Ontario Beef - February 2024

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO

BEEF ON T A R I O

McRAE FAMILY VALUES ACCESS TO BEEF FINANCE PROGRAMS • PLANNING FOR A SUCCESSFUL CALVING SEASON • MUST-WIN AUDIENCES FOR THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF BEEF • FEBRUARY 2024

CANADA’S BEEF SECTOR

REDUCES CARBON FOOTPRINT

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement Number 0040007029

HEREFORD

MOMS WELCOME THE ‘M CALVES’ TO THE HERD Wishing all the best in the 2024 calving season.

Please join us for the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario Hereford Association April 13th, 2024 • 10:00am • Renfrew Armories, Renfrew, Ontario

HIDDEN-VIEW POLLED HEREFORDS Joe and Karen Paszternak NORWOOD, ON 705-9573739 or 705-957-7470 karen.paszternak@gmail.com Cows and heifers for sale JDL CATTLE CO. & D&S LIVESTOCK David, Shirley, Josh & Jessica Lasby Justin, Jaimie Lasby & Family MULMUR, ON 519-943-4147 or 519-278-6819 jessica.lasby@hotmail.com Good-looking, Sound, Functional Cattle!

www.ontarioherefords.ca

LIAN MOR POLLED HEREFORD Wallace & Fern Pugh & Trevor & Amy Pugh MONO, ON Wally & Fern lianmor@sympatico.ca · 519-941-8515 Trevor & Amy tpugh27@yahoo.com · 519-939-7489 Breeding Stock Available MEDONTE HIGHLANDS POLLED HEREFORDS 3055 Universal Dr. Mississauga, Ontario (905) 625-3151 maria@standardmechanical.com “6 Star Breeder”

O’SHEA FARMS Jamie and Mel O’Shea DENFIELD, ON 519-477-1238 osheafarms@hotmail.com Bulls and Females for sale WHISKEY LANE LIVESTOCK Herford and Angus Scott, Paula, Jason and Shelby Cornish INDIAN RIVER, ON 705-295-2925 705-878-3248 (Scott’s Cell) 705-341-3220 (Paula’s Cell) wll@nexicom.net Visitors Always Welcome

Dr. Lois Batty, •President – 705-328-4302 SARAH DARRAUGH | 613-334-1992 sarahdarraugh@hotmail.com www.ontarioherefords.ca PRESIDENT JESSICA LASBY | Mulmur, ON • 519-939-0283 • ontarioherefordassociation@outlook.com SECRETARY MANAGER

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO

BEEF ONTARIO

February 2024

Volume 65, Number 1

COMPLIMENTARY MEMBER-SUPPORTED PUBLICATION

CONTENTS 4

Ahead of the Heard

6

The Beef Beat

12

Between You, Me and the Fencepost

14

Connecting with Consumers

16

Ontario Beef Youth Alliance Continues to Grow

18

Must-Win Audiences for the Public Perception of Beef

19

Ontario Beef Industry Convention Hosts a Sold-Out Crowd

22

Rural Ramble

26

Canada’s Beef Sector Reduces Carbon Footprint

32

OMAFRA Update: Planning for a Successful Calving Season

37 LRIC Update: Research & Innovation Key to Future for Livestock Sector, Report Says 38

McRae Family Values Access to Beef Finance Programs

40

Canada Beef Update

42

Farm & Food Care Ontario Update

44 Focus on Herd Health: Selenium Strategies: Ensuring Strong Starts for Ontario Calves 47

Market Information

52

Calendar of Events

54

Wellness on the Farm

19

38 ON THE COVER In January, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef released its second and highly anticipated National Beef Sustainability Assessment and Strategy report. In this issue of Ontario Beef you will find the key findings from the report and how Canada’s beef sector has made significant improvements to its environmental footprint. This issue also includes a number of articles to prepare producers for calving season and provide strategies to get calves off to a strong start including a helpful calving factsheet from our friends at the Beef Cattle Research Council.

Thank you to Grandview Farms located on Manitoulin Island for this wintery cover photo. Don’t miss out on submitting your photos for our May issue. Please send your springinspired photos by April 15 to be considered for the cover.

Digital photos in portrait orientation that are at least 300dpi are preferred, and can be emailed to info@ontariobeef.com.

ONTARIO BEEF • Beef Farmers of Ontario 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, ON N1K 1B1 • Phone: 519-824-0334 • Toll Free (for Ontario callers only) 1-866-370-BEEF (2333) Fax: 519-824-9101 • info@ontariobeef.com EDITOR LeaAnne Wurmli CIRCULATION COORDINATOR Vacant ADVERTISING MANAGER Cathy Lasby, Preferred Agri-Marketing Services Guelph, ON Phone: 519-763-8833 • Fax: 519-763-8833 pams@sentex.net DESIGN and LAYOUT Prism Studios Advertising and Design Inc. Guelph, ON PRODUCTION and PRINTING Beck’s Printing Services, Brantford, ON

PROVIDING A FORUM FOR THE ONTARIO BEEF INDUSTRY Ontario Beef is the official publication of the Beef Farmers of Ontario. Contents of this publication may be reproduced only by permission of the Editor and with credit acknowledged.

Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and/or editor and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Beef Farmers of Ontario. Publication of advertisements does not constitute endorsement or approval by Ontario Beef or the Beef Farmers of Ontario of products or services advertised.

Advertising deadlines are January 10, April 15, July 15, September 15 and November 15. The publisher reserves the right to refuse or cancel any advertising, including advertising that is inconsistent with BFO’s Sponsorship Policy, available at www.ontariobeef.com. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published, however no responsibility can be assumed for advertising not received in clear, type-written form.

C an adi an P u b l i c a t i o n s M a i l P r o d u c t S a l es A g r eem en t Nu m b er 0 0 4 0 0 0 7 0 2 9 POSTMASTER: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Beef Farmers of Ontario, 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, ON N1K 1B1

AHEAD OF THE HEARD

By Jack Chaffe, BFO President info@ontariobeef.com • www.ontariobeef.com

Signing Off A

s I write this, I’m preparing to travel to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention in the U.S., an event that allows us to connect with our counterparts south of the border to talk about common issues. With Farm Bill season in the U.S. underway, these discussions and connections will be important to ensure our twoway trade and its benefits are understood. Here at home, we’ve just wrapped up another year of local association annual general meetings.

It was so nice to see many producers out at these meeting and we do appreciate the participation of our members and the active discussion on a number of files like beef sustainability, quality assurance, market development, animal care, and farmland preservation.

In early January, I was invited to participate in Beef Day during the Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week program in Elmwood, Ontario. This event is always well attended with a great lineup of speakers. A week later, I travelled to London, Ontario to attend the Ontario Beef Industry Convention hosted by the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association (OCFA). The sold-out event featured excellent speakers, an all-star meal, a lively auction and the perfect venue to catch up with friends.

On behalf of the BFO Board of Directors and staff, we congratulate the OCFA Board, Jim Clark and staff on hosting another successful convention.

Speaking of the feedlot sector, I would invite our feedlot members to consider enrolling in our Ontario Beef Feedlot Market Security Forum, which will take place on March 14 in London, Ontario. Creating a forum like this has been on my bucket list for a couple of years, and I am happy to see it coming together. Our hope is to create a quality program for the feedlot sector with high-calibre speakers who can help advise producers on how to manage risk and protect their operations from market swings.

Another program I am happy to see return is our BUILD Leadership Program, which will be held in April. I was a graduate of the program

BFO BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023 Jack Chaffe (Feedlot Director) - President Phone: 519-301-3034 • Email: jdchaffe@quadro.net Craig McLaughlin (Eastern Director) - Vice President Phone: 613-504-1863 • Email: cmblackhorse@gmail.com Don Badour (Cow-Calf Director) Email: don.badour@ripnet.com Don Hargrave (Cow-Calf Director) Email: dchargrave@gmail.com Jason Leblond (Cow-Calf Director) Email: jsacres5@gmail.com Joost van der Heiden (Background Director) Email: jcvdheiden@hotmail.com Joe Dickenson (Feedlot Director) Email: joe@dickensonfarms.com Jairus Maus (Feedlot Director) Email: ellengowanfarms@gmail.com Jordan Miller (Northern Director) Email: b.jordan.miller@gmail.com Ron Stevenson (Southern Director) Email: ron@metzgervet.com Jason Reid (Director-At-Large) Email: reidridgefarm@tbaytel.net Kim Jo Bliss (Director-At-Large) Email: kimjobliss@gmail.com

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O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

in its early days and it really did provide me with a good base of understanding on strong governance, effective meetings and the importance and value of effective lobbying and advocacy work. I would strongly encourage anyone who might be thinking about a leadership role with BFO in the future to consider taking this program. It will be open to 15 applicants so register early to avoid disappointment. For more information on the program and dates, visit page 12.

As we shared in our provincial update at our local association annual general meetings last month, the Ontario Beef Market Development (OBMD) program was launched in late 2019 with the promise of an evaluation of the program’s impact and success after four years. An analysis of the OBMD program was commissioned by the Joint Marketing Committee (JMC) and is deemed to be having

BFO STAFF Executive Director Richard Horne • richard@ontariobeef.com Manager of Policy and Issues Thomas Brandstetter • thomas@ontariobeef.com Policy Advisor Darby Wheeler • darby@ontariobeef.com Policy Advisor Evan Chaffe • evan@ontariobeef.com Director of Communications LeaAnne Wurmli • leaanne@ontariobeef.com Manager of Public Engagement and Digital Strategy Jennifer Kyle • jennifer@ontariobeef.com Engagement Coordinator Charlene Yungblut • charlene@ontariobeef.com Market Information Coordinator Jamie Gamble • markets@ontariobeef.com Engagement Coordinator (Summer Position) Sloane Murray • sloane@ontariobeef.com

Accountant Amber McIntyre • amber@ontariobeef.com Office Manager Michelle Dyer • michelle@ontariobeef.com Manager of Producer Relations Dan Ferguson • dan@ontariobeef.com Senior Producer Relations Specialist Jaclyn Horenberg • jaclyn@ontariobeef.com Producer Relations Specialist Robert McKinlay • robert@ontariobeef.com Manager of Compliance Chris Millar • chrism@ontariobeef.com Provincial Supervisor, Ontario Feeder Cattle and Beef Breeder Co-op Programs Cheryl Russwurm • crfeederfin@wightman.ca

a positive impact on the growth in domestic and export markets for Ontario branded beef. Upon recommendation of the JMC, both the OCFA and the BFO boards signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BFO and OCFA for continuation of the program on a permanent basis. An update on the OBMD program will be presented to the BFO membership at our 2024 Annual General Meeting.

Another partnership we are enthused about is BFO’s recent membership with the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA), who have expressed a strong desire for Ontario to unite with their organization to enhance their discussions and lobbying efforts with Ontario MPs in Ottawa. NCFA has a dedicated staff person in Ottawa who will help lead and support both BFO and CCA’s federal lobby efforts.

As I close my column, this month signals the end of a chapter for me as I’ve completed nine years with BFO and will be passing the torch to a new president at our annual meeting. I’m very grateful to have had the rewarding experience of representing the feedlot sector and Ontario beef farmers over my seven years as a director and two years as president. During my term as president, we’ve worked hard to maintain Ontario’s Risk Management Program and advocate for improvements to all business risk management programming, fought for an exemption for ground beef under Health Canada’s proposed front-of-package labelling requirements, called for improvements to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, advocated for the protection of farmland and increased supports for emergency preparedness specific to foreign animal diseases, and forged ahead with our consumer engagement and market development work to bring increased value to our checkoff paying members. As an association, we also conducted a strategic planning process and have identified five important pillars that will help foster growth and opportunities for the Ontario beef sector over the next four years. I’m proud of the work we have done and I thank my fellow directors for their support and dedication to our sector and members.

Wishing you all the best in the year ahead. It’s been a pleasure to have served you as president. OB

Ontario Pasture and Grasslands Survey I

n 2023, BFO partnered with the Arrell Food Institute Graduate Research Program to analyze possible solutions that could help maintain and spur expansion of Ontario’s beef sector. One solution the students of the program have been investigating is the value of agricultural grassland and pasture systems, including the concept of community pastures, and how they play a pivotal role in providing stability to Ontario’s cow herd, mitigating climate change, improving soil health and supporting environmental and economic sustainability.

The Arrell Food Institute Graduate Research Program is a highly competitive program run

by Arrell Food Institute and supported by OMAFRA and Food From Thought. It brings together 20-30 high-achieving Masters and PhD students studying food and agriculture from all disciplines at the University of Guelph. The unique program provides students with the opportunity to practice collaborating with non-academic partners and other students in the program from different disciplines, and to work on real-life, contemporary challenges facing various sectors.

As part of the project, a group of four students from the program in collaboration with BFO are gathering data to characterize grassland use in Ontario. Information collected through this survey will be utilized to understand the landscape of grassland use in the province and identify areas of potential expansion of grasslands.

To support these efforts, we would value your input. Use this QR code to complete a 15-minute online survey. Upon completion, you will be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of three $50 Tim Horton’s gift cards as a thank you for your participation. OB

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USE MAXFORCE™ TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HERD. Contact your Beef Specialist today or call us directly to learn more!

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ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

5

THE BEEF BEAT

By Thomas Brandstetter, BFO Manager of Policy & Issues thomas@ontariobeef.com www.ontariobeef.com

Resolution Response Roundup A

t BFO’s Annual General Meeting last year, a number of resolutions were put forward and efforts to address the 2023 BFO resolutions are now complete. An overview of the resolution responses and associated actions can be found below. If you are interested in reading more about a particular resolution, all BFO resolution responses can be found on BFO’s website or by contacting the BFO office. Resolutions carried at BFO’s 2024 Annual General Meeting this month will also be posted by the end of the month.

23-01 Age Verification at Processing

BFO staff brought to the attention of CFIA that there are still instances where age verification in federal plants is not being recognized. CFIA is disappointed to hear there are still issues occurring.

They indicated it’s imperative these issues are flagged when they happen so they can determine if the issue is localized to a specific inspector, office or region. Should there be an instance where age verification in federal plants is not recognized, please contact the BFO office as soon as possible so it can be flagged for CFIA to investigate.

23-02 Interest-Free Portion of Advance Payments Program

BFO fully supports the request to increase the interest-free portion of the Advance Payments Program (APP). During the past year, BFO put forward motions and raised this request with the board and committees of the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA). BFO sent a letter to the federal agriculture minister thanking the minister and his government for the commitment to increase the interest-free portion of APP and to ensure the commitment is extended.

23-03 Electronic Log Book Exemption for Livestock Truckers

The electronic logging device (ELD) issue has been top of mind both at the federal and provincial levels as we met with various MPs and MPPs to express our concerns with the regulations. BFO has been an active member with the National Working Group – Animal Transport, which also includes CCA, Ontario Livestock Transporters’ Alliance and other provincial and national organizations. The federal government made it very clear ELDs will not be exempt from truckers transporting livestock; however, through discussions with the government, they suggested the current regulations have enough flexibility within the emergency clauses to allow transporters to reach their final destination if they are within a reasonable distance. BFO will continue to monitor this issue and push for more clear and distinct language around animal welfare to be included in the emergency exemption clauses.

23-04 Crown Land Access for Agriculture

JPC 6L

Born 11 Jan. (from a two-year-old dam) • Bt. Wt. 78 lb. • Wt. Aug. 29, 815 lb. • TENDERNESS 10 All bulls genomically tested for tenderness, many score 9 or 10.

Reserve your bulls now, and we will deliver them when you want them, following semen testing in the spring.

No one ever regretted buying quality.

DON & JEANNETTE CURRIE 2234 Conc. 11, R R #1, Nottawa, Ontario L0M 1P0 Phone/Fax: 705-445-1526 Cell: 705-715-2234 • Email: doncurrie@glenislay.com 6

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

Agricultural expansion in northern Ontario and improving the Crown land disposition process for agricultural use remains a priority for BFO. We believe further developing farms in northern Ontario, in the Great Northern Clay Belt area specifically, is one of the most significant economically sustainable plans for the region and will contribute substantial economic activity for decades. This was also one of BFO’s lobby priorities during our Queen’s Park Barbecue and lobby day in October. BFO met with the chief of staff of the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry in November to discuss our thoughts on improvements that could be made to the Crown land disposition process, including reviving and releasing the pilot sites that were identified in northern Ontario for agricultural expansion under the previous government. BFO will continue to engage in discussions with the minister and the minister’s office, as well as our allies in the northern municipalities to help drive improved access to Crown lands for agriculture in the north, and specifically those targeted for grazing.

More work is needed on this file and BFO is committed to continuing to engage with the provincial government and our partners to see an improved process for accessing Crown land for agriculture that is transparent, defined, predictable, and responsive.

Continued on page 8.

BLACKBERN & WHITEWATER

13TH ANNUAL CHAROLAIS BULL SALE Saturday, March 9, 2024

Offering 22 YEARLINGS

6 LONG YEARLINGS

1:30 PM, Renfrew Pontiac Livestock, Cobden, ON

Offering Bulls Sired By:

SCX Triumph 50B

Silverstream Padra P7

Turnbull’s Equipped 216E

C2 Galeleo 3G

Brothers to these bulls that sold last year will be selling

KBF 45K

TMB 4K

KAB 22K

View catalogue & videos online at charolaisbanner.com in early February

Keith, Karen & Tyson Black H 613-646-2673 C 613-570-8464 Forester’s Falls, ON • blackbern@hotmail.com Blackbern Farm

Auctioneers: Stewart James 613-445-3269 Stewart James Jr. 613-222-2815 (bilingual)

Sale broadcast by

KAB 8K

WhiteWater Livestock

Kurtis & Chelsea Black C 613-585-3873 • Haley Station, ON whitewaterlivestock@gmail.com WhiteWater Livestock • @kurtisblack_1

Continued from page 6. – Resolution Response Roundup

23-05 Agriculture in the Classroom Having agriculture and food literacy taught in the classroom is vital, and ensuring the right people are teaching it is just as critical.

For this reason, BFO supports and partners with AgScape to not only get the information into classrooms, but supply it in a way that is relevant and accessible for students of all ages. AgScape provides factual, balanced, curriculum-linked food literacy programs and resources to Ontario’s educators and students. This June, the Ontario government announced the Promoting Agri-Food Careers initiative. This three-year, $1.7 million Ontario initiative is set to promote careers in agriculture through agricultural societies. We continue to offer and supply a number of educational resources and displays free of charge to our local associations, agricultural societies, breakfast on the farm and ag awareness events throughout the year.

We will continue to work with commodity groups and general farm organizations to promote agricultural production in the classroom, and discuss the issue with elected officials when appropriate.

23-06 Production and Livestock Medicines Training BFO strongly supports producer education opportunities that provide practical and helpful information that improve best management practices on farm. We continue to explore ways to get producers the information they need through BFO-led initiatives or collaborating with and promoting other industry, veterinary or government opportunities. In particular, advancing the Ontario beef sector via the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef quality assurance programs, such as Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) and Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance (OCFBQA), and supporting producers to meet and exceed the beef code of practice responsibilities for animal health and welfare are identified as key actions in BFO’s updated strategic plan. In response to Health Canada regulations that came into effect in 2018 and increased veterinary oversight of antimicrobial use in food-producing animals, the Farmed Animal Antimicrobial Stewardship Initiative (FAAST) project and resources were developed. FAAST was created to provide livestock farmers and their veterinarians with free tools and resources to help prevent antimicrobial resistance. With an abundance of information available to producers online, BFO has consolidated these various

resources on our website, which can be found here: www.ontariobeef. com/farmer-hub/industry/animal-health/.

23-07 Property Tax Rate for Pasture Grounds Farm properties that meet the eligibility requirements for the Farm Property Class Tax Rate Program have farmland and associated outbuildings placed in the farm property class that are taxed up to 25 per cent of the municipal residential tax rate resulting in a lower tax rate than land and forest. Some regions throughout the province have been successful in lobbying their municipal government to have eligible farm properties taxed between 15 and 24 per cent of the municipal residential tax rate. In speaking with staff from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, they are willing to work with local associations in an effort to lobby municipal governments to have eligible farm properties taxed at a lower rate. BFO staff also committed to developing a toolkit members can use when engaging and participating in discussions with local candidates on industry priorities prior to an election or when making submissions for budget consideration.

23-08 Ear Tag Retention BFO strongly believes tag retention is an integral part of the traceability system as is the need to find solutions to concerns about lost tags, missing backs and tag retention. While attending the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary last summer, BFO representatives in attendance had the opportunity to tour the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) head office, meet with their staff and bring forward concerns from our members. Throughout 2024, CCIA will promote a national education campaign focused on encouraging best practices amongst livestock producers and industry stakeholders, elevating trust in the traceability program, with the goal of improving tag retention. The “Retention Matters” campaign will run from January through to December 2024, and will feature content based on five key tenets of retention – tag design, tag quality, environment, tag application, and myths and misconceptions. CCIA continues to work with tag manufacturers to improve the quality and longevity of the plastics used in currently approved indicators.

In addition, BFO continues to push, along with many of our cattle

Online Bull Sale

Spring Thaw Sale March16-17, 2024

OPEN HOUSE AT THE FARM March 16 and 17 To view the Bulls and Heifers For more information on the sale, please visit: DLMS Farmgate

Harprey Grand River 47L

Harprey Blackcap May 9L

ALSO SELLING 10 OPEN YEARLING HEIFERS on March 30, 2024 at the MIDWESTERN SALE, Lucknow, Ontario.

FOR DETAILS CALL • Allan: 519-375-5541 • Jarrett: 519-374-5516 • Don: 519-375-1500 harprey@gmail.com • 307483 Centre Line A, Proton Station, ON, N0C 1L0 8

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

association partners, on the introduction of Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) RFID tags to improve readability and reduce management costs.

In the meantime, if you wish to provide comments on the performance (i.e., readability and retention) of approved indicators, please complete and submit the Approved Tag/Animal Indicator Quality Control Form to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency by email, mail or fax, which can be found at www.canadaid.ca/clts-forms/.

23-09 Production Insurance on Double Cropping with Forages As more producers across the province implement double cropping practices, BFO agrees ensuring producers are covered through a production insurance program is critical. Agricorp feels the needs of producers in this scenario can be met with the New Forage Seeding program, as it can help producers recoup any cost incurred on the field, if the crop does not survive the winter. The current program is eligible for spring-seeded and summer-seeded forages or cover crops, and the coverage extends from seeding until May 31st of the following year, or until the first pasturing/cut in the following year.

23-10 Protocol for Dissolving and/or Amalgamating Local Associations BFO created a document that outlines the process for counties or districts to follow should their members decide to amalgamate with one or more neighbouring counties or districts, or make the tough decision to dissolve. Prior to considering either option, a county or district may try a cooperation approach with one or more neighbouring counties or districts to host local events, support a local charity, or hold a joint monthly or annual meeting. This can result in the sharing of resources between the local associations with the end result of saving both time and money for those local associations willing to cooperate with each other.

23-11 Butchering as a Skilled Trade BFO supports the need for more training programs tailored to meat cutting, or at least funding streams where processors can offset the cost of training new employees. We have worked closely with Meat and Poultry Ontario (MPO) on this issue. MPO recently developed its “Inclusive Workforce Action Plan” with funding from the provincial government to map out what the industry and government can do to

address labour challenges. MPO coordinated an Industry Workforce Advisory Table consisting of stakeholders from all meat and poultry industry stages to examine the challenges and develop solutions.

MPO continues to work closely with the University of Guelph to establish the Centre for Meat Innovation and Technology (CMIT). CMIT is a source for specialized training, equipment, and software, and has access to the University’s federally licensed processing facility.

CMIT will find the experts, develop curriculum and deliver courses, and provide micro-credentials to help our industry develop a skilled workforce. BFO will continue to update our membership on any new funding and program streams related to increasing the number of meat cutters in the province and addressing the labour shortage issue.

23-12 Veterinarian TeleHealth & VTAC Model The Virtual Telemedicine and Assessment Centres (VTAC) have been described as an innovative health-care delivery model that allows people, primarily those without a family doctor, to access a family doctor, nurse practitioner and/or community paramedic for nonemergency medical concerns. The VTAC model creatively utilizes both telemedicine and healthcare teams to improve access to healthcare.

In the context of veterinary medicine, creating this sort of model for the provision of veterinary care for livestock would be challenging, at least at this point in time. Legislative and regulatory changes to veterinary medicine in Ontario are forthcoming and aim to modernize the Veterinarians Act, which has not been substantially updated since 1989. We support OMAFRA reviewing the Act and better defining the medical activities that can be conducted by veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians (RVTs), and we believe this will allow more opportunities for RVTs to support farmers on-farm, either under direct or indirect supervision by a veterinarian. In relation to the VTAC model, when the proposed changes to the Veterinarians Act come into force and with the increasing use of telemedicine, developing a model similar to the VTAC may become more feasible. We have shared this resolution with the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) and the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians and will be further discussing the feasibility of applying the VTAC model or other similar models within the context of Ontario’s veterinary care framework.

12 PUREBRED BULLS Sunrise Lincoln 12L

Sired by SOS GAUCHO 139D BW of 72 EPD CE 15.1, BW -5.4, WW 66, YW 112, MK 15

Bridor Lincoln 5L

Sired by SOS APEX PLD 139F BW of 95 EPD CE 5.5, BW -0.2, WW 71, YW 126, MK 19

Continued on page 10.

FOR SALE BY PRIVATE TREATY

Sunrise Lorenzo 26 L

Sired by SUNRISE JERICHO 8J BW of 105 EPD CE -2.9, BW 4.3, WW 72, YW 130, MK 21

BRIDOR CHAROLAIS • Brian and Doris Aitken • 519-323-7036 • bridorcharolais@yahoo.ca SUNRISE CHAROLAIS • Jim and Elizabeth Baker • 705-888-5061 • jbfarm2018@outlook.com ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

9

Continued from page 9. – Resolution Response Roundup

23-13 PAWS Act Amendments BFO maintains serious concerns with the internal decision-making process and standard operating procedures used to make decisions about whether animals should be removed from a farm or not, how removal is then executed, and what happens after animals have been removed. As a result, BFO has formally requested and defended our position for a complete review of the Act, a request we have made directly with Premier Ford, Minister Thompson, and Minister Kerzner. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with the Ministry of the Solicitor General that outlines roles and responsibilities along with guidelines for training and cooperation on how information is exchanged related to on-farm animal care. Staff developed an enhanced and more detailed list of recommended changes for elected officials on major areas of concern and forwarded it to the chief animal welfare inspector and animal welfare services staff, which incudes the request to differentiate commercial livestock and companion animals. BFO will be sure to keep our members apprised of any developments on any progress on our request for a full review of the PAWS Act.

23-14 Destruction of Prime Ag Land A lobby priority we regularly communicate with the provincial government is to commit to preserving farmland through sound provincial land use policy that sees agricultural lands, including marginal lands used for livestock grazing and carbon sequestration, protected as the highest and best use of our province’s arable land.

Increasing protections for Ontario’s agricultural land base is also identified within BFO’s new Strategic Plan. When communicating with government about issues and the preservation of agricultural lands more generally, we continuously acknowledge efforts to build housing in Ontario is necessary to meet the demands of our fastgrowing population; however, housing development must be focused on existing urban and rural communities where municipal services are present, and addressing Ontario’s housing crisis must balance the need to protect our agricultural lands and ability to produce food locally. BFO will continue to push for land use policies that support the protection of agricultural lands in Ontario and communicate the importance of Ontario’s farmland for supporting local food production, our rural economies, the environment, and food security.

23-15 Joyceville Abattoir Increased investment in meat processing capacity and finding a path to reopen the abattoir at Joyceville Institution have been identified as high priorities for BFO when engaging with both the federal and provincial governments. The BFO Board and staff met with elected officials during the CCA lobby days in April on Parliament Hill and during our annual barbecue in October at Queen’s Park. We discussed issues including meat processing capacity and that local beef producers and consumers rely on facilities such as the Joyceville abattoir to provide processing services that help service local food demand and cattle supplies in the region. Correctional Service Canada conducted a review of the building condition and it requires minor repairs. Once completed, a request for proposal (RFP) will be publicly posted. They are anticipating this will occur in the spring or early summer of 2024. We are also currently working with MP Gerretsen’s office on a parliamentary petition to help expedite the RFP process.

23-16 Carbon Tax Funds for Pasture Production As mentioned above, the preservation and expansion of pastureland in Ontario is important to BFO and its members, and was identified 10

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

within BFO’s recently updated Strategic Plan. A key deliverable is ensuring growth of Ontario’s beef sector through protecting and promoting improvements to pastureland, expanding and improving community pastures, and partnering with other organizations such as farmland trusts, conservation authorities, and other relevant organizations to promote the value of Ontario’s grasslands. According to the Government of Canada website, approximately 90 per cent of the money collected from the federal carbon tax is used to provide the “Climate Action Incentive” payments. These rebates are paid on a quarterly basis to all Canadians who file their annual income tax.

With the federal government’s emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing climate change, the government has made a number of commitments in its various climate change related plans and strategies that reference the importance of agricultural grasslands.

BFO throughout this past year met with various organizations to learn more about or receive updates on other grassland-related initiatives taking place in Ontario. These opportunities also provide a chance for BFO to foster relationships with environment-focused groups looking to build connections with farmers. Protecting Ontario’s pasture and hay land is a challenge requiring a number of solutions, in addition to financial support to protect pastureland, that BFO continues to address. This includes ensuring Ontario’s beef sector is profitable and stable, changes to land use policies, and further opportunities to reward beef farmers for the environmental services they provide on their farm, to improve management of grasslands, and to enhance and expand community pastures.

23-17 Promotion of Environmental Benefits of Beef Cattle BFO works closely with the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) to advance issues that are national in scope. The work put into sharing information on beef farming and the environment is done on all fronts through our policy and advocacy efforts, consumer engagement, and in working with other organizations, particularly CCA and it’s Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) team, and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). BFO Board and staff, along with CCA staff, held meetings with MPs and Senators in Ottawa about the sustainability of cattle production in Ontario.

In regards to BFO’s consumer engagement efforts, a key pillar is talking with consumers about the environmental benefits provided

by Ontario’s beef farmers. To get a sense of what is communicated, visit the Ontario Beef website to read about our messaging around the environmental value of Ontario beef (www.ontbeef.ca/blog/). BFO has also developed relationships with other organizations to promote the environmental benefits of cattle production and our commitment to further improvements. This includes the University of Guelph, Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario, Ontario Forage Council, Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Ontario Farmland Trust, Cleanfarms and the other livestock and general farm organizations. Nationally, CCA, PSE, BCRC and CRSB also work closely with many organizations such as Ducks Unlimited Canada and Nature Conservancy Canada. Promoting the environmental benefits of beef production in Canada to governments, elected officials and consumers, and pushing back on a narrative that beef farming negatively impacts our environment is an on-going effort, and remains a key priority for BFO. We encourage local associations to connect with their elected officials from their ridings to raise this topic and to reach out to BFO for information to aid in these conversations. OB

Building your herd?

FCC and participating livestock partners provide flexible and convenient financing for feeder cattle and breeding livestock producers across Canada.

To find a livestock partner in your area, visit fcc.ca/Livestock

DREAM. GROW. THRIVE. ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

11

BETWEEN YOU, ME AND THE FENCE POST

By LeaAnne Wurmli, BFO Director of Communications leaanne@ontariobeef.com • www.ontariobeef.com

Building Leadership Capacity BUILD Leadership Program Returns in April

B

etween 2012 and 2017, BFO executed five iterations of its BUILD Leadership Program where 96 beef industry leaders and emerging leaders graduated from the program. At the time, the program was developed in partnership with BFO and the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) with the purpose of identifying and supporting a group of visionary organization leaders capable of moving the Ontario beef sector forward.

The knowledge and skills developed through participation in the program included a focus on the individual, on effective meetings, and on BFO and its local associations. The topics covered within the program ranged from effective governance to meeting management, developing listening skills, the role of a leader and leadership styles, fiduciary responsibility and creating effective policies and procedures.

It’s been seven years since the last program was offered. With a renewed strategic plan that has a focus on producer excellence and leadership training, with the help of ROI, the BFO Board of Directors has committed to hosting the program in April, 2024, for interested individuals. With the return of this program, it’s our hope we will

WHAT DO OUR GRADUATES HAVE TO SAY? I had a great time attending the BUILD Leadership program. Meeting other like-minded producers and hearing from resourceful speakers made the time fly and I learned so much from both the speakers and my peers. I would recommend this course to anyone. Best training course I have had since university!

- Angela Schneider I attended the BUILD Leadership program to learn more about becoming a leader within the beef industry. I came away with a much better understanding of my leadership style, how to run effective and engaging meetings, and how BFO functions. I would strongly recommend this program even though it was in the middle of calving season!

- Marie Heffernan Shea As a not-for-profit board member and a beef producer, I found the BUILD Leadership program to be applicable to both industry stakeholders and producers. The sessions contained practical information on being an effective board member, managing time and tasks, and understanding and communicating with others including consumers. The program allows you to develop your leadership skills and understanding of not-for-profit organizations while ensuring you build relationships with people from all facets of agriculture.

- Jasper Munro I would strongly recommend the BUILD Leadership program to anyone involved in or wanting to get involved in local groups or associations.

I was able to gain a better understanding of how a board is to be run, and the importance of accounting and governance. We also focused on public speaking and how to deliver key points effectively.

- Doug Helm

SILVER SPRINGS FARMS Offering Red Angus, Simmental, Crossbred

Silver Springs Farms is offering yearling performance tested bulls through private treaty. All bulls are out of calving ease sires and strong maternal cow families.

All performance data on Ag Sights bull test.

continue to build a strong pipeline of leaders who have an interest in pursuing leadership roles with BFO and our local associations.

We are pleased to share the 2024 program will accept 15 individuals, and will be hosted through three sessions outlined as follows: Virtual Kick-off Night Wednesday, April 3 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET Session One (Guelph, Ontario) April 7 - 9th Session Two (Toronto, Ontario) April 21 - 22nd

James, Joan, Robert and Emily McKinlay

James & Joan: 519-599-6236 • jmckinlay@bmts.com Robert: 226-668-0775 12

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

Like the previous program offerings, there will be a $150 fee to reserve a spot, which will be refunded at the conclusion of the program provided all sessions were attended by the participant. If you, or someone you know, is interested in this unique training opportunity, please visit www.ontariobeef.com for more details and to register. OB

Canadian Angus Bulls – The Genetic Advantage Because of their balanced profile of calving ease, growth and carcass quality, Canadian Angus cattle work well in both purebred and commercial operations. Use Angus bulls to make top performing feedlot steers and beautiful replacement females.

Visit the Ontario Angus Association website for more information: www.cdnangus.ca/ontario-angus-association

Contact any of the breeders below to arrange for your private viewing of cattle for sale.

Cairnlee Acres

Victor, Yvonne & Andrew Richardson 6193 Walkers Dr, Strathroy, ON Vic Cell: (519) 871-4240

Cambray Livestock Company Luke, Matt, Joe and Carl Jewell 1153 The Glen Road, Woodville ON 705-934-2853

Fallis Land and Cattle

Mike, Lisa and Cole Fallis 1273 6th Line, Selwyn, ON K9J 6X5 705-740-4878 | sunsetacres@nexicom.net

Gilchrist Farms

Brad & Kristie Gilchrist 1269 Grey Ox Ave RR#5 Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 519-440-6720 | brad@gilchristfarms.com

Glen Islay Angus

Don Currie 2234 Conc 11, Nottawa, ON L0M1P0 705-715-2234 | doncurrie@glenislay.com

Loval Farms

Scott & Sandra Honey 127 Honey Road, Warkworth, ON K0K 3K0 705-924-3809 | lovalfarms@gmail.com

Harprey Farms

Allan Hargrave/Don Hargrave 307483 Centre Line A Proton Station, ON N0C 1L0 Allan 519-375-5541 | Don 519-375-1500 harprey@gmail.com

Maple Line Farm

Ian & Tim Rudkin 3320 Bradburn Road, Blackstock, On L0B 1B0 Ian 905-718-5331 | Tim 905-213-6518 maplelinefarm@hotmail.com

Meadow Bridge Angus

Silver Springs Farm

James, Joan, Robert and Emily McKinlay 609027 12th Sideroad RR#1 Ravenna, ON N0H 2E0 519-599-6236 | jmckinlay@bmts.com

Tullamore Farms

Bill & Sylvia Jackson 260 Regional RD 39 Zephyr, ON L0E 1T0 Cell 647-990-2697 tullamore.angus@gmail.com

Whiskey Lane Livestock

JJ Deslippe 922580 Rd 92 RR # 4, St Mary’s, ON N4X 1C7 519-275-1739 | deslippe@quadro.net

Scott, Paula, Jason & Shelby Cornish 2295 Hwy 7, Indian River, ON K0L 2B0 705-341-3220 | wll@nexicom.net

Don & Betty McNalty 634514 Road 63 RR#2 Singhampton, ON N0C 1M0 705-446-4740 | robroyangus@gmail.com

Darcy & Courtney McMorris 573333 Boot Jack Ranch Road Priceville, ON N0C 1K0 226-203-4506 | windcroftfarms@gmail.com

Scott & Elizabeth MacDonald 4169 Highway # 6 Hagersville, ON N0A 1H0 Scott 519-820-1272 | Elizabeth 226-971-0015 scomaclivestock@gmail.com

Kyle, Rachel, Jordyn and Mason Petherick 950 County Rd 8 Campbellford, ON K0L 1L0 705-768-3560 | worth-mor@hotmail.com

Rob Roy Angus

SCOMAC Livestock

Windcroft Farms

Worth-Mor Cattle

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

13

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS

By Jennifer Kyle, Manager of Public Engagement and Digital Strategy jennifer@ontariobeef.com • www.ontbeef.com

A Year in Review O

ntario Beef supports all Ontario beef industry stakeholders by laying the foundation for the promotion of ALL Ontario beef products and the entire industry. Our focus is entirely on Ontario consumers and our efforts support the Ontario Beef Market Development Program, as well as individual farmers, brands, retailers, etc.

As a reminder, 25 cents of the $1.50 check-off increase, implemented in November 2019, stays with BFO to support producer and consumer engagement activities. 2023 saw us continue to build on the great momentum we set in motion back in 2020.

We will cut right to the chase. 2023 was a fantastic year for our consumer engagement efforts. We were able to expand some of our existing activities and re-imagine others to get the most mileage out of the assets we had created. While our budget was healthy, it’s always important to remind folks that, in the world of marketing and advertising dollars where it is pay-to-play, our budget is modest. With this in mind, remaining crafty to ensure we got the most out of every

JPD

ANGUS

Breeding for Cow Families Purebred black Angus yearling bulls and heifers for sale by private treaty.

Backed by superior genetics selected for phenotype,calving ease, growth and performance as well as carcass merit.

Please feel free to give us a call to arrange a farm visit or to discuss your needs and obtain a list of our offering.

Michaela’s cell: 705-720-0085 michaela.jpdangus@gmail.com

Lori’s cell: 705-720-0829 lorijchalmers@gmail.com

Located just north of Barrie off of Hwy 400 in Oro-Medonte.

14

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

dollar spent remained a priority. We kept our plans mostly focused online and saw fabulous results again in 2023. Excitingly, we also saw a real return to in-person events, which got us out and interacting with people at several events throughout the year.

It was a very busy year and we continued with the same “simmer and boil” approach for our work that we have talked about in the past.

Again, this is the concept of a continual stream of content and activity happening throughout the year (simmering), and then ramping up to a boil when we go live with our larger campaigns and big projects. The following is the re-cap of the work we undertook in 2023.

Many might remember the high-profile influencer sustainability campaign we undertook in 2022, which was to build on the momentum of the PR campaign we had run the year before to increase the good news stories about beef and the environment.

The 2022 campaign, while very successful, had not yet passed its expiry date, so in 2023 we worked with the same three influencers to somewhat re-imagine their content from the previous year and re-launched the campaign on Instagram and TikTok. As a reminder, these influencers were Wallace Wong (a well-known Food Network personality), Sarah from Nutrient Matters (a blogger and TikToker focused on adding more nutrients to average meals), and Michael Rizzi (a lifestyle influencer, content creator and LGBTQ+ advocate).

When we talk about “high-profile influencers,” we are talking about folks who have follower counts significantly higher than average. Collectively, the three we worked with have over 5 million followers across their channels. The re-imagined content was very well-received on the channels and amazingly, outperformed the original campaign by more than double the impressions. In 2022, the campaign generated over 2.2 million impressions…in 2023, the campaign achieved over 6.2 million impressions and 4.5 million video views! Another impressive stat was the clicks we received on TikTok. The industry benchmark is a 0.15% click rate, which is when someone clicks the link to learn more, and this is more likely to happen with a static photo. Click rates are usually lower on videos because the viewer has seen and heard enough. BUT our campaign generated over 12,000 clicks on our videos, which translates to a 0.38% click rate – more than double the benchmark and a great indication that people are curious to learn more about beef farming!

Podcast advertising statistics are still very strong. With that in mind, we signed on with music personality, Alan Cross, again to do two three-month flights again in 2023. This time, a total of six ad spots were read by Alan who hosts Ongoing History of New Music.

The ads aired on Alan’s show as well as other podcasts across the Corus network. The first flight ran from June 1st to August 31st and focused on continuing to reiterate the environmental message while also talking about summer and BBQ season. The second flight ran two ad spots from October 1st to mid January 2024 and focused more

on comfort food and cold weather cooking, while also reiterating the sustainability message. When the final numbers came in, our ads made well over 2 million impressions for the year. In addition, we were able to score some bonus display ads as part of our media buy. We added an additional 500K impressions with those bonus ads. Another great win!

This past summer, we were back with the fourth annual BBQ Battle. The 2023 edition was themed “Raising the Steaks” and with a bigger budget behind this iteration, we were able to make it the most interactive edition yet. Andrew Gunadie was back as host, and this time, Andrew traveled to each of the three competitors to capture them in action and sample their takes on the perfect steak. Despite three amazing contenders, including one that used the “Swedish Torch” to flame his steak to perfection, it was the classic charcoal grill that took this year’s prize. As with previous battles, we included a contest portion to drive engagement from the community. This year, entrants had to complete a “steak personality” quiz to find out what method they should cook with to be entered to win the grand prize. This proved to be a winning contest with over 13K entries! This year’s BBQ Battle knocked it out of the park with over 13.3 million impressions and 1.9 million engagements!

Back in 2022, we tried our hand at some video advertising. We created and launched two 15-second videos, both centering around the theme “Great Taste is Closer than You Think”. The opening visuals suggest the meal is taking place in London, UK or Paris, France, before quickly transitioning to show the delicious meals are in London and Paris, Ontario. The idea is to remind folks great tasting beef can be found right in their own backyard. These video ads only ran for five weeks on YouTube and Connected TV, so there was still lots of life left in them for 2023! We ran these same two ads for another five weeks in the fall, so if you were streaming on YouTube or through ConnectedTV devices (AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Smart TV, etc.), you might have caught them! The ads performed very well achieving 5.3 million impressions!

Our final campaign was our Local Flavour campaign. We again partnered with three Ontario food and beverage companies for some cross-promotion. This year’s partners were: Brantview Apples & Cider/ Howell Road Cider, Stonetown Cheese, and Fire in the Kitchen Spice Company. Each product pairs well with Ontario beef in multiple ways and the companies are all family-oriented and value social responsibility, which is important to BFO and has resonated with our audiences. We went with a bright and fun for the look of the campaign, and that really hit the mark with our audience.

The campaign generated 4.3 million impressions with over 274K engagements!

Throughout the course of the year, we also worked with influencers to create four separate “micro” influencer waves (one per quarter) to keep our messaging top of mind for our followers and to reach new audiences. To build our recipe library, we partnered with another four influencers to create some tasty creations. Via influencer waves, campaigns and direct partnership, we were able to add 15 new recipes to the ontbeef.ca website database in 2023.

While 2022 saw the return of some in-person events after the COVID-induced hiatus, 2023 was certainly more in line with preCOVID events in terms of participation! We were able to visit with the public at three Breakfast from the Farm events hosted by Farm and Food Care Ontario (FFCO), one of which was held at a beef farm.

Thank you to Tim Prior and family for hosting! All three were wellattended, and we were even able to provide tasty meatball samples

at the “Brunch Edition” held in Pain Court, Ontario. We attended both the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF) again this year. We had large crowds of visitors at both events, and our booth was a popular stop. A big thank you to everyone who volunteered their time to help at the booth at each event. Not only do folks like the opportunity to chat with “real farmers”, but we also really appreciate the support. We would like to say a BIG thank you to our Summer Engagement Coordinator, Sloane Murray, for her hard work and dedication to making our presence at the CNE awesome! The CNE is 19 days long, and Sloane was there for almost all of it! THANK YOU! In April, we had the opportunity to collaborate with Samurai Media to have a booth space at the Toronto Food & Drink Festival.

Chef Joe Friday served up delicious Ontario beef smash burgers, while mixologist Brenton mixed up delicious cocktails to go with it. Our booth was a VERY popular spot…so popular that we were sold out by Saturday afternoon and couldn’t open on Sunday because we were completely out of burgers! Food & Drink Fest is an event that we would not be able to participate at on our own without a massive price tag to cover space, time, catering, ingredients, etc. Partnering with Samurai provided an awesome opportunity to be present without the additional costs to go on our own.

We completed production of a video featuring our 2023 TESA winner, Lynn Leavitt. Lynn did a fabulous job explaining what he does on his farm, including the thousands of hours he has spent developing a recycling solution for used bale plastic – a solution that is now used on farms across the country.

Continued on page 48.

WAYDAMAR SIMMENTALS Bulls are our Business with Data to support Decisions

Customer Service • Bred for Performance Calving Ease/Temperament • Ultrasound Tested Yearlings & 2 Year Olds • Black, Red & Blaze Faces Dave, Gayle & Grant Milliner 225641 Southgate Road #22 • Dundalk, ON N0C 1B0 Phone: 519-923-9188 • Cell: 519-377-9188 Email: milliner.dg@gmail.com Follow us on: www.facebook.com/WaydamarFarms

Marywood Breeders Group Consignor Bull Test Station with Winter & Summer Groups Contact: Dave: 519-375-0122 Josh: 519-362-5373 • Grant: 519-387-0429

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

15

Ontario Beef Youth Alliance Continues to Grow

By BFO Staff

S

ince the Ontario Beef Youth Alliance (OBYA) was launched three years ago, its current membership sits at 230 members strong, and that continues to grow.

The OBYA is comprised of members between the ages of 18-35 who have subscribed to become a member of the OBYA. Members must have an active interest in the Ontario beef industry, but do not need to be BFO check-off paying members.

Membership benefits continue to evolve as the OBYA welcomes new members, and we look at effective programming and Join a powerful group resources for this group of individuals. Every of individuals who have effort will be made by BFO to provide the energy and enthusiasm to grow, protect and advocate following benefits: for Ontario’s beef sector.

• Networking and engagement opportunities with other like-minded individuals • Youth-based programming and events • Mentorship connections • Access to information and resources on current funding programs to support on-farm development • Platform to share career opportunities related to the beef and agriculture sectors

• Complimentary subscription to Ontario Beef magazine JOIN THE • Eligibility to run as a candidate and/or elect candidates for the youth positions on the BFO Cow-Calf, Feedlot and Research Committees If you are between the ages of 18-35 and have an active interest in the Ontario beef industry, we would welcome you to visit www.ontariobeef.com to subscribe where we will collect your contact information and enter you into the OBYA database.

Communications will be sent to members throughout the year. If at any time you wish to unsubscribe from the OBYA, you can unsubscribe by following the prompts in BFO’s communications, or you can contact Jaclyn Horenberg directly at the BFO office to be removed from the OBYA. We know our organization will need strong leaders providing thoughtful direction for years to come, and we strongly believe that an investment in youth development is an investment in our collective future. OB

ONTARIO BEEF

YOUTH ALLIANCE

VANCISE CATTLE COMPANY AVAILABLE PRIVATE TREATY

Yearling Red Angus bulls (moderate birthweights, backed by exceptional cow families)

Two-year-old bulls

• 2 - calving ease specialists; suitable for breeding large groups of heifers • “Cow herd builders”; these bulls will sire females with sound structure, substance, fleshing ability, and quality udders!

Open heifers; purebred Red Angus and Commercial Red Angus X

For more information, please contact: VANCISE CATTLE COMPANY INC. • John Vancise Jr. • 705 351 2442 • johnvancise4@hotmail.com • Stayner, ON 16

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

edardale harolais Reputable . Polled . Performance charolais Bulls DESIGned FOR THE COMMERCIAL CATTLEMAN

Bulls available Private treaty ON FARM pLEASE contact us for more information ON THE BULLS TREVOR, SCOTT & Ryan NESBITT 17100 CEDARDALE ROAD NESTLETON, ONTARIO

( S ) 905-242-5058 ( R ) 905-242-2046

www.cedardalefarms.ca

info@cedardalefarms.ca ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

17

Must-Win Audiences for the Public Perception of Beef By: CCA Public and Stakeholder Engagement Team

L

ast issue we covered how Canadians feel about beef – the product, the industry, its people and its practices. These results were based on the latest public perception research from Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE), a national check-off funded program jointly delivered by Canada Beef and the Canadian Cattle Association.

Now that we have a baseline on how Canadians feel about beef, we can dive into how we can move the needle toward more positive perceptions. Messaging becomes vague and unpersuasive when we try to reach everyone everywhere, so the first step to more positive perceptions is defining a target audience.

Our public perception research showed that the Canadian population can be divided into four segments based on their perceptions of beef: Canadian beef lovers, curious supporters, passives and environmental skeptics. Segmenting the population in this way allowed us to determine other motivations and surrounding impressions and perspectives of the Canadian cattle industry aside from basic demographics.

Canadian Beef Lovers This segment of the population loves everything about Canadian beef. They have strong positive feelings about the product and the industry. This group represents a third of Canadians, and since they are already firmly in our corner and convinced of the merit of beef and the Canadian beef industry, we want to encourage beef lovers to share their positive thoughts with their networks.

Will Stoneman 587.873.7257 Brian Whitwell 905.768.5148 k.whitwell@hotmail.com

Offering Registered Yearling Angus bulls; AgSight Performance Tested Select Registered & Commercial Replacement Heifers available Growth, Carcass Merit, Calving Ease and Maternal Performance are the foundations of our program.

Visitors always welcome!

18

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

Curious Supporters Curious supporters (about 40 per cent of the population) love our product as much as beef lovers. They love the taste and say it is a healthy, high-quality and safe food. However, curious supporters are less sure about the industry’s practices. This segment also overwhelmingly aspires to improve the impact of their dietary habits, providing a great opportunity to share information about the environmental benefits of beef cattle.

Passives This group feels indifferent about the industry and food production in general. It would take a lot of effort to get them to pay attention and then care - so our efforts are best focused elsewhere. Fortunately, the passive group is small with only 12 per cent of the population.

Environmental Skeptics This segment is the most doubtful of the industry due to perceived environmental and animal welfare issues. They also don’t consume much meat of any kind. Given the relatively small size of this segment and the energy required to convert them even to passives, it is best to focus efforts elsewhere. While environmental skeptics feel negatively, their opinions largely stay within the community or segment, so don’t tend to influence other groups.

Focusing on a ‘Must-Win’ Audience The biggest bang for our public perception buck can be gained by converting curious supporters to Canadian beef lovers. Focusing efforts on curious supporters is likely to generate the best results as this group is interested in learning more, they love the product, and they already lean positive, although are uncertain or lack information, about the industry and its practices.

Identifying curious supporters as our ‘must-win’ audience means we can deploy tailor-made messages based on this segment’s behaviors and preferences on channels where they are active.

Messaging can be even further fine-tuned for certain areas of interest. For example, curious supporters that fall in the Gen-Z age demographic can be targeted with content related to animal welfare, since this group expresses more concern about this topic than the average curious supporter.

Overall, messaging about commitments to innovation, sustainability and reducing environmental impacts are likely to yield dividends and shift curious supporters to Canadian beef lovers. These messages will be most impactful when coming from trusted sources. Canadians want to hear directly from farmers and ranchers and the groups that represent them, highlighting the importance of producers actively engaging in public outreach. It is also why Public and Stakeholder Engagement focuses on farmers and ranchers in documentaries, social media content and with influencer outreach to amplify reach and leverage trust from Canadians.

Further questions? Please contact Amie Peck, Stakeholder Engagement Manager at pecka@cattle.ca OB Public and Stakeholder Engagement is a national check-off funded program that works to build public trust in the way beef cattle are raised in Canada.

Ontario Beef Industry Convention Hosts a Sold-Out Crowd BFO President Jack Chaffe provided a provincial update on BFO activities and priorities in 2023 during the Thursday evening program.

Jack highlighted BFO’s lobby and policy work, as well as producer, consumer and market development activities.

BFO was happy to support the tradeshow component of the convention. Over 40 exhibitors and sponsors were present to meet with attendees over the course of the two-day event.

The most popular event of the convention of course continues to be the banquet and auction.

Over 500 people attended the sold-out banquet featuring a delicious meal of Ontario Corn-Fed Beef.

The auction also garnered great participation. Photo courtesy of Gerald Martin.

Michelle Miller, commonly known as the Farm Babe, joined the convention as keynote speaker to talk about her work as a writer, columnist and online influencer. Attendees also heard from representatives from Loblaw, MNP, OMAFRA and CCA, as well as Jerry Klassen who provided a market outlook. Alvin Law, a speaker, author, musician and actor, wrapped up the meeting portion of the convention on Friday afternoon.

Resilient Ag funding is here!

Wetlands

Water Retention

Natural Grassland Establishment

Perennial Biomass & Warm Season Pastures

Reduced Tillage

Tree and Shrub Planting

The new Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program supports Ontario farmers’ efforts to make their land more productive and resilient.

The Program provides funding to support projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon.

More details at

ontariosoilcrop.org

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

19

BOOMER

CREEK Simmental BULLS For Sale LIVESTOCK

PRIVATE TREATY

Sires of the Bulls

Blacks/Reds & Baldies

Farm raised & Ready, 100% Polled

We will keep them for you till you need them

Contact Information 20

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

All bulls are semen tested, have scrotal measurements & examinations done

Owen Martin 4550 Ament Line, Wallenstein Ont. N0B 2S0 C. 519-501-2207 E. owenmartin4550@gmail.com

Purchase your bull on the first Saturday in March and we will keep him until the long weekend in May….free of charge!

March 2, 2024 -2:00 pm DanG Charolais Sale Barn 1940 Telephone Road, Colborne ON Consignors: DanG Charolais Derek & Tami Dekeyser Colborne, ON Partridge Hollow Charolais Barry Baldwin Consecon, ON Bogart Cattle Company Eric Doran & Family Tweed, ON Terry Creek Charolais Todd Aird & Family Baltimore, ON

A group of Charolais influenced bred females and cow/calf pairs will also be on offer!

For a catalogue or more information please contact Derek Dekeyser 905-375-4341 Or Eric Doran 613-438-2599 ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

21

RURAL RAMBLE

By Robert McKinlay, Producer Relations Specialist robert@ontariobeef.com www.ontariobeef.com

Calving Topic Featured at Beef Day at Guelph O

n December 2nd, cow-calf producers gathered at the University of Guelph to prepare for their upcoming calving season by attending the Beef Day@Guelph: Calving School Edition. This event was hosted by BFO, the University of Guelph (Beef@Guelph) and OMAFRA to provide producers hands-on experience and insight into future technologies to prepare them for the calving season ahead.

Dr. Lucio Campora, from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), walked producers through different calf presentations and how to assist in different forms of dystocia. His extensive knowledge of calving techniques was amplified to the attending producers as he utilized a cow and calf simulator model supplied by the OVC. The back end of a pregnant cow was represented by the simulator complete with birth canal and model calf, which allowed Dr. Campora to display different

calf presentations. This allowed producers to feel the calf in relation to the birth canal and understand how best to intervene to assist with their own animals. Dr. Campora also discussed different ways to deal with a hip locked calf that allowed the veterinarian or farmer to rotate the calf’s hips to enable them to pass through the birth canal. Assessing if a calf is alive through different reflexes and how the absence or presence of them can indicate if an unresponsive calf has passed or not. Techniques to stimulate or revive calves were also discussed, this included aggravating the nasal cavity with straw or a pen to stimulate sneezing and increase breathing. Stimulating the cardiac nerve with the strike of a pen to restart a calf’s heart was also discussed. The tips and skills presented by Dr. Campora encouraged a lot of discussion among participants as they shared their own calving experiences.

Introducing our NEW livestock Management Solution!

TRACK your herd, BUILD on tradition, LEAD innovation

Celebrating 30 Years

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We were pleased to have Dr. Claire Windeyer, Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, ON-FARM OPEN HOUSE & join us to discuss the who, what, when, where, why and how much of colostrum management.

Dr. Windeyer emphasized the importance of delivering the appropriate amount of highquality colostrum to compromised calves, and how common colostrum management may not be meeting calves’ needs. The goal of colostrum management is to ensure calves get between , 200-400g of IgG (Immunoglobulin G is a measurement of antibodies present from the Guest Consignor - Vintage Herefords dam). She stated that timing colostrum might be the single most important factor impacting Contact us to get on our catalogue mailing list transfer of passive immunity, with the goal being for calves to receive two litres within two hours of birth and at least another two litres by 12 hours of life. Vigilance in monitoring assisted calves who experienced difficult calvings can be the difference in successful and unsuccessful immune transfer. Unassisted calves succeeded in consuming enough colostrum 90 per cent of the time, whereas easy assisted calves only succeeded 60 per cent of the time and difficult assisted calves only succeeded 25 per cent of the time.

Suckle testing these calves provided the best indication of whether the calf would be successful at consuming enough colostrum. Assisted calves with a weak suckle reflex only consumed enough colostrum 10 per cent of the time, in contrast to a strong suckle reflex of 75 per cent success of colostrum consumption. Dr. Windeyer’s interactive discussion kept the discussion engaging with many practical take-home skills.

Sloane Murray, OVC student and UofG Meat Science & Muscle Biology Club President, led the group in a session of discovering how meat tenderness is measured at the University of Guelph meat lab. Steaks are collected from trials and cores are collected; technicians are careful to take core samples parallel to the muscle fibers. This ensures when the core is loaded into the shear force machine the blade doesn’t pass between the muscle fibres creating a reading that doesn’t represent the eating experience. The core is placed on a plate and a blade descends from the machine into the sample. The resistance the For updates follow us on: blade encounters is recorded and modeled over time to give an indication of what the eating osheafarms@hotmail.com experience will be for that steak – the lower the resistance, the more tender the meat. While this technology is mainly used in research settings currently, Sloane’s main goal of the session was during gestation and intramuscular fat deposition in the offspring. Sarah showing producers that researchers are committed to making sure they described a “marbling window” where all the intramuscular fat cells are have proof when they talk about new ways to increase tenderness or developed by the calf. This window occurs between late gestation and efficiency in beef production.

250 days of age. Vitamin A supplementation to the cow herd during their Dr. Katie Wood, Associate Professor of Ruminant Nutrition and final trimester increased the resulting calf crops’ marbling and grading.

Physiology at the University of Guelph, presented to the group on her This research indicates an exciting opportunity for producers to give their work on developmental programming. This project looks into the effect calf crop the best opportunity of becoming the highest quality product of the dam’s environment on fetal development and subsequent offspring our consumers demand. performance. The research showed nutritional restriction during critical On behalf of the organizing committee of the University of Guelph, periods in the pregnancy create “thrifty” phenotypes in the offspring.

Beef@Guelph, OMAFRA and BFO, we would like to thank producers for This could have big industry impacts as genotypes of the fetus can be taking the time to participate. The cooperation of multiple organizations manipulated to affect the phenotype of the animal and potentially their to create such an amazing learning experience is something to be offspring as well. The analogy of a plinko game was used where the fetus appreciated. Producers had an amazing opportunity to take the stress is travelling down the board and by adding pegs (stressors) during its away from a hard calving and get walked through what to look for pregnancy can affect where it will end up. This turning on or off of genes and how to best react to maximize the chances of a successful calving. in developmental programming has potential to impact economically The knowledge transfer of exciting research and new technologies to relevant traits for beef producers. producers will further our industry’s ability to maintain our promise of University of Guelph Masters student, Sarah Dean, presented her producing the highest quality product in the most sustainable manner for research results from her study on the supplementation of Vitamin A our consumers. OB

Tag sale April 7th, 2024

Open Heifers Cow Calf Pairs, Bulls

Jamie, Mel & Blake O’Shea Denfield, ON 519-477-1238

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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Jon-Ern Farms Limited

Blenheim, ontario

Flush Sells!

Clarke’s Whiskey 16J 2023 Res Jr National Champion Female 2023 Teawater Fair Champion 2013 Red Ribbon Ring B Champion female

He Sells! jon-ern The Big Tomato 2l

Vistors always welcome for a Whiskey!

Cattle sell March 23rd, 2024 at the Clarke Family Farms Bull & Female Sale!

The Stewart brothers Chris 519.365.3695 / Craig 519.365.3467 / Dale 519.365.6324

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ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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Canada’s Beef Sector Reduces Carbon Footprint CRSB Releases National Beef Sustainability Assessment

By BFO Staff with content from the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef

I

n January, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) released its second and highly anticipated National Beef Sustainability Assessment (NBSA) and Strategy report. The assessment reflects three years of in-depth scientific analysis and highlights the Canadian beef sector’s progress between 2014 and 2021 on sustainability indicators like greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, carbon storage, people’s health and safety, animal care, economic contributions and more. The report also includes accompanying sustainability strategies that identify areas for continuous improvement.

The first NBSA was published in 2016 utilizing data from 2014, which provided a baseline for evaluating progress and improvements over time. This second study is the first to measure changes against that baseline, utilizing data from 2021, and serves as a benchmark and a half-way point as the industry works towards its 2030 goals.

In the interval of 2014 to 2021, there have been improvements in the majority of environmental indicators (carbon footprint, fossil fuel depletion, water consumption, agriculture land occupation and freshwater eutrophication). These improvements are driven by increased efficiency in beef production signaled by higher cattle endweights and shorter production periods. This ultimately means that more beef is now being produced from the same number of animals, while requiring fewer resources.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity reduced by 15 per cent (per kg boneless beef, consumed) since 2014, and with the 2030 beef industry goal of a 33 per cent reduction in GHG emissions intensity, we are on track towards achieving that goal.

The total soil organic carbon (SOC) is estimated at 1.9 billion tonnes in land used for beef production in Canada, with a large proportion (84 per cent) attributed to pastureland, showcasing the importance of preserving that land as it has the highest capacity to store carbon and promote biodiversity in agricultural areas. While the overall habitat capacity on cropland and pastureland has decreased due to land use change, the contribution of habitat capacity attributed to land used for beef production increased since 2016. Maintaining 26

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agriculture land occupied by beef cattle on native grasslands and pasture is vital to supporting biodiversity and storing SOC. “It’s exciting to see the 15 per cent reduction in GHG emissions intensity, which puts us on track to achieve the 33 per cent reduction 2030 goal that the industry has set,” says Ryan Beierbach, Chair of the CRSB and Saskatchewan beef producer.

Within each region, eastern and western beef production both decreased their [blue] water consumption since 2014.

The proportion of national beef production has grown in western Canada. When accounting for this shift, the national [blue] water consumption value has increased slightly (0.4 per cent), as more irrigation is used in this region.

The social assessment made key observations in the life cycle of Canadian beef production, identifying strengths and how to manage the risks and challenges regarding labour management, people’s health and safety, animal care and antimicrobial use (AMU). The assessment indicated that labour availability, recruitment and retention are increasing workload levels with potential negative repercussions on people working in the industry. However, it is recognized that there is broad awareness and efforts being made across sectors to address workload levels and integrate innovative approaches to reduce risk.

Health and safety are also identified as an area that can be overlooked and where more dedicated efforts are needed. Producers are experiencing high levels of physical and mental stress; on a positive note, awareness and the stigma around mental health are improving.

Animal care is a success story in Canada, and many federal regulations and industry standards (e.g. Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle) play a role; increased coordination and communication across areas within the beef supply chain are areas for improvement to fully secure animal care throughout the cattle life cycle. Antimicrobial use is important to the industry and its stakeholders. There are good practices currently being utilized by producers to ensure responsible use. Further training would be beneficial to drive continuous improvement. Room for improvement also exists with respect to the adoption of management practices

increased, demonstrating the importance of beef production in keeping these areas intact.

• The conversations around farmer stress and mental health have grown louder, increasing awareness. Work continues to reduce the stigma of mental health challenges across the beef supply chain.

• Animal care continues to be a top priority for the Canadian beef industry. Surveillance data shows no risk of resistance from Category I antimicrobials (very high importance to human medicine) indicating that tools to treat sickness in beef cattle is not a risk to human health.

• Demand for Canadian beef remains strong with Canadian consumers (up five per cent) and around the world (16 per cent increase).

• For every worker employed by farm-level production of cattle in Canada, 2.5 workers are employed either directly or indirectly in the Canadian economy. And for every worker employed in the Canadian meat packing industry, another 3.4 workers are employed, including direct and indirect employment.

associated with AMU, including further reduction of stressors and increased access to veterinarians in some regions.

The economic sustainability of the Canadian beef industry has undergone many supply and demand shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread severe drought in 2021. The resilience and ability to shift according to market conditions resulted in increased off-farm income and a growing feedlot sector despite high feed prices.

Inflationary pressures have increased the cost of inputs faster than cost of outputs, but consumer demand here in Canada and globally for protein remains strong with a preference for high-quality beef.

“I am proud of the Canadian beef industry’s commitment to continuous improvement, and the progress already made on our sustainability journey. This assessment demonstrates the important role Canadian beef producers and our members play in advancing sustainability, and what we can accomplish when we work together towards common goals,” Beierbach adds.

A peer-reviewed scientific paper highlighting the Environmental Life Cycle Assessment results has been published in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.

• The Canadian cattle industry contributes $51.5 billion in the production of goods and services, $21.8 billion to the Canadian GDP and $11.7 billion in labour income.

Measuring sustainability performance is only the first step; having clear goals and actions for achieving continuous improvement is critical. Therefore, a National Beef Sustainability Strategy supports the Assessment, outlining tangible, ambitious and achievable actions and opportunities for collaboration in high priority areas for the CRSB and its members over the next several years.

“The Canadian beef sector is committed to transparency and continuous improvement in sustainability,” adds Beierbach. “We look forward to further collaborations and innovations to make a positive impact and meet our goals for the Canadian beef industry’s social, economic and environmental performance.” OB

Key Findings • Producing 1 kg of beef (boneless and consumed), now creates 15 per cent less greenhouse gases than in 2014 (Aboagye et al., 2024), on track towards the 2030 Canadian beef industry goal of a 33 per cent emissions intensity reduction.

• Land used for beef production is estimated to hold 1.9 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon, storing nearly 40 per cent of the total soil carbon across Canada’s agricultural landscape. This is equivalent to annual CO2 emissions from over two billion cars (~58 cars for every Canadian).

• Land used for beef production contributes the majority of critical habitat that wildlife needs for both reproduction (74 per cent) and feeding (55 per cent) when all of Canada’s crop and pastureland is considered. Despite an overall loss of wildlife habitat on Canada’s pasture and cropland, beef’s share within what remains has ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW AND JOIN US FOR

THESE UPCOMING LIMOUSIN EVENTS Ontario Limousin Association Annual General Meeting - Monday, April 8th, 2024 • 7:30pm • VIA Zoom Canadian Junior National Limousin Show - August 15-18, 2024 • Lindsay, Ontario Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Limousin Show - Saturday, November 2, 2024 • 3:00pm Junior Limousin Show - Thursday, October 31, 2024 Eastern Limousin Showcase - Saturday, December 7, 2024 • 1:00pm • Hanover Ontario

Contact any of these Breeders to arrange for a private viewing of Cattle For Sale.

3 RIDGE FARMS Jon Bell 217294 Conc. 3 Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N5 519-378-4006 roundbale14@hotmail.com

CROWN HILL ACRES Craig and Michelle Kennedy 258 Sturgeon Rd. Omemee, ON K0L 2W0 705-741-6700 crownhillacres@gmail.com

CLARK CATTLE CO. David Clark 2280 McCullough Rd. Port Hope, ON L1A 3V7 905-449-0149 clarkcattle1@hotmail.ca

HILLSIDE FARMS Ray and Stacie Stanton 4250 King Road, King City, ON, L7B 1K4 416-505-0707 rays@londonproperty.ca

ARCON CATTLE CO Art Thompson, Jim & Connor Wiley 5174 Concession Road 4 Everett, ON L0M 1J0 Art 705-434-8582 Jim 705-734-7379 arconcattleco@gmail.com

DARLING FARMS 4172 County Rd 25 Castleton, ON K0K 1M0 905-375-4019 dmdarling13@gmail.com

LOYAL LINE LIMOUSIN Brent and Vicky Black 82509 Loyal Line Goderich, Ontario N7A 3Y3 Cell: 519-955-1234 brentblack204@hotmail.com

AFTER HOURS LIMOUSINS Rob & Erin Weppler 117078 Grey Rd. 3 , Tara, ON 519-375-6108 Rob@gbtel.ca

BEE ZEE ACRES The Zwambag’s 4140 Glendon Drive, Glencoe, ON N0L 1M0 Bill: 519-494-9613 Matt: 519-870-3219 beezeeacres@gmail.com

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GIBSON FARMS Dave and Emily Gibson 2148 Concession 4, RR1, Ripley Ontario N0G2R0 Dave-519-357-6174 Emily 519-440-9907 gibsonfarmstrucking@gmail.com

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

SPARE TIME LIVESTOCK Don & Donna Scott & family Oxford Mills, ON Don: 613-913-1579 Laura: 613-316-8728 sparetimelivestock@gmail.com

LAKESIDE FARM Wayne and Nancy Lawrence 263657 Southgate Rd. 26 RR#4 Durham, ON N0G 1R0 519-369-2806 lakesidelimo@hotmail.com

2023 High HIGH SELLERS LOT 2

AFTER HOURS GYPSY GIRL

PURCHASED BY GREENWOOD LIMOUSIN

LOT 33

BLCC L715 ZOOM BLOOM

ON OFFER ELITE LIMOUSIN GENETICS

Thank you THANK YOU TO ALL THE BIDDERS & BUYERS

WHO SUPPORTED THE 3RD EASTERN SHOWCASE SALE

PINCH HILL LIMOUSIN Paul, Brandon & Chad Homer Stittsville, Ontario 519-339-9659 or 613-987-0822 pinchhill@gmail.com RAIL LINE FARMS Paul and Brad MacIntyre 221 Bruce County Rd. 1 RR #3, Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 519-528-2423 pcmacintyre@hurontel.on.ca POSTHAVEN LIMOUSIN John and Ena Post #7396 Sideroad #20, RR #2, Alma, Ontario N0B 1A0 519-846-9320 ejpost@posthavenlimousin.com

GREENWOOD LIMOUSIN DARYL WEBER LLOYDEN STOCK FARMS SCOTT OSTER BOULDER LAND CATTLE CO RICASHAY LIMOUSINS GLENN TREFTZ MACTAVISH FARMS RICASHAY LIMOUSINS MURRAY HILL FARM ROSLIN CATTLE CO CLEARVIEW FARMS DOANLAKE FARMS RICASHAY LIMOUSINS

JIM ROFFEY BEE ZEE ACRES AFTER HOURS LIMOUSIN HILLSIDE FARMS GIRDLER CATTLE CO BEAR CREEK SPARETIME LIVESTOCK SMART LIMOUSIN BLACCA CREEK FARMS INC. FOUR MAC RANCLIFE LIMOUSIN DENTON WEBSTER ANCHOR B MCCONNELL LIVESTOCK

PURCHASED BY GREENWOOD LIMOUSIN

HILLSIDE FARMS PAYNE LIVESTOCK STEWART LIMOUSIN EXCEL RANCHES WINDY GABLES 3 RIDGE STEWART LIMOUSIN YOUNG LIMO FARMS ALBERTVIEW & KEN GLORRY DARLING FARMS SOUTHERN MEADOWS CHAFFE CATTLE CO HAWKEYE LAND & CATTLE

NEW LIFE LIMOUSIN Justin and Melissa Burgess 261269 Conc. 18 Hanover, ON N4N 3B8 519-270-5415 New.life.limousin@gmail.com

YOUNG LIMO FARMS Jim and Joe Young 601 Tara Road Ennismore ON 705 755 6820 young_electric@hotmail.com

BENNVILLE LIMOUSIN Anita or Greta Haupt 613 Con. 14 R.R.1 Hagersville N0A1H0 cell Greta:905-865-2529 haupt@ xplornet.ca website: bennvillelimousin.com

SMART LIMOUSIN Garry and Sheila Smart 137606 Grey Road 12 RR#2, Meaford, ON N4L 1W6 519-538-4877 www.smartlimousin.com

ANNA & ELISABETH STUDER 44390 Glenannon Rd Clifford, ON N0G 1M0 519 327-4489 anel.studer@gmail.com

SAMMERICH FARMS Joost & Carolyn van der Heiden 8493 Rd 176, Listowel, ON 519 291-2507 cell 519 292-1171 jcvheiden@hotmail.com

WINDY GABLES LIMOUSIN Bryce & Nathan Allen RR #4, Warkworth, ON K0K 3K0 705-924-2583 nathana@alleninsurance.ca

Check out our Website for LimoNews: www.ontariolimousin.com

BOULDER LAND & CATTLE COMPANY Ben Belanger 4510 hwy 7 RR#1 Omemee,Ont 705-875-0020 Blcccattle@outlook.com

Ontario Limousin Association

Matt Zwambag, President • Phone: 519-870-3219 ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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You wouldn’t use the wrong tools to eat your steak...

...Why do it when tagging your cattle?

To learn more about how the CCIA is supporting you for better tag retention visit retentionmatters.ca or scan the QR code.

www.retentionmatters.ca 30

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

Saunders Charolais 19th Annual Bull Sale Saturday April 6, 2024 Selling 32 Charolais Bulls 7 Simmental Bulls Catalogue & Videos can be viewed online at www.dlms.com Emily Gibson-MacTavish 519-440-9907 For More Information on Charolais Bulls Brent Saunders c: 519-372-6196 e: saunders@bmts.com

s i a ol

h is har tT a a l ro ns C ewingt Only a h ai Vi men C l l t Blue Mountains Charolais Bu oint rs oun Harvie & John Reekie e e d M al App s c: 519-374-7108 n u e re By P c: 519-373-7643 a S Blu le a t S es l l u g u B h t l a t wi 4 n 2 e 4 E 6, 20 m T 1 DA ril m i n E t p L S tio e SA ay, A .m. ark e n di d 00 p k M r O u E c t ’ 2: sto s Sa e r ive u L t u dy a F e Darrell Saunders c: 519-373-6788 e: dbjsaunders@gmail.com

rm

a eF

K

For More Information on Simmental Bulls Todd Campbell c: 519-379-7565 e: tcampbell@rbafinancial.com Travis Fulford c: 519-374-5078

Auctioneer: Scott Kuhl Keady Livestock Market 519-477-2339 TAR IO updates BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024 Follow us on Facebook for theON latest

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OMAFRA UPDATE

Planning for a Successful Calving Season

By James Byrne, Beef Cattle Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs

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alving on many farms may still be several weeks away but now is a great time to start planning. It’s the goal of every cow-calf producer to see that cows give birth to a live calf, nurture the calf to produce a healthy and productive calf at weaning and beyond, and that cows go back in calf and carry the calf to term.

Reviewing the success of last years calving season and your management strategies is a good practice when it comes to improving or maintaining herd health. A bout of scours or respiratory disease can put the very survival of calves at risk or effect the performance of those calves going forward.

The neonatal calf (a calf under 28 days old) is particularly vulnerable to disease at birth because there is minimal placental transfer of antibodies in ruminants at birth. Colostrum is the nutrient and antibody-dense first milk of the cow and provides the first line of defense for the calf while the calf is developing its own immune system. The quality of colostrum is affected by nutrition of the dam, leaking prior to calving, and vaccinations received by of the dam. “Good” colostrum quality is defined as colostrum with an IgG, (immunoglobulin G), concentration of ≥50 mg ml.

Disease protection provided by colostrum will also be influenced by the volume consumed, how soon after calving colostrum is consumed, and the cleanliness of the teats of the cow. When it comes to timing, the faster the calf receives a full meal of colostrum, the better. The ability of calves to absorb immunoglobulins decreases significantly each hour after birth and is seriously reduced 12 hours post calving

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and effectively impermeable to immunoglobulins by day two after birth. Consequently, it is critically important that calves consume colostrum as quickly as possible after birth. As a guide, calves should consume between 10 to 12 per cent of their body weight in colostrum in their first feeding to ensure adequate immunoglobulin intake.

Intervention may be necessary where calves do not consume sufficient colostrum in their first feeding. It is important to have properly frozen colostrum (stored no longer than one year) or colostrum replacer at hand so that bottle feeding or tube feeding of calves that don’t get enough colostrum, can’t suck or whose mothers are uncooperative, can occur.

Even when sufficient colostrum is provided, calves are still at risk of disease. There are many environmental challenges that can put young calves at risk. Therefore, to minimize these challenges, it’s important to provide calves with clean, dry bedding, shelter from the elements, and adequate ventilation. The practicalities of calving (ensuring adequate supply of straw, location of calving pens, etc.) needs to be considered several weeks before the first calf is born. Simple planning at this stage will reduce the labour involved, stress on the operator, and ensure a successful and hopefully smooth calving season.

Preventing calf scours makes sense for many reasons. Giving treatment is frustrating, costly, difficult to do and often can be unsuccessful with improper administration of antibiotics. Not only are Continued on page 34.

PIEDMONTESE THE TENDER BEEF BREED Originating from the Piedmont region in Northwestern Italy these animals naturally developed increased muscle tone from two copies of a deleted myostatin gene. Myostatin controls muscle growth in all mammals, without this control there is increased muscle and less fat – making leaner, healthier, more tender beef.

The unique 2 copy myostatin deletion gene has been crossbred to create a Naturalean Piedmontese (2 copy animals with hybrid vigor of the best traits of other breeds). Offspring resulting from a 2 copy Piedmontese or Naturalean Piedmontese x commercial breed displays more muscle mass and lower carcass fat than their commercial counterparts.

Muscle development in calves becomes most apparent after 30 days. 2 copy fullblood or Naturalean Piedmontese heifers and cows bred to 2 copy fullblood or Naturalean bulls can calve unassisted.

Many breeders in North America have fullblood, Naturalean or offer both types of Piedmontese in their herds.

Bulls and embryos for sale. Contact us for more information.

Serge Bergeron

2162 Route 400 Limoges, ON K0A 2M0 613-443-5514 • 613-818-3533 (cell) Sergey_511@hotmail.com

Poplar Ridge Piedmontese Jared & Stacy Bauereiss Box 111 • Inglis, MB R0J 0X0 204-851-6161 • 204-821-5034 oliverstacy@hotmail.com

Prairie Sky Piedmontese

Travis Oliver Box 215 • Miniota, MB R0M 1M0 204-567-3603 • 204-851-5385 (cell) Toliver90@hotmail.com ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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Continued from page 32. – OMAFRA Update

a wide variety of antibiotic treatments attempted, these treatments, whether oral or injectable, have the potential to expose a wide variety of gut bacteria to varying levels and classes of antibiotics, potentially increasing the rate of development and transfer of antimicrobial resistance and resistance genes.

The development of an effective vaccination program in conjunction with your veterinarian is a fundamental practice to maintain or improve herd health. Preventing calf scours by vaccinating cows prior to calving is very sensible approach to managing calf health.

Vaccinating the dam prior to calving will help stimulate the cow to produce specific antibodies to these pathogens which are then passed to the calf in her colostrum. Further protection is gained by the calf as the milk consumed in the days just after birth contain “blocking” antibodies. These antibodies, though not absorbed through the stomach, line the gut wall and prevent viral and bacterial pathogens

from attaching to and damaging the gut and causing diarrhea. To be effective, it is critical that these scour vaccines be administered to cows exactly as recommended on the product labels each year prior to calving. There is no partial protection from doing a partial vaccination series - it is all or nothing. Doing it correctly is the only way to get the benefits the vaccines can bring.

Depending on your experience of calving on your farm, vaccination against respiratory diseases may be warranted. There are several types of respiratory diseases that can affect young calves, collectively referred to as Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD). The risk with these diseases is the development of pneumonia and death in addition to the loss of performance of the calf. Vaccination is the best approach.

There are many vaccine choices available on the market. Consult your veterinarian on the best product for your farm and follow the manufacturers instructions when using these products.

At a practical level, there are several things, in addition to the items mentioned above, that producers can prepare for ahead of time to make sure calving is as smooth and stress free as possible. Make sure you clean and prepare your calving pens well in advance of the expected first arrival. Sometimes that arrival comes sooner than expected. Disinfect all implements prior to use. Having esophageal tube feeders on hand will make the process of feeding calves in need of colostrum or sick calves in need of fluids significantly easier. Make sure these tubes are clean and disinfected prior to use. Thoroughly clean and disinfect after each use.

Calving outdoors on clean pasture is a great way to minimize the disease risk to young calves. However, you should plan for severe weather such as wind, freezing rain and snow.

Calving outdoors can put calves at risk of hypothermia – have a plan to correct this. Calf shelters should be in good repair, have bedding and plenty of disinfectant on hand, naval dips, and sanitary wipes. This is both for the animal’s protection and yours.

Always think safety around calving. No matter how quiet you think your cows are, they can be dangerous around calving. Have a plan how you will handle the newborn calf without putting yourself in physical danger. Pay particular attention to first time calvers as their behaviour at calving is unknown. Cows with a history of bad behaviour at calving should be considered for culling.

At some point you will have cows that have a difficult calving. Make sure you have a plan in place on how you will deal with this. Ensure all ropes and equipment that you require are close at hand, and have been cleaned, disinfected and are in good working condition. It is worth the time and effort to refresh your memory by reading up or watching some videos on what to do if you have a difficult calving. Know when you need to call your veterinarian. It may be difference between saving or losing calf, cow, or both.

Good planning well in advance of the calving season will ensure that calving goes smoothly and successfully. OB

ALL YOU NEED IS ONE GREAT BULL

FOR GREATER PROFIT

SIRE OF

Full Sisters

For all your bull needs, contact : Secretary • Ciaran Yool 905-807-8185 • easterncanadiangalloway@gmail.com

www.easterncanadiangalloway.ca 34

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Please note, a version of this article previously appeared in OMAFRA Virtual Beef Magazine, 2018. References available upon request.

BULL SALE 2024 SATURDAY, MARCH 23 1:30 PM at the Farm 1012 Snake River Line, Cobden

Selling 25 Yearling Bulls Brett Coughlin 613-312-1378 brettc@mandrfeeds.com Brian Coughlin 613-312-0270 brianc@mandrfeeds.com Ivor Thurston 613-324-4864 ivort88@gmail.com

SALE CONTACTS Ab Carroll – Auctioneer: 705-344-6654 Stacy Young – DLMS: 780-718-0622

View the online catalogue at: www.cornerviewcharolais.com | www.charolaisbanner.com ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

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NTARIO ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

MAR. 2, 2024 Holiday Inn , Peterborough

ONTARIO SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATION

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O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY! EMAIL ASHTON AT: MEMBERSERVICES.OSA@GMAIL.COM OR TEXT 519-357-6775

RESEARCH UPDATE

Research & Innovation Key to Future for Livestock Sector, Report Says

By Lilian Schaer for the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

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new report puts research, innovation and a comprehensive policy approach as core pillars underpinning the successful future of Canada’s livestock industry.

The Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture in Canada: A Synthesis report by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) says that the complexity and interconnectedness of animal agriculture means its value and impact can’t be measured with simple metrics. Many of the challenges and opportunities are shared across members of the sector.

“This report offers a compelling narrative of the challenges, opportunities and policy landscape that come together to shape the future of this vital Canadian industry,” says Mike McMorris, CEO of Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC), one of the organizations who sponsored the research.

This means the industry needs common solutions to improve economic, environmental and social sustainability. These include growth-oriented policies, investment in research and innovation and in transportation and other infrastructure, and an enhanced data framework.

At the same time, risks facing animal agriculture are growing, like disease, loss of land or markets, and extreme weather, and require greater focus and innovative policy solutions to provide meaningful impacts.

“Canada is in a unique position to meet the growing global demand for proteins because of our land base, water resources, efficient production systems and low carbon emissions relative to other countries,” says report co-author Al Mussell, CAPI’s Director of Research who will be speaking about the report’s findings at the BFO annual meeting on February 22.

In fact, the report notes that Canadian animal agriculture has among the lowest emissions intensities in the world, so policies that integrate sustainability, food security and growth can help meet climate targets and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and build Canada’s comparative advantage on the world stage.

Animal agriculture also has a key role to play in meeting the objectives of other initiatives, such as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)’s Grow Ontario Strategy announced in 2022, which contains ambitious production and export growth goals for the agriculture sector.

To help reach those goals, there is need to increase agri-food innovation and adoption through research infrastructure, ensure translation of research into practical solutions and encourage uptake of those solutions, and increase the use and measurement of datadriven solutions.

The findings of the CAPI report support LRIC’s A2B approach to research and innovation – where are we, where do we want to go and what are the steps we need to get there, which can include innovation, research, regulation, policy and advocacy, for example.

“Important for success is considering what matters to industry, to consumers and to government – and looking for commonalities,” says McMorris.

For the industry, key issues are antimicrobial resistance, climate change impact and adjustment, emergency preparedness, labour, animal welfare, water, soil health and alternative protein consumption.

Consumers, by comparison, care about their health, the health of the planet and animal welfare, for government, it’s the economy, the environment and food security that matters.

To help bring all of that together, LRIC has been encouraging the sector and its stakeholders to view innovation as a circular system that includes funding, research priorities, project management, getting research into practice (GRIP) and commercialization.

LRIC has also taken proactive approaches to help give the livestock sector the tools it needs for success. The LRIC Emerging Trends and Opportunities Committee provides direction to the LRIC board on creating and increasing awareness across the sector regarding emerging trends and their research and innovation requirements.

The LRIC International Research Advisory Committee provides input from beyond Canada’s borders, including helping ensure we are aware of global developments and how the Ontario livestock sector can adopt or adapt international research approaches toward improved progress.

LRIC has also developed a mentorship program for early career faculty to help them make better connections with industry and bolster the relevance of their research to addressing real problems farmers face. And its Early Career Research Award is designed to foster more collaborative and cross-sector research.

All of this is aligned with LRIC’s new five-year strategic plan, which has a three-fold approach: • Provide members services and a centralized hub for livestock research, innovation, networking and mentorship.

• Seek and stimulate continuous improvement of the innovation system by all stakeholders.

• Be the trusted intermediary between industry, government and academia.

The CAPI study Forces Impacting Animal Agriculture in Canada: A Synthesis was funded by LRIC, Grand River Agricultural Society, UFA Co-operative, Dairy Farmers of Canada and Canadian Cattle Association. OB This article is provided by Livestock Research Innovation Corporation as part of LRIC’s ongoing efforts to report on research, innovation, and issues affecting the Canadian livestock industry. LRIC is funded in part by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

37

McRae Family Values Access to Beef Finance Programs

By Cheryl Russwurm, Feeder and Breeder Program Supervisor

A

s the Program Supervisor for both the Ontario Beef Breeder Co-op Program and the Ontario Feeder Cattle Loan Guarantee Program (also known to many as the Feeder Finance Program), part of my duties includes doing some farm visits to verify inventory and chat with members about their operation and how the program has benefitted them.

“The interest-free portion of the Advance Payments Program has been very beneficial for us and the turnover for the (feeder) loan is fast versus the bank, which can be such a lengthy process to get money from,” says Kurtis McRae. “It’s an easy program to apply to, very straight forward and easy to navigate. We have grown substantially due to the program. It gave us the boost we needed to get to where we wanted to be.”

On a Saturday in December, I had the pleasure of stopping in at Kurtis and Rachel McRae’s operation outside of Carleton Place. It was a snowy, cloudy morning, but Kurtis’ enthusiasm for the beef industry and his operation could have almost melted the snow off my car.

Kurtis and his wife, Rachel, may be better known as dairy farmers as they took over Rachel’s family dairy operation and continue to milk about 30 cows in the original tie stall barn. Kurtis’ passion, however, lays on the beef side of the operation. He had always had a few cows, but his herd grew when he purchased his grandfather’s herd upon his passing in 2016.

Currently, Kurtis runs 85 Simmentalcross cows, which are all bred to Charolais bulls purchased from Alberta. He values the relationship he has fostered with the Alberta breeder he has bought from for the last six years.

“I spend a crazy amount on bulls,” says Kurtis. “But I strongly believe it pays off.”

Two years ago, Kurtis had the opportunity to buy a herd of cows, and he went to the Ottawa Valley Breeder Finance Co-op for financing as it offered a simple means for five-year financing.

His goal is to grow the herd to 120 cows, and he relies on wintering the cows in the bush and calving in April and May. Kurtis currently feeds his own calves, as PRIVATE TREATY OFFERING well as some dairy-cross calves in addition to Red & Black Simmentals, Angus, purchasing about 80 to 100 head by private treaty each fall. His feeding regime consists SimmAngus Bulls of hay, haylage, corn silage and mixed grain, Also a select few Purebred Simmental & all of which is homegrown. He purchases salt Angus females FOR SALE off the farm. and mineral and consistently achieves 3.25 Follow us on Facebook, pounds of gain per day. Kurtis is very proud of his handling facility, which although outside, Earley Livestock allows him to process and treat cattle with little additional labour.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Kurtis is proud of his new “Wright Structure” barn built during the pandemic, which he Kade: 519-709-7839 admits was a pricey adventure. In 2023, he Mike: 519-661-8713 poured cement and used heavy panels to form

EARLEY LIVESTOCK & CIRCLE K SIMMENTALS

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O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

an outside yard at one end, which allows him to move cattle there for scraping along the feed alley and bedding with straw. The barn is mainly used for storage in summer, as well as the location for a barn dance, which has become an annual tradition after starting as a way to lift people’s spirits during the pandemic.

He uses the new barn, which features a single inside feed alley, to take the cattle up to 900 pounds.

The cattle are marketed mainly through the Ontario Stockyards.

He is open minded as to where to market his cattle, however, and is always looking for opportunities. Kurtis’ goal for the stocker end of the operation is to have another tarp barn to be able to finish a total of 180 head a year. He already has the location figured out!

Kurtis also cash crops 200 acres of soybeans and 200 acres of corn.

In total, he crops nearly 1,000 acres, which is a combination of owned and rented land.

Kurtis became involved in his local feeder co-op three years ago after hearing about it from one of the co-op directors, and now

finances about 50 to 60 head each fall. He has also stepped in to become a director of the Two Valley Feeder Finance Co-operative and recently became Vice President.

In addition, Kurtis has become a director on the breeder co-op and was one of several directors who spearheaded an information night for the Beef Breeder Program held at Renfrew Pontiac Sale Barn in Cobden in September. Over 40 local producers turned out with new business gained almost immediately for the breeder co-op.

Kurtis and Rachel farm together while parenting three young boys who are active in local sports. Rachel caters as an additional source of income and, just to be sure he isn’t idle, Kurtis also has a seed dealership. He also gives a lot of credit to his in-laws for the support they have given him and Rachel over the years.

Any community would certainly be proud to have the McRae’s in their neighbourhood as their enthusiasm for their operation and the Feeder and Breeder Program is contagious. OB

Miller Land & Livestock Charolais Cattle • Hay • Straw • Feedlot

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39

CANADA BEEF UPDATE Burger it Forward Returns

By Gina Teel, Manager, Stakeholder Communications, Canada Beef

T

he Burger It Forward campaign got underway February 1 following the successful launch of the give-back effort inaugurated last year that sees consumers purchase and enjoy Canadian beef burgers as a tasty way to support food banks.

Restaurant participation for the 2024 campaign is robust, with seven regions across Canada grilling delicious beef burgers for food banks during the month of February. In Ontario, several popular restaurants are on board for round two of the initiative, including Langdon Hall, Elora Mill, and Richmond Station. Ontarians wanting to find participating restaurants nearby can check out the burger map for Ontario on burgeritforward.ca. The campaign runs February 1-29.

A Canada Beef initiative, Burger it Forward is a national campaign that partners with provincial beef organizations to gain support for ground beef sales, support local restaurants under inflationary pressures and raise funds for food banks.

More than 100 restaurants participated las year, resulting in over $53,000 in donations to local and national food bank efforts.

Participating restaurants from six regions served up 29,261 campaign burgers; or an average of 174 burgers sold per location. Restaurants experienced a 24 per cent sales increase (on average).

The campaign is one of several timely efforts underway at Canada Beef to support beef consumption during the ongoing inflationary times.

Understanding consumer concerns about beef pricing at retail, a new resource, Make the Most of Your Beef, was created with messaging about the value-proposition of Canadian beef, and tips and videos about how to cut steaks, roasts and more from beef primals.

A collaborative version of this resource is being printed for BFO distribution and offered as an e-book for posting on the BFO consumer website. Canada Beef has collaborative versions of the beef value proposition resource for Alberta Beef Producers and the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association as well. These provincial specific versions of the resource were developed for regional distribution at major agricultural events along with Canada Beef cooking demonstrations at beef industry conferences.

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O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

Canada Beef has also been building the capacity to enable Canadian consumers to scan existing bar codes on beef packages with a smartphone using the Canadian Beef Information Gateway (Gateway).

The Gateway currently supports barcodes from more than 30 retailers who, together, represent most of the beef sold in Canadian grocery stores. Scanning barcodes will provide dedicated information about a specific product, including recipes, videos, storage, and preparation tips, as well as nutrition information. The Gateway also highlights content from provincial cattle organizations and provides an overview of why consumers should purchase Canadian beef.

Consumers were introduced to this new scanning capability via a national contest launched in January. The contest, Cooking with Canadian Beef, is supported by a multi-layered promotional campaign that includes signage in the meat department at more than 3,300 retail locations across the country.

The consumer aspect is part of a larger Gateway initiative that will target consumers and industry professionals in the domestic retail and foodservice sectors. To the latter, the Canadian Beef Wholesale Information Gateway, Retail Edition (Wholesale Gateway) launched in August as a Canadian beef training solution designed to help address current skilled labour challenges in the meat department.

Canada Beef is now developing a parallel Wholesale Gateway for foodservice stakeholders, illustrating how to utilize Canadian beef in a culinary setting most effectively. A pilot will be completed with a restaurant partner early next fiscal year. Foodservice operators can presently leverage three new video series, highlighting Trim Utilization, Opportunity Cuts, and Innovative Portions, designed to help keep Canadian beef a desirable and accessible menu option for stakeholders.

Producers can learn more about these and other initiatives from the Canada Beef team at BFO’s AGM in Toronto this month. Digital marketing and consumer marketing gurus Michele McAdoo and Joyce Parslow will be available at the Canada Beef booth while Channel Marketing Merchandising Manager Todd Van Eyk will host an exciting live cutting demonstration for the Cattle Academy event titled “Canada’s Top 10 Beef Opportunity Cuts.”

The hour-long segment will showcase emerging cuts, ethnic offerings, and value opportunities with selected primals.

Last but not least, Canada Beef would like to extend sincere appreciation to Canada’s beef producers. Canadian beef produced by farmers and ranchers plays a vital role in the nation’s food supply.

This is supported by several recently released significant and positive nutrition reports about the importance of beef in a healthy diet.

This type of information sometimes gets overlooked, so Canada Beef aimed to find a way to promote these positive stories to producers.

The team sought a perspective from cattle groups to understand their information needs.

To help spread the word, Canada Beef compiled some of the latest nutrition research, key facts, and international updates to prepare a few talking points that can be shared with pride. The user-friendly resource, Beef’s Remarkable Nutrition Story, highlights the important role beef plays in a healthy diet and contains positive content about how much Canadians love their beef.

Whether chatting with neighbours or speaking to a national audience, there is much good news to share. This new resource makes it easy for users to highlight the work that Canada’s beef producers put into bringing this incredible protein food to consumers.

Finally, as the close of the final fiscal quarter looms, the work continues at Canada Beef to ensure the delivery of programs and services that will position Canada’s beef and veal industry for continued success and increase consumer satisfaction, preference and brand loyalty.

Looking forward, Canada Beef’s 2024-2025 Investment Plan allows the team to be responsive to the changing needs of global trade clients and consumers. Canada Beef’s programs and services will continue to optimize a competitive position for premium quality grain-fed Canadian beef on the world’s table. These efforts will set Canadian beef apart from its competitors and provide the maximum benefit for Canada’s cattle producers and stakeholder clients.

For detailed information, please view the Canada Beef Annual Report 2022-2023 and subscribe to Canada Beef Performs. OB

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ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

41

FARM & FOOD CARE ONTARIO A Year in Review

By Jessica McCann, Farm & Food Care Ontario, Communications Coordinator

T

hanks to the support of Platinum members like Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO), Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) and its partners were able to execute some major projects in 2023 that brought beef farmers, food producers and agribusinesses together with urban and suburban consumers to interact, answer questions and learn more about what it means to be a beef farmer in Ontario.

Platinum members are foundational to FFCO’s successes, and allow the organization to continue working to build public trust in Ontario agriculture. This year FFCO and BFO partnered on six in-person activations as well as virtual initiatives to spark conversations and answer consumer questions about beef and beef farming in Ontario. BFO director Jason Leblond serves as an ex officio member of the FFCO Board of Directors.

Breakfast on the Farm Partnering with BFO, FFCO hosted the first Breakfast on the Farm (BOTF) in June of 2023 at Grazing Meadows Wagyu, a beef farm in Huron County owned by the Prior family. Together, this outreach work was continued by showcasing a beef cattle breed display at the second

Breakfast on the Farm event in Napanee and providing delicious meatballs for guests to sample at the third and final BOTF event of 2023 near Chatham.

Over 3,300 urban and suburban visitors attended these three events and visitors were able see farm animals; including beef cattle, equipment, talk to farmers and ask questions about where their food comes from. Feedback for these events continues to be exceptionally positive.

Farm Tours 2023 was an exceptional year for FFCO’s on-farm tours with a record 10 tours taking place for key target audiences across the province. These tours included hosting three tours for food influencers and Registered Dietitians as well as four culinary student tours for future chefs and food influencers, students and faculty from Algonquin College, Fanshawe College, Georgian College and Centennial College. In June, Fanshawe students toured a beef farm in Strathroy and in September, FFCO took a group of food influencers to the beef research station facilities in Elora. Thanks to the partnership with BFO, 145 beef culinary guides were provided to everyone that participated in the culinary tours.

Culinary tour participants were surveyed on their knowledge about

We heard from you that:

PROCESSORLINKS FOR FARMERS We have been learning from farmers how we can better support the processing of your animals.

To get started, just use your phone to visit this QR code and fill in the form. We will reach out from there.

Or visit the ProcessorLinks homepage directly with the url below. processorlinks.ca

42

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

• Time is extremely constrained.

• Booking abattoirs can be onerous, complex and time consuming.

• Finding abattoirs with capacity is challenging.

• Consistent packaging and quality are key to you.

• Having different types of cuts/packaging can cause confusion with your end customers.

• Lack of clarity around the process/paperwork requirements (particularly with new abattoirs).

• Farm life makes it hard to keep on top of paperwork and administrative tasks required by the abattoir.

• Trust is important in creating a new relationship with an abattoir.

Our updates to ProcessorLinks will help farmers by:

• Preview the type of cuts and packaging that an abattoir will use to process your animals.

• Access industry news and information.

• Simplify the booking and communication process with abattoirs.

• Receive automated reminders to keep on top of paperwork.

• Find last minute capacity, if available, from abattoirs.

• Read reviews from other farmers to help build trust with a new abattoir.

and perceptions of Ontario agriculture before and after each tour. When asked about their impression of Ontario agriculture before their tours, 65 per cent responded good or excellent, while the post-tour survey results showed an increase to 93 per cent who responded good or excellent.

This shows the value of an in-person tour experience.

The Real Dirt on Farming FFCO unveiled the sixth edition of The Real Dirt on Farming in November of 2023. The booklet is available in English and French. In early 2024, a digest version will be available, a digital educator resource will be released this winter by Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, and a new 4-H manual is in development by 4-H Ontario.

Beef continues to be a key area of focus in The Real Dirt on Farming publication with Canada Beef continuing on as a major sponsor of the new project. This edition answers questions on the topics of food costs, food safety and food labelling, livestock in relation to healthy soil, climate change and the preservation of grasslands. It also explains grass-fed and grain-fed diets, cattle rearing and animal welfare. Prince Edward County beef farmer Lynn Leavitt is featured as one of the booklet’s profiles.

Events In 2023, FFCO returned to the CNE with an ‘Ask-a-Farmer’ video booth and spent the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair sharing FarmFood360 virtual tours - including a virtual beef farm tour - with the public. These types of events offer invaluable opportunities for FFCO to facilitate conversations between farmers and their urban and suburban neighbours about how food and farming relates to all of us here in Ontario.

Digital Outreach Digital outreach plays a key role in FFCO’s work. The online Faces Behind Food campaign told the stories of 79 individuals from a diverse

*First-Come, First-Serve Basis *Bulls are sired by industry leading A.I. sires.

cross-section of commodities and food service types and answered 38 Ask a Farmer questions while garnering over seven million impressions on Instagram and Facebook. As a part of the Faces Behind Food project, several beef farmers were profiled.

In 2023 FFCO in partnership with AgScape, hosted 17 virtual field trips. It is estimated that these trips reached more than 83,869 people.

FFCO and AgScape will continue to offer these tours throughout 2023 and are looking for farmers interested in hosting them.

Training and Workshops FFCO continues to offer media and Speak Up training and commodity-specific updates, with 46 presentations and training sessions in 2023. Additionally, FFCO was able to present to insurance and commodity groups information surrounding how to approach on-farm emergencies and strategies for fire prevention.

With funding from BFO, 16 Livestock Emergency courses were held in 2023 for 339 firefighters and first responders across Ontario. The threeyear total is 1,112 first responders taking the course online or in person.

The course covers factors critical to the decision-making processes for accidents involving livestock trailers, including trailer design and the implications for extrication points, animal behavior, laws and regulations, euthanasia protocols, and how to develop response teams.

FFCO also worked with commodity groups on 13 Animal Care Helpline calls in 2023, on cases of concern such as animals on the loose and provision for animals in extenuating circumstances. OB

RIVER POINT Cattle Co.

Reed & Jane Crawford Reed Cell:519-857-7333 Jane Cell:519-317-5263

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All bulls will have Complete Breeding Soundness Examinations performed (Semen Test, Scrotal Measurement & Examination).

Horn/Polled tests & Homo Black tests are done on Simmentals. Free board on bulls until May 1st. Don’t hesitate, contact us to view the bulls.

Other inquiries: Rex Crawford 519-940-1748 All information can be viewed at: www.riverpointcattlecompany.com ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

43

FOCUS ON HERD HEALTH

By Daniel Pecoskie, DVM, Metzger Veterinary Services

Selenium Strategies: Ensuring Strong Starts for Ontario Calves A

s calving season begins, it is important that we help newborn calves get off to the right start, and help prevent disease and promote their immune system. While colostrum, or the first milk feeding, is a very important component of starting calves, there are additional supplements to consider to promote calf health.

Selenium supplementation to newborn calves is a recommended practice in Ontario. Selenium is a trace mineral that can be found in the soil, forage and feedstuffs. It is also present in most loose bagged mineral, mineral blocks or lick-tubs. In addition, selenium can be administered on its own to individual animals in the form of injectable or oral products. Many producers choose to supplement mineral to cattle both on pasture and year-round.

Mineral supplementation has many benefits, including improved hoof health, immune function and improved fertility. Selenium works in the body with vitamin E to improve immune function.

It aids in the antioxidant defences of the body to prevent cell death. Selenium is involved in forming immune cells such as helper T, cytotoxic T and Natural killer cells. It is also involved in the migration of neutrophils (white blood cells) into tissues from the bloodstream, which is important for the inflammatory process when the body is dealing with infection. For these reasons, feedlot stocker calves entering a feedlot are commonly supplemented with selenium as well.

In Ontario, soil is known to be deficient in selenium, which is also true for the coastal and northern areas of the country. If you are sourcing cattle from western provinces, some areas may have higher selenium levels in forage and on pasture depending on the soil. Western Canada-origin stocker calves are often supplemented with injectable selenium on arrival to an Ontario feedlot, though at a slightly lower rate than their Ontario-born counterparts.

A trace mineral monitoring project carried out from 2021 to 2022 by Miltenburg et al., through the Bovine Ontario Animal Health Network, assessed blood samples from pregnant beef cows and heifers in 69 cow-calf herds across Ontario. Of their samples, 53% of cows and heifers had selenium levels that were less than adequate (<0.08 ug/mL of blood), with a further 43% of animals being deficient in selenium (<0.04 ug/mL of blood).

Apart from blood, selenium content in colostrum and milk can also vary significantly, therefore affecting the quantity of selenium consumed and absorbed by the calf.

Selenium deficiency can appear in calves as a nutritional myopathy, or damage to the muscle tissue, known commonly as white muscle disease. The name is derived from the white, chalky, bands of damaged muscle fibres that can appear in the muscle tissues found on post-mortem exams. Muscle degeneration is caused by oxidative damage to the muscle cell membranes due to the lack of protective, antioxidant, selenium-derived proteins in the body. White muscle disease can appear in two forms: congenital (present at, or soon after birth) or delayed form (present as a growing calf, or stocker). In the congenital form, 44

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

the heart muscle and cardiac function are affected by the white, chalky muscle lesions, which can lead to heart failure, and often will present as a sudden death in a calf. In the delayed form, the skeletal muscles (of the limbs, back, etc.) are more commonly affected, and calves may appear stiffer, walking with a shortened gait and showing difficulty getting up and down. This form may be stimulated by extensive exercise, in combination with dietary selenium deficiency. The delayed form of white muscle disease has been diagnosed in feedlot stocker calves with no history of selenium supplementation. Depending on the severity of the disease, there are options for prevention or treatment for individual calves or the group.

At birth, all calves should be supplemented with the label dose of selenium, either with an injectable product in the muscle of the neck or as an oral product administered into the mouth. Some commercially available oral products may also contain additional vitamins to benefit calf health. In the case of a calf diagnosed with white muscle disease, the calf can be treated with the label dose of selenium from the commercially available products described above, per veterinary instruction. Along with rest and anti-inflammatory drugs, this can help the calf show improved gait and comfort over a few days.

However, it is important to note that injectable or oral selenium should be administered to the calf once at the label dose, and only re-administered with veterinary direction (pending blood work results, or severity of white muscle disease symptoms). This is because selenium levels can build up in the body with repeated doses, to the point where the calf may experience selenium toxicity. Clinical signs are similar to a selenium deficiency, with damage to the heart and skeletal muscles being possible.

Diagnosis of white muscle disease can be made post-mortem by visualization of lesions in the heart or skeletal muscles, or by sampling organs such as the liver for mineral analysis at a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. In a live cow or calf, it is convenient to take a blood sample and submit serum for a mineral panel. Additionally, in certain cases a liver biopsy may be used to assess mineral status, including selenium, of an individual or group and can be done by a veterinarian as a minimally invasive procedure. Injectable or oral selenium supplements can help us to quickly correct underlying selenium deficiencies in calves.

Additionally, the feeding of a mineral containing selenium can help provide selenium at a consistent level in the diet to meet daily requirements. Forage or feed testing can help us to determine selenium levels in the feed.

In the face of unexplained calf deaths or stiffness issues, prompt collaboration with a herd veterinarian is crucial.

Selenium supplementation, coupled with proper diagnostics and preventative measures, ensures healthier calves and sustainable farming practices. OB

Finish

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www.ontarioshorthorns.com/sales ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

45

POUNDS = PROFIT NOW MORE THAN EVER!

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Ontario Charolais Association 46

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

@OnCharolais

Check out www.ontariocharolais.com OR contact our secretary Ashley Baker at 613-438-8597 Fieldman: John Mielhausen 519-378-5076

MARKET INFORMATION UPDATE

By Jamie Gamble, BFO Market Information Coordinator markets@ontariobeef.com • www.ontariobeef.com

W

ith 2023 now in the books, it was a year to remember. Looking at the live cattle market, all classes of cattle started the year trading above the previous year and setting new records. Even though cattle peaked in the summer/fall (depending on class), prices continued to be record-high. The Ontario railgrade steer averaged $376.95 cwt annually in 2023, which was up 24 per cent from 2022, on average, and 22.6 per cent stronger than the previous record set in 2015. At the time of reporting in mid-January, we are seeing January 2024 prices averaging around $375 cwt, up 20 per cent from January 2023 levels. For most of 2023, cattle feeders were in positive territory despite the high cost of feed and replacements. Since December 2023, however, estimated profitability is negative. Looking into the new year, estimated break-even prices are consistently above $405 cwt from January into June 2024. Although feed prices declined considerably in 2023, the replacement cattle and cost of production have been high.

Ontario railgrade prices were at a premium to Alberta on a cashto-cash basis for about half of 2023 with the exception April to August, which is contra-seasonal. In the last quarter of 2023, Alberta was dealing with larger volumes, which put some pressure on the cash market. The U.S. on the other hand, was stronger than Ontario for most of the year with the exception of late May until August.

From November 2023 to the end of the year, the Ontario cash market returned to a premium over the U.S. cash market. This was a result of larger cattle-on-feed and placed-cattle volumes reported, resulting in downward pressure on the U.S. trade as supplies were larger than anticipated. With all that said, the U.S. packers have been very active this year procuring Ontario fed cattle to meet their processing needs.

Exports of fed steers and heifers were up considerably this year with fed steers up 590 per cent over last year as of November 2023 Y-T-D, while heifers are up 94 per cent year over year. Cow and bull exports are up 12 per cent and 33 per cent over last year, respectively.

Another contributing factor to the increase in exports is the weaker Canadian dollar, which averaged 74.10 annually in 2023, down from 76.85 in 2022.

Processing volumes in Ontario, and all of Canada, declined in 2023.

In Ontario, the federally inspected volume processed totaled 557,467, down 8.6 per cent from last year. On a provincially inspected level, the data for 2023 is only available up until October 2023. Year-dodate volumes are lower than last year with provincial processing approximately seven per cent below 2022 when comparing year-todate data. Carcass weights in Ontario averaged 958 pounds annually, up eight pounds from 2022 and the five-year average, and holding fully steady the last quarter of 2023. Canadian carcass weights were higher than Ontario in December, which is unusual, but mainly due to the backlog of cattle noted in Alberta and the longer lift times reported.

Exports of Ontario beef declined in 2023 from previous years, however, the stats for 2023 are currently only available for January to October. Looking at 2023 beef exports from Ontario, the destinations that increased in volume year over year are Mexico, Hong Kong, Peru, Viet Nam, Cote D’Ivoire, Qatar, Panama, Uruguay, China and Kuwait. A

decline in exports has been noted in Japan, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, France and the Philippines.

Despite a decline in cow volumes on Ontario farms, both beef and dairy, 2023 saw a larger number sell through auction markets at 117,034 head, up 4.4 per cent from 2022. The volume of beef cows sold declined by seven per cent from 2022, but was up 15 per cent from 2021. Record high prices kept the cows moving to market.

Exports of cull cows were also up year over year. As of January 15th, the average beef cow price in Ontario is $121.28 cwt, which is record high for the month of January and 30.4 per cent higher than the

Continued on page 48.

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

47

Continued from page 47. – Market Info

monthly average price in January 2022.

Ontario stocker and feeder cattle also saw a record-breaking year in 2023, outpacing the previous price records set in 2015. Larger annual volumes were recorded trading through Ontario auction markets at 238,292 head, up 3.2 per cent from 2022 despite a one per cent decline in July 1st volumes reported by Stats Canada. Part of the increase can be attributed to an increase in replacement cattle imports from the U.S. into Ontario. The chart included in this report shows live cattle imports from the U.S. up 18.6 per cent over 2022, however it is important to note the data provided does not separate

classes of live cattle being brought in. It is safe to assume a large majority of the cattle were replacements (no breeding or dairy breeds are included in the data). Interprovincial imports of stocker and feeder cattle into Ontario were reported by Canfax at approximately 15,851 head in 2023, while 3,194 head were exported out of province.

Prices in 2023 set new records in all weights and classes on strong demand. The market was seasonal with prices topping in September and October and declining slightly into November and December, with the exception of steers from 700-900 pounds, which rebounded in December. Prices in January 2024 are starting out higher than last January, but are looking slightly lower than December numbers. If the market follows the seasonal trend, prices in the first quarter should be steady to a touch easier before the spring run. The question now is how much higher can replacement prices go if fed cattle are not profitable, and if and when they do turn profitable, how much of an increase can the market tolerate? OB

The information provided on this report is based on weighted averages for actual data collected.

Input costs are a guideline only and will vary from producer to producer. BFO does not take any responsibility and accepts no legal liability arising from or connected to damages or losses experienced by producers when using this information. This is to be used at your own risk.

Continued from page 15. – Connecting With Consumers

Traffic to the consumer website continues to increase steadily. We continued to drive traffic to the site as part of the call to action for our campaign work. We had over 54K visits to the website in 2023, and over 31K of the visitors were first-time visitors to the site. We continue to update the site regularly to ensure it remains fresh and new content is highlighted. We also launched a social impact section where we showcase the work we do in the community to complement the rest of our content. Our beef cuts page, recipes and store locator remain the most popular stops for visitors to the website. We continue to promote the store locator for butchers, retailers and farmers marketing direct. Currently, there are nearly 200 retailers included in the locator. We recognize there are still many others who may wish to be included in the listings. An online application is now available on the website for those wishing to have their retail business added to the map. Since the launch of the online application in the late spring, we have added 38 new retailers!

On that note, there continues to be a number of promotional items and resources available through the office. These are great for use at fairs, ag awareness days and similar. Many of these items are also well-suited for retail settings and events. Speaking of the return to in-person events, we couldn’t keep enough stock in the office this past year! Our materials and resources were put in the hands of countless event goers across the province in 2023! If you are interested in materials for promoting Ontario Beef at an event or retail business, contact the office.

We have continued to strengthen our relationship with AgScape to work on getting our beef messaging in front of students. Throughout 48

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

2023, our beef resource, An Exploration of Beef Farming in Ontario, continued to be one of the most-requested resources at AgScape.

Touching on various subject areas from health and physical education to social studies, science, careers, and technology, the resource aims to provide an overview of the practices involved in the production of beef in Ontario from farm to table. We also had the opportunity to participate in several ThinkAg Career Competitions over the course of the year. Our Guardians of the Grasslands video game was a big hit with students and teachers alike!

We are pleased that our support of AgScape helped them reach over 1 million student experiences for the first time in 2023. We look forward to continuing to support them in their mandate to bring accurate and balanced information about farming and food production to classrooms across the province.

It truly was a banner year for our consumer engagement efforts.

When we look at all of our 2023 activities, collectively, our content made over 40 million impressions, which doesn’t include any inperson events we attended or the events we supported with materials.

Looking to 2024, our mission will be to continue building momentum.

We have some great plans in the works and look forward to bringing those plans to life. We will put a focus on promoting those more affordable cuts in our activities to help combat the narrative that beef is too expensive, while continuing to work to increase awareness of Ontario beef and the great environmental benefits of beef farming. To stay up to date on what we are up to throughout the year, be sure to follow us on social media. OB

Continued on page 50.

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

49

Continued from page 49. – Market Info

50

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

WEEKLY LIVE CATTLE EXPORTS-ONTARIO Week ending Dec 30, 2023

Week ending Dec 23, 2023

Year to Date

Total live slaughter cattle exported through Ontario ports to the U.S.

1,360

2,276

137,225

Steers, heifers & cows

1,340

2,188

131,854

Bulls

20

88

5,371

BEEF EXPORTS – CANADA (AAFC)

Total

United States Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Change from last year YTD

Mexico Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Change from last year YTD

340,018 tonnes

+3% or +10,224 tonnes

29,539 tonnes

+22% or +5,255 tonnes

Change from last year YTD

South Korea Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Change from last year YTD

-33% or -20,736 tonnes

12,553 tonnes

-29% or -5,140 tonnes

Total Beef Exports Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Change from last year YTD

Japan Jan 1- Nov 30/2023 Total

Total

41,644 tonnes Vietnam Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Change from last year YTD

11,495 tonnes

-25% or –3,925 tonnes

-3% or -15,987 tonnes

452,779 tonnes

LIVE CATTLE – CANADA (AAFC) IMPORTS Jan 1- Nov 30/2023

Import % change from 2022 YTD

EXPORTS Jan 1- Dec 30/2023

Export % change from 2022 YTD

Pure bred

8,644

-30%

Processing steers, heifers & cows

500,405

+0%

Non-pure bred

272,166

+1%

Feeder cattle & calves

174,966

-12%

Bulls

37,426

-12%

BEEF IMPORTS – CANADA (AAFC) Jan 1 – Dec 30, 2023

Last Year Same Time

% Change

United States

104,585 tonnes

107,865 tonnes

-3%

Uruguay

20,053 tonnes

10,241 tonnes

+96%

Mexico

8,488 tonnes

9,766 tonnes

-13%

Australia

11,324 tonnes

7,037 tonnes

+61%

Non-CUSMA

51,432 tonnes

35,036 tonnes

+47%

EU-27 (beef/veal total)

11,576 tonnes

16,231 tonnes

-29%

Total

182,514 tonnes

172,937 tonnes

+6%

BEEF PRODUCTION – CANADA (AAFC) Jan 1 – Dec 30, 2023

Last Year Same Time

% Change

Fed

1,059,051 tonnes

1,137,228 tonnes

-7%

Non-fed

176,954 tonnes

165,548 tonnes

+9%

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

51

CALENDAR

Ontario Beef Industry Events February 12 and 13 – Northern Ontario Ag Conference, Sudbury February 20 – Cattle Academy, Hosted in conjunction with BFO’s AGM. Delta Hotels Toronto Airport and Conference Centre. To join virtually, visit www.ontariobeef.com to register February 21 – Beck McCoy Annual Bull Sale (with guest consignment from O’Shea Farms), Milestone, Saskatchewan February 21-22 – BFO Annual General Meeting, Delta Hotels Toronto Airport and Conference Centre. Visit www.ontariobeef.com for details March 2 – Dang and Friends Charolais Bull and Female Sale, Colborne March 2 – Ontario Simmental Association’s Annual General Meeting, Peterborough March 9 – Your Source For Quality Bull and Female Sale, Indian River March 9 – Source For Quality Simmental, Angus, Hereford Bull Sale, Indian River March 9 – Blackbern and Whitewater 13th Annual Charolais Bull Sale, Cobden March 15-17 – Spring Forward (All Breeds) Junior Show, Ancaster

March 16-17 – Open House and Spring Thaw Online Bull Sale, Harprey Farms, Proton Station March 14 – Ontario Beef Market Security Forum, London, Ontario. Hosted by BFO and OCFA. Visit www.ontariobeef.com for details March 16 and 17 – Spring Thaw Online Bull Sale (with consignments from Harprey Farm) DLMS March 23 – Cornerview Charolais Bull Sale, Cobden March 23 – Jon-Ern Farms Ltd consign to Clarke Family Farms Inc Bull and Female Sale, Blenheim March 23 – Clarke Family Farms Inc III Annual Bull and Female Sale, Blenheim March 30 – Midwestern Angus Sale, Lucknow April 3, 7-9, 21-22 – BUILD Leadership Program. Hosted by BFO and Rural Ontario Institute. Visit www.ontariobeef.com for details April 6 – Smart Limousin 26th Annual Open House and Private Treaty Sale, Meaford April 6 – Saunders Charolais 19th Annual Bull Sale, Keady

April 7 – O’Shea Farms Open House and Tage Sale, Denfield April 8 – Ontario Limousin Association’s Annual General Meeting, via Zoom April 13 – Ontario Hereford Association’s Annual General Meeting, Renfrew April 26-28 – Youth Forum Junior Beef (All Breeds) Show, Lindsay May 17-18 – Valley Junior Beef (All Breeds) Sweepstakes, Carp July – Red Ribbon Junior Beef (All Breeds) Classic, Erin August 15-18 – Canadian Junior National Limousin Show, Lindsay August 19-22 – Canadian Beef Industry Conference, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Visit canadianbeefindustryconference.com for details October 31 – Junior Limousin Show, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto November 2 – Limousin Show, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto December 7 – Eastern Limousin Showcase, Hanover

BEEF BUSINESS LEADERS Martin BOOMER Owen 4550 Ament Line

CREEK Wallenstein Ont. N0B 2S0 LIVESTOCK

C. 519-501-2207 E. owenmartin4550@gmail.com

Purebred Red & Black Simmentals

Since 1973

GENETICS

Quality Proven Fleckvieh Simmental Breeding Stock

Bulls and Heifers FOR SALE. DNA verified for carcass and feed efficiency.

Ross & Betty Small & Family R.R.#3 Harriston ON N0G 1Z0

Tel: 519-338-2077 • 1-800-461-3504 • Email: doraleegenetics1@sonicwaves.ca See our new website: www.doraleegenetics.com

HAMMER MILLS FOR RENT Call today for all your feed processing needs.

Daryl and Connie Clarke and Family 342 Chatham Street South, Blenheim, Ontario N0P 1A0 Herdsman and Marketing Manager Hugh M. Ross: 519-365-4026 hugh.clarkeffi@gmail.com

www.clarkefarmilyfarminc.com

Advertise in

BEEF BUSINESS LEADERS Very reasonable rates! Deadline for May 2024 issue is April 15.

Call 519-763-8833 for information 52

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

AgRig • Moorefield, Ontario • Ed Koster Jr. • 519-501-3624

R.R #5 HOARDS STATION Campbellford, Ontario SALE BARN Dave DeNure 705-653-3660 • Auction Sale Since 1949 • Sale Every Tuesday 12 p.m.

• Three Rings – Beef, Dairy, Pigs • Quinte Cattlemen’s Stocker Sales • Spring and Fall Member of O.L.A.M.A

Mi ller Land & Li vestock

Charolais Bulls, Hay, Straw, Feedlot George & Dianne, Dwayne, Ashley and Cowal Miller RR 1, Jarvis, ON N0A 1J0

Ph (519) 587-2755

Cell (519) 429-5902

Advertise in

BEEF BUSINESS LEADERS Very reasonable rates! Deadline for May 2024 issue is April 15.

Call 519-763-8833 for information

ONTARIO MAINE-ANJOU ASSOCIATION

Q: Where’s the Beef?

A: It’s in MAINE-ANJOU Offspring

We have both Red and Black Breeding Stock AVAILABLE to help improve your Weaning Weights and Carcass Quality.

Contact: OMAA Secretary: Jenna Perry 613-449-1719 or Facebook

jennalperry07@gmail.com

BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO PRIVACY STATEMENT

The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of producers’ personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Subscribers to Ontario Beef magazine, the official publication of the Beef Farmers of Ontario, do so on a voluntary basis. By subscribing, subscribers are consenting to have their contact information used for the purposes of receiving the magazine and developing an BFO mailing list.

This mailing list will be used for the distribution of the BFO magazine.

The BFO will not sell, trade or otherwise share its Ontario Beef mailing list under any circumstances. A service may be provided whereby items are submitted to the BFO and mailed internally with the magazine but all materials must be approved by and acceptable to the BFO. In rare instances where external, non-commercial organizations, like the provincial or federal government, wish to use the Ontario Beef mailing list to distribute information, the government must provide their mailing materials in a finished format to BFO and/or its mailing house.

BFO will then coordinate the mailing, at the requesting organization’s cost, thus maintaining confidentiality of the list. In cases where the BFO may commission a mailing, the company providing the service is required to sign a mandatory confidentiality agreement.

Subscribers to the Ontario Beef mailing list who wish to have their names removed, should call 519-824-0334 or email info@ontariobeef.com. Please allow 15 business days to allow us to update our records accordingly.

BFO’s complete privacy statement, covering areas of information including the electronic update system, Website, membership list and market information can be viewed on its Website at http://www.ontariobeef.com/privacy.asp

Pete Coleman Brantford, ON

Where Quality Counts

HUGH MACNEIL

Cell: 519-865-3453 pete.bridgeview@gmail.com www.qualityseeds.ca

519-861-2722 hugh.macneil@outlook.com

322 Burt Road St. George, Ontario N0E 1N0

8400 Huntington Road, Vaughan, ON 1-877-856-SEED (7333) • Fax: 905-856-7509

Embryos and Live Cattle for sale.

Garry & Sheila Smart

“Industry Accepted since 1978”

137606 Grey Rd. 12, RR # 2, Meaford, Ontario N4L 1W6 Garry’s Cell: 519-372-7459 Sheila’s Cell: 519-379-4877 smartlimo@bmts.com www.smartlimousin.com

Breeding Stock Available at All Times.

Commercial Angus Purebred Red Angus Purebred Black Angus Purebred Hereford

The Seed Family • Greg: 705-648-4274 seesonranch@outlook.com 845040 Morrow Rd, New Liskeard Ontario, P0J 1P0

CUSTOM BEEF PROCESSING CUT & WRAP Howard & Rosanna Brubacher

519-846-1319

7335 12th Line R.R.2, Alma, ON N0B 1A0

Silver Springs Farms James, Joan, Robert & Emily McKinlay R.R. 1, Ravenna, Ontario N0H 2E0 Tel: 519-599-6236 jmckinlay@bmts.com

Breeders of Quality Cattle Simmental • Red Angus • Crossbreds

Sunny Meadows Charolais

SILVERTIP SPECKLE PARK

8669 Concession 6 Listowel, ON N4W 3G8

Gates, Hutches, Fencing, Scales, Chutes & More

sales@steelheadag.com • 519-266-6877 • www.steelheadag.com

CHAROLAIS BULLS FOR SALE • Double Polled • Low Birth weights • Quiet Disposition • Well grown and ready to go to work

Andy Millar

109 Bulmer’s Rd. • R.R.#2 Fenelon Falls • ON K0M 1N0 • Tel: 705-887-5142

SUNRISE ANGUS (since 1995)

Purebred Black Angus Cattle

Bulls and females sold private treaty Consigning to Bluewater Angus Sale in October

Joel & Irene Thomas • 477285 3rd Line Melancthon ON L9V 1T5

Phone: 519 925 5661• Cell: 519 940 1258 Email: sunriseangusfarm@outlook.com

P: 519-760-0892 E: uspecs@roievents.ca FB: UNDERHILL SPECS

Performance live/frozen genetics available!

WAYDAMAR SIMMENTALS

Advertise in

BEEF BUSINESS LEADERS Very reasonable rates!

Deadline for May 2024 issue is April 15.

Call 519-763-8833 for information

Simmental Bulls is our Business & Heifers that can Produce them

Black & Reds • Performance • Ultrasound Tested

Contact: Dave: 519-375-0122 Josh: 519-362-5373 • Grant: 519-387-0429

Wright’s R.R#1, #402144 Hanover, ON N4N 3B8 Tel: 519-369-3658

Carl Wright Cell: 519-369-7489 Ben Wright Cell: 519-374-3335 Laurie Wright Ofc: 519-369-3658

ON TAR IO BEEF • FEBR U A RY 2024

53

WELLNESS ON THE FARM Information Provided by Farm Credit Canada, Myrna Stark Leader

When Anxiety Runs Your Business and Your Life I

nformation provided by Farm Credit Canada from a Rooted in Resilience article by Pierrette Desrosiers, M. Ps., occupational psychologist, speaker, business coach and agricultural specialist.

People with anxiety can spend a lot of energy worrying – energy that could be spent in more productive ways. Anxiety can also become overwhelming, affecting quality of life - and can even lead to depression.

But no one has to live with anxiety indefinitely – it is treatable via medication, therapy, counselling and lifestyle adjustments. And seeking help to deal with it can be very empowering.

A client of mine, Philippe, confided to me that he was very anxious at the idea of leaving the farm, even for a few hours.

“I’m always afraid that the barn will burn down while I’m gone, just as much as I’m tormented by the idea of not making it financially, of losing animals, of learning that my children have had an accident,” he says.

We all go through stressful times in our lives. To a certain extent, worrying can help us prevent, cope with or avoid certain dangers.

However, feeling too much anxiety in relation to the importance of the

events at hand can become debilitating.

Philipe worries disproportionately and unrealistically about everything, which is characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder. This disorder significantly affects his personal and professional life. “I often have insomnia.

My hamster wheel keeps spinning, and in the end, there’s no disaster,” he says.

BULLS & HEIFERS FOR SALE

An outstanding group of bulls, open heifers and bred heifers are on offer from the Limousin industry’s leading sires.

Don’t be disappointed – call today to arrange a private viewing or discuss the sale offering.

Please Join Us:

26th ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE AND PRIVATE TREATY SALE

Saturday, April 6th, 2024 • 10:00am to 5:00pm • At the Farm

Follow us on Facebook (smartlimousin).

And check our website for videos and sale catalogue.

Garry & Sheila Smart 137606 Grey Rd. 12, RR#2 • Meaford, Ontario N4L 1W6 Cell: 519-372-7459 (Garry) • 519-379-4877 (Sheila) smartlimo@bmts.com “Industry Accepted since 1978”

54

www.smartlimousin.com

O N T A R I O B E E F • F E BRUARY 2 0 2 4

STATS AT A GLANCE If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety, you’re not alone: • 20 per cent of farmers reported moderate to severe anxiety disorders – significantly higher than the Canadian general population during the pandemic.

• 76 per cent of farmers classified as experiencing moderate or high perceived stress.

Source: The 2021 Survey of Farmer Mental Heath in Canada led by Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton at the University of Guelph.

People with generalized anxiety disorder create catastrophic scenarios in their minds that probably won’t happen, and they develop hypervigilance.

“As soon as there’s a risk of something happening, I cling to that idea,” says Philippe.

Faced with a specific scenario, individuals tend to overestimate the probability of danger or its consequences, or to underestimate their ability to cope with situations.

The good news is that, in most cases, chronic anxiety can be effectively treated through selfcare, therapy, medication or a combination of treatments. Consulting with a specialist is a good idea, as being proactive is the best way to deal with this type of difficulty.

“Because I’ve always been anxious, I thought nothing could be done, and I felt like I might just die,” he says.

However, by taking actions on a daily basis and using positive coping strategies, Philippe has learned to recognize the resources available to him and when to call on them – and over time, he’s significantly reduced his anxiety level.

“I realized that I can’t plan for everything, that imagined disasters often don’t happen. Finally, when I get into trouble, I’m able to deal with it.

Besides, if someone had told me one day that I would learn to meditate and breathe, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he adds with a smile. OB