April. The donors are then bred back on the next cycle to calve the following January-March. We are certified for shipping embryos to Europe and other international sales. It really helps being so isolated from other beef herds. I calve in January-March so we also can also sell purebred yearling bulls which will be a useful www.canadiancattlemen.ca

size and age for our commercial customers when they are turned out in June.”

We went into his barn to see some of his yearling bulls. It was like going into the show ring at Edmonton’s Farm Fair or the Regina Agribition where these bulls will be shown. The high barn walls were completely covered in prizewinning Grand Champion Bull and Premier Breeder banners from these cattle shows. His future prizewinning yearling bulls were all standing there,

halter broke and just waiting for the show to begin. It was a memorable moment on Haida Gwaii. Well worth the long journey to get there.

As Canada’s most westerly and isolated cattle ranch, the Richardson Ranch has made a name for itself in the Hereford breeding business around the world. c Duane McCartney is a retired forage beef systems research scientist from Lacombe, Alta.

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 COVER STO RY · asso c i at i o n

By Debbie Furber

Dan Darling heads up the CCA

T

o be known in beef industry circles as Dan Darling, vice-president and now president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), is a privilege, Darling acknowledges. To be known in his hometown area around Castleton, Ont., and at cattle shows as Dan Darling, dad of Carolyn, Julie and Margaret, is an honour.

“I think I get my energy from them,” says Darling, who started wearing these two hats about 14 years ago when he was first elected as a zone representative to the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, now Beef Farmers of Ontario. He became one of Ontario’s representatives to the CCA in 2007 and continued on to serve as BFO president in 2012 and 2013. This month he is in line to become the president of the CCA at their annual meeting in Ottawa.

“I was tired of hearing guys complain about how things should or shouldn’t be done and thought I could help, but never thought it would take me this far.

There was just something about working with fellow producers, industry groups and governments toward the same end goals that got to me,” he says.

Of course, handling all of the commitments and meetings wouldn’t have been possible without the full support of his wife, Mary, their children, and his brother, Van, who is a partner in the mixed farm they bought from their parents 32 years ago.

Darling Farms grows corn, soybean, and wheat for grain, as well as forages to feed their 250 Limousin-based cow herd and backgrounding the calves to about 900 pounds.

A lot of their calves sell to feeders aligned with the highly successful Ontario Corn-Fed Beef program, an initiative of the Ontario Cattle Feeders Association.

The corn-fed beef protocols for cattle management are similar to those of the Verified Beef Production program, in which Darling Farms has participated since the program was first introduced.

Dan’s family was drawn to purebreds as the girls became involved in 4-H and in 2010, started building their own purebred Limousin herd separate from the partnership with his brother. He and his brother had tested the potential for adding a purebred Limousin herd to the operation about 20 years ago, but soon found out that all of the paperwork involved in registering cattle was too time-consuming in combination with of all of the other jobs on the farm.

Now at 19 years of age, Carolyn handles most of the registration work and, with her dad’s inclination for beef politics, is involved with the Canadian Junior Limousin Association. Julie, 14, has an aptitude for politics as well. She was selected to serve as a page for

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one of the Ontario legislature’s sittings last year, which happened to last three months.

Darling is happy with the decision to expand into purebreds and expand the commercial herd by retaining and selling bred heifers.

“There was quite a period with prices so low that quite a few producers exited, maybe because of age, but many because they just didn’t think there would be much of a future in it. From going to industry meetings, I could see it was going to change around quickly because of the shrinking cattle numbers and a growing population that wants protein. I could see the upside and future in beef,” Darling says.

It was a forecast he readily shared with others and definitely breathed a sigh of relief when it turned out to be right on the mark.

“Fortunately prices are up and cow-calf producers are making money. Now, we need to make sure prices stay up and we need our feeders and packers to do well, too. The way to do that is to get our beef into more countries.”

Trade is a high priority for the CCA and he puts it at the top of his wish list for his two-year term as CCA president beginning as of the March annual general meeting.

2015 ended on a high note, Darling says, with the repeal of the U.S. mandatory country-of-origin labelling law.

Then the new year got off to a promising start with outgoing CCA president Dave Solverson, accompanying the federal minister of international trade, Chrystia Freeland, to New Zealand to stand alongside 11 other founding countries to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on February 4.

“It’s a fantastic trade partnership for our beef because for one, it will mean Japanese tariffs on Canadian beef will drop from 38.5 per cent to nine per cent over the next 15 years. It means real money to producers because there is demand in the other countries for beef products not in high demand here,” Darling explains.

If the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the 28 countries of the European Union is any indication, it will take time for governments in all countries to ratify the TPP agreement and work out the technical requirements to actually implement it.

Technical talks for the beef sector started shortly after the CETA was signed in principle in October 2013, when it was speculated that the agreement would take about two years to come into force. By the time the final text was released in September 2014,

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

association

the CCA projected it would be late 2016 or into 2017 before that would happen. The main outstanding technical issues in the beef talks have to do with packing-plant processes that are supported by scientific research and approved in Canada, but not in the EU. In addition to seeing the CETA through, Darling says there’s still work to be done on opening markets that remain closed or restricted dating back to May 2003, when the first case of BSE in a Canadian-born animal was detected. Mexico is an example of an important market that still doesn’t allow imports of bone-in beef from animals over 30 months of age.

“We have built good partnerships with our fellow producers in Mexico and the U.S., and their associations, that have really worked out well for us, and we certainly want to continue to do that as well,” he adds.

Settling the movement-tracking file on traceability is also at the top of the CCA to-do list.

“The government has been talking about this for so long that it’s time to decide if we are going to implement it or not because producers don’t know where they stand or what’s coming next.

In 2011, everyone from across Canada and all parts of the industry came out of the traceability meeting in Saskatchewan with former agriculture minister Ritz, in agreement thinking we had a way to go on it, but the bureaucrats have decided they want something different. Personally, I think we need to move on it because Canada is second only to Australia on traceability and other countries are asking for it, but we really need to right the ship on this to make sure it’s manageable at the ground level.”

Darling says the CCA has so many good and important things on the go, making it difficult to comment on only a few.

As an avid advocate for youth in agriculture during his time with the Ontario association and with the CCA, one relatively new initiative he is particularly proud of is the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program that continues to be highly successful under the guidance of two young CCA employees, Jill Harvie and Jolene Noble.

“I have learned so much from the young people who come to the CAA as staff and representatives. They are so driven and knowledgable about the industry that I’m almost in awe of their intelligence. There’s no doubt, the future of the beef industry is in good hands,” Darling says. c

C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

33

THE REAL STORY OF AG

36818 E AMTE Cattleman Country Guide 6pg.indd 1-2

THE REAL STORY OF AG

Keep it in the family Let’s tell the story of family farms Feeding the world is not just a big responsibility, it’s big business – with a world population over 7.3 billion, it has to be. However, many consumers don’t associate large-scale business with family business, even though 98% of

Canadian farms are family-owned and operated. As a result, many consumers don’t trust their food supply. We need to make sure the story of the family farm is being told, and that “big” doesn’t mean “bad.”

We all have stories we can share, whether you grew up on a family farm, or you work in an industry that serves farm families. Look for opportunities to tell the real story of Canadian agriculture, whether it be online, in the grocery store or at the dinner table.

Here are some talking points to get you started: 98% of Canadian farms are family farms Almost all of the farms in Canada are family-owned and operated, and producing healthy, sustainable food is their first priority. Remember, farmers feed their own families the food they produce.

Family farms have evolved They look different today than they did 50 years ago. But that doesn’t mean our food supply isn’t safe and healthy anymore. New technology has allowed farmers to do more with less, making agriculture more sustainable today.

Farmers protect the environment because they want to pass their business on to the next generation.

Farming is a complex business Families must manage food safety and traceability, detailed budgets and accounting, marketing, employees, everchanging technology, and more. Modern farms must be run as a business, and it makes good business sense for many family farms to incorporate. As a company, farms can minimize taxes. Plus, family members can own shares in the company, making it easier to pass the farm from generation to generation. But their business structure doesn’t change the fact that family members work side by side every day, bringing to life their shared passion and dedication for producing safe, healthy food.

We’re in this together Everyone in the industry needs to work together to help improve perceptions. By being open and proactively communicating with the public about how we grow food and why we operate in the ways we do, we can maintain consumer trust and continue to produce high-quality, nutritious food in ways that are efficient and sustainable.

2016-01-14 10:22 AM

THE REAL STORY OF AG

Social starters The importance of family is something everyone can understand and relate to, whether you’re in ag or not. It’s common ground that can start a conversation.

Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca/resources to find a collection of photos that you can easily share on social media to start or support conversations about family farming.

The land is my

lifestyle and my

livelihood, but it’s also my

legacy.

Photo credit: CR Photography (Chantal Rasmuson) Pictured: Nate and Colin Rosengren

Providing safe, healthy food for my family is important to me too.

I love ag for the life it gives my kids now…and the opportunities it gives in the future.

That’s why I farm.

Photo credit: Aimée Ferré Stang

Or, even better, share your own pictures and make your story personal.

(photo by Jerri Judd)

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THE REAL STORY OF AG

What are others saying?

“My farm is a family farm. It is 100% owned by myself, my husband and his two parents. We love everything about agriculture with a fierce passion. We have never, ever, sold a product that we wouldn’t happily serve to our children. Every decision on the farm takes more than just finances into consideration. Our number one goal is to leave a farm to our children that is both environmentally and economically viable.”

– Adrienne Ivey, Saskatchewan rancher

“Agriculture is a fast-growing business, and it has to be run as a business. It involves family, of course, but we’re always looking at the latest research, we’re looking at what practices are evolving in other countries, and we’re adapting those practices so we can become more efficient to get our product into the marketplace.”

– John Thwaites, Ontario fruit and vegetable grower

2016-01-14 10:23 AM

Looking for more?

Watch The power of shared values webinar featuring Charlie Arnot, CEO of the Center for Food Integrity, who shares three simple steps to gain consumers’ trust by tapping into the power of shared values. Charlie helps bridge the divide between science and consumer perception and offers great insight into creating messages that are proven to resonate with consumers.

Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca/tag/webinar.

The power of shared values

AGvocate Challenge There are 2.1 million Canadians working in agriculture and agri-food. Imagine the impact we could make if we all made a commitment to improve perceptions of agriculture.

There are simple ways you can start being an agvocate today.

Just choose to do one of the following: 1. Search the hashtags #FutureFarmer, #AgMoreThanEver, or #Farm365 and find a positive post to retweet.

2. When you overhear a misleading or inaccurate conversation about farming, find an appropriate time to share your story.

3. Dedicate one day to volunteer at an event that promotes agriculture such as Open Farm Days or Ag Literacy Week.

4. Tell a friend or co-worker about the need to speak up, and ask them to take the agvocate challenge.

36818 E AMTE Cattleman Country Guide 6pg.indd 5-6

We all share the same table.

Pull up a chair.

“We take pride in knowing we would feel safe consuming any of the crops we sell. If we would not use it ourselves, it does not go to market.”

– Katelyn Duncan, Saskatchewan

“The natural environment is critical to farmers – we depend on soil and water for the production of food. But we also live on our farms, so it’s essential that we act as responsible stewards.”

– Doug Chorney, Manitoba

“The welfare of my animals is one of my highest priorities. If I don’t give my cows a high quality of life, they won’t grow up to be great cows.”

– Andrew Campbell, Ontario

Safe food; animal welfare; sustainability; people care deeply about these things when they make food choices. And all of us in the agriculture industry care deeply about them too. But sometimes the general public doesn’t see it that way. Why? Because, for the most part, we’re not telling them our story and, too often, someone outside the industry is.

The journey from farm to table is a conversation we need to make sure we’re a part of. So let’s talk about it, together.

Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca to discover how you can help improve and create realistic perceptions of Canadian ag.

2016-01-14 10:23 AM

 grazing

By Steve Kenyon

Be prepared for calls if you winter graze

I

was excited this fall to get my swath/ bunch grazing underway as all 450 acres are right by the highway. Normally I am swath grazing down some back gravel road and no one really gets to see it. This year I get to show it off! My neighbours already think that I’m crazy, so now I can prove them right. I love to give them something to talk about and, believe me, a lot of folks are talking about this one. I was also preparing for the reactions that I would get because of the paradigm that cattle have to be fed during the winter.

We first started grazing 150 acres of pea straw residue in October. In this field we left the residue in swaths, as we were planning to graze this one early. We would not be as concerned about deep snow until later in the winter and the swaths are easier for the combine operator. We had quite a bit of rain in the fall and some warm weather which provided quite a bit of germination in and between the swaths. We pump water to a trough daily and provide minerals free choice. As this is only a crop residue and is relatively low in value feed, we need to supplement it with hay and/or a pellet ration daily. The ration is adjusted depending on the temperature. November and December provided a small amount of snow cover.

We stayed on this field until the end of

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December, when we moved to the second field — 280 acres of pea straw that we had bunched. To do this, we used what my daughter named “The Blue Buncher” attached to the back of the combine which collects the straw and chaff and puts it in small piles all across the field. Now that the snow was getting a little deeper (about nine inches), the piles were easier for the cattle to find.

January was very mild and the cattle were doing great. So far it has been one of the warmest winters that I recall. The cattle did, however, stop grazing the second growth between the swaths once the snow got deep.

The piles were very easy to find and the grazing has been relatively worry free so far.

And then “it happened!” I was waiting for it. I knew it would come and on a beautiful day at the end of January I arrived at my swath grazing, only to find that I had a trespasser. Somebody had been there. Was it my keen eyesight that detected an extra set of tracks? Or was it the strange scent picked up by my trusted cattle dog? OK, so it was not quite so dramatic. Attached to my gate handle of my electric fence was an Alberta SPCA Notice — the dreaded Notice to Contact!

My first thought was, “Well, it’s about time.” Why did it take so long to get a complaint? I was expecting it long before the end of January. I called the officer right away and he stated that the notice was more of a courtesy

call. He had already been out to see the swath grazing back in December because of multiple reports back then. He saw no issues of animal welfare so he did not want to bother me with the complaint. They have still been getting calls about “these poor cows along Highway 44 without any food.” He only wanted to make me aware about the reports and was quite content with our feeding program.

It’s nice to hear the SPCA officer say, “Your cattle look great.” We actually got into quite a conversation on how I get my animals to respect the electric fence so well in the winter. My training fence over the water trough is the key. I am pumping even though I know my snow is fantastic right now and the animals would do just fine on it. With a hot and ground wire over the water trough, the “very hot” fence here helps keep the animals respecting the “not so hot” fence out in the field.

We have a paradigm in this industry that cows need to be fed during the winter. I disagree and believe that cows can feed themselves. For years I have believed in the phrase, “Plants have roots, they can’t move and livestock have legs, they can move.”

By swath grazing or grazing residues, not only does it lower your labour and equipment costs, but it also spreads the manure and urine out on the land for you. I have not hauled manure in 19 years, and don’t

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

grazing

plan to ever do it again. My cattle can do that for me. I truly believe that every grain acre needs to have livestock on it to recycle the nutrients. We live in a dormant season environment (a.k.a. winter). Every environment with a dormant season needs ruminant animals.

There are no ruminants in the rain forest as there is no need for them. The plant material there is broken down all year long by the soil organisms. When our seasons grow cold, our soil life stops working, but the bugs inside the rumen can continue to work recycling nutrients despite the cold. The cow is simply an employee of nature; 80 per cent of what she eats goes out the back end. She only takes 20 per cent off the top as her pay. The remainder is broken down by the rumen microbes and is deposited back out on the land.

Most of the nitrogen coming out the back end is in the urine. Through the manure hauling process, most of this nitrogen is lost due to runoff and volitization. When the cattle deposit the warm urine onto the frozen ground it cuts through the snow right to the soil. It then freezes in place and stays with the soil.

There is tremendous value to crop land by having cattle on it. Over time the land will become more nutrient dense and develop better soil characteristics. It needs the livestock just like the livestock needs the land. We should make it to the end of February this winter on the pea straw. Then we will move them back to a pasture to bale graze until calving in May. The lesson I want to pass on today is to always be prepared to deal with the SPCA if you are swath or residue grazing, by the highway or not. Those boys like to see water being pumped. I also had my ration breakdown ready to show the officer. The supplemental hay and pellets were easily viewed from the entrance. I was already planning for his visit. I am sure the calls will continue to come in. This is a hard paradigm to break.

The view from the pavement is exciting for many motorists. 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.

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2016-01-18 12:00 PM

 Free Mar k et R e flect i o n s

By Steve Dittmer

Marketing Misperceptions

“W

e’re totally willing to throw up a little,” one couple said, explaining to the Washington Post how they would never give up their every-week Chipotle habit.

There was no chance Chipotle was going to get me.

They got on my “Do Not Patronize” list when I realized years ago that they were leaders of the “only our food is safe” cult.

But I still can’t be happy that Chipotle outlets look forlorn and empty. They are not selling any beef.

The real problem is that Chipotle built its business model around consumer misperceptions and false expectations. Today’s consumers, especially the millennials, have this idea that they should a) only eat “fresh,” and b) “fresh” means just jerked out of the dirt and eaten raw/ uncooked. They want to avoid food that has been “processed,” has had anything added to preserve freshness, keep it from spoiling or prevent foodborne illness. And lord preserve us from anything that has been canned or frozen or hauled. “Natural” and “organic” mean “safe” and “wholesome,” right?

There are Chipotle outlets in Canada but if you’re not familiar with them, they are all about “natural” and “organic” and their slogan, “food with integrity.” Each customer selects the burrito they want to build and accompanies it down a long counter, indicating which ingredients they wish added. There are beef, pork and chicken plus containers of greens, beans, vegetables and cheeses. At the end of the line, the burrito gets wrapped, encased in foil and one has a meal in hand.

Chipotle announced it was only going to serve certain natural whatever beef awhile back, only to backtrack because it couldn’t find enough supply. It quit serving pork for a while because one of its main suppliers wasn’t meeting its animal welfare standards and it couldn’t source the volume it needed anywhere else.

Today’s youth has not seen people die from botulism or get sick from undulant fever, die from dysentery or suffer starvation because there was no way of preserving food from harvest time until later.

So some modern companies choose to market to consumer ignorance or misperception, to a dangerous perversion of the “customer is always right” marketing theory. Sometimes the customer is ignorant about certain things and needs to be educated and informed.

Just because someone thinks feeding raw, unpasteurized milk to children is a good thing doesn’t mean companies should go right out and aid and abet needless risk taking.

Lawyers today wouldn’t let you go skydiving — with or without a parachute — without signing disclaimer forms. Why should companies large or small abandon centuries of food preservation knowledge and return to high-risk food preparation, distribution and cook-

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ing methods just because their customers are amateurs when it comes to such issues? These are serious health and nutrition issues which I think companies should deal with more responsibly than just overriding their own scientific food safety knowledge and responsibility.

Chipotle’s holier-than-thou attitude hasn’t just grated on food producers and competitors. The Wall Street Journal rated Chipotle as the “all-natural evangelists” who catered to that “romantic longing for colonial-era farming.” The Journal noted that the chain’s CEO has, in effect, promised to bring his restaurants “into the 20th century,” when it comes to food preparation and sourcing (“A Chipotle Education,” 12/22/15).

Ironically, it is a noted food science expert familiar to cattlemen that Chipotle called in — Mansour Samadpour, head of IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group in Seattle — to help it revise its food-handling system.

Bloomberg Business ran a scathing six-page exposé on the Chipotle debacle, “The Sustainable Locally Sourced FreeRange Humanely Raised Made-to-Order Toxic Burrito,” accompanied by a photo of a wide-eyed man in contamination suit and gas mask handling a burrito (12/28/15).

Contrary to modern food prep theory, Chipotle did the dicing and chopping of raw produce in individual restaurants and bought and prepared 10 per cent of its produce locally and also prepped it in restaurants.

Chipotle has 100 suppliers for 64 ingredients but that doesn’t include its “local” suppliers. At peak season for certain ingredients, 10 per cent of ingredients may come from farms within “350 miles” of a local Chipotle. But because the three different pathogens that caused illness at Chipotle affected restaurants from coast to coast, it is more likely the contamination came from a big supplier, the Bloomberg story said. Notably, braised meat has always been cooked in central commissaries and vacuum packed. Steak and chicken still go to local restaurants raw.

With all the people sick and all the investigation, Chipotle still doesn’t know the sources of its outbreaks, nor which ingredient(s).

Produce will now be tested in small batches before it is harvested. If it clears the “high-resolution, DNAbased tests,” it will then go to central commissaries for washing, sanitizing and retesting. The avocados, onions, jalapenos, lemons and limes will be blanched in boiling water for five to 10 seconds to kill microbes, Bloomberg said. Hmmm. Mom used blanching techniques decades ago.

Part of the moral, I think, for big companies, is that aiding and fostering and marketing to erroneous consumer notions does no one any favour, long term. We should be educating consumers, not pandering to their mistaken notions, whether it’s about “natural” or “organic” or GMOs. Food safety is too important. c

Steve Dittmer is the CEO of Agribusiness Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group promoting free market principles throughout the food chain.

He can be reached at steve@agfreedom.ag.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

VBP+ and protecting our ability to farm New modules, social licence will anchor progress

On most journeys it is not uncommon to have questions arise after the trip has started.

Did we pick the right vehicle? The best route?

Who’s driving? Are we going fast enough? Will we meet our destination deadlines? And how do we keep everyone engaged in the process?

So it is with the journey to the next generation of Verified Beef Production (VBP).

VBP+ is a plan to anchor Canada’s beef industry goals to be a global leader. It is one part of a grassroots initiative on sustainability and brand enhancement.

Producers have long understood the value of combining animal care, environmental stewardship and biosecurity with food safety, says Terry Grajczyk, national VBP manager.

“These practices are interrelated and have the same outcome, defining responsible practices and getting credit for what they do.”

As this journey has unfolded, it is not unusual for producers to have questions basically asking, “Tell me again why we are doing this?” she says.

The drivers. The initiative to add to VBP came about as a result of a growing interest by consumers to understand what goes into the food they eat. It’s about protecting the social licence to continue production.

There are specific reasons Canada was chosen to be a sustainability pilot by McDonald’s, and why there is growing interest by others in this process. They include the ability to leverage programs such as VBP, BIXS and RFID capability.

The vehicle. Is this the right vehicle? VBP was chosen by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association as the anchor program because

VBP+ is designed to help protect the right to farm for future generations.

of its ease of use for producers of all sizes across the country. It can build with other existing producer alliances with similar goals.

Speed. Are we moving fast enough?

There are a lot of players to bring together, and in many ways this is uncharted territory.

Module development is on track and will be ready for April 1, 2016. The final outcome is dependent on interlaying with the work of the Canadian Roundtable on Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

The destination. Will we get to the destination we’ve chosen?

Like any journey of this scale, what comes out of it depends on what is put into it. The VBP+ program is ultimately designed to meet needs of producers and our food partners.

Being proactive, working with all stakeholders and carving out a workable program are basic tenants. Stakeholders see this as an opportunity to explain what customers want.

Industry can determine its future without government driving regulations or end-users asking for a proliferation of programs.

Keeping everyone engaged. This is a base program for others to build upon.

The industry is working with provincial cattle organizations for credible, affordable solutions without bureaucracy. VBP participants have indicated that looking inside their operation can be a good thing.

Leadership opportunity

VBP+ is focused on creating a culture of leading by example, says Grajczyk. Success is certainly accomplishable. Many aspects of VBP+ are low cost or no cost, and with the new program offer a menu of choices.

Leadership simply means being aware of what can be done, doing what’s right, and helping those who don’t know to pull up their socks when they need to.

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 animal h ea lt h

By Heather Smith Thomas

Storage and Care of Vaccines

W

e can’t always control how an animal responds to the vaccines we give (in terms of immune response, which can be affected by many factors including health issues and stress levels) but we do have complete control over how we handle and store the vaccines, to make sure they will be optimally potent.

Russ Daly, an extension veterinarian/ associate professor, South Dakota State University, says vaccines are a good investment but they are expensive.“The last thing we want to do is go to the expense, time and effort of vaccinating cattle and then compromise our success with improper vaccine storage and handling. We don’t want to give our cattle something that is less than optimal,” he says.

The starting point is to purchase vaccine from a reputable supplier so you know it has been stored and handled correctly before it comes into your hands.

“Buy vaccine from someone who is ordering vaccine on a regular basis — and has a reliable method for storage and refrigeration,” says Daly.

“Today these products are often shipped with temperature indicators in the shipping boxes, so the receiver will know immediately if there has been a problem during shipping (temperature too warm or too cold) before the package

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gets to the veterinary clinic or farm supply store,” he says.

When purchasing vaccine, always take notice of the expiration date and make sure you will be using it before that date.

Sometimes the vaccine might have been in that store or clinic awhile. Most reputable places keep a good handle on their inventory and rotate the stock, but you’d hate to get home and find you bought something that will expire in the next few days, if you were planning on using it in a few weeks or next month. Sometimes you might get a good buy on something ahead of time and figure on keeping it until the next spring, but make sure it won’t be expired by then.

Vaccines should always be kept refrigerated, at the proper temperature. Most vaccines, whether they are killed or modified live, require refrigeration. The safe temperature range will be on the label.

“When you pick them up at the vet clinic, they should be put in a cooler to bring home,” says Dr. Steve Hendrick, Coaldale Veterinary Clinic, Coaldale, Alta. “You may not spend a lot of time in town, but you don’t want vaccine to get warm or freeze. Freezing is not a good thing for vaccines; it can change some vaccines and make them unsafe to use.

Depending on the outdoor temperature you may need to either keep the heat out, or protect the vaccine from freezing,” he says.

“Killed vaccines that have been frozen may be dangerous to use, because freezing can alter the adjuvants in those vaccines.

This can sometimes cause the formation of chemicals that can make animals sick.

Vaccines that have been frozen should not be used,” explains Daly.

Occasionally, check the temperature in your refrigerator where you are storing the vaccine, especially if it’s an older fridge out in the barn. “You don’t want the vaccine freezing and thawing,” says Hendrick. “There can even be problems sometimes with the good fridge in the house. If you put your vegetables on the wrong shelf, they may freeze. You need to know the best place in that fridge for storing vaccine,” he explains. Put it in the most protected area that doesn’t have much temperature fluctuation.

“It’s also important to keep it at proper temperature out at the chute. Sometimes you may be working cattle at a remote location and can’t just keep it in the refrigerator and get it when you need it. You might be out there all day and need ice packs in a cooler, or in the winter you need a way to keep vaccine from freezing,” says Hendrick.

“Many people are vaccinating while they are preg checking, or giving a pre-calving vaccine in the winter when the weather may be very cold. Cattlemen often modify

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

animal health

a cooler so they can put in a heat lamp or a small heater. I was at a place recently where they used five-gallon pails of hot water and had holes in the top of the pail they could stick the syringe guns into. The barrel and needle are inside the warm pail, so they won’t freeze,” he says. Even a jar of hot water in the cooler can keep the temperature inside from getting too cold. Ranchers are often quite inventive, coming up with ways to keep the vaccine from getting too warm or too cold.

In cold weather, you may need something warm in the insulated cooler, to keep the vaccines from freezing. “The goal is to maintain ideal temperature, or else the effectiveness of the vaccine will be less than when we bought it,” Daly says.

“If you can start out with everything warm and thawed out when you begin, the syringes, etc. won’t chill as quickly and freeze up. If weather is cold, move your cooler or container into a heated pickup cab or shed before you put the vaccine in it, or keep a space heater running near the chute. Having the area warm before you begin may delay freezing long enough to get through the job. Once things get frozen it’s a battle to keep them thawed out,” he says. It might be handy to have a thermometer in your cooler so you’d know when it starts to get too cold (or too warm, on a hot day). Hot packs or hot water bottles could be used to help keep things from freezing.

“In our region we have a lot of inventions and coolers that have been adapted for keeping syringes at proper temperature. Some have holes in the top to stick the pistol-grip syringes into; you can have plastic bottles filled with hot water in there to keep those needles from freezing up. It’s the needle and the tip of the barrel that tend to freeze first and then no vaccine can come through. Keeping that end of the syringe thawed out, and keeping the vaccine bottles that you haven’t mixed up yet from freezing will be very helpful,” says Daly.

“In summer, keep vaccine out of direct sunlight and keep it from getting warm,” says Hendrick. “Vaccine that’s been too warm won’t be any good. When in doubt, throw it out. Keep something over it to provide shade while you are working.

With MLV vaccines, once it’s mixed up, try to use it all within an hour. Ideally, that’s the best. It might still be viable for two and maybe three hours, but this might depend on the temperature and www.canadiancattlemen.ca

whether it’s in sunlight.” It will gradually lose potency, so it’s best to use it soon.

“Don’t mix up more than you think you can use in an hour. Definitely do not mix it all up ahead of time; mix it as you go,” says Hendrick. There may be some delays along the way, such as an animal getting out of the chute or something breaks down and has to be fixed on the spot, or some other situation that slows the process while you are working that batch of cows.

“Always use a clean needle when drawing vaccine from the bottle. The killed vaccines don’t have to be used up immediately, like the MLV vaccines that you must rehydrate. If you use a clean needle to enter the bottle, and keep the vaccine at proper temperature, you could put the remainder of a killed vaccine back in the refrigerator and use it at a later date, but not if you’ve entered the bottle with a dirty needle.” c

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C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

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 Holistic R a nc hi ng

By Don Campbell

financial planning

H

olistic Management offers a very robust financial planning process. It differs from traditional bookkeeping in several key areas: 1. We are always planning in the future. We would complete our financial plan before the year begins.

2. We set our profit before the year begins.

3. We spend our expense money more wisely.

4. We monitor our plan monthly.

Steps to Financial Planning

9. SUCCESS!!!!

8. Monitor, control, replan.

7. Ending net worth.

6. Do a cash flow.

5. Plan and sort your expenses.

4. Identify the weak link.

3. Set your profit.

2. Plan your income.

1. Start with net worth.

1. Start with net worth. This is a statement of your assets and liabilities at a given point in time. This would normally be at the start of your fiscal year. It is important to know where you are so that you can track changes in your net worth. There are a few things to watch.

Assets that will be sold in the current year should be listed at a realistic value. When dealing with assets that are not likely to be sold very often (land and cows) it might be wise to list these at a relatively low constant dollar value for a period of years. By doing this you will be measuring real change in your net worth not just tracking inflation.

If for any reason you want to use current values for your land and cows that is fine. If you do this be aware of how much of the increase in your net worth is due to the operation of your business and how much is due to inflation.

2. Plan your income. At this point you plan a full year’s income.

You require a date, a weight and a price. When planning use realistic projected prices. A general rule of thumb might be to plan your income realistically but somewhat conservatively. Write down the information you used to plan your income. Every number should be backed up on a worksheet. This will be of great value when it’s time to monitor your financial plan.

3. Set your profit. Now is the time to set your profit. We do this before the year even begins. Profit is defined as an increase in net worth. It is a return on your investment and a return to your management skills. The classic example in H M is to hold your expenses to half your projected income. This leaves half of your projected income as profit. This is a lofty goal. Don’t let this discourage you, it is meant to motivate you to be serious about achieving profit. Let me share a personal story. A producer had taken the six-day course with us. He was keen and wanted to achieve a healthy profit. He was determined to reach the 50 per cent mark. I saw him a year later.

His first comment was, “I am so frustrated, only 30 per cent of my total income is profit.” My comment was, what percentage of your

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income would have been profit if you weren’t challenged to shoot for 50 per cent? Chances are that without the challenge his profit would have been low or non-existent.

4. Identify the weak link. At this stage you identify the weak link in each enterprise in your business. There are three basic steps to each enterprise: resource conversion (growing), product conversion (harvesting) and market conversion. At a given point in time each enterprise will be weak in only one area. This is where you need to focus your time and energy. By strengthening the weak link you strengthen your entire business. Identifying the weak link will allow you to sort your expenses.

5. Plan and sort expenses. Sort your expenses into three categories: the “W” expenses (things that fix the weak link), “I” expenses (things that are essential and a constant dollar value) and “M” expenses (all expenses that aren’t “W” or “I”). Money spent on “W” expenses will strengthen your business. Money spent here is like an investment. Try to give “W” expenses all the money they require.

“I” expenses are a short list and a set amount so just accept them and don’t spend any time trying to reduce them. “M” expenses are the ones to challenge. The more you reduce “M” expenses the more money you will have to shore up the weak links. Once your expenses are sorted budget actual dollar amounts, just as you did when planning your income. Document each expense with a date and dollar amount. Be realistically and somewhat liberal. By planning your income conservatively and your expenses liberally you are likely to do better than your plan.

6. Do a cash flow. At this stage you transfer the income and expense numbers from the worksheets to the cash flow sheet. This summarizes your income and expenses per category. It also gives you monthly income and expense totals. You are now able to see if you can cash flow your business or if you will require an operating loan. If a loan is needed the cash flow will show the amount required and how it will vary each month.

7. Ending net worth. You now list your assets and liabilities as they will be at the end of the year in light of the transactions you have planned. Now is the crunch time.

Does your increase in net worth match the profit number you set in Step 3? If the numbers match or are close enough for your liking you proceed to implement your financial plan. If the numbers don’t match you go back and redo the plan until you achieve the profit you desire.

8. Monitor, control, replan. This is one of the most critical steps in the entire process. By monitoring monthly you give yourself 12 opportunities each year to see how your plan matches up with reality.

Financial planning is one way to relieve some of the stress and worry in your life and help you create the future you desire.

Happy trails. 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

A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Forage & Grassland Guide is produced in partnership by the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association (CFGA) and Farm Business Communications and distributed through Country Guide, Canadian Cattlemen and Le Bulletin des agriculteurs. It focuses on forage and grassland issues of importance to crop and livestock producers across Canada.

Making hay of environmental goods and services Researchers wrestle with turning an abstract concept into concrete profits for producers By jeff melchior

I

f you were to ask most cattle producers about the goods and services their grasslands provide, it might seem like an obvious question. Most would say that quality forage promotes the health of their cattle, provides high-quality protein and boosts their bottom line. Others might talk about how their grazing practices promote biodiversity and overall environmental health.

Both are fundamentally correct in their definitions of the environmental goods and services (EG&S) provided by grasslands. But those answers are only the beginning of what is currently a somewhat vague and academic concept. If EG&S such as carbon storage and biodiversity have the potential for a dollar value, should producers be paid for owning and managing those services? And if so, how do you assign that value and develop a system of trade to support it?

It’s the job of researchers such as Edward Bork to help answer such questions. Bork, a researcher with

2016

Forage & Grassland Guide

In many grasslands, including those of Western Canada, moderate grazing actually boosts overall plant diversity.

the University of Alberta’s Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science department, says understanding these services is more crucial than ever in an era of escalating stresses such as grassland conversion and climate change.

“What we’re starting to recognize as a society is that these perennial systems, particularly our native grasslands, provide benefits to society that go far beyond forage and livestock commodities. Those benefits affect all of us,” he says.

“We want to develop solid baselines for the biophysical contributions from grasslands, whether it’s carbon storage or pollinator diversity. If you don’t have that baseline information, then it’s impossible to attach a dollar value to it. Once the important task of quantifying the size of those benefits is done the next step is to find the right policy mechanisms to promote, conserve or even increase them from these systems.”

Grazing a fit for EG&S

One thing that makes EG&S so hard to define is that they cover pretty much everything in the agro-ecosystem. These “goods” include habitat, water and millions of species including animals, plants and even soil organisms that haven’t yet been fully identified.

“The services include the provision of wildlife habitat for both consumptive — those we hunt — and nonconsumptive species. They include rainfall infiltration, flood mitigation and water purification since a lot of our rangelands are also major watersheds. It also includes carbon storage, which is obviously an important good and service because if carbon is stored in the ground it’s not in the atmosphere contributing to rising CO2 levels,” says Bork.

The good news is that good rangeland management already promotes these values.

Continued on page 50 C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

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A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Continued from page 49 “If you look at these rangelands they evolved with grazing and often plenty of it,” says Bork. “It is well known that in many grasslands, including those of Western Canada, moderate grazing actually boosts overall plant diversity.”

Overall, producers have done a good job of maintaining grasslands, using conservative stocking rates and giving the land time to regenerate, says Bork. “What we don’t necessarily understand is how the other environmental goods and services, the ones we know are out there but may be not be as well understood, how do they respond?

Although research will continue to reveal how producers can hone their practices, Bork does not foresee any findings that could negatively affect grazing as a viable, socially acceptable facilitator of EG&S. If anything, the results of a study Bork led with support from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) suggests the biggest threat to these goods and services, aside from urban development, may be market-driven incentives to switch land use to forms of agriculture that provide fewer EG&S. “Just by flipping native grasslands into cropland you’re eliminating upwards of 40 to 50 per cent of the carbon stores. But what incentive is there for a farmer to retain grasslands for carbon storage? There isn’t one.

So until there’s a market mechanism to reward producers for that they’re not going to change their management to accommodate the service.”

Potential for pollinators

One of the keys to discovering the value of EG&S is finding the species that deliver them. The collapse of bee populations throughout the world has brought new focus on the role of pollinators in crop production. A U of A study seeks to take the discussion beyond honeybees towards the countless other unknown, unnamed pollinators.

“If we can start understanding

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which species of bee are really doing this pollination work, then we can start to figure out their contributions to canola and other flowering crops and their contributions to the production of flowering plants within rangelands,” says Cameron Carlyle, a fellow rangeland researcher with the U of A. “From there we want to figure out what systems of cattle management might benefit these pollinators and reap the benefits in terms of forage.”

Carlyle’s team has identified 140 bee species in Alberta so far. “We found there’s a great deal of variability in their numbers and abundance across the province. Depending on where you are there are differences in abundance of species between rangelands and canola fields. We have 15,000 bees to identify one at a time so it’s a bit of a slog.”

Another issue is parasites on commercial honeybees. “We’ve been finding the same or similar parasites on native bees but we don’t know if they’ve always been there or whether this is a new thing,” Carlyle says.

Even if species can be identified it is difficult to know how to conserve or manage them. “With a lot of species we don’t even know if they nest in the ground, if they nest in trees or stems or if they prefer one species of flower over another. There are so many species.”

Carbon storage questions

A major question around EG&S is how much carbon the soil can hold under drought conditions, which are expected to intensify with climate change. The U of A is embarking on a three-year study looking at carbon storage and the resilience of forage production under extreme drought.

“With climate change we are expecting the amount of rainfall in the Prairies to actually go up,” says Carlyle. “However, accompanying those wet years will be increases in temperature and increases in year-toyear variability in precipitation that will likely lead to extreme drought

“ Just by flipping native grasslands into cropland you’re eliminating upwards of 40 to 50 per cent of the carbon stores.

But what incentive is there for a farmer to retain grasslands for carbon storage? There isn’t one.”

— Edward Bork, University of Alberta years that are really going to limit our agro-ecosystems.”

Using large structures to simulate a number of rainfall conditions and clipping to mimic grazing, Carlyle and his team will attempt to discover which management practices work best. “The basic question is whether these different defoliation regimes modify the plant community in a way that makes it more resilient to grazing and allows it to still put plenty of carbon into the ground,” says Carlyle.

Patience is key

In Alberta, the government and the scientific community have only recently taken their first steps towards discovering the price of various EG&S. However, this process will likely prove difficult. How, for example, does one put a dollar value on a concept as vague as biodiversity?

“One of our upcoming projects, which we’ve nicknamed the beef and biodiversity project, and again funded

by ALMA, is a good example of that,” says Bork. “One of our goals with that study is to find out how ecosystem biodiversity, either in whole or in part, can be incorporated into the routine livestock management practices of ranchers. The challenge is that different species have different values to society. If it’s an invasive species do you count that as a negative if it is displacing native species or as a positive if in the end it is increasing forage production and carbon storage?

There are all sorts of complexities.” n Forage & Grassland Guide

2016

Spring is closer than you think Do you have a plan for seeding pastures and annual forages?

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For many of us, winter provides the cold needed to encourage a bit more time in the office. If you’ve decided to reseed a pasture stand, or to seed perennials into your crop rotation, the winter months pre- or post-calving are an ideal time to do a little preemptive planning.

Next, you’ll want to re-visit soil samples taken in the fall, or (better yet), take some right before spring seeding. Good fertility is crucial to developing seedlings, and the best way to know is by taking a representative soil sample and getting it tested.

First, you’ll need to decide on the intent behind seeding. Are you hoping for a silage crop in the first year? Will you be grazing or harvesting the established forage?

When it comes time to plant (early spring, ideally), know what’s listed on the forage mixture label, and understand that the percentages listed are not good indicators of the plant populations you’ll get, as they are typically listed by weight, as opposed to number of seeds.

Once you’ve answered those questions, it’s time to think about forage species.

If you’re seeding a grazing pasture, consider using at least two legumes and two to three grasses, depending on the variability of soil conditions.

The mixture should include a variety of species able to colonize all areas of the pasture, provide good growth, and good animal nutrition. When selecting species, consider their ability to handle pasture pressures like pH, salinity, texture and moisture, as well as their winter hardiness and lifespan. If you’re planting a companion crop, think about using a less competitive annual, to allow the proper establishment of your perennial species. Also think about reducing the seeding rate and harvesting it a little on the early side.

Once you’ve got your crop into a good seedbed, with few weeds, the proper inoculant and ample (but not too ample) fertilizer, it’s time to give it some space.

Crop scout regularly, but don’t plan on turning animals out until the second year, if possible. If it isn’t possible to wait, ensure a good root system for the grasses, and avoid disturbing legumes when they are preparing for winter.

If you end up needing more resources to prepare for planting, you’ll no doubt find an incredible number online, including, likely, information from your provincial government’s agriculture ministry. For further information and advice, consider phoning your local agronomist, forage specialist or provincial forage association.

A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Stocking rates key to climate change adjustment Low defoliation rates and leaving lots of litter are best for coping with weather variations from year to year

F

ast and hard? Slow and easy?

And how many animals per acre?

Stocking and defoliation rates are a complex and even controversial issue, and depend a lot on the weather. Climate change could make them even more complex.

To get a better idea on how producers should respond, Edward Bork and a team from the University of Alberta recently completed a threeyear research project looking at forage growth response to variation in summer rainfall, heat and grazing intensities across the Prairies.

Although research is ongoing and

By jeff melchior

may reveal new management practices in the future, Bork says the best practice right now is to utilize low to moderate stocking.

“You can’t prevent risk but you can reduce it,” says Bork. “Use the general recommendations associated with good management, particularly conservative stocking rates — certainly no higher than moderate — and leave plenty of litter to conserve soil moisture. In our study we had several different defoliation intensities and the heaviest one was always the worst in terms of forage production penalty. This is particularly important in drought years.”

The study also helped clarify some other mysteries surrounding climate change. “For example, although a relatively small increase in temperature of 2 C only had a moderate impact on forage production, it’s the likelihood of increasing water demands under warmer conditions accompanied by extended drought that presented the most risk. Warmer conditions can increase evaporation of soil moisture and reduce water use efficiency by plants, further jeopardizing forage production.”

Bork notes that previous studies have shown as much as 60 per cent of production can be lost in arid prairie grasslands of Alberta with the removal of litter.

General trends

Over the course of three growing seasons Bork and his colleagues studied the effects of climate change on native grassland, focusing on changes in grass, forb and total herbage producContinued on page 54

Studies in three Prairie provinces used covers to block rainfall and simulate various levels of drought.

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2016

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Continued from page 52 tion under controlled conditions at three locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Alberta site was located 140 km southeast of Edmonton in a fescue grassland within the Parkland. The Saskatchewan site was a mixed-grass prairie 130 km south of Regina, while the Manitoba location was a moist grassland in the Parkland-Boreal transition 200 km northwest of Winnipeg.

The researchers simulated tem-

Edward Bork and a team from the University of Alberta recently completed a three-year research project looking at forage growth response to variation in summer rainfall, heat and grazing intensities across the Prairies.

“Heavy defoliation exasperates the effects of drier and warmer conditions because of changes in rooting patterns. As a result, producers who want to mitigate that risk by maintaining a healthy root system should use low to moderate stocking.”

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perature increases by situating plots in small fibreglass greenhouses which increased daytime temperatures during the growing season by 1 to 3 C. Shelters were used to decrease precipitation by 60 per cent. Various grazing regimes — heavy, light and none — were simulated by clipping forage annually at peak growth.

Increased heat played a role in decreasing richness, the number of species present and forage availability at all three sites.

However, heat itself had a relatively minor impact compared to decreased precipitation and clipping intensity, revealing as much as a 32 per cent loss in forage under highintensity defoliation. Although the results varied by location, growing seasons and combinations of treatments, the general trends showed that reduced precipitation cut overall forage availability by 25 per cent and heating by eight per cent. Low-intensity clipping accounted for a 13 per cent loss of forage.

“Although there’s an effect with warming itself, it’s quite small in relation to the precipitation reduction,” says Bork. “But those go hand in hand, especially if you have a drop in precipitation during extended warm periods because more rainfall is needed to make up for the greater water loss due to evaporation and increased demand for water by stressed plants.”

Regional variability

Responses to reduced precipitation varied markedly among the three locations tested. At the Saskatchewan site, for example, researchers saw little loss in forage due to reduced precipitation while the Manitoba and Alberta plots experienced a forage drop of 20 and 43 per cent respectively.

“While we thought the Saskatchewan site would go down the most in production due to its inherently arid environment, it did not, potentially because these grasslands are better adapted to extended periods of low moisture. Mixed-grass vegetation

has up to 85 per cent of its biomass below ground as roots, which may render it less susceptible to drought. For the vegetation found there, it’s just another day at the office,” says Bork.

“Meanwhile, areas traditionally more reliant on moisture, such as in north-central Alberta and Manitoba, were more prone to production declines when the taps were turned off. Thus, the risk to livestock producers may be much higher there. Does that mean Saskatchewan is immune to climate change and drought? No. These studies were completed over a three-year period and if we were to continue on for several more years these systems may eventually change in response to repeated water stress.”

Another component of their study, which looks at root responses to warming and drought, is refining our understanding of the relationship between root growth and climate.

Again, Bork emphasizes the importance of reduced stocking regimes.

“Heavy defoliation exasperates the effects of drier and warmer conditions because of changes in rooting patterns. As a result, producers who want to mitigate that risk by maintaining a healthy root system should use low to moderate stocking. Otherwise you put your grassland at greater susceptibility to drought and warming effects, with heightened forage loss.”

Bork notes that any tendency among central Alberta producers to overstock their grasslands likely comes from a long history of relatively consistent weather patterns.

“Throughout the ’70s and into the ’90s the Parkland in north-central Alberta saw pretty stable production and rainfall throughout the growing season. In contrast, over the last decade and a half we’ve seen a sharp turnaround with half a dozen of the driest years on record. It’s those producers who don’t necessarily think about adjusting their stocking rates and fail to leave sufficient litter to conserve moisture during wild swings in moisture that end up paying the greatest price.” n Forage & Grassland Guide

2016

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A special supplement brought to you by Canadian Forage and Grassland Association

Forage breeding faces funding challenges Government has cut back, private companies are not keen on crops that don’t need to be reseeded every year, and you can’t check off sales to farmers’ own livestock By ron friesen

F

orages are Canada’s biggest crop but you wouldn’t know it because of the few resources that go into breeding them. You’d think that, given its size, forage would be a giant in the world of plant breeding.

Unfortunately, it’s more of a midget.

Canada has only four major publicly funded programs for breeding tame forages, along with two smaller programs for native grasses. Research funding has been static for the last 10 years except for some from the Beef Cattle Research Council. It’s estimated that only about one-third as much forage research is being done nationally as in the 1980s. Research today concentrates on major species such as alfalfa, clover and grasses because there aren’t enough breeders to cover all the others.

“Considering the importance of the crop, that is a small breeding effort, especially when you consider the number of species to be worked on,” says Bruce Coulman, a University of Saskatchewan forage breeder who works on dryland grasses such as brome and wheatgrass.

Similar in the U.S.

In the U.S., the pattern is similar, despite more private companies involved in forage research. Mike Peterson, the global traits lead for Forage Genetics International in Janesville, Wisconsin, says variety evaluation is “way less” than it was 10 or 15 years ago. He recalls that an alfalfa-breeding group meeting in the U.S. used to draw 300 people. Now only about 60 attend.

“It’s crazy. It’s just eroding,” Peterson says. “We have almost as many acres of alfalfa and we’re just not doing the research that we used to.”

Peterson stresses the work that is

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being done is cutting edge and high quality. It’s just that the talent pool is so thin.

“The quality of the work has never been higher. There’s just not enough of it.”

Another problem is a lack of uptake for the research that is being done.

“The work that our breeders are doing is certainly very valuable. But we also don’t have a huge uptake from industry to use a lot of these new varieties,” says Cedric MacLeod, executive director of the Canadian Forage & Grassland Association.

“It’s just eroding. We have almost as many acres of alfalfa and we’re just not doing the research that we used to.”

— Mike Peterson, Forage Genetics International “There is some reluctance by growers to adopt the newest technology.

It’s hard for the public purse and private industry to justify the expense that goes along with breeding new varieties because the return on investment is a difficult case to make.”

No checkoff revenue

The nature of forages can make it difficult for breeders to target traits to select for. Because most forage is fed by farmers to their own cattle, their production tends to fly below the radar. Even basic data is sometimes lacking. Yields and value often have to be estimated because they are not actually documented, as they are for grains and oilseeds.

“The variability in itself makes it

hard for us to get a handle on what really needs to be done,” MacLeod says. “And it makes it difficult for the breeders to pinpoint what it is they should be breeding for.”

Surya Acharya, an AAFC forage breeder at Lethbridge, Alberta, thinks breeding programs in the past placed too much emphasis on yields and not enough on quality. Part of the reason may be that beef producers, who use the bulk of forages, do not require the same high-quality forage that dairy farmers do. Acharya believes higher quality would give forages a market advantage for exporters

Enhanced management

Most in the industry agree forage producers need to take management to a higher level, given the escalating cost of farmland. Peterson does some work near Kitchener, Ontario where land can cost up to $20,000 an acre, making it hard for forages to compete with corn and soybeans.

“You really need to pretty much pull an annual grain crop off that land to make it pay. Or you need 10 tons of alfalfa per year.”

But Acharya believes there are ways for forages to be competitive through enhanced management. One way would be to stop growing forages as a monoculture in grazing situations.

Acharya is currently working on sainfoin, a forage legume which can be grown in a mixed stand with alfalfa.

Not only does this mixture reduce bloat, it produces greater yields with a higher quality.

“We should be working in a more innovative way to produce more from a unit area without only concentrating on genetic yield increases,” Acharya says. n Forage & Grassland Guide

2016

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 researc h o n t h e r eco r d

By Reynold Bergen

Beef: a Nutritious Part of a Sustainable Diet

I

n July 2014, a well-respected journal called Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a report that criticized meat production in general, and beef production in general, on the basis of their environmental footprints (“Land, irrigation, water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States,” PNAS 111:11996-12001). That paper has been refuted in this column and elsewhere, so I won’t rehash those details again, except to point out that the authors indicated that globalization meant that Americans’ dietary habits are rapidly adopted by “large and burgeoning economies as those of China and India.” They went on to suggest that appropriately legislating American diets would help people in emerging economies make better (and more environmentally sound) eating decisions. That idea came very close to reality last year.

The USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services released the initial Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommendations in January 2015. Those preliminary recommendations omitted lean meat from its recommended dietary pattern, partly on the basis of environmental sustainability. The recommendations stated that “a diet higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and lower in calories and animal-based foods is more health promoting and is associated with less environmental impact than is the current U.S. diet.” Fortunately, those recommendations were not included in the final Dietary Guidelines released January 7, 2016.

A study published in November 2015 (Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US; Environ Syst Decis DOI 10.1007/s10669-0159577-y) suggests that adopting those recommendations would have actually harmed the environment.

What they did: These researchers were concerned about the obesity epidemic in the U.S. The average American also doesn’t eat what dietitians recommend.

So Americans are advised to eat less, and eat differently.

These researchers compared the environmental impacts of three different diets. One diet scenario assumed that people still ate the average American diet, just nine per cent less of everything. The second diet scenario didn’t reduce caloric intake (so they wouldn’t lose weight), but changed to a “USDA-recommended” diet that contained much less sugar, fat, meat, and poultry, and much more grains, nuts, fish, fruit, vegetables and dairy. The third diet scenario was the same “USDA-recommended” diet mix, but reduced caloric intake by nine per cent.

The environmental impacts of these three diet scenarios were compared based on independent studies that had calculated the energy, water and greenhouse

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gas impacts of over 100 different types of foods. The researchers also accounted for food wastage that typically occurs at the retail and consumer levels.

What they learned: Compared to current eating patterns, eating less of the same diet led to nine per cent reductions in energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas production. The consistent nine per cent reduction makes sense, because it was based on eating nine per cent less of the same things. The second scenario (still eating too many calories, but the recommended diet mix) actually increased energy use by 43 per cent, water use by 16 per cent, and greenhouse gas production by 11 per cent.

The third scenario (eating fewer calories, and the recommended diet mix) also increased energy use by 38 per cent, water use by 10 per cent, and greenhouse gas production by six per cent compared to current eating patterns.

What it means: Per calorie, meat (especially beef) produces more greenhouse gas than other foods, uses less water or energy per calorie than many other foods.

Meat is also very nutrient-dense. To replace the nutrients from a small amount of meat means that you’d need to eat a lot more nuts, lentils and soy. Those foods have environmental impacts, too. For example, the energy (transportation) footprint of fruits, vegetables and soy are much higher than meat, because they are mostly water, not nutrients.

The energy footprint of farmed fish is almost as high as fruit because of the energy used to manufacture fish feed.

The water footprint of fruit, vegetables, nuts and soy are much higher than meat due to the heavy reliance on irrigation to grow them.

The greenhouse gas footprint per calorie is higher for meat than for dairy or fish, but dairy and fish consumption increased so drastically in the recommended diet mix that the overall greenhouse gas impact of the recommended diet went up. The greenhouse gas footprint of wild caught fish is nearly as high as for meat, because fishing vessels travel great distances and use a lot of fuel.

Many of the foods that dietitians recommend we eat more of also spoil faster, so all that energy and water is used and greenhouse gas is generated to produce, store and transport food that is never eaten. The environmental impacts of those dietary choices and wastage add up.

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

 prime cuts

By Steve Kay

COOL’S REPEAL MIGHT INCREASE EXPORTS

A

big question facing Canadian livestock producers this year is whether December’s repeal of country-of-origin labelling for beef and pork will encourage more livestock exports to the U.S. Initial analysis suggests they will increase. USDA forecasts that hog shipments might increase nine per cent this year from 2015 to 6.2 million head. This though would be well below the 10 million hogs that headed south in 2007.

Cattle shipments might increase as well.

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association believes exports might climb to one million head from last year’s 755,969 head (a USDA total). But there are several factors that suggest shipments might remain modest compared to the peak years.

First, Canadian cattle numbers have remained flat the past two years, around 11.9 million head. That’s against 12.2 million to 12.3 million head in each of the previous three years. Canadian producers appear to have far less appetite to grow their herds than U.S. producers. This has meant that feedlots and packers, especially in Western Canada, have strived to keep as many cattle from going south as possible.

Last year saw only 281,591 feeder cattle go south and even fewer slaughter steers and

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

heifers (196,243 head). Exports of slaughter cows in fact surpassed steers and heifers at 197,567 head.

Response to COOL’s repeal, at least at the start of this year, was mixed. The first three weeks saw only 3,060 feeder cattle go south, versus 19,360 head the same weeks last year.

But 15,836 steers and heifers went south, versus 10,344 head last year. Bad weather and poor feedlot conditions in much of the U.S. likely led to the slow start in feeder cattle shipments. But they might not pick up much, as the U.S. had 25.912 million feeder cattle and calves outside feedlots on January 1, up a whopping 1.309 million head from a year earlier.

This reflected low placements but also a U.S. cattle population that grew 3.2 per cent in 2015 to 91.988 million head on January 1. Cow-calf producers thus expanded their beef cow herds for the second year in a row.

They had wanted to expand for some years because of favourable per-cow returns.

But drought from 2010 to 2012 ravaged pastures from Texas to Missouri. However, much of the impact of the drought had disappeared by 2014 and producers responded to record-high returns.

Producers last year increased their herds primarily through more beef cows. That number on January 1 totalled 30.331 million head, up 1.029 million head or 3.5

per cent on last year. The number of beef replacement heifers totalled 6.285 million head, up 199,000 head or 3.3 per cent.

USDA notably upwardly revised its January 1, 2015 beef replacement heifer total, which meant producers retained heifers more aggressively in 2014 (up by 535,000 head from 2013) than in 2015. The 2015 U.S. calf crop totalled 34.302 million head, up 780,000 head or 2.3 per cent, and will grow even more this year.

Canada needs to expand its herd for its new National Beef Strategy to be successful, says CCA president Dave Solverson. Part of the Canadian industry’s competitiveness relies on its existing infrastructure. Yet more live cattle exports to the U.S. are going to squeeze domestic supply at home and that could put pressure on Canadian processing plants, he says. Additionally, Asian markets love Canadian beef but reliability of supply has been a problem. Solverson would like to see the Canadian cow herd rebound to five million head from its current total of less than four million head. He doesn’t offer a time frame for this but a 25 per cent increase even over 10 years might be a tall order. c A North American view of the meat industry.

Steve Kay is publisher and editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly.

C a t t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6 59

 straigh t f ro m t h e h i p

By Brenda Schoepp

Demonstrated Trust

A

s a followup to the last column we ask the question: What does it take to earn public trust? A few initiatives are underway to answer that question and address the concerns that consumers have already expressed. It is not that the public does not mistrust farmers — they just don’t know them.

The rural road is long and certainly the one less travelled. As farmers in Canada we do have an advantage as our density in animals and humans is very low and our environmental footprint is light. That could keep us out of the spotlight but it does not take us out of the game when it comes to ensuring we have earned the public trust or have the social licence to operate.

As Canada remains commodity driven with very little understanding of the value in value added, especially in the West, it is hard to measure our success in transferring benefit back to the farm. During the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) Forum on Canada’s Agri-Food Future, the reality check on Canadian exports read like an obituary: a lack of global offices in Canada, a total absence of global retailers pushing Canadian product and an increase in foreign ownership of our own food production and processing industries, no world class Agricultural University, complacency and a fear of investing in our own country. Glenn Hodgson, chief economist for the Conference Board of Canada, reflects on the food export side describing it as: “Canada’s subpar export performance.”

All this is happening at one level while in our communities one of the questions on the mind of our friends, the consumer, is simply: Is my food safe? Crystal Mackay, CEO of Farm & Food Care Canada describes public trust as: “A belief that activities are consistent with social expectations and the values of the community and other stakeholders.” Is the farming and more precisely the beef industry aligned on social expectations?

There are lingering thoughts that consumers express in areas such as human and animal welfare, food safety and personal health, additives, environmental stewardship and business ethics. Perhaps the most concerning at this point is also our ability to operate without interference in regards to the use of natural capital. This most certainly was front and centre at the (CAPI) forum. The question of how we produce more without depleting natural capital was prominent even with our low environmental impact. More importantly, pinpointing our responsible use of natural capital as a competitive advantage was very difficult. Despite the cry for agro-responsibility, very few products recognize or reflect natural capital enhancement in pricing.

Whenever the buyer wavers because of uncertainty, Canadian food producers and processors hold their breath.

What we have failed to achieve is full social licence to operate. Again, Mackay offers a clear definition: “The privilege

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of operating with minimal formalized restrictions based on maintaining public trust by doing what’s right.” And so we return full circle to the discussion of public trust.

At this point you may be asking yourself if this is a passing phase and if industry is going to go through the motions, only to have the line moved yet again. On the issue of trust, I think it is fair to say that it comes in alignment with core principles and beliefs and those beliefs are being fed and nurtured each and every day by persons outside of the agricultural realm. Social media and the tribal context in which we communicate reduces old systems to ruins in short order and the core of the buying decision is based on what a person believes, which is influenced by the information they have been exposed to. The point here is: we need to be transparent in our discussion and develop a trust relationship. And that means more than just talk — it must be a demonstrated trust.

Journalist Amanda Lang said it perfectly at the forum when she exclaimed that in agriculture we do not “talk enough about winning” and “that no one really tells this story.” The whole food value chain is a big story with great untapped potential, committed people and it needs to be taken seriously. We start by telling the story to our consuming public through AgMoreThanEver and The Real Dirt on Farming but what of a national movement to understand the value economics of trust? The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity will launch with a Public Trust Summit in May. Agriculture gets to weigh in on the concept of assurance and validations systems that deeply may impact farming and food processing.

Putting public trust on the plate in a bid to earn social licence does not mean we have to give up anything nor should it deliver directives that are so strong from government, retail or food companies that we are driven to the lowest common price just to achieve export volume.

When growth in Canadian companies dwindles and exports fail that is not the failure of the farmer — it is a weakness in the system.

Our food-processing industry in Canada is really poised for potential growth and they need an enabling environment in which to succeed. Sylvie Cloutier, Canadian Council of Food Processors, has shared with me this example: the EU will not accept food products from GMO crops and we have to accept their definition of value. Our licence to operate in their market is based on their trust of our product and validated compliance with their needs.

Earning public trust has many layers and may need radical collaboration which is really a call to demonstrate our willingness to work together for the economic benefit of the entire food system — within and beyond the farm. c Contact Brenda through her website: www.brendaschoepp. com. All rights reserved Brenda Schoepp 2016

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 CCA repo rts

By Dave Solverson

It’s been an honour!

T

his is my last opportunity to reach out to producers from this column as president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA).

I’d like to thank Canadian Cattlemen magazine for providing this space. I know the column has been well read; as I travel across Canada producers often refer to what we’ve said here.

I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time in March 2014. The timing of my election coincided with the incredible, unprecedented run-up in prices for cattle and beef. This long-awaited injection of cash and huge profits for all sectors of the industry continued well into 2015 and allowed CCA to work hard on the goals I wanted to achieve during my term as president without having to be distracted by immediate crises.

Favourable resolution of U.S. mandatory country-oforigin labelling (COOL) was my No. 1 goal when I was elected. CCA, on behalf of producers, had been working hard to get rid of COOL for years. Past presidents and CCA’s professional staff convinced the Government of Canada to take our largest trading partner to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Momentum was building in Canada’s favour when I became president and I was determined to keep up the pressure on elected representatives and senators.

CCA’s eventual success depended upon good relations with industry counterparts and I was pleased to help strengthen these ties during many trips to the U.S. and Mexico. The successful repeal of COOL in December 2015 was a result of collaboration between the CCA, the Government of Canada and industry coalitions in the U.S. With COOL behind us and the Canadian dollar at near 70 cents, interest from U.S. bidders is sure to increase. Returning to an integrated North American market is sending market signals for expansion of the national herd.

CCA had identified a free trade agreement (FTA) with Korea as a priority. This was my second goal. There was a sense of urgency for CCA as Korea and the U.S. had negotiated an FTA, which reduced their tariff 2.5 per cent per year. The tariff differential was quickly leaving Canadian exporters uncompetitive.

Fortunately an FTA was also a priority for the Government of Canada and in the first week of my term I was invited to travel to Korea with then-prime minister Stephen Harper and former international trade minister Ed Fast to announce the agreement in principle for the Canada-Korea FTA. The deal was ratified later in the year and exporters were beginning to take advantage when bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case No. 19 was discovered in February 2015. Korea temporarily suspended imports until the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a final report on its investigation. Ship-

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ments resumed in December and Canadian beef is once again available in Korea.

My third goal was for an FTA with Japan. Like Korea, there is a sense of urgency as Australia achieved a tariff advantage. Canadian beef goes into Japan against a tariff of 38.5 per cent. Australia is currently at 27 per cent and is going down to 19 per cent in the next few years.

Canada and Japan were well along in bilateral talks when both countries decided to become involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). CCA supported and advised our negotiators at every step and the TPP deal for beef is a good deal; upon implementation there is an immediate reduction in the Japan tariff to 27.5 per cent and incremental decreases to nine per cent over time.

TPP was negotiated and completed by the Conservative government prior to the federal election in October.

The majority Liberal government is pro-trade and it is currently consulting with Canadians on the TPP. CCA is participating at every opportunity and is encouraging provincial members, governments and individuals to write to Ottawa and publicly support the Government of Canada in ratifying the TPP. We’ve met with International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland to discuss the TPP, most recently at the signing ceremony in New Zealand. There, CCA Director, Government and International Relations John Masswohl and I impressed upon her the importance of the deal for cattle producers and agriculture in general. Agriculture is increasingly important to the Canadian economy and I am confident the TPP will be ratified.

My fourth goal was commercially viable access to Europe as a result of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. I’d like to thank CCA past president Martin Unrau for his continued hard work on this file with Masswohl and Dennis Laycraft. Technical barriers remain but progress is being made towards getting plants approved.

CCA’s efforts to ensure long-term industry sustainability reach beyond market access. I’m extremely proud of achievements including the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which has positioned Canada as a leader in beef production sustainability. Other noteworthy achievements include leading the collaborative effort of the National Beef Strategy, continued work on risk management, the expansion of price insurance, the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) program and the establishment of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation.

Many thanks to my fellow officers, an outstanding board of directors and provincial leaders, and a very professional and competent staff. I’ve felt honoured to lead this organization. CCA has earned great respect and influence in Ottawa and internationally. What we do does make a difference. c — Dave Solverson

Dave Solverson is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 TH E IN DUST RY

NewsRoundup Associations

Saskatchewan adds its support to National Checkoff increase

It was unanimous and the decision went on record without much discussion at the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association’s annual general meeting in January. Follow­ ing presentations at the fall district meet­ ings about the importance of increasing the National Checkoff to $2.50 per head to sup­ port the new National Beef Strategy, Sask­ atchewan producers showed no hesitation in giving it the go-ahead.

“Now we have direction from our mem­ bers to help the national association get this going,” says SCA incoming chair Ryan Bei­ erbach. “Each province can choose to raise its National Checkoff unilaterally, but the proposal has to be supported by all provin­ cial associations before it can be imposed on beef imports.”

Members reaffirmed that the SCA is headed in the right direction on several ini­ tiatives that have been on the books for the past year or two.

The SCA will continue to meet with Sask­atchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) to work out any kinks that turn up in the provincial wildlife damage compen­ sation program, forage insurance program and Western Livestock Price Insurance Pro­ gram (WLPIP).

Members voted in favour of lobbying the provincial government to create an appeal process independent of SCIC control for suspected cattle losses to predators and to

Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association board of directors. Front row (l-r): Ryder Lee (CEO), Regina; Rick Toney (vice-chair), Gull Lake; Ryan Beierbach (chair), Whitewood; Bill Jameson (past chair), Moose Jaw; Levi Hull, Willowbrook. Back (l-r): Arnold Balicki, Shellbrook; Paula Larson, D’Arcy; Michael Spratt, Melfort; Brad Welter, Viscount; Garret Hill, Duval; Larry Grant, Val Marie; Lloyd Thompson, Carnduff; Chad Ross, Estevan. Missing: Phil Lynn, Marquis; Dean Moore, Paradise Hill; Laurie Disney, Rock Glen; Harold Martens, Swift Current.

address how the compensation paid to pro­ ducers is determined.

WLPIP is currently operating as a pilot program and SCA members want to make sure it becomes permanent. One improve­ ment they’d like to see is updated technol­ ogy that would allow producers to better manage the time sensitivity of the pro­ gram and an alternative payment scheme.

Ben Stuart | 780-888-7303 North Eastern Alberta

F O R A G E

As it stands, producers pay when they take out a policy, rather than at a later date as with crop insurance.

Beierbach says the SCA has had several meetings with the RCMP to discuss the possible appointment of a dedicated officer trained to respond to cattle theft and fraud Continued on page 64

Graeme Finn | 403-312-2240 Central Alberta

John O’Brien | 250-833-6976 Darren Keown | 204 937-7333 BC – Sure Crop Feeds Manitoba

Edwin Mans | 403-308-0857 Southern Alberta

Roger Meyers | 306-221-1558 Saskatchewan

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News Roundup Continued from page 63

cases but no agreement has been reached so far. This year, SCA members agreed to take another direction by lobbying the board of Livestock Services of Saskatchewan to look into the possibility of hiring an RCMP officer.

Beierbach takes over the chair of the SCA at an exciting time for the Canadian beef industry, with the development of the National Beef Strategy, the repeal of mandatory country-oforigin labelling in the U.S. and the advent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to create a level playing field for beef trade among 11 countries. SCA’s role will be to keep these trade issues in front of the provincial and federal governments at every opportunity that arises, he explains.

Based on support for another resolution the meeting agreed that the SCA will initiate a request to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to start the debate over removing the requirement for the “CAN” brand on export feeder cattle imposed because of BSE. This would eliminate the need to unload cattle at the border.

The removal of the CAN brand also ties into an SCA initiative to publish and promote any information that makes it easier

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N EWS ROUNDUP

for customers from the northern states and Ontario to competitively bid on Saskatchewan feeder cattle, Beierbach adds.

At home, the SCA will work on organizing profitability seminars for producers apart from the district and annual meetings.

It’s all about value — another way for SCA to provide value to members, producers getting more value from their operations, and creating more value for Saskatchewan cattle.

Beierbach is no stranger to beef industry politics. He has served on the board since the SCA’s inaugural annual general meeting in January 2010, first as an appointed representative of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association and four years as an elected representative for SCA’s District 1. He has chaired the environment and animal health committees, and served as vice chair last year. He also sits on the board of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the Beef Cattle Research Council.

Beierbach ranched with his family in the Cypress Hills near Maple Creek, Sask., and is a graduate from the agribusiness course at Lakeland College. In 2002, he and his wife, Tania, established their own ranch near Whitewood. Today, they and their three children run a 550-cow herd and a High Plains Ranch Supply store on the farm and online.

In 2012, he was among the second group to graduate from the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program and now becomes the first of many from the program in the years ahead to chair a provincial industry association.

Continued on page 66

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MARCH 28 - APRIL 2 KEYSTONE CENTRE, BRANDON, MB

News Roundup Continued from page 65

Associations

Cattle Show Features:

Manitoba Beef Producers agree to raise National Checkoff

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With six of the 16 resolutions coming out of Manitoba Beef Producers’ fall district meetings asking members to support the proposed National Checkoff increase to $2.50 per marketed head, it was easily the biggest item up for discussion during the association’s February annual general meeting at Brandon.

“It was a big decision and after a lot of discussion, I’d say by the show of hands that 98 per cent were in favour,” says Heinz Reimer of Steinbach, who was returned for his third year as president.

Of note was the packed house with a record number of producers of all ages and a sold-out trade show, making the 37th annual meeting a huge success and one for the books.

A resolution to look into the possibility of compiling a history of the association while the early generation can contribute insights received full support and is bound to add a lighthearted element to the upcoming year.

Members also called on their provincial organization to continue advocacy efforts on standing files, such as predation, water

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N EWS ROUNDUP

management and Crown land leases, and brought some new issues to the table.

MBP will ask the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to work with the Canadian Meat Council to ensure that all federally and provincially inspected processing plants provide carcass data to the Beef InfoXchange System.

To put beef producers on an equal footing with the grain sector, members carried a resolution to lobby the federal government to allow livestock producers to defer income for tax purposes on the sale of all classes of cattle. They also want to see changes made to the Advance Payments Program to raise the advance limit so that mixed farms are not penalized. Currently, mixed farms are eligible for advances of up to $400,000, the same as straight grain producers and livestock operations.

On the provincial front, the producers supported a resolution calling for MBP to request that all political parties participating in the April provincial election clearly describe the areas of rural Manitoba where they deem the dangerous practice of night lighting to be an acceptable and safe hunting practice.

The board was also given direction to lobby for a change in the trapping season for beavers and wolves from restricted to open on occupied agricultural lands, and a producer-stakeholder board to regulate the operation of the Portage Diversion on the Assiniboine River.

A resolution from the floor asked the MBP to stay on top of any discussions on the future of the Manitoba Association of Commu-

The Future is

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Continued on page 68

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67

News Roundup Continued from page 67

PRESENTS ITS ANNUAL

LIVESTOCK CARE CONFERENCE MARCH 22 & 23 IN OLDS, ALBERTA AT THE POMEROY INN & SUITES

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nity Pastures, which is currently operated as a pilot program.

MBP led the campaign to establish an association of patrons to work with the provincial government in setting up alternative management for the former federal community pastures in Manitoba.

Reimer says the MBP is still in the process of hiring a general manager to replace Melinda German who moved to Calgary on March 1 to become the first general manager of the National Checkoff Agency.

The group extended its appreciation to German and retiring director and treasurer Theresa Zuk, who has reached the six-year term limit representing District 10.

A highlight of the year gone by was the startup of three applied-research sites in the Brandon area under the Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) program. Some

of the demonstration projects got underway last year; 55 cows purchased for the program will start calving in May, and construction of a building to house the handling system and office is underway.

Initially the projects will focus on improving beef and grassland management, feed efficiency and herd health, as determined by an industry-led committee headed up by MBP’s vice-president, Ramona Blyth of MacGregor.

MBFI is a collaborative effort by MBP, the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Manitoba Agriculture. It took flight with the announcement at last year’s annual meeting that $3.1 million in Growing Forward 2 funds would be made available over three years for new beef and forage research and demonstration farms. MBP provides an annual $50,000 cash donation along with in-kind support worth $22,000 per year.

This year McDonald’s Canada announced it will partner with MBFI and provide $25,000 for an outreach tour event for producers to highlight the work being done at the research sites.

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NEWS ROUN DUP

Feeds

Consider more than cost when switching winter rations

Reducing feed costs for wintering cows can pay huge dividends.

“It’s been estimated that for every $1 that you save in winter feed costs, the net profit for the operation increases by $2.48,” says Barry Yaremcio, beef/forage specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Stettler.

High hay prices have resulted in some producers changing to a straw/grain ration prior to calving.

“This is a good option,” says Yaremcio.

“By feeding straw and grain pre-calving, it is possible to save roughly $350 compared to feeding hay throughout the entire winter.

The question then becomes, is it cheaper to feed oats or barley to the cows?”

But there’s more than just price to consider before you decide.

The first step is to look at the price differential needed to replace barley with oats in a ration, or vice versa.

“On average, barley contains seven to 10 per cent more protein and seven to 10 per cent more energy on a pound-for-pound basis compared to oats,” explains Yaremcio. “So, if there is six pounds of barley in the ration, it would be necessary to feed 6.6 pounds of oats to get the same amount of nutrients into the animal.”

Put on a per-tonne basis you would need 2,352 pounds of oats to replace the energy in 2,204 pounds of barley, plus six pounds

of canola meal to match protein levels. To equalize the cost oats would have to be $1.50 per bushel cheaper to make it pay.

“There are a few other considerations that need to be made before making the switch based on price alone,” explains Yaremcio. “If feeding whole grains to calves under 700 pounds, there’s no need to process the grain. The calves will do a good job of chewing and breaking the kernels so they are digested.”

Animals over 700 pounds (including cows) tend to “gulp” their food and don’t chew as much. So it’s important to note that whole oats fed to larger animals results in a five to seven per cent drop in digestive effiContinued on page 71

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N EWS ROUNDUP

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Continued from page 69

ciency versus a 10 to 15 per cent reduction in digestive efficiency with whole barley.

“This factor needs to be brought into the price differential discussion,” says Yaremcio.

If processing costs more than 15 per cent of the price of barley or seven per cent of the price of oats, it may be beneficial to feed extra grain and be money ahead in the long run, notes Yaremcio.

“Changing from oats to barley in a ration should be done gradually. Start with 25 per cent barley in the mix for three to four days, and then increase the barley by 25 per cent every three to four days. If all goes well, in 16 days the animals can be on 100 per cent barley.”

Changing to feed wheat has different limitations.

“Wheat must be cracked into two pieces (no finer) when fed to larger cattle. If it is fed whole, digestive efficiency is reduced by 25 per cent. Wheat is digested faster than oats or barley, which increases the risks of bloat or acidosis. Maximum feeding limits for wheat is three pounds per head per day for calves under 700 pounds and six pounds a day for mature cows. If switching to wheat, a gradual introduction into the ration is necessary. It’s advisable to include an ionophore into the ration when feeding wheat.”

When making the changes from one grain to another, there are two things to watch for: Continued on page 72

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Continued from page 71

• Feed refusal. If feed consumption declines after a change, it may be an indication that the rumen is not functioning properly.

• Consistency of the manure. If the manure becomes loose and watery, this is another indicator there are digestive problems.

“If either of these two problems occur, reduce the total amount of grain fed or go back to the previous mix of grain until the problems dissipate,” adds Yaremcio

• Feed Advances (equity draws) • Cattle can be tracked on a pen by pen basis, allowing for proceeds to be returned sooner upon the sale of livestock

“Our staff works hard to offer and maintain a cattle financing service that is flexible and competitive.”

management

Cattle price insurance premiums reflect risk

Call us to discuss details, or visit our website:

www.cattlefinance.com

If you haven’t bought price insurance on your calves through the Western Livestock Price Insurance Program (WLPIP) yet you’ll find the premiums a little higher than last year.

Bull Sale - April 13, 2016 2 pm at the Ranch

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Phone: 780-448-0033 Suite 306, 13220 St. Albert Trail Edmonton, AB T5L 4W1

That’s to be expected given the volatility in today’s market, says Bruce Viney, a risk management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

“Volatility is simply a statistical measure of risk and relates to the severity of market price swings,” he says. “These up and down movements largely reflect the uncertainty that market participants have in their forecast of future prices.”

In the current global environment, changing economic conditions around the world can have an instantaneous impact on the perceived future demand for our products, he says.

Recent wild market swings in commodity contracts offered on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have only added to that uncertainty but making futures markets a less effective and more expensive method of managing price risk.

To remain sustainable, Viney says the market-driven WLPIP must charge higher premiums to offset the higher levels of risk.

Calf contracts can be purchased up until May 31. c

14 miles SW of Swift Current, SK

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80

Yearling Red Angus Bulls

Brian, Christine, Dylan, & Shane Hanel

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H: 306-773-6313

C: 306-741-1582

www.flyingkranch.ca www.canadiancattlemen.ca

N EWS ROUNDUP

PRAIRIE GRASS RED ANGUS BULL SALE 26TH ANNUAL

THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 2016 1:00 P.M. The Bull Pen Arena Thorlakson Feedyards Airdrie, Alberta 4.5 Miles East of Airdrie on #567 & 2 Miles North on RR 284

Inte rn Avaet Bid ilab din le g

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s.ca

80

SELLING: PERFORMANCE TESTED YEARLING BULLS

Bulls can be viewed at Thorlakson Feedyards

View Color Catalogue & Video Preview Online at www.dlms.ca

B The 2016 Canadian Gelbvieh Association board of directors for 2016 are: back row (l-r) Kert Ness, Blair Bentz, Lon Carlson (vice-president).

Front row (l-r): Lee Wirgau (president), Darcy Hrebeniuk (past president), Aaron Birch. Missing: Ryan Sommerfeld and Neil Overby.

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Answer our survey — and have a go at winning one of our caps

We have a goal to be the best beef cattle magazine in the business. But we need your help. If you could just fill in this survey and return it to me, you would be helping us set the future editorial direction for Canadian Cattlemen. All you have to do is tell me what you like about the magazine, and what you

We’d appreciate it if you could tell us a little about yourself. It makes it easier for us to keep your main interests in focus  I’m ranching or farming Enterprise Total beef cattle Yearlings on feed/pasture Registered cows Fed cattle (sold yearly) Commercial cows Horses Calves on feed/pasture Other livestock

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5 – I always watch for it; let’s see more of it 4 – I regularly read it and like it 3 – I usually read it 2 – There are things I’d rather read 1 – I don’t want it; get rid of it Regular Columns 5 4 3 Comment Newsmakers

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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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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 Canadian Cattlemen?  Under 2 hours  Over 2 hours

1666 Dublin Avenue Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

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Friday, March 25, 2016

Lunch at 12:00 noon - Sale at 1:00 pm At the Farm - 4 & 1/4 Miles East of Bashaw, AB Sale Offering 50 Coming 2 Year Old Black Angus Bulls No Bulls Sold Prior to Sale!!

Sale Managed By: Watch Video Preview & Bid Online at www.dlms.ca

Brian Bouchard - 403-813-7999 Chad Lorenz - 403-896-9585 Darnell Fornwald - 403-795-8030

For More Information Contact:

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75

 NEWS ABOUT YOU

By Mike Millar

PurelyPurebred  This year at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference, the Saskatchewan Livestock Association Honour Scroll was presented to Bob and Gail Switzer of Sandy Bar Angus, Aneroid; Ivan and Mary Muri of Muridale Shorthorns, Swift Current and Bill Young from Lumsden, Sask., a retired Simmental breeder and co-founder of Young’s Farm Equipment. The prestigious award has been presented to worthy recipients since 1927 based on their outstanding contribution to the livestock industry, their community and their province.

Bob and Gail Switzer of Sandy Bar Angus.

 Hereford breeders who signed up for the World Hereford Council conference in Uruguay must be getting excited. The Here­ ford Breeders’ Society of Uruguay and the World Hereford Council (WHC) together with the Rural Association of Uruguay (RAU) are co-hosting the WHC conference plus pre and post field tours of farms and ranches April 18-25.

Mary Muri of Muridale Shorthorns, Swift Current.

 The 2016 spring run of the Canadian Simmental Association genetic evaluation has been updated and the new EPDs are now online.  The 2016 Canadian Hereford EPDs are now being calculated six times per year.

Bill Young from Lumsden, Sask.

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

 Congratulations to Canadian Charolais Association member Jerry Hofer of White Lake Colony, Nobleford, Alta. on being recognized as the Canadian Livestock Industry Leader of the Year during the Sunday night rodeo at the National Western Stock Show in Denver back in January. Jerry is a very popular, well-known leader of a co-operative herd of 1,900 commercial females and 200 registered Charolais females, along with 10,000head feedlot. Hofer buys top registered bulls in both Canada and the U.S. annually.  Canadian Junior Limousin Association (CJLA) members Braeden Weppler of Tara, Ont., and Brandon Hertz of Duchess, Alta. have been selected for the inaugural Canadian Junior Braeden Weppler Limousin Association Australian/Canadian Limousin Youth Exchange. Cassidy Matthews of Olds, Alta., is the alternate, should one of the selected delegates be unable to attend. During the four-week July/August Brandon Hertz exchange they will tour numerous Limousin stud operations around Dubbo, New South Wales, and an abattoir,

! ay d. tod ite ter lim gis is Re ting a Se

Great conference! Very inspiring and all that I learnt can be used in my profession and in my personal life.

– Diane M., Selkirk, Manitoba, AWC Delegate

LISTEN, LEARN, NETWORK & GROW Open your mind to the endless possibilities. Prepare to be inspired. Acquire the life skills you need to reach your goals. This conference could be life-changing.

Register today! Visit advancingwomenconference.ca or phone 403-686-8407.

HYATT REGENCY CALGARY, MARCH 28 & 29, 2016 76

C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Advancing Women Conference WEST 2016 / Canadian Cattlemen National / 7” x 3.357”

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Over 1,000 Charolais & Angus Bulls from nearly 5,000 cows.

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MARCH 14 • PALMER CHAROLAIS WITH NIELSON LAND & CATTLE CO. BULL SALE, at Palmer Charolais, Bladworth, SK MARCH 15 • GILLILAND BROS. CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Carievale, SK

 KAY-R Charolais bred KAYR Patent 748B was named Reserve Champion Charolais Bull at the Fort Worth show. Congratulations go out to Oklahoma Bovine Genetics, Dismukes Ranch, Beaman Cattle Company and KAY-R Charolais. then help prepare show cattle for Ekka, the Royal Queensland show in Brisbane, and take in an on-property production sale. Each receives $1,000 from the CJLA toward their travel expenses. They were selected based on an essay competition describing their involvement with the breed that was open to all junior members 16-21 years of age. Applications for next year’s trip will be called this fall.  Laura Ecklund has joined the staff of the Canadian Limousin Association to help out with registry and member services. Laura’s parents Gary and Diane Hutton raised Limousin for many years in Ontario. She has a bachelor of applied science in agribusiness from Olds College and has been working in the agriculture industry in Alberta ever since.  In another bit of Limousin news, AgriTraçabilité Québec (ATQ) started offering the breed’s pink-backed national ID tag to Quebec producers of Limousin cattle last

Sales results

Hill 70 Quantock Ranch Barn Burnin’ Bull Sale

 The Canadian Angus Association’s Angus Central-TV show has moved to a monthly schedule following a successful trial period last year. Two to three items focused on breed events and people will be broadcast every third Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. MST. It can be found on YouTube or the CAA website www.cdnangus. ca. “Since AC-TV is our official means of communicating with our membership, we believe monthly engagement is optimal,” says CAA CEO Rob Smith in announcing the new schedule.  Congratulations to Canadian Limousin Association director Matthew Heleniak and wife Kelly on the birth of their fourth child, Vincent.

Continued on page 78

Sales results

M.C. Quantock Canada’s Bulls Sale January 30, Lloydminster

February 6, Lloydminster

53 Horned and Polled Herefords, av. $6,882 25 Charolais 2-year-olds, av. $8,630 31 Charolais yearlings, av. $7,105 57 Black Angus 2-year-olds, av. $7,022 30 Black Angus yearlings, av. $5,425 27 Red and Black Simmental 2-year-olds, av. $6,482 27 Red and Black Angus x Simmental yearlings and fall born hybrids, av. $6,130 57 Red Angus 2-year-olds, av. $6,924 30 Red Angus yearlings, av. $5,842 12 Gelbvieh x Red Angus 2-year-olds, av. $5,125 349 Bulls, av. $6, 693

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

month. The CCIA-approved tag that carries the breed’s logo is already available in the rest of the country.

Red Angus summer 2-year-olds, av. $6,699 Super Baldie summer 2-year-olds, av. $7,191 Super Guppie summer 2-year-olds, av. $7,073 H-2 summer 2-year-olds, av. $6,545 H-2 yearlings, av. $4,188 Dehorned Hereford summer 2-year-olds, av. $4,517 Black Angus summer 2-years-olds, av. $6,307 Black Super Baldie summer 2-year-olds, av. $7,230 Black Super Baldie yearlings, av. $3,990 Charolais summer 2-year-olds, av. $7,564 409 Bulls, av. $6,477

MARCH 17 • DIAMOND W CHAROLAIS, RED & BLACK ANGUS BULL SALE, Minitonas, MB MARCH 19 • PLEASANT DAWN CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Heartland Livestock, Virden, MB MARCH 22 • STEPPLER FARMS BULL SALE, at the farm, Miami, MB MARCH 23 • HTA CHAROLAIS & GUESTS BULL SALE, Beautiful Plains Ag Complex, Neepawa, MB MARCH 24 • ELDER CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Coronach, SK MARCH 29 • PRAIRIE DISTINCTION CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Beautiful Plains Ag Complex, Neepawa, MB APRIL 2 • TRI-N CHAROLAIS FARMS & GUESTS BULL SALE, Heartland Livestock, Virden APRIL 4 • WILGENBUSCH CHAROLAIS NORTH OF THE 49TH BULL SALE, at the ranch, Halbrite, SK APRIL 5 • CEDARLEA CHAROLAIS & WINDY WILLOWS ANGUS “GIT R DONE” BULL SALE, Windy Willows Farm, Hodgeville, SK APRIL 7 • HUNTER CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Roblin, MB April 13 • MUTRIE FARMS/BAR H CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Candiac (SK) Auction Market April 16 • BRIMNER CATTLE CO. AND WRAZ RED ANGUS CORNERSTONE BULL & FEMALE SALE, Whitewood (SK) Auction Mart

For more information contact: 306-584-7937 Helge By 306-536-4261 Candace By 306-536-3374 124 Shannon Road, Regina, SK S4S 5B1 charolaisbanner@gmail.com Catalogues available online a month prior to sale at

www.bylivestock.com C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

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PU R E LY PU R E B R E D

Continued from page 77

 Cattlemen’s Young Leaders: Elizabeth Homerosky, Calgary, Alta.

Mentor: Tom Lynch-Staunton, CCA/ABP Elizabeth was active in her family’s commercial Elizabeth Homerosky beef operation in southern Ohio, exhibiting cattle through 4-H and judging livestock. Her interests in food animal production led her to the Ohio State University where she completed a BSc in animal science (2008) and doctor of veterinary medicine (2012). During her time as a Buckeye, Elizabeth broadened her knowledge of the global beef industry by completing two study-abroads in Brazil and Australia, competing as a member of the OSU Livestock Judging Team (2007 All American), and interning at Stevenson Angus Ranch in Hobson, Montana. After one year practising beef production medicine in rural western Iowa, she was accepted into the University of Calgary, faculty of veterinary medicine (2013)

as the inaugural Simpson Ranch Fellow in Beef Cattle Health. The three-year fellowship combines an MSc and clinical residency with board eligibility in beef production medicine through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. In this program, Elizabeth will travel across Alberta, working at premier cow-calf, herd health and feedlot veterinary practices, visiting Canada’s leading beef experts and industry organizations, and conducting research on newborn beef calf vigour and effects of dystocia on preweaning growth and health.

Brittany Wiese, Bentley, Alta.

Mentor: Brian Perillat, Canfax Brittany was raised on a mixed farm near Bentley and was involved in both Brittany Wiese 4-H and Pony Club. After studying animal science at the University of Alberta, she went on to attend the Western College of Veterinary Medicine where she focused on production animal medicine and was the president of the Production Animal Club. After graduation, she has continued

her specialization and is currently working as a vet for the WCVM bovine field service department while pursuing an MSc degree by investigating the effects of subacute ruminal acidosis on animal health.

Byron Whitford, Lethbridge, Alta.

Mentor: Dennis Laycraft, CCA Byron is an associate with the law firm of Torry Lewis Abells LLP in LethByron Whitford bridge where he provides a broad legal practice advising clients on areas of agribusiness, banking, corporate/commercial dealings, real estate and estate planning, as well as litigation involving contract and employment disputes and aspects of regulatory compliance. His exposure to the cattle industry began at a young age spending time on his grandfather’s and uncle’s ranch west of Ponoka. With a number of family members and clients involved in cattle production, Byron has a passionate interest in maintaining the strength and stability of the Canadian industry. c

Watch AgCanada TV and be inspired AgCanada TV web series informs and motivates farmers Gain a new perspective on your farm, your family and your future with this informative video series from Farm Credit Canada.

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Exchange Rates and Their Effect on Canadian Exports

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5 Keys to a Successful Agribusiness Kevin Stewart helps you focus on your farm’s future with these five tips for successful agribusiness.

Start watching: www.agcanada.com/video

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C at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

Watch all the episodes Now!

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 Market Su mma ry

By Debbie McMillin

TheMarkets Fed Cattle Bad storms in the U.S. rallied local prices in the fed market to $176$179/cwt early in the year but by mid-February they’d slipped back to average $173.56/cwt. The fed cash-to-cash basis held relatively narrow at a time when it is typically wide. The current cash-tofutures basis levels at press time was -10.66/cwt.

Large carcass weights seen at the end of 2015 carried over to the 2016 slaughter data. An average Alberta steer carcass reached 941 lbs. in midFebruary, 60 lbs. heavier than a year ago. That was offset somewhat by a two per cent drop in domestic steer slaughter to 121,041 head year to date. Heifer slaughter, however, was up five per cent at 70,690 by the same date. Following the dismantling of country-of-origin labelling fed cattle exports jumped 47 per cent in the first five weeks of 2016.

The February 1 on-feed report for Alberta and Saskatchewan was six per cent larger than a year ago at 919,080 head, approaching the five-year average. January placements were also up by nine per cent at 98,654 while marketings remained below year-before levels.

Feeder Cattle Lighter feeders have faced a solid demand so far in 2016. Through January 550-lb. steers picked up $13/cwt to average $277.40/cwt, which was still $23.43/cwt below last year. By mid-February they had given back $6 on seasonally larger volumes to average $271.64/cwt. Heavier feeder steers also came under pressure with 850-lb. steers dropping down to $205/cwt by mid-February, their lowest point in 2016, and $32 under last year. The 850-lb. basis that had been positive slipped to -3.92/cwt by mid-February, still much stronger than the -12.32/cwt set a year ago or -22/cwt in 2014. Generally when faced with a weak dollar feeder exports are large, however, this strong basis has kept more cattle at home. To date, feeder exports are down 87 per cent on the year at 3,907 head.

Non-Fed Cattle Cull cattle had a disappointing start to 2016. D1,2 cows typically rally at the start of the year, however, they continued to decline through the fourth quarter of 2015. That triggered increased volumes as we moved into late January/February as producers who held on for better prices started shipping. To date cow slaughter is slightly under last year at 46,783 head, however, the last couple of weeks have seen volumes jump by more than 10 per cent over last year for the same weeks. Much of the trade has been direct to packer sales. Exports were down 22 per cent in January at 18,066 head. Weaker demand for trim also helped push D1,2 prices down $6 from mid-January to $104 at the start of February. They regained $2.40 per cwt by midFebruary but at $106.40 were still down $29 from last year.

Bulls also came under pressure averaging $128.63/cwt by press time, $22.12/cwt under 2015. Year to year five per cent fewer bulls were exported to the U.S. for slaughter in January, but bull slaughter in Canada has more than doubled to 1,085 head. c Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 DE B’S OUTLOOK Fed Cattle Fed cattle fundamentals are positive moving forward. Supplies should tighten while demand for middle meats generally picks up early in the second quarter as we enter grilling season. However, keep in mind larger carcass weights leave additional pounds to move and economic uncertainty may reduce demand for the higher-priced cuts.

Expect a spring rally but it may not be as strong as normal with all the uncertainty facing the Canadian and global economy.

Feeder Cattle Seasonally, light feeder cattle tend to strengthen at the start of the second quarter as the grass greens and buyers look for grassers to fill pastures aimed at summer yearling markets. Conversely expect the heavier feeders to come under pressure as feedlots look for some relief from the negative margins seen in the last few quarters. The current strong basis suggests prices may move lower to more historically normal levels. Watch for any sudden strength in the Canadian dollar, which will weigh on prices. The one unknown is the impact of sagging confidence in the overall economy that could limit any upside in prices.

Non-Fed Cattle D1,2 cows are not following a normal seasonal pattern. After trending lower through the start of 2016 prices will likely start to rally in the coming weeks, however, we will not see the historical average first-quarter price rise. Cow prices should gain some strength going into the second quarter as supplies tighten up and the fed market gets its seasonal boost from the upcoming BBQ season, but perhaps not the sharp increases we have seen in the past few years.

More markets  C a t t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6 79

M A R K ETS

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers

Market Prices

210

340

190

310 280

170

250

150

220

130 110

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

160

210

160

190

140

170

120

150

100

130 110

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

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers

Break-even price for steers on date sold

2016 2015

2016 2015

February 2016 prices* Alberta Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $215.69/cwt Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.66/bu.

Barley silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.25/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.57/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.07/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177.22/cwt Break-even (July 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172.24/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $213.79/cwt Corn silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.40/ton Grain corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.05/bu.

Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.01/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114.38/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171.40/cwt Break-even (August 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174.03/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

Steer Calves

190

(500-600 lb.)

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

80 60

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

Ontario

Alberta

2016 2015

2016 2015

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

Market Summary (to February 6, 2016) 2016

2015

Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239,599. . . . . . . . . . . 240,582 Average steer carcass weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 938 lb.. . . . . . . . . . . . 876 lb.

Total U.S. slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,397,000. . . . . . . . 3,463,000

Trade Summary Exports 2015-16 2014-15 Fed cattle to U.S. (to January 30) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,906.. . . . . . . . . . . . 14,947 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to January 30). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,907.. . . . . . . . . . . .30,827 Dressed beef to U.S. (to December). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507.49 mil.lbs.. . . . 489.43 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 710.64 mil.lbs.. . . . . 700.51 mil.lbs IMPORTS 2015 2014 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263.70 mil.lbs. . . . . . 287.07 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . 90.91 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 76.65 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to December) . . . . . . . 56.64 mil.lbs. . . . . . .36.39 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to December) . . . . . . . . . . . 30.02 mil.lbs. . . . . . .40.94 mil.lbs Canadian Grades (to February 13, 2016) % of A grades +59% 54-58% AAA 16.8 24.6 AA 15.6 9.0 A 0.3 1.0 Prime 0.3 0.8 Total 34.7 33.7

EAST WEST

Total graded 65,411 214,933

Yield – 53% Total 23.5 64.9 4.5 29.1 0.1 1.4 2.3 3.4 30.4 Total A grade 98.8%

Total ungraded 3,223 706

% carcass basis 83.2% 90.2% Only federally inspected plants

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C at t l e m e n ¡ m a r c h 2 0 1 6

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 market ta l k

By Jerry Klassen

Beef Demand Looking Forward

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of the recession reached a high of 10 per cent in October of 2009. The long-term average unemployment rate is 5.8 per cent.

The main point here is that when eight million Americans are unemployed and then go back to work, beef demand increases.

A minor percentage point up or down at this point in the business cycle will not significantly change beef demand. The large change has already occurred and unemployment is now at the lowest level since prior to the recession.

Finally, consumer confidence is an economic indicator which measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation. How confident people feel about the stability of their income will affect their economic decisions and spending activity. If consumer confidence is high, consumers will be eating out more often. In July of 2007, consumer confidence reached 111, which was the highest reading prior to the recession. The lowest reading during the recession was 40 in January of 2009. Last summer, consumer confidence was hovering around 100 so again, this is nearly the same reading as prior to the recession. The large move has occurred from a low reading of 40 to recent highs of 100. We may see minor tweaking at the higher levels but we will not see a major 60-point change.

U.S. at-home food spending during 2015 was relatively unchanged in comparison to 2014. While the U.S. economy was in the strongest quarter of the peak period, U.S. consumers were not spending more money.

On the other hand, away-from-home food

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www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 u. s. % u n e m p loy m e n t r at e (ja n 2 0 0 8 to d ec 2015)

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recently spoke at the Western Canadian Feedlot Management School and many questions afterwards focused on the demand side of the equation for the beef market. Producers often have a good idea of beef production estimates given all the data available but estimates on beef consumption and consumer behaviour are more difficult to get a handle on. An old-time cattle feeder once told me that if you want to be successful in the cattle business long term, you should focus on the average income level of the average American consumer.

More recent studies have also confirmed this idea. As a rule of thumb, a one per cent increase in consumer spending equates to a one per cent increase in beef demanded.

I’ve analyzed cattle-feeding returns over the past 30 years and the most profitable period of cattle feeding comes when the U.S. economy moves through the expansionary phase of the business cycle. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the business cycle, there are four phases: contraction, trough, expansion and peak.

When the economy moves from the absolute worst period of the trough (or recession) to the highest growth quarter of the peak period, the cattle-feeding and cow business is usually quite profitable. Cattle prices were basically in a steady upward trend from the first quarter of 2010 through to June of 2015. However, over the past six months, fed cattle prices have been softening as the demand eases. There are three main factors that I would like to point out that suggest the U.S. economy likely experienced the highest growth quarter of the peak period during the summer of 2015.

First, U.S. housing starts reached the highest level in June since November of 2007, which was the highest before the recession. Over the past five years, U.S. monthly housing starts doubled and this is a leading indicator of the economy. We now find that U.S. housing starts have been a bit softer.

The second indicator to watch is U.S. unemployment levels. January unemployment fell to 4.9 per cent. During February of 2008, the unemployment rate was 4.9 per cent and at the absolute lowest point

spending during 2015 was up a whopping 7.2 per cent over 2014; however, the longerterm average increases are about 5.0 per cent during the expansion period. High consumer confidence was reflected in the sharp year-over-year increase in away-from-home food spending. This year-over-year increase of 7.2 per cent is not sustainable longer term.

U.S. ground beef prices are up 17 per cent in comparison to January of 2014 while steak prices are up 18 to 22 per cent. We can see that beef prices increased at a faster pace than consumer spending to curb demand.

In conclusion, I’ve pointed out three major economic indicators that suggest the U.S. economy reached the highest growth during the peak period of the business cycle.

These indicators are now at the highest, or in the case of unemployment, the lowest readings since prior to the recession. Therefore, beef demand has likely also peaked and we can expect a softer demand scenario for 2016 and 2017. The large moves in these indicators have already occurred. At-home food spending has stalled out and the current year-over-year increase of 7.2 per cent in away-from-home food spending is not sustainable over the next year. 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 at t l e m e n · M a r c h 2 0 1 6

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 GOINGS ON

 A DV E RT IS ER IN DEX

Sales&Events Events March

10-11 C anadian Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting, Marriott Hotel, Ottawa, Ont. 23 Canadian Beef Breeds Council annual meeting, Best Western Port O’ Call Inn, Calgary, Alta.

28-29 Advancing Women Conference West, Hyatt Regency, Calgary, Alta.

April

18-25 17th World Hereford Conference, Uruguay 28-May 8 Fleckvieh Simmental Congress of the Americas,Villahermosa Tabasco, Mexico

May

26-28 B .C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting, Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, Penticton, B.C.

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anadian Angus Association annual meeting, C Hotel Le Concorde, Quebec City, Que. 2016 FutureFare, Edmonton Marriott at River Cree Resort, Edmonton, Alta.

July

11-15 Summer Synergy, Olds, Alta.

17-22 International Rangeland Congress, Saskatoon, Sask.

21-24 Canadian Simmental Association annual meeting and YCSA National Classic, Lloydminster, Alta.

August

anadian Beef Industry Conference, C Grey Eagle Resort, Calgary, Alta.

9-13 Bonanza 2016, Burning the Hereford Brand, Olds, Alta.

21-28 International Limousin Congress, Ireland

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dvancing Women Conference, Fairmont Royal A York Hotel, Toronto, Ont.

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November

4-13 R oyal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont. 11-13 Farmfair International, Edmonton, Alta.

15-17 Canadian Forage & Grassland Conference, Winnipeg, Man. 21-26 Canadian Western Agribition, Regina, Sask.

Sales

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ride of the Prairies Bull Show and Sale, P Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, Alta.

Butt’s Guts & Nuts 12th Annual Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Lloydminster, Sask.

Harvie Ranching Bull Sale, at the ranch, Olds, Alta.

A. Sparrow Farms Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Vanscoy, Sask.

3rd Annual Next Generation Bull and Female Sale, Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, Alta.

LLB Angus 30th Annual Bull and Female Sale, at the farm, Erskine, Alta.

Foursquare Farms 9th Annual Gelbvieh Bull Sale, Olds Cow Palace, Olds, Alta.

Edie Creek Angus Bull Sale, Ashern, Man. Bender Shorthorns New First on the Farm Bid Off Bull Sale, at the ranch, Neudorf, Sask.

Black Pearl Bull and Female Sale, Edwards Livestock Centre, Tisdale, Sask.

Remitall Farms Bull and Select Female Sale, at the farm, Olds, Alta.

C at t l e m e n · m a r c h 2 0 1 6

illiland Bros. Charolais Bull Sale, at the farm, G Carievale, Sask.

Leeuwenburgh Angus 25th Annual Bull Sale, Balog Auction Market, Lethbridge, Alta.

Prairie Partners Bull and Female Sale, Killarney Auction Mart, Killarney, Man. Reich Angus and K3 Ranch 2-Year-Old Bull Sale, Calnash Ag Centre, Ponoka, Alta.

Diamond W Charolais 14th Annual Bull Sale, Valley Livestock Sales, Minitonas, Man. Nesset Lake/Bowerman Bros. 11th Annual Angus Bull Sale, Meadow Lake Livestock Sales, Meadow Lake, Sask.

Ter-Ron/Redrich “Get a Grip” Bull and Select Female Sale, at the farm, Forestburg, Alta.

Bar 3R Limousin 21st Annual Bull Sale, Crossroads Centre, Oyen, Alta.

Reese Cattle Company Charolais Bull Sale, Innisfail Auction Market, Innisfail, Alta.

Saskatoon Gelbvieh Bull and Female Sale, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask.

Gelbvieh Advantage Bull Sale, Innisfail Auction Mart, Innisfail, Alta.

Canada’s Red, White and Black Bull Sale, Johnstone Auction Mart, Moose Jaw, Sask.

Prime Limousin Club 31st Annual Bull Sale, Westlock Ag Barn, Westlock, Alta.

Steppler Farms 5th Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Miami, Man. Wheatland Cattle Co. Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Bienfait, Sask.

Lazy E Bar Ranching Ltd. Working Man’s Bull Sale, at the farm, Bashaw, Alta.

Northern Alliance 11th Annual Bull Sale, Livestock Co-op Yards, Vanderhoof, B.C. Outlaw Cattle Co. in Transcon’s Mountainview Sale, Innisfail Auction Mart, Innisfail, Alta.

Cockburn/Merit Cattle Co. Bull Sale, Johnstone Auction Mart, Moose Jaw, Sask.

Everblack Angus 15th Annual Common Sense Bull Sale, North Central Livestock, Vermilion, Alta.

Southwest Showcase Simmental Bull Sale, Heartland Livestock, Swift Current, Sask.

26th Annual Prairie Grass Red Angus Bull Sale, Red Rock & Beiseker Red Angus, Thorlakson Feedyards, Airdrie, Alta.

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owaw Cattle Co. 37th Annual Bull Sale, T Ceylon, Sask.

Manitoba Bull Test Station Sale, Douglas, Man. Lauron Red Angus and Guests 25th Annual Bull and Select Female Sale, at the farm, Didsbury, Alta.

Crescent Creek Angus 18th Annual Bull and Female Sale, at the farm, Goodeve, Sask.

Summit 3 Speckle Park Sale, Codiak Acres’ farm near Ardrossan, Alta.

Wilgenbusch Charolais 13th Annual North of the 49th Bull Sale, at the ranch, Halbrite, Sask.

Benchmark Angus 19th Annual Makin’ the Grade Bull Sale, at the ranch, Lethbridge, Alta.

JAS Red Angus Buy the Beef Bull Sale, Neepawa Ag Complex, Neepawa, Man. Peak Dot Ranch Ltd. Spring Bull Sale, at the ranch, Wood Mountain, Sask.

Who’s Your Daddy 13th Annual Shorthorn Bull Sale, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask.

Six Mile Ranch 41st Annual Bull Sale, Fir Mountain, Sask.

Wilkinridge Stock Farm Bull Sale, at the farm, Ridgeville, Man. Moose Creek Red Angus Yearling Bull sale, at the ranch, Kisbey, Sask.

Rodgers Red Angus 43rd Performance Bull Sale, Perlich Bros. Auction Market, Lethbridge, Alta.

Page Advancing Women 76 Ag Growth Industries 47 Airdrie Trailer Sales 75 Alberta Farm Animal Care 68 Alberta Veterinary Medical Assoc.

41 AS Galten Farms 70 Balkrishna Industries Ltd. 10 Beef Cattle Research Council 70 Benchmark Farms 68 Boehringer Ingelheim 45 BrettYoung Seeds 25, 53

By Livestock 27, 77 Canadian Agri-Blend 65 Canadian Angus Assoc.

74 Canadian Cattle Identification 14, 15 Canadian Charolais Assoc.

OBC Canadian Forage & Grassland Assoc.

51 74 Canadian Gelbvieh Assoc.

IFC Canadian Hereford Assoc.

Canadian Limousin Assoc.

42, 43 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc.

69 Canadian Simmental Assoc.

9 55 Case-IH 72 Cattlemen’s Financial Corp.

41 Cattlesoft-Cattlemax Curtis McAleer 71 Farm Credit Canada 34-39, IBC Flying K Ranch 72 Genex Cooperative, Inc. 30 Gilbrea Consulting Ltd. 74 Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch Equipment 75 JAS Red Angus 67 John Deere 19 Kolton Kasur 64 Lazy E Bar Ranching Ltd. 75 Lethbridge College 16 Masterfeeds LP 59 Merial 7, 31 Nerbas Brothers Inc. 64 New Holland 4, 5 Peak Dot Ranch 61 Poplar Meadows Angus 23 Prime Limousin Club 71 Red Rock Red Angus 73 Riverside Welding 74 Royal Bank of Canada — RBC 21 Royal Manitoba Winter Fair 66 SeCan Association 17 Six Mile Ranch 65 The Cattle Rattle 74 Triple S Cattle Co. Ltd. 66 Tru-Test Inc. 73 Union Forage Ltd. 63 Vermeer Corporation 29 Who’s Your Daddy Bull Sale 67 Zoetis Animal Health 11 13 13 13 14 15 16

lying K Ranch Bull Sale, at the ranch, Swift F Current, Sask.

Anderson Cattle Co. Bull Sale, at the farm, Swan River, Man. 13th Annual Spady Bull Sale/Rivercrest Valleymere, at the ranch, Alliance, Alta.

South View Ranch 16th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Ceylon, Sask.

South Shadow/Delorme Ranch Your Choice Bull Sale, Cowtown Livestock, Maple Creek, Sask.

1st Annual Top Cut Speckle Park Bull Sale, Dryland Cattle Trading Corp., Veteran, Alta.

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 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

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Agriculture is our way of life too Meet Jen With a lifetime of experience in ag, Jen helps Canadian producers build their dreams. Like everyone on your FCC team, Jen knows your industry and she’ll get to know you.

Jen Masur

1-800-387-3232

fcc.ca

FCC Relationship Management Associate

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2016-01-28 1:38 PM