PUBLISHED BY BY MANITOBA MANITOBABEEF BEEFPRODUCERS PRODUCERS
SEPTEMBER JULY 2021 2021
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, visited Manitoba in July to meet with cattle producers and see firsthand the drought conditions. One stop included the farm belonging to MBP District 10 Director Mike Duguid, whose granddaughter, Keira, is pictured alongside Minister Bibeau. (Photo credit: David Hultin/MBP)
AgriRecovery initiatives announced, details pending
Drought puts producers on edge Laura Plett, of Sawmill Creek Livestock near Stead, enjoys some with son Dustinsent between filming on Across her property for the upcoming 32 of Great Manitoba, the situationSeason is similar, although gone.family A few time weeks ago, Riding 30 cows to thesegments aucBY RON FRIESEN Tastes of Manitoba. (Photo credit: Donalee Jones)
tion market. She’s currently scrambling to source straw conditions are spotty. Some producers are marginally Despite entering a fourth straight year of drought, to blend with formulated pellets for feed to overwinter better off than others. Overall, though, continued Dianne Riding thought 2021 wouldn’t be too bad for her her remaining animals. But straw is extremely hard to dry weather has parched pastures, shrivelled crops cattle operation. But as summer wore on, the weather come by and several producers have told her straight out and forced feed-deficient producers to make difficult choices. Herd liquidations and culls are picking up and kept getting drier and drier. And conditions on her farm they can’t spare any. If that happens, Riding may have to do the humane thousands of breeding animals had already been sold by near Lake Francis in Manitoba’s Interlake region kept thing and sell her remaining cattle rather than risk not early August - unprecedented for the time of year, Tyler growing worse and worse. Fulton, Manitoba Beef Producers president, said. At the time this was written, Riding’s dugouts were having enough feed for the coming months. was detected in anintend Alberta andindusinterThat her means good news you’re for both trad- Lowe. BY RON “Even operations that don’t to cow exit the “When struggling with water, you’ve run out bone dry.FRIESEN She has five wells on her property to water The industry has asked Ottawa to ennational borders immediately slammed ers who export beef and ranchers who procows, but the animals had to walk long distances to find of grass and you don’t have anything in your hay field to try ‒ they’re still young operators ‒ some of them have It took 18forage. years, but Canada Canada’s trading partners recog-thanshut Canadian beef exports. it, industry officials say.these cows, you’vecourage soldtomore halftotheir breeding stock,” Fulton, who to feed got to do the proper thing any grazable What littlehas wasfinally left had duce mostly been cut been declared BSE-free. nize the OIE’s ruling and accept Canadian Since 50 per cent of said beef on in Canada “The difference will be the ability to farms near Birtle in western Manitoba, August is 5. and move them for their welfare,” she said. eaten by swarms of grasshoppers. The World Organization for Animal beef without restrictions, he said. exported, producers suddenly found themaccess markets that we otherwise weren’t “We’re seeing pressure for sure on the market. “But it is still very, very hard because it’s a person’s “It’s very, very ugly,” Riding said. Health (OIE)was hasable recognized Canada as a crop In a May 27 statement, federal Agriculwithmarket collapsed market prices andcent, aniable becauselife we work.” didn’t have that status,” We’ve already selves seen the slide about 20 per Riding to salvage a barley fortogreencountry with negligible risk of bovine sponture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the mals they could not sell because the market said Tyler Fulton, Manitoba Beef Producers Riding is typical of cattle producers in the Interlake, maybe 30 per cent, over the course of the last month. feed which might help get 50 or 60 of her 95 cow-calf giform encephalopathy (BSE), giving the have government willfollowing do so. not absorb them. president. of it abating right now.” this year a There’s no signcould pairs through the winter. If not, she itmay to cull her hit hard by a severe drought most preferred status under the OIE’s sys“Canada will inform those trading The result was cataclysmic forwho the inBob Lowe, Canadian Cattlemen’s AsDrought is nothing new for cattle producers are series of dry years. Feed shortages are forcing many to herd down to 30 or 35 cows. tem for evaluating BSE risk. partners of Canada’s BSE negligible risk stadustry. CCA estimates direct economic sociation (CCA) president, said some Asian Riding, who managed a 230-cow herd before BSE, downsize herds. The auction market at Ashern is having used to extreme weather. Manitoba has seen exceptionMay removes tus and usually will undertake immediate to before losses between 2003 and 2006 alone ranged countries still limit Canadian beef imports ally work dry years ‒ 1988 comes to mind. But this one has The beenannouncement doing a lot of in hard culling the last few years emergency summer sales it doesn’t have. Some the final trade barrier against Canadian support expanded global market access for between $4.9 billion and $5.5 billion. Some to cattle under 30 months of age, citing BSE and finds it very painful. producers are at or near the point of liquidating their is different because of its size, intensity and persistence, beef exports. Canada’swho high-quality cattle, beef Cattlemen’s producers leftAssociation. the industry beNow herds. they noRiding longer knows have reason saidand Bobbeef Lowe,26,000 Canadian “These cattle are my income,” she said. concerns. “They’re my three families have sold out beef Negligible risk status means importto do so. products, ” Bibeau said. tween 2006 and 2011. More thanone 2.2 is mil“We’ve been in droughts before but this so living. They’re the genetics we’ve put together for well completely. In all likelihood, they won’t be back. ing countries no longer have any grounds lion acres of pasture lands were converted “Assuming that the world is based It has been a long and difficult jourover 40 years.” “Most folks that are selling out completely right huge,” Lowe said in an interview from his combine in for restricting Canada of thisonspring to crops, a major environscience-based trade, no reason ney back for Canadian producers since that southern Alberta wherecreating his lentil field negative was yielding less Riding’s beef herdfrom was down tobecause 125 cows and now, theythere’s probably won’t come into thebeef industry BSE. mental and ecological impact. Page to have those restrictions anymore, ” said black day in May 2003 when a case of BSE than 10 bushels an acre. Page26 culling continues. Twenty of her replacement heifers are even if next year’s a better year,” said Riding.
President's President’s Column
WeatherWhat defines related good water emergencies quality?
Reliable Fast and summer furious water fall run
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Canada achieves BSE negligible risk status
