Farmers’ Advocate Banner & Press RiveRs BanneR MBP President: A look forward at Manitoba’s beef industry

By Matthew Atkinson President, Manitoba Beef Producers

level born out of necessity in the past few years, there certainly seems to be some reduced stress levels. Add to that decent calf prices, and the prediction that they may be around for at least another year or two, and it is just the recipe that our industry needs. I sincerely hope this is the case and we can see favourable times ahead.

With the 44th Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) Annual General Meeting now complete, and in reflecting back upon the past few years, we optimistically look ahead. It was great to be back in person and to get to see so many folks again. As so often happens at events like these it is the one-on-one side conversations where you gain so much information and get to know new friends.

I think that the Manitoba Beef Producers staff and organizing committee did a great job putting it all together. After a few years of virtual AGMs it takes a lot more effort to restart that first function from the ground up.

Favourable times ahead

With better feed supplies going into this winter, more agreeable weather for feeding cattle, and added efficiencies at the farm

My time as a board member at Manitoba Beef Producers has been a busy one, with producers facing a lot of challenges. Reflecting back on this, from a very optimistic angle, we all proved just how resilient we are, but I think we are tired of being asked to prove that. I hope for all our sakes that we are returning to a time of more of whatever normal is, some profitability and, from a representative perspective as a director and now your President, to spend less time mitigating crises and being able to move forward proactively on some more issues and opportunities.

Taking pride in what we do

One of the great things to come out of tough times is that we learn to work well together and rely on each other’s support to overcome issues. I feel that this is especially true of the board and staff at MBP. It truly is a group that have become such great friends, but will not hesitate to challenge each other or disagree on issues. I thank them for having the faith in me to lead the organization going forward. To Past President Tyler Fulton especially, who did an excellent job as President and who leaves some very big shoes to fill, I thank him for his support and mentorship, both past and in the future. I am so fortunate to have such great individuals on our board that treat the roles that they are in with the respect they deserve.

We all as directors dedicate a great deal of time to the MBP board and all the other association seats that go along with it, time that could be put towards our own farms and ranches. While many of the benefits that it brings to producers are not always immediately apparent, I do believe that we all do this advocacy work for the betterment of the industry, and take pride in what we do.

As we move forward towards spring, and hopefully a lot better spring than last year, many of us will be calving and making forage seeding decisions. While we can lament about the rate of inflation eating away at calf profits, we can look forward to opportunities that come from cattle production getting some of the recognition that we deserve. There is a great deal of programs now available to offset some of the seeding cost on forages, better insure much of our feed production, and insure our profitability.

There is still much room for improvement on these fronts, but these tools have come a long way and we continue to seek improvements to make them even more responsive to beef producers’ needs.

As we see so much discussion and policy-making revolve around sustainability matters, I believe that in ranching we have the most marketable product out there. Our cows are out doing what other forms of ruminants have done on our Canadian prairie landscapes for thousands of years. Yes, many of our management systems, mine included, could always be better in mimicking those grazing habits that are so beneficial to our grazing lands, but that work continues. Those grazing management plans are always limited by cost and time, but with greater government and public recognition of the valuable ecosystem services being provided by having cattle on the landscapes comes more opportunities for our sector. Organizations like MBP and many are committed to advancing those opportunities with decision-makers.

Editor’s column reprinted