Ontario Beef - October 2023

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE BEEF FARMERS OF ONTARIO

BEEF ON T A R I O

16 THINGS YOU NEED IN A LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY FIRST-AID KIT • MAKING BODY CONDITION SCORING A HABIT • BFO CELEBRATES ONTARIO AGRICULTURE WEEK AT QUEEN’S PARK • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2023

COW-CALF

MANAGEMENT TOUR VISITS DURHAM REGION

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement Number 0040007029

LEADING THE WAY

HEREFORD SWAG

New

coming your way at the Eastern Hereford National at the Royal Winter Fair November 4th, 2023.

CORP CREEK FARM Bill and Jill Corp and Family OMEMEE, ON 705-799-4788 (Bill’s Cell) 705-772-9345 (Jill’s Cell) corpcreekfarm@hotmail.com Registered Breeding Stock

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!

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

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

www.ontarioherefords.ca

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

October/November 2023

Volume 64, Number 4

COMPLIMENTARY MEMBER-SUPPORTED PUBLICATION

CONTENTS 4

Ahead of the Heard

6

The Beef Beat

8

Between You, Me and the Fencepost

10

Rural Ramble

12

BFO Celebrates Ontario Agriculture Week at Queen’s Park

14

OMAFRA Update: Making Body Condition Scoring a Habit

16

Resolutions Roundup

16

BFO’s Evan Chaffe Appointed to GASL Youth Advisory Group

18

CCA Update

20

Cow-Calf Management Tour Visits Durham Region

24

16 Things You Need in a Livestock Emergency First-Aid Kit

26 Farm and Food Care Update: Video Security Options for Farms and Rural Properties 28

Canada Beef Update

31 LRIC Update: Recommendations for Developing an Ontario Path Forward for Deadstock 33

Focus on Herd Health: The ABCs of Antibiotics

35

Market Information

40

Calendar of Events

42

Wellness on the Farm

12

20 BFO’s producer relations team was pleased to host this year’s Cow-Calf Management Tour in the Durham Region.

This issue of Ontario Beef highlights the educational event, which welcomed 55 participants and sponsors for farm tours, demonstrations and networking. In this issue you will also find details on our 16th annual barbecue and lobby day that was held on the lawn of the Ontario Legislature in early October, and a number of animal health related articles to help prep you for fall and winter calving. Speaking of calving, save the date for our Beef at Guelph Calving School Edition educational workshop that will be held on Saturday, December 2nd - turn to page 41 to learn more.

Special thanks to Robert Johnson and family for sharing this cover photo with us. Robert, his wife Katy and two daughters Audrey and Molly are fifth-generation farmers in Baldwin, Ontario. Don’t miss out on submitting your photos for our December/January issue. Please send your winter-inspired photos by November 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

Prioritizing Trade and Market Development for Ontario Beef F

or the last several months for us at BFO, we have really focused on trade, market development and advocacy activities as we headed into the fall season. To remain competitive, our sector and partners in government need to continue to prioritize meaningful access to high-value export markets around the world. This becomes evident when we look at the value of each beef animal that can be attributed to export markets and trade, which is currently 40 per cent, or the fact that the Canadian beef sector hit a new export record of C$4.6 billion in beef exports last year. Our advocacy efforts combined with our market development work with the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association (OCFA) all contribute to our sector’s ability to maintain and expand access for Ontario and Canadian beef across the globe.

Regarding trade, we continue to work with our provincial counterparts, the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), the National Cattle Feeders’ Association and the Canadian Meat Council on the United Kingdom (UK) trade file and accession into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

On March 20th, the Government of Canada announced that Canada reached a market access agreement that will form the basis for the UK to join CPTPP without achieving viable access for Canadian beef to the UK. We continue to plead with the federal government for a delay in the UK joining the CPTPP until our barriers into the UK market can be addressed.

To further our collective efforts and gain traction with MPPs and Minister Ng, Canada’s Trade Minister, CCA launched a campaign – Say No to a Bad Deal – where producers were encouraged to participate in a letter-writing initiative by visiting www.saynotoabaddeal.ca. On behalf of CCA and BFO, thank you to those who took the time to write 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 • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

your MP. We had great response from Ontario and we appreciate you helping to mobilize our message.

On the Ontario beef market development front, a program assessment was recently completed by market analyst Kevin Grier and the findings were presented to our Joint Marketing Committee (JMC).

Based on the findings, which highlighted the program’s positive return on investment, the JMC recommended that both the BFO and OCFA boards support the move to continue the program beyond the first agreement between the two associations. Upon discussion and review of the third-party report, the BFO Board expressed strong support to continue investment in the Ontario Beef Market Development Program through a new MOU with OCFA, which is currently in development.

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 Market Information Coordinator Jamie Gamble • markets@ontariobeef.com Engagement Coordinator (Summer Position) Sloane Murray • sloane@ontariobeef.com

Accountant Amber Arand • 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 Check-Off Inspector Chris Millar • chrism@ontariobeef.com Provincial Supervisor, Ontario Feeder Cattle and Beef Breeder Co-op Programs Cheryl Russwurm • crfeederfin@wightman.ca

Speaking of an MOU, our Board recently reviewed and approved the draft MOU developed between the Solicitor General and BFO in relation to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS). This agreement establishes the formal working relationship, including roles and responsibilities between PAWS inspectors and BFO Animal Care Advisors (ACA’s) in response to welfare complaints and inspections on Ontario beef farms. While this is a good step forward, legislative and regulatory changes are still needed to address other concerns with PAWS that have been noted by BFO and discussed on several occasions with the Solicitor General’s Office and ministry staff.

This leads me to our annual lobby day and barbecue at Queen’s Park where we had the opportunity to meet with over 20 MPPs to talk about a number of sector issues like funding for the Risk Management Program, market development opportunities for Ontario beef, building processing capacity in the province, the PAWs Act, and identifying ways for our sector to grow through Crown land access in northern Ontario for food production and the expansion of community pastures. You can read more about our day on page 12.

I would like to personally thank Premier Ford for taking the time to meet with our team, and to Minister Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier; Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; and MPP Trevor Jones, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for generously taking time to serve beef to our barbecue attendees. We were also grateful to have the participation of NDP Leader Marit Stiles, NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa and MPP John Vanthof, NDP Agriculture Critic, as well as Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner who all helped to serve beef during lunch.

In closing, I would like to extend sincere thanks to Charlene Yungblut who has served as our youth representative on the BFO Board of Directors for the last two years. Charlene’s term with BFO and the Canadian Cattle Youth Council ended in September, however she will continue to sit as past chair with the Council for one more year. Charlene has been a competent, engaged and valuable member of the BFO team over the last two years and we appreciate her time, energy and dedication in representing youth interests around the board table. I am pleased to welcome Emily Bromley from Renfrew County who was selected to fill our youth representative position and join the Council representing Ontario. We look forward to getting to know Emily over her two-year term with us.

As the fall stocker sales continue throughout the province, I wish for everyone across all sectors that we can continue to ride these high markets into the new year. OB

Saudi Arabia Launches Ontario Heritage Angus Beef I

n a joint statement, the Embassy of Canada in Saudi Arabia and Tamimi markets have announced the arrival of premium Canadian halal-certified Angus beef across Tamimi stores in Riyadh. The launch of the Ontario Heritage Angus Beef brand in Saudi Arabia is the direct result of the participation of Ontario’s market development team in the Saudi Food Show in May of this year proving that investment in market development is crucial for expanding markets for Ontario beef. Ontario Heritage Angus Beef was developed by St. Helen’s Meat Packers with cattle certified under the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance program. OB

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5

THE BEEF BEAT

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

FMD Preparedness I

n late August, I had the opportunity to attend the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) Animal Health Summit along with Matt Bowman, Co-Chair of CCA’s Animal Health & Care Committee and LeaAnne Wurmli, BFO Director of Communications at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. VIDO, founded more than 45 years ago, is Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research and a world leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development for humans and animals.

The focus of the conference was to provide stakeholders from the livestock sector, veterinarians and farmers an update on foot and mouth disease (FMD), a highly contagious and reportable viral disease that affects hoofed livestock and wildlife species.

Transmission can occur when animals infected with the virus have direct contact with other susceptible animals. Sources of infection include nasal secretions, skin lesions, milk, urine, and feces.

Transmission can occur indirectly when animals have contact with people wearing clothes, footwear or equipment contaminated with the FMD virus, are held in facilities or are transported in vehicles contaminated with the virus, are given feed or water contaminated with virus or exposed to materials such as hay, semen or biological products contaminated with the virus.

While there are many countries around the world where FMD is endemic, or regularly occurring, Canada has been FMD free without the use of vaccination since it was last reported in 1952. The U.S., North and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and several other countries are also considered free of FMD. First to speak was Bryan Charleston, Institute Director at The Pirbright Institute in the UK. He has provided advice and expertise on the design of infectious disease challenge models for a wide range of pathogens in agricultural species. His research group’s efforts are focused on understanding the immune response to the FMD virus in cattle to develop novel vaccines. Bryan noted that the FMD virus has seven different stereotypes worldwide with several subtypes within each stereotype, each one requiring a specific vaccine to provide protection.

The UK Experience and Lessons Learned was addressed by Gordon Hickman who is the Head of Exotic Disease Control at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in the UK Government (DEFRA). He is responsible for policy on exotic notifiable diseases of animals, new and emerging animal disease and surveillance policy. Gordon spoke about the two outbreaks of FMD in the UK that occurred in 2001 and 2007. The large outbreak in 2001 resulted in 6.5 million animals being culled, which had a huge impact on their nation’s agriculture and tourism sectors. The lessons

6

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

learned and importance of zoning and regionalization resulted in the 2007 outbreak not being as severe with 2,160 animals being culled.

Charles Nfon, Executive Director, CFIA National Centres for Animal Disease and Tom Smylie, Senior Staff Veterinarian at the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer/WOAH Delegate for Canada, spoke about Canadian FMD preparedness. This included a discussion around lab capacity for rapid detection and the use of vaccination in FMD disease outbreaks. Canada is FMD free without vaccination, which provides us with a favourable trading status. If FMD were to occur, our goal is to return to this status as quickly as possible.

Next on the agenda was Andrew Van Kessel, the Director of Research at VIDO. He spoke to what VIDO is doing to support foreign animal disease preparedness in the country. To strengthen Canada’s preparedness for emerging infectious diseases, VIDO is expanding their capabilities as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research by opening the Vaccine Development Centre, a containment level 3 capable biomanufacturing facility that meets good manufacturing practice requirements—one of only a few in the world. They are also adding containment level 4 capacity, which will allow them to work with any pathogen and are building a new animal facility capable of housing a wider range of animals, which will expand their preclinical research and development capacity. These important enhancements will support scientists from Canada and around the world to develop vaccines and therapeutics for humans and animals.

The summit concluded with all speakers coming together for an engaging panel discussion. It was noted that the movement of FMD over the last five to ten years has been unprecedented. The importance of surveillance and biosecurity measures on-farm was emphasized, along with the fact that CFIA has been working with industry to ensure all will be prepared in case of an outbreak.

BFO continues to engage with relevant livestock associations, CCA and OMAFRA to ensure we have the resources and tools in order to be prepared should there be an FMD outbreak in Canada.

Also on our radar is a two-day cross border foreign animal disease tabletop exercise that is set to take place next summer in Whistler during the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Summit that will provide participants with the opportunity to enhance cross border cooperation related to a potential foreign animal disease outbreak.

For additional resources on emergency preparedness, please refer to our Emergency Preparedness tab under the Farmer Hub on our website at ontariobeef.com, or visit the Animal Health Emergency Management site at animalhealth.ca. OB

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Pictures are highlights from the 2022 sale.

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Please check www.ontarioshorthorns.com/sales or contact Blair Williamson: ridgeviewshorthorns@hotmail.com • 519-808-0516 Don’t miss the Shorthorn Show at the RAWF – Sunday, November 4th at 4:00pm Emerson Clarke Memorial Junior Shorthorn Show – Thursday, November 2nd at 3:00pm Steve Bartlett, President - 613-256-3042 email: locustviewshorts@outlook.com

Follow us on Facebook and check our website for current news at

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BETWEEN YOU, ME AND THE FENCE POST

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

A Guess and a Party Dress I

n late July, I was fortunate to attend an Agricultural Media Summit south of the border, which brought together writers, communications and public relations professionals from across the U.S. and Canada. During the conference, I participated in a session titled, Public Relations Challenge & Success Stories, where a panel of PR experts shared their insights and experiences on how to manage tricky situations. A quote that’s stuck with me from the session is, “a plan is just a guess and a party dress.” Meaning, even the bestintentioned and well-made plans can go awry, which for an anxious and over-thinking brain like mine can be an uncomfortable thought.

Planning is a significant part of my role with BFO – planning for events and meetings, project planning and implementation and planning for the unexpected like the dreaded “f-word”, a foreign animal disease.

As noted in this issue’s Beef Beat column, Matt Bowman, Thomas Brandstetter and I recently attended a Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) Summit on foot and mouth disease (FMD) where we heard from a number of folks from the UK, CFIA and VIDO on

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the global status and behaviours of the disease, how it impacted the UK and how we are preparing for the possibility of it ever reaching Canada again (the last detected case was in 1952).

Further to this, in early September, Jennifer Kyle and I attended a crisis communications simulation exercise led by our national public and stakeholder engagement team. The virtual session allowed us to work with a cross section of individuals from our sector for an entire afternoon as we worked our way through a simulated crisis.

No surprise to any of us, the selected crisis was a suspected FMD case in Ontario and Manitoba. The simulation led us through building statements, drafting key messages, monitoring social media and responding to stakeholders and member concerns. The time, pressure and potential gravity of the situation felt very real and left me feeling like I was just in a party dress.

But the point is we continue to prepare. Among all of our teams – communications, policy and producer relations, we continue to plan and prepare as best we can for that dreaded call from CFIA that we all hope we never get. We will be ready to support our members and stakeholders and are doing everything we can to plan for the unexpected. While we will do our part to provide leadership for the sector, there are important ways that farmers and industry can help prevent FMD from ever entering Canada, specifically around travel precautions and on-farm biosecurity practices.

If you travel: • Follow all the precautions and routines that Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and CFIA have at airports and other entry points into Canada.

• Do not visit farms in any countries that have had recent outbreaks of FMD. • However, if returning from a country with FMD, avoid farms, parks, zoos, feed mills, equipment, and livestock for 14 days. If you live on a farm, avoid going home for 36 hours by staying at an alternative residence where someone can bring you clean clothing and footwear to wear home.

• Do not bring back any meat, dairy or other animal products (including hides or skins) even if cured or processed. The virus can survive in these products for an extended period. Meat, dairy products or animal products that have the virus are sources of infection.

Jamie, Mel & Blake O’Shea

• If you visited a farm while abroad, make sure the clothes you wore during your visit are thoroughly cleaned. CFIA recommends dry cleaning of clothes. Also make sure the footwear you wore during your visit is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. CFIA recommends Virkon® to disinfect cleaned items.

Denfield, ON

519-477-1238

osheafarms@hotmail.com 8

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

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9

RURAL RAMBLE

By Dan Ferguson, Manager of Producer Relations dan@ontariobeef.com • www.ontariobeef.com

A Contingency Plan, I Need One Every Day! W

ith all the evolving regulations and transport requirements that have been coming our way for quite some time, and the required documents for moving cattle, possibly the one constant has been the need for a contingency plan. I know I seem to attract misadventure, but I rely on many contingencies in a day as my plans always need a backup strategy.

One recent case in point was the sale of my senior herd sire. Six years of roaming the rolling hills unfettered and productive. He knew his job and he has been a great hands-free breeder. A bull earns respect for his speed, power and potential mood swings based on his role in the herd. I had trusted him with one more season of romance, but the time had come and the prices were right.

I made the call to my transporter and brought in a “company cow” of age that had lost her calf and was a repeat cycler to accompany

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O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

him and reduce the preloading anxiety. They were happy with the fancy feed pail ration and allowed a trip through the headgate for the retagging and cross-referencing purposes.

On the morning of loading, I had initiated the transfer of care and animal transport record information for the trucker to add his information and all was ready. Loading went very well with the cow taking the lead and the bull following, as had been his habit for six years. He was green and lean from a summer of walking and moved up through my cedar chute and Smale headgate with my timid encouragement. The trucker swung the divider to hold them in the front half of the truck box and off he drove with a wave and papers in hand. Simple and easy.

Thirty minutes later, I got the call from the hauler that his air system was not lifting the box and his load was running on the rails, unfit to haul to the auction. He put his contingency plan into action.

He returned to my yard and parked that deflated rig and I drove him to his nearby property and fetched his second similar truck for animal transfer. Both trucks have a roll up back door so transfer should have been easy.

I was to jump up in the receiving truck and once the two transferred, I would be inside and swing the divider to hold them in the front half of truck number two. I started to roll the back door up of truck number one before he backed them together. I was startled to see the bull’s imposing head immediately come out the bottom of the roll up door. I quickly hollered and dropped the door securing the bull. He had bumped past the divider and it had swung back holding the cow in the front, but the bull was ready for exit in the back. This did create some anxiety for all as we drew up both doors and now the bull was hesitant to transfer. The trucker managed to come into trailer number one from his side door and dislodge the divider and the “pairing approach” worked again as the two entered the good truck and again were compartmented in the front half of that rig.

He drove down the lane with paper in hand waving, once more.

The outcome of having a good contingency plan was apparent and ready for the transporter to enact when needed. Having a plan for unexpected challenges really takes the edge off in the heat of the moment allowing for cool heads to prevail. The bull and cow must have topped the sale as the markets were high and I was pleased to have that episode behind me. It’s always good to have a backup plan, but I seem to need them more than most. OB

Continued from page 8. – A Guess and a Party Dress

If you have visitors (international and domestic): • P revent visitors from having contact with livestock, equipment, feed and water.

• Prevent visits by anyone who, in the last 14 days, has been in any country that had a recent outbreak of the disease. Although people are not susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease, they can be carriers of the virus.

• Have visitors wash and disinfect all personal effects and objects they bring with them. CFIA recommends dry cleaning of clothes.

• It is especially important to thoroughly clean and disinfect footwear. CFIA recommends Virkon® to disinfect cleaned items. Virkon® powder in 2 per cent solution should be used as follows: 20 grams of Virkon® per litre of water. Contact should be for 10 minutes.

If an animal shows signs or symptoms that are similar to FMD, isolate the sick animal and call your veterinarian. Blisters or “vesicles” are the most apparent clinical signs of FMD. The blisters occur on the nose, tongue, lips, between toes, above hooves and on teats. Foot lesions can cause lameness.

Other signs include fever, depression, loss of appetite or marked loss of milk production. FMD can be confused with several other animal illnesses, but it’s important to consult a veterinarian if in doubt.

While you wait for consultation with your veterinarian, avoid contact with other farmers. Also ensure everyone on the farm who has had contact with the sick animal also avoids contact with other farmers, and do not allow people, vehicles or equipment to enter or leave your property until the animal has been assessed.

Emergency preparedness, implementation of important on-farm biosecurity measures, travel and visitor precautions, and education will all contribute to our sector’s ability to avoid or minimize the impact of a major FMD outbreak. Being as prepared as we can be will be our first line of defense. OB

Toronto Stockyard’s Board Celebrates 25 Years T

he Toronto Stockyards Land Development Board (TSYLDB) held it’s annual meeting in Guelph on September 27, 2023. The Board celebrated 25 years of successful management of the old stockyards grounds and history of distributions, which have totalled close to $47 million to the Ontario livestock sector for research, education, industry development and genetic improvement projects and initiatives. BFO Director to the TSYLDB, Jordan Miller (far right, second row), was joined by BFO President, Jack Chaffe (far right, first row) and former BFO President and TSYLDB Chair, Stan Eby (4th from the right, second row) to commemorate the occasion. OB

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ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

11

BFO Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Ontario Agriculture Week at Queen’s Park U

nder sunny skies and summer-like temperatures, the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) celebrated the 25th anniversary of Ontario Agriculture Week by visiting Queen’s Park on October 4th to entice MPPs and their staff to Fall in Love with Ontario Beef during their harvestthemed annual barbecue and lobby day on the lawn of the Ontario Legislature. The BFO Board of Directors and staff proudly served 500 attendees an all-Ontario meal featuring Ontario Corn Fed Beef, supporting sustainable farming practices that meet the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) standards.

In addition to this highly anticipated annual event, BFO Directors and staff personally met with over 20 MPPs throughout the day to continue to advocate for increased investment in the Ontario Risk Management Program (RMP), a critical program to help protect the province’s food security, and ensure stability for the entire beef sector and for rural and urban communities.

“Beef farmers, along with our partners in the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition, the largest farm coalition in Ontario, continue to unite in our ask to have annual funding for RMP increased to provide our farmers with protection against rising market volatility,

At the conclusion of the barbecue, BFO directors and staff smiled for the camera. Monica Hadarits, CRSB Executive Director (second from left) also joined the BFO team for the day.

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O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

economic uncertainty, and inflationary pressures,” says Jack Chaffe, BFO President. “The most impactful and efficient way that government can support farmers in Ontario is to increase the province’s investment in this critical program.”

Directors and staff also encouraged government to help the beef sector remain competitive by prioritizing access to high-value export markets for Ontario beef through strategic market development investments in trade missions, market investigation and adaptation around new customers, training and innovation, marketing materials, as well as tradeshow and seminar participation.

“Here in Ontario, we raise and produce high-quality beef that enables our farmers and processors to sell into key markets around the world,” explains Chaffe. “This is extremely important for the sustainability of our sector as approximately 40 per cent of the value of each beef animal is the result of export markets and trade.”

The request to align the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act with industry approved standards of care; the need for continued investment in meat processing capacity, recruitment and training; and the opportunity for agricultural expansion through the development of community pastures and Crown Land access in northern Ontario for food production were also discussed throughout the day.

BFO wishes to thank Premier Ford for taking the time to meet with our team, and to Minister Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier, Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and MPP Trevor Jones, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, for generously taking time to serve beef to the barbecue attendees. BFO also appreciated the participation of NDP Leader Marit Stiles, NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa and MPP John Vanthof, NDP Agriculture Critic, as well as Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner who all helped to serve beef during lunch. OB

BFO President Jack Chaffe (left) was joined by MPP Trevor Jones and Minister Thompson (right) to serve beef to attendees.

BFO Director Jordan Miller (right) was joined by NDP Leader Marit Stiles, MPP John Vanthof and NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa (left) to serve beef to attendees.

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

13

OMAFRA UPDATE

Making Body Condition Scoring a Habit

By James Byrne, Beef Cattle Specialist, OMAFRA

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if any, are required to ensure the cow achieves the target nutritional status for calving. Put another way, body condition scoring is a fitness test. By measuring cows’ fitness levels now, there is enough time for those that are currently not fit enough to get into shape for calving.

In Canada, body condition is measured on a one through five (1-5) scale with one (1) being emaciated, and five (5) being obese. The target body condition score for all key production periods is between 2.5 and 3.5 for mature adult cows and 3 and 3.5 for in-calf heifers.

A body condition score (BSC) of 2 and less is thin. Body condition is determined by handling (ideally), to assess the amount of fat cover over the short ribs, spine, hook/pins, and either side of the tail head.

Visual assessment of the amount of fat cover can be deceiving, even to the trained eye, because shadows (which is worse with black cattle) and long winter coats can hide the true condition of the animal.

Animals in ideal condition (BSC 3) will have a thin layer of fat over these areas which require some pressure to be applied to feel the bones beneath. The more prominent the bones in these areas, the thinner the cow.

At weaning, most farms will have some cows in the herd that have gotten thin. Body condition scoring as soon as possible post weaning is an opportunity to identify cows that are thin and get them onto a higher plane of nutrition. It takes a significant amount of additional nutrition and time to move cows from one point on the body condition score scale to another.

As an example, a cow with a body condition score of 2 will require three pounds of dried distillers’ grains to be fed for 118 days in addition to hay or other forage being fed.

It’s important to think about how your herd will be divided up well in advance of the winterfeeding period so you can get your facilities ready. Dividing the cow herd into groups for winter feeding is often the biggest challenge on most farms. The greater the number of groups, the more time-consuming feeding becomes due to complex housing needs with a greater amount of labour required. Ideally, the herd should be divided into three separate groups – the main herd where most mature cows are found, a thin mature cow group, and an in-calf heifer group. You will often notice that most thin “mature” cows are heifers that calved for the first time in the Beef cow in good body condition score. Photo courtesy of James Byrne, OMAFRA. spring. Assuming that there is or cow-calf producers, increasing output is the single greatest driver of profitability. This can be achieved by targeting a calf per cow per year, having a herd average calving interval of 365 days, culling empty cows, ensuring cows are checked post breeding season, and having a tight calving pattern where 80 per cent of the herd calves within a 42-day calving period. These efficiency targets are being achieved on many Ontario cow-calf farms. The Ontario Cow-Calf Production Survey 2018 showed that more than 60 per cent of Ontario producers achieve this efficiency target.

The backbone of these efficiency targets is having cows in the right body condition at critical production junctions, particularly at calving.

Good body condition at calving sets cows up to rebreed quickly, maintains a tight herd calving pattern and provides the conditions to deliver a high number of heavy calves at weaning. Getting cows into the right body condition begins many months earlier and weaning is a great place to start. At this time of year, cows are coming off grass and are being pregnancy checked. Body condition scoring at this time allows producers time to contemplating winter rations - there could be some cost savings here by avoiding over-feeding and/or an opportunity to improve condition before calving.

Body condition scoring is simply a hands-on way to determine a cow’s current nutritional status and know what changes to the diet,

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getting thin should be removed and placed in the recovery group for better feeding.

Body Condition Winter allows close contact with cows on Animal State What You Will Observe Action to Take Score a regular basis. At feeding, take the time Spine is obvious Separate from the main herd to check over cows and look for any that and feed high quality hay and Short ribs easy to identify appear to be not doing as well as the rest. gains, if required when touched That gut feeling is often right. It is also Thin < 2.5 undesirable worthwhile to have a fresh pair of eyes Individual ribs can be seen examine cows. Body condition of cows Small amount of tissue around changes gradually, which can be deceiving tail head to those looking at their animals daily. A Fat cover over ribs Feed good quality hay or fresh pair of eyes will often pick out those pasture Ribcage is only slightly visible thinner animals that get missed 2.5 – 3.5 Monitor cows and remove any Ideal range and Fat deposits seen behind the through familiarity. that become thin target condition front shoulder Target = 3 Body condition scoring is a very Tail head area well filled but important habit to develop. It has been not rounded estimated that cows calving down in good condition rebreed up to 30 days sooner Animal appears fat You can safely feed quality hay than thin cows and allows more cows to or place on rough grazing.

Short ribs cannot be felt even Over calve in the first 21-day cycle. This has been when pressed with pressure No grains required  3.5 conditioned estimated to be worth an additional 42 Folds of fat appear over ribs Do not restrict intake – this or fat pounds in weaning weight as those earlier Fat over tail head and appears encourages fat deposition born calves will be heavier at weaning and as rounds there will be more of them. Cows in good body condition have higher pregnancy no issue with the availability of pasture over the grazing season, rates, higher milk production, produce healthier calves, and have multiparous mature cows seldom go thin unless they’ve had issues fewer calving difficulties. Reproduction is the single biggest attribute with calving, illness, or if they are older mature cows that have started affected by poor body condition, an attribute that is the single biggest to lose teeth or develop feet and leg issues. contributor to farm profitability on cow-calf operations, (Griffith A less than ideal option is to create two groups – one group for et al, 2021). mature cows in good condition and a second group containing both Body condition scoring is an important skill to develop and thin mature cows and in-calf heifers. This works well where the thin practice. Body condition scoring allows producers to identify thin mature cows only need high quality forage rather than additional cows and place them on an early feeding program to return those grains to regain their body condition. If grain supplementation is cows to good body condition. Keeping cows in good body condition is required, care must be taken to avoid in-calf heifers becoming overfat necessary to ensure cows calve in good condition, rebreed easily and as they could lead to significant calving difficulties for these animals. deliver heavy calves at weaning. Body condition scoring also reduces Body condition scoring should be repeated mid-winter to identify winter-feeding costs by directing only the most expensive feed to mature cows from the main group that were in good condition at those that really need it. weaning, but now may be struggling a little bit. Cows identified as References available upon request. OB Table 1: Summary of body condition scores, animal state and action to take

Bulls selling March 16 &17

Spring Thaw Online Sale on DLMS Come view the Bulls at the farm anytime.

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 ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

15

Resolutions Roundup R

esolutions are one method local associations and beef farmers can use to express their opinion on a specific issue to other members of BFO. They are extremely valuable to the BFO Board of Directors as they provide direction on what issues are of the utmost priority for beef farmers and the sector.

BFO gives careful consideration to all carried resolutions and responds to all local associations after a final decision has been made on each resolution. Resolutions may initially be referred to a BFO committee or to a general farm organization (OFA, CFFO or NFU-O) depending on the issue, its relevance, and the urgency of the request.

Because some of the issues raised through the resolution may be complex in nature or require research and consultation within the industry, it may take several months for a formal reply from the board.

Inquiries about the status of a resolution can be made by contacting the BFO office to speak with policy staff.

Resolution responses are indexed and posted to BFO’s website immediately following approval by the Board of Directors. If access to the internet is a concern, BFO members are encouraged to contact the BFO office and speak with policy staff to access a hard copy by mail.

The following resolutions have been responded to and can be found on our website: 23-02 Interest-Free Portion of APP 23-03 ELD Exemption for Livestock Truckers 23-06 Production and Livestock Medicines Training 23-08 Ear Tag Retention 23-10 County/District Dissolutions and Amalgamations 23-12 Veterinarian TeleHealth & VTAC Model 23-14 Destruction of Prime Ag Land 23-17 Promotion of Environmental Benefits of Beef Cattle Staff continue to work on the following resolutions: 23-01 Age Verification at Processing 23-04 Crown Land Access for Agriculture 23-05 Agriculture in the Classroom 23-07 Property Tax Rates for Pasture Ground 23-09 Production Insurance on Double Cropping with Forages 23-11 Butchering as a Skilled Trade 23-13 Separation of Commercial Livestock in PAWS Act 23-15 Joyceville Abattoir 23-16 Carbon Tax Payments for Pasture Production OB

BFO’s Evan Chaffe Appointed to GASL Youth Advisory Group T

wo young leaders in the Canadian cattle sector have been chosen to represent the North American region on the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL) Youth Advisory Group. Evan Chaffe from Ontario and Sydney Fortier from Alberta will fill the two spots available for the North American region.

GASL is a partnership of livestock sector stakeholders such as the public and private sectors, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia and research committed to the sustainable development of the sector. It builds consensus towards sustainability by working with stakeholders through dialogues, consultations, and joint analysis.

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) will act as a future-focused collective voice representing youth on matters of relevance to GASL and contributing different points of view. It will reflect and provide input from a diverse range of youth voices focusing on collective learning and enhancement of sustainable practices and policies for the livestock sector. Members will serve two-year terms.

Applicants were required to have at least three years’ experience related to the sustainable livestock sector and had to demonstrate their engagement with the livestock sector with an emphasis on sustainability. The Canadian Cattle Association and BFO are proud to have Evan and Sydney serving as global leaders who can witness to the sustainability of Canadian beef and work with other groups on shared sustainability goals.

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Evan Chaffe Evan graduated from the University of Guelph with a Bachelor of Commerce in Food and Agriculture Business and is a recent Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP) graduate from the Rural Ontario Institute. Evan grew up on a beef and cash crop farm in Mitchell, Ontario, and is a past Ontario representative to the Canadian Cattle Youth Council. Since 2020, Evan has served as a Policy Advisor with Beef Farmers of Ontario and previously spent time in roles with Farm Credit Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Sydney Fortier Sydney Fortier has been with the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) for the past two years and served as Public and Stakeholder Engagement Technical Advisor prior to joining BCRC. Sydney assists with the review of scientific reports and gathering of relevant research-based information for various audiences. She helps coordinate the development, maintenance, and utilization of various extension resources, including the BCRC’s webinars, fact sheets and other content on the BCRC website. Sydney also coordinates the BCRC’s Beef Researcher Mentorship Program. Sydney is also a masters student through the University of Manitoba supervised by Drs Kim Ominski and Tim McAllister modelling the environmental impacts of raising beef cattle with and without growth enhancing technologies. OB

Doris Aitken has decided to slowly retire from her Secretary-Treasurer role with the Ontario Charolais Association(OCA). Her dedication, enthusiasm and leadership has advanced the OCA and the Charolais Breeder for MANY MANY YEARS. Whether at a show, commercial sale, purebred sale, meeting or social gathering, Doris could be seen organizing the event and promoting the breed. She has the respect and appreciation of the entire cattle industry.

On Behalf of the OCA Board of Directors and all Charolais enthusiasts, we would like to say

THANK YOU

and wish Doris and Brian all the best.

We welcome Ashley Baker as our incoming Secretary-Treasurer.

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

@oncharolais

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

17

CCA UPDATE

CCA Hosts Annual Barbecue on the Hill Submitted by CCA Staff www.cattle.ca

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he arrival of fall welcomes the return of Parliament, as well as normal routines with kids heading back to school. The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) team is poised to continue important policy conversations from the last parliamentary session and tours that happened during summer recess. We are also excited to see progress on key activities.

Early October saw CCA’s directors and staff welcome parliamentarians back for the fall session with our annual “Barbecue on the Hill” serving Canadian beef brisket supporting farming and ranching practices that meet Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) standards.

This popular event is a great way for us to connect with Members of Parliament (MPs), Senators, and their staff and have informal discussions on our key policy priorities for the fall. During the event, we were able to showcase various sustainability initiatives including the Guardians of the Grasslands documentary and virtual game for guests to try out.

CCA Priorities for Fall Session of Parliament Over the next four months, CCA’s engagement with MPs and Senators will focus on policy priorities including trade, sustainability, and our 2024 federal budget asks.

Trade has been a hot policy area for most of 2023. On the legislative front, Bill C-282: An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management) received multi-party support in the House of Commons and moved to the Senate before Parliament recessed for the summer. We also have been actively monitoring Canada’s bilateral negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK), particularly with the announcement of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in July.

Bill C-282 seeks to take supply management off the table during future trade negotiations. With Bill C-282 moving to the Senate, CCA’s board and staff will continue to advocate to Senators and emphasize the ramifications this bill could have on our economy and cattle producers.

CCA has ramped up advocacy efforts on trade with the UK. In early September, CCA in partnership with the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) and the Canadian Meat Council (CMC) launched a campaign called “Say No to a Bad Deal” so grassroots producers and industry partners can write to their MPs directly and tell our federal government that Canada needs to delay the UK joining the CPTPP until our barriers into the UK market can be addressed.

Last year, we didn’t export any beef to the UK while Canada imported $C33 million in beef from the UK. We are urging the Government of Canada to remove the UK’s trade barriers before 18

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ratifying the CPTPP and ensure meaningful and reciprocal access is achieved for cattle producers in Canada and the UK. We are not saying no to trade. We are saying no to a bad deal that puts Canadian farmers and ranchers at an unfair disadvantage.

Supporting the UK accession to the CPTPP weakens the agreement as the trade barriers to the UK for Canadian beef and pork have not been addressed. We are urging cattle producers and industry stakeholders to stand up for a fair trade deal for Canada by sharing their concerns with their MPs. Our advocacy efforts this fall will also include discussions concerning our key asks for the upcoming 2024 Federal Budget. In August, we participated in the pre-budget consultations by submitting our pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance. Our submission focused on four key asks: • That the Government of Canada partner and invest in the Grassland Conservation Initiative (GCI), led by CCA with support from DUC and the NCC. This initiative works to find voluntary solutions to help conserve our prairie native grasslands and aims to be another incentive-based tool in the toolkit for producers.

• That the interest-free portion of the Advanced Payments Program (APP) remain at the current level of $350,000. A return to $100,000 at the end of this federal budget cycle does not accurately reflect the profound inflation of farm input costs.

• An amendment to the Livestock Tax Deferral (LTD) provision in the Income Tax Act to expand classes of cattle and give producers the ability to self-elect rather than rely on a geographic determination.

This change would enable access for producers who fall outside of the boundary lines and those who are impacted by consecutive years of adverse weather under the current provision.

• That the Government of Canada take a science-based approach and align our specified risk material (SRM) regulations with those in the United States (U.S.). Differences in our SRM regulations have reduced the competitiveness of our industry by adding approximately C$31 million in additional costs. This change would help us get more Canadian beef to international markets. It would also help our processors (existing and potential) to compete internationally.

Guardians of the Grasslands Game Released in Ontario Schools The Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) team is pleased to share that as of September 1, 2023, the Ontario version of the

Guardians of the Grasslands (GOTG) game is live. Based on the award-winning film, the game aims to teach students the ecosystem services provided by raising cattle on grasslands.

The game is connected to science curriculum outcomes for students in grades 7-12. AgScape, the provincial member of Ag in the Classroom Canada, is helping to distribute into classrooms.

The game can be played at www.gotggame.ca.

Investing in Young Leaders

Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate Short Documentary The PSE program has launched exclusive screening events of a new short documentary, titled Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate, across Canada this fall including a screening in Toronto that will be aimed at media, food influencers, and chefs.

Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate is a short documentary that highlights this amazing upcycling ability of cattle and their important role in diverting food loss and waste from landfills.

Whether it is unavoidable byproducts of brewing beer or potato peels from manufacturing french fries, cattle can transform these products into beef. This represents an incredible sustainability story for our food system, highlighting the circular economy and zero waste strategies utilized by farmers.

Watch the Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate trailer by scanning the QR code.

Over the past 13 years, the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) program has seen over 180 graduates from across Canada, who are making positive contributions to the future success of our industry.

This year’s graduation ceremony was held at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) and celebrated the successes, experiences, and learnings by program participants.

The Ontario CYL graduates for the 2022-23 program year are: • Danika Mayer (L’Orignal) mentored by Sandra Vos • Madi Lewis (Meaford) mentored by Jack Chaffe • Holly McGill (Listowel) mentored by Shannon Borden The Canadian Cattle Foundation also unveiled the Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award to support the Canadian CYL Program during the graduation ceremony. Each year, the award will honour a CYL graduate who embodies the same dedication, passion for the Canadian beef industry, and leadership qualities that the late CCA President, Reg Schellenberg did. The first recipient of the Reg Schellenberg Next Generation Legacy Award is Carling Matejka from Ponoka, AB. Congratulations Carling!

The CCA team looks forward to wrapping up 2023 by continuing our involvement in important policy conversations here at home and in international forums. OB

VANCISE CATTLE COMPANY THANKS

all the Bidders and Buyers at the very successful

“ONTARIO’S FINEST” RED ANGUS SALE! Vancise Cattle Company’s high selling lot.

Her new home is Lac Brome, QC. Available FOR SALE privately A group of Hereford x Red Angus heifers, bred Red Angus

Visitors Welcome VANCISE CATTLE COMPANY INC. • John Vancise Jr. • 705 351 2442 • johnvancise4@hotmail.com • Stayner, ON ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

19

Cow-Calf Management Tour Visits Durham Region

By Jaclyn Horenberg, BFO Senior Producer Relations Specialist

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he Cow-Calf Management Tour took to the backroads of beautiful Durham Region to visit progressive beef farms on September 8th and 9th. With over 55 registrants, five farm host families, and sponsor representatives, we had a great group to network with.

Enjoying the view of Cedardale Farms as the Nesbitt family talk about marketing breeding stock and managing pasture.

The event kicked off by boarding the bus to travel to Cedardale Farms, a purebred Charolais cow-calf and cash cropping operation, owned and operated by the Nesbitt family. They calve approximately 180 cows between January and March, focusing on an intensive artificial insemination (AI) program, sourcing genetics from all across North America. Ryan Nesbitt explained how they have grown to now market 30-35 yearling bulls annually, in addition to consigning breeding females to purebred sales. They cash crop approximately 1,500 acres of owned and rented land, primarily focused on a wheat, corn and soybean rotation. They talked about the importance of utilizing their pasture well through rotational grazing, and building relationships with neighbouring farms to rent from. This hard-working family ensures that everyone has a role in helping to contribute to the success of the farm. The Nesbitt’s were thanked for their hospitality by Don Hargrave, BFO Director.

Our next stop was at the home of Scott and Nicole Swain, who own and operate Swain Beef. The Swains have a feedlot and cash crop operation where they also direct market some of their own beef.

They explained that their farming philosophy focuses on the health and well-being of their herd. Cattle are purchased locally in the fall

Nicole and Scott Swain spoke with the group about the health benefits they see in finishing cattle in their outdoor yards.

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and received into their outdoor feed yards. Because they purchase high-risk commingled calves, a lot of focus is put on a good receiving program with input from their veterinarian and nutritionist. A large group of heifers typically graze a cover crop in the fall and winter, providing benefits to the cattle and to the health of the soil. A new handling system has been designed to minimize stress on the cattle and emphasize safety while processing. The Swains are proud to be part of the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Program. BFO Director, Jason Leblond, thanked Scott and Nicole for being a host farm on the tour.

The Rudkin family, of Maple Line Farm, was the final farm tour for the first day. Joy and Ian Rudkin have been raising registered Angus cattle since 1986.

Their son, Tim is now involved in the farm where they currently have 120 females and five bulls. Tim explained how they incorporate AI breeding into their program, and Tim Rudkin demonstrated how easily he moves his retain about 30 cow-calf pairs onto new pasture. replacement heifers and 10 bull calves to sell as yearlings each year. Ian talked about how they market their calves, and their involvement in special Angus sales in Ontario. While the cow-calf operation is their primary business, they also run about 300 acres in cash crop, along with a custom hay business. On a wagon ride out to the pasture, Tim demonstrated how they easily move cows throughout their rotational grazing system. The value of cover crops was discussed out in a field of sorghum sudan grass under seeded with alfalfa which will serve as additional feed for the cow herd.

Enjoying an evening of hospitality at Maple Line Farm.

The Rudkin’s were the gracious host of our on-farm dinner with a fully decorated shed filled with hospitality. Joy explained how grateful they are for their farming lifestyle and how much they value the friendships that they have made throughout their years in the cattle business.

BFO Vice President, Craig McLaughlin, thanked everyone for attending this year’s Cow-Calf Management Tour, and led us in a moment of thanks before we enjoyed a delicious roast beef dinner.

The generous sponsors were all acknowledged and thanked for their continued support, before Andrea De Groot from Farm Credit Canada was introduced as our guest speaker. With Andrea’s experience in farm management, she gave a candid and engaging presentation on succession planning and family dynamics. She encouraged everyone to start the conversation about farm transition early, and to be prepared to listen to everyone around the table. BFO’s Robert McKinlay thanked Andrea for sharing her expertise, and Dan Ferguson thanked the Rudkin family for kindly hosting us on their farm.

The tour continued the next morning as we loaded the bus to travel to MurrayHill Farm near Blackstock. Jeff and Denise Byers established MurrayHill Farm in 2018 with 100 acres, plus an additional 30 acres of rented pasture land to support their growing herd of Limousin cattle. Jeff and Denise took the group out to the pasture to see their rotational grazing setup and talk about the importance that they put on managing their resources. With a little friendly banter back and forth, Jeff and Denise demonstrated how they move the cows with reels, step-ins and alligator power clips. With their faithful collie dog by their side, they showed how easily they can move the water and cattle onto fresh pasture daily. We wrapped up the tour getting to see the on-farm market that Denise operates out of their garage where she sells beef, along with farm-fresh vegetables and eggs. The Byers talked about their goal to connect consumers with their food, and how they use social media and their online store to make those connections. Jeff and Denise were thanked by BFO Director Don Badour.

Participants appreciated an engaging presentation by Dr. Rex Crawford of Dufferin Veterinary Services about the value of bull soundness exams, and vaccine use and management. Dale Mountjoy, of Hollowdale Cattle Company, lead a discussion on the value of cover crops from the cash croppers’ perspective, with the cattle producer in mind. This tied in well with the work that the Galten team is doing to incorporate cover crops into their farm to allow more ground for cattle in winter on. Blair Williamson, chair of the BFO Cow-Calf Committee thanked our guest speakers, and the AS Galten team for hosting a tour.

Dr. Rex Crawford of Dufferin Veterinary Services keeps the group engaged talking about bull soundness exams and vaccine management.

Denise Byers takes the group on a wagon ride to the pasture to demonstrate their rotational grazing setup.

Our final stop of the day was at AS Galten Farms, where we were greeted by owner, Arthur Schickedanz. The purebred Angus herd was established in 2006 which the herdsman, Gerald Kellington, has helped build it to now include over 425 cows and up to 30 bulls. Gerald talked about how he and Benjamin Kellington manage the cow herd out on pasture throughout the winter, and aim to use the main barn only for processing cattle and the occasional maternity pen. The crops crew of Gavin Valentine, Matthew Oldfield and Matthew Kellington manage over 2,000 acres of mostly corn, wheat, soybeans and hay.

On behalf of BFO, we would like to thank all of the participants for making the Cow-Calf Management Tour such a rewarding learning experience. The farm hosts were incredibly generous to welcome producers to their farm, and to share their production practices and hospitality. Thank you to the speakers for sharing their knowledge and expertise. This event would not have been possible without the generosity of the many sponsors who continue to invest in the Ontario beef sector. We sincerely appreciate everyone who helped make this event possible, and we look forward to next year! OB

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

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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 • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

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

BROWN EDEN LIMOUSIN Neil & Suzanne Brown 768 Zion Road Little Britain, ON, K0M 2C0 705-768-1605 nsbrown@bell.net LAKESIDE FARM Wayne and Nancy Lawrence 263657 Southgate Rd. 26 RR#4 Durham, ON N0G 1R0 519-369-2806 lakesidelimo@hotmail.com

PLEASE JOIN US AT Carson’s Fall Limousin Influence Stocker Sale, Listowel October 23 Cargill Fall Limousin Influence Stocker Sale, Cargill October 27 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair Limousin Show, Toronto November 4 • 3:00pm Eastern Showcase Limousin Sale, Hanover December 2 • 1:00pm

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

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 • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

23

16 Things You Need in a Livestock Emergency First-Aid Kit

By Jeanine Moyer

A

re you prepared to handle an animal health emergency? Do you have the necessary tools and medications on hand to save or treat an animal if the veterinarian can’t arrive in time? Dr. Rob Swackhammer, veterinarian with Upper Grand Veterinary Services promotes a proactive approach to animal care, especially in emergency situations. That’s why he’s put together a list of recommended items every beef farmer should keep on hand as part of a livestock emergency first-aid kit.

The idea behind a livestock on-farm first aid kit is to help farmers be prepared with supplies on hand for serious animal health emergencies, like issues that can’t wait an hour for the veterinarian to arrive, and general day-to-day concerns that could prevent a veterinarian call.

“We’re all invested in keeping our livestock healthy. Being prepared and working together with your veterinarian can help minimize an emergency, or at least prevent a bad situation from getting worse,” says Dr. Swackhammer, noting his list of suggested supplies and tools to have on hand. “Farmers should talk to their own herd veterinarian about specific items to have available, but in the meantime, here are some basic go-to tools and medication treatments to include in a livestock on-farm first-aid kit.”

Top 3 Livestock Emergency Must-Haves 1. Trocar A trocar is a veterinary device commonly used to relieve trapped gas, or bloat. Having a trocar on hand is especially handy for serious bloat conditions where animals are at risk of dying. Used to pierce the hide and into the rumen to allow gas to escape, this tool can not only relieve an animal in distress, but possibly save it too. Dr. Swackhammer recommends investing in a single use trocar and consulting with a veterinarian for instructions as part of the first-aid preparation and making sure a veterinarian visits as soon as possible to manage the situation and follow up protocols.

2. Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate (DSS) In the event of an animal developing a frothy bloat condition, where gas is entrapped in foam or froth, a surfactant (trade names Dioctyl, Antigas, Anti Bloat) treatment is necessary. It will take up to 20 minutes for the foam to turn into one large bubble that the animal can burp off. In some cases, if the pressure is too great, a trocar may have to be used to relieve the bloat after administering DSS. Here are Dr. Swackhammer’s recommended approaches to using DSS – one option is to pass a stomach tube in a bloated animal, and if no gas comes off then give DSS and tube again 20 minutes later if the gas has not been burped off. Another approach is to give the bloated animal DSS and if the animal shows no signs of improvement after 20 minutes, pass a stomach tube or insert a trocar. Having an antifoaming agent on hand and timely administration could save the animal.

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Some bloated animals (a downed animal exhibiting signs of mouth breathing) may be in crisis and not have 20 minutes. In this case, Dr. Swackhammer recommends farmers trocarize the rumen before the DSS is fully absorbed.

3. Hemostat A surgical tool used to control bleeding, a hemostat is handy to have on hand to treat lacerations, like when an animal has cut itself on a bale spear, or by a sharp piece of metal. A hemostat clicks together to apply pressure and stop blood flow, making the tool especially helpful in situations where an animal is bleeding profusely.

In many cases, farmers can improvise with vice gripes or paper bull clips, but having a few proper hemostats on hand can effectively mitigate a serious situation, especially if a large blood vessel has been cut.

First-Aid Kit Essentials A proper on-farm livestock first aid kit also requires basic items that can be used to respond to any medical situation – whether its life threatening or not. Here’s a short list of recommended items to include.

Bandage materials Gauze or vet wrap (breathable self adherent wrap) are handy for treating minor cuts or lacerations. Adding a roll of duct take can also help secure bandages and apply pressure to stop bleeding.

Splint In the event of a bone injury, like the broken leg of a calf, the ability to stabilize the limb and control swelling before a veterinarian arrives can help with treatment and recovery. Having a splint on hand is handy, but Dr. Swackhammer says improvising with something as simple as using a hockey stick or PVC pipe can work too.

Disinfectant The ability to clean an injury or wound is important to prevent infection and to help assess the severity of the situation. Keeping disinfectants like peroxide, iodized soap or alcohol in a livestock firstaid kit can help a farmer manage a medical situation and keep the area clean for treatment.

Thermometer One of the first questions a veterinarian may ask is whether a sick animal has a fever. That’s why Dr. Swackhammer suggests farmers have a thermometer on hand to help with a diagnosis over the phone.

The ability to monitor an animal’s temperature can also help assess the urgency of any necessary treatment and recovery.

Electrolytes Essential to have on hand for calves who need an extra boost or for treating scours, electrolytes can help hydrate and replace essential minerals. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance is the cause of death in scouring calves. The ability to correct this early, when symptoms first appear will improve calf survival rates and often prevent a veterinary visit for IV fluid therapy.

Long Acting Oxytetracycline Dr. Swackhammer reminds farmers they should consult their own herd veterinarian about stocking and administering medications, but having a broad-spectrum antibiotic can be an essential first line of defense. Oxytetracycline can treat common livestock infections like scours, pink eye, navel infections, pneumonia, meningitis or joint infections.

Needles and Syringes Keeping a variety of new and clean needles and syringes available is necessary for livestock care. These may be used in the event of a preventative or curative treatment. Proper disposal of needles and syringes is also important, and a farmer can ask their vet clinic for can help with this.

Anti-Inflammatory The ability to improve an animal’s comfort in the event of an injury or infection is important. Having an anti-inflammatory, like meloxicam, can help manage pain and swelling. Again, Dr. Swackhammer recommends farmers consult with their veterinarian to verify the right anti-inflammatory medication for their farm.

Wound Spray The ability to treat minor wounds, abrasions and skin irritations with a wound spray can help keep animals comfortable. Wound spray can also assist in repelling flies and maggots and encourage healing.

Animal Handling Facilities No matter the farm set-up, if an animal is injured, ill or in distress, restraining the animal before the veterinarian arrives can make the situation easier on everyone, including the animal. Dr. Swackhammer reminds farmers that veterinarians are often strangers to animals they are treating, so catching, isolating or restraining an animal before they arrive can help reduce animal stress, improve the likelihood of the outcome and possibly the expense to the farmer too.

Fly Spray Any open cut or wound on an animal can attract flies, insects or maggots, especially in warmer weather. Applying fly spray can help reduce irritation, infection and the likelihood of pink eye. Dr. Swackhammer reminds farmers that stocking fly spray and applying it to scouring calves can also go a long way in preventing animal discomfort, and a future call to the veterinarian, especially since the hair matted with scours attracts flies and the resulting maggot infestation can cause skin damage.

Gloves Essential to protect yourself as a farmer or individual treating an animal, gloves are an important personal safety item to keep in every first-aid kit. Any kind of glove, from latex exam gloves to long plastic breeder gloves will work. Gloves are especially important when treating and cleaning cuts or wounds or working with animals that have zoonotic diseases (including strains of calf scours) that can be transferred to the farmer or their family.

Location and Contact Information In the event of a necessary veterinary call, no matter if the situation is an emergency or not, Dr. Swackhammer recommends farmers keep essential contact information available. He suggests including the farm address, including civic number or GPS location, cell phone numbers for the farm owner or neighbours and veterinary clinic contact information within the livestock first-aid kit or posted inside the barn. He reminds farmers that they may not always be the person calling the veterinarian, so having the information available is important and could save precious time in the event of a livestock health emergency. OB

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

25

FARM & FOOD CARE ONTARIO

Video Security Options for Farms and Rural Properties

By Bruce Kelly, Farm & Food Care Ontario

A

farm theft can make you feel like a victim rather than a manager.

Farms are large 24-hour operations, and it’s just not practical to lock all the doors all the time. Sadly, millions of dollars in equipment are stolen from farms annually across Canada, resulting in high replacement costs, insurance increases and unnecessary stress for farmers and their families. It doesn’t have to be this way.

A farm security system deters theft on your farm, provides a record for police if a theft occurs, and offers peace of mind when you’re away from your property. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video clip will give the police what they need to get a warrant if a theft occurs. Security cameras for livestock barns are also a great way to stay up-to-date during calving and lambing seasons, reducing evening trips to the barn to check on progress.

So where do you get started with farm surveillance? What equipment do you need, and what is the cost?

A surveillance system gives you the ability to view farm activity on a monitor and remotely from your phone and store and replay video footage — ideally a few weeks’ worth of history. A well-designed system needs to consider the size and complexity of your operation and whether your Wi-Fi network will cover all your barns, yards, driveways and sheds, now and into the future. You will need cameras (CCTV Closed Circuit Television) and a Direct Video Recorder (DVR) to monitor your property. The cameras need to cover critical access points and areas of interest, while the DVR must store the video it receives from the cameras. Some will use cloud storage and not use an onsite DVR. You have two choices to connect the cameras to the DVR: wire them directly or wirelessly. Wired cameras are connected by cables strung from the camera to the DVR. Wireless methods may suit large areas and use your existing Wi-Fi network. For remote locations, you

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may need a surveillance system with a sim card, like a cell phone that accesses the cell network. Options for storing the video feed from your cameras include offsite storage to “the cloud” or a hard drive DVR like your computer.

Simple camera systems are great for around the house and yard, but you should investigate more robust systems for long life outside and in barns. Full HD (high-definition resolution) cameras of 1,920 × 1,080 pixels are ideal for farm security and monitoring livestock. These cameras can be wired to the DVR (near the house and yard) or linked wirelessly to your existing router (for barns and areas farther away from your base system). The feed from these cameras can be reviewed remotely on any PC, tablet or smartphone. A single-camera system can be purchased for as little as $500. More complex systems with four or eight cameras and a DVR will run you about $1K or $2K. All surveillance systems have software that allows you to monitor activity or view video history on your phone. Modern cameras are available in HD and 2X, 4X and 8X zoom. Night vision and field of view constantly improve in cameras, so it’s worth asking your technician about these specifications.

Generally speaking, surveillance systems are low maintenance and do not require a subscription or ongoing fee if you have your own DVR. You’ll want to ask about channels and hard drive size when choosing a DVR. Channels determine how many cameras you can plug into them, usually four, eight or sixteen. You can plug in fewer cameras than the maximum channel numbers.

Hard drive size is an important consideration. Surveillance hard drives are designed to overwrite themselves as they fill up constantly.

If an incident occurs, you review your history and save any relevant footage as a separate file before it is overwritten. The size of the hard drive you need depends on the number of cameras you install and the image quality you want to record. Hard drives are currently one or two terabytes for a better system. You’ll also need to get a bigger hard drive if you want to keep more video history on hand before the DVR overwrites itself.

Many new companies on the market with one- and two-camera systems offer entirely wireless setups. These systems are great around the house where you have good Wi-Fi coverage but do not work as well at a distance or in barns with cement and steel. Brand names brought to our attention by farmers from the Facebook group 519 Farmers include Waze and Arlo. Other big brands with more complex systems and long track records in the business include Lorex, Dahua, Annke, Unfi, Uniview, Amcrest, Ubiquiti and VIKVIZ. For most farms, a multi-camera (eight or even sixteen) system with DVR recorder in the office or house will provide the most value in farm surveillance.

Operating a farm is a huge responsibility. Technology can share the load by enabling you to view the inside of the shed, barn or farmyard from anywhere you can use a cell phone or a computer. Yes, it’s about security, but more about seeing what’s happening in your barn, shed, or yard.

Visit www.farmfoodcare.on.org for additional resources on emergency management, security and farm power systems. OB

Canadian Angus Bulls Maximize your marketing by buying Canadian Angus bulls and participating in the Canadian Angus green tag program. When you buy your Angus bull, insist on the registration papers, and be sure they are transferred in your name.

and the Green Tag Advantage

Canadian Angus cattle present a balanced genetic profile in terms of calving ease, growth, and quality carcass merit. They are versatile animals that work well in both purebred and crossbreeding programs.

When Canadian Angus bulls are used in crossbreeding programs they contribute to low birth weights, valuable maternal traits, and moderate frame size to replacement heifers.

Visit the Ontario Angus Association website for more information and to find listings of Ontario purebred sales: 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

Silver Springs Farm

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

Tullamore Farms

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

Bill & Sylvia Jackson 260 Regional RD 39 Zephyr, ON L0E 1T0 Home 905-843-1236 | Cell 647-990-2697 tullamore.angus@gmail.com

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

Meadow Bridge Angus Rob Roy Angus

SCOMAC Livestock

Whiskey Lane Livestock Windcroft Farms

Worth-Mor Cattle

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

27

CANADA BEEF UPDATE Canada Beef Names Incoming President

By Gina Teel, Manager, Stakeholder Communications, Canada Beef

S

uccession planning has been a priority focus at Canada Beef this year with President Micheal Young’s planned retirement on the horizon, following a five-year term as president.

The team was pleased to welcome Eric Bienvenue as incoming president on October 3, 2023. A strategic leader with nearly 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles in the Canadian pork and poultry industries, Bienvenue Incoming Canada Beef President Eric Bienvenue brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Canada Beef.

A native of St-Valerien, Quebec, Bienvenue will be based in Calgary, Alberta, and will complete a six-month transition period and mentorship under Young until his retirement in March 2024. Bienvenue will assume the role and title of Canada Beef President upon Young’s retirement.

Young said Bienvenue’s extensive experience in the animal protein sector will serve him well in his new role. “He brings a solid business acumen, collaborative leadership skills and the drive needed to support the continued success and prosperity of the Canadian cattle and beef sector,” he said.

Russ Mallard, chair of the Market Development and Promotion Committee which provides operational oversite to Canada Beef under the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency, led the executive search committee with Agency board members Jeff Smith, Trevor Welch, and Chad Ross with support from Young. “The search committee oversaw a rigorous four-month review process that considered several highly qualified candidates,” Mallard said. “We are pleased to welcome Eric to the sector.”

It’s official - the Burger It Forward campaign is back for a second year. The campaign is set to launch in February 2024 with a goal to supplement the protein portion of food bank offerings while supporting locally owned restaurants.

The campaign will run February 1-29, 2024.

Outreach and planning began in September; recruitment of restaurant partners is slated for October and November and conversations are ongoing with provincial producer group partners.

The campaign showcases participating local restaurant’s designated campaign burger featuring 100 per cent Canadian beef. Then as part of ‘Burger It Forward,’ and to support food security and community goodwill, Canada’s beef

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farmers and ranchers will help to ‘beef up’ food banks through direct donations.

Canada Beef held its’ first-ever Burger It Forward goodwill campaign last year. The initiative was a remarkable success with 29,260 burgers sold by 112 participating community restaurants in just 28 days, resulting in over $53K in donations to local and national food bank efforts.

New front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling (FOP labelling) regulations introduced by Health Canada last year will become mandatory on packaging at retail on January 1, 2026, and will affect some beef products.

Canada Beef has developed an implementation support tool to assist beef industry stakeholders during the transition period which ends December 31, 2025. The implementation support tool is based on the latest guidance in Health Canada’s recently finalized industry guide on the new labelling regulations, Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry, available online on the Government of Canada website.

Canada Beef’s implementation tool provides an overview about the FOP labelling regulations in Canada, key FOP Symbol considerations for beef products sold in Canada, and links to the corresponding regulation in the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR).

The implementation tool includes details on conditional exemptions from FOP requirements for raw single ingredient meat and meat byproducts, that are not ground; and raw single ingredient meats and meat by-product, that are ground and carry the nutrition fact table.

Continued on page 30.

Ontario Association Mark your Calendar!

RAWF 2023 Simmental Show Date: Sunday, November 5, 2023.

Time: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Location: Semex Ring of Excellence Judge: Brett Wildman, AB .

When selecting your Bull this Spring

Pounds Profit Performance

Ashton Colvin

OSA Member Services Manager memberservices.osa@gmail.com 519-357-6775 1422 Concession 4 Teeswater, ON N0G 2S0

Follow us!

@ontariosimmentalassociation Www.ontariosimmentalassociation.com 29 ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

Continued from page 28. – Canada Beef Update

It details how ground meat and meat by-products can lose the exemption and why prepackaged prepared meat, that is not a single ingredient meat product, is not exempt from FOP labelling. Such products will have to carry a “high in” nutrition symbol if they meet or exceed any of the specified thresholds for saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium, known as nutrients of concern.

The tool includes a breakdown of how the thresholds for the FOP nutrition symbol are based on the Daily Values (DVs) for each nutrient of concern. For most prepackaged products, a symbol must appear on the label when the amount of saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium is equal to or greater than 15 per cent of the applicable DVs for each nutrient of concern.

As we wrote in the first issue of Beef Watch last October, on July 20, 2022 Health Canada published new regulations that amended the FDR in Canada Gazette ll to include new requirements for FOP labelling for most prepackaged products sold at retail if they contain nutrients of public health concern at or above specific thresholds. The regulations apply to foods manufactured in Canada or imported for sale in Canada.

According to Health Canada estimates, about four million or one in eight Canadians are affected by foodborne illness each year. Studies estimate that about 85 per cent of all cases of foodborne illness could be prevented if food is handled properly.

Canada Beef has a Food Safety at Home Guide available on our website which provides safe food-handling information in an easy-to-read format.

Cooking foods to proper temperatures is one of four simple safe food-handling steps people can take at home to eliminate harmful bacteria and reduce the risk of foodborne illness for their family.

The other steps are Clean - wash hands and surfaces often, Chill refrigerate or freeze foods promptly, and Separate - keep raw meat/ poultry/seafood and their juices separate from one another and other foods.

The guide’s content was constructed with input and oversight from Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and agricultural commodity groups under the organization: The Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education.

The overhaul of the Thinkbeef.ca website is now complete. New features include improved navigation and enhanced layouts along with hot topic resources and new recipe collections. A new Resource Centre offers e-book resources to view, download and order if available. Check it out at Thinkbeef.ca.

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

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

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• 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.

RESEARCH UPDATE Recommendations for Developing an Ontario Path Forward for Deadstock

By Lilian Schaer for the Livestock Research Innovation Corporation

A

new report for Livestock Research Innovation Corporation (LRIC) has set forward a list of recommendations for managing on-farm livestock mortalities in Ontario.

Topping the list is the establishment of a coordinating body to oversee deadstock management in the province, coupled with continued investment by both industry and government to support that organization’s activities.

The other recommendations suggest working with waste management companies on potential solutions, reviewing current regulations to ensure they are scientifically sound, and streamlining regulations related to deadstock across multiple government agencies.

Ontario is a large and diverse province, meaning there is no single or simple solution for the industry that will work for all livestock commodities in all geographies. Deadstock, however, is a global issue and Ontario is hardly alone in grappling with how to best manage it from a One Health perspective in a way that protects human, animal and environmental health.

“The livestock sector is a key pillar of Ontario’s economy, environment and food security, and solutions need to support livestock producers regardless of species or location,” says LRIC CEO Mike McMorris. “Deadstock has been a challenge for our industry for decades and we are hopeful that this report, coupled with the interest of stakeholders to work together, will help us achieve a longer-term solution.”

The project was launched last year by LRIC with funding provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in response to a request from Beef Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Sheep Farmers, Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Veal Farmers of Ontario, and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for help in finding practical and sustainable solutions to the livestock mortality issue.

Study lead Jennifer MacTavish consulted with approximately 70 individuals and organizations over the course of the project and completed an international scan as part of the research.

Both Ontario farmers and the provincial government prefer to use rendering wherever possible, but escalating costs have made on-farm pick-up uneconomical across a large part of Ontario, and steadily increasing regulatory requirements are making it harder for rendering companies to operate profitably.

Regulations impacting handling and disposal of on-farm mortalities lie within five different provincial acts and 12 different organizations touch deadstock in some way, resulting in no real coordinated approach to the issue.

“The recommendations in the report are focused on moving the industry towards a more coordinated approach to managing on-farm mortalities. We need to build adaptability to geographical and species differences with a focus on One Health,” says McMorris.

Coordinating Body The report recommends the establishment of a coordinating body to ensure ongoing, full-sector development and implementation of solutions. To avoid adding another layer of bureaucracy, it is recommended to approach an existing organization or interested group of individuals, companies and organizations to immediately begin work on the issue. Initial funding could be provided by industry and government.

The role of this new coordinating body would include tasks like prioritizing and funding research needs, providing financial offsets for farmers in some regions and investing in key stakeholder infrastructure where needed, offering input on regulatory changes, supporting waste management companies in navigating the regulatory landscape, developing business cases for disposal options, evaluating the

feasibility of different organizational models to ensure a sustainable approach to deadstock management services and more.

It could also coordinate pre-competitive conversations with stakeholders on how to manage surge capacity, develop a matrix that considers the impacts of rendering capacity issues on the sector, and build contingency plans for situations where rendering capacity is limited.

“Most importantly, however, this organization would lead the building of relationships across the sector so regulation and problem solving can be approached in a collaborative way,” notes McMorris, adding that there are several organizations representing livestock farmers with successful histories of working cooperatively with government, including Ontario Livestock and Poultry Council, LRIC and CanLead.

Continued Investment Underpinning sustainable deadstock management is continued investment that supports farmers with disposal needs, particularly ensuring ongoing, uninterrupted collection. It also includes activities like on-farm euthanasia training, building a business case for the benefits of deadstock to a circular economy, and assisting farmers and other stakeholders with planning and critical infrastructure costs.

Work with Waste Management Companies The coordinating organization could help waste management companies work more collaboratively with government and the livestock industry to build business cases for making use of deadstock as an input instead of treating them like a waste stream. Waste management companies also need help navigating the regulatory landscape around deadstock, particularly when looking at growth opportunities.

Review Existing Regulations The report recommends a review of existing regulations to ensure they are scientifically sound, streamlined across regulatory agencies and capable of enabling the industry to take advantage of the economic opportunities presented by deadstock in relation to a circular economy.

Next Steps A meeting of 30 deadstock stakeholders earlier this year that included producer groups, government, renderers, waste disposal companies and others resulted in a request to form a working group to tackle the issue.

This working group recently met and broadly agreed that new deadstock funding opportunities through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance could be used to potentially determine centralized collection sites and explore technology solutions for better collection coordination.

It was also agreed that there is need for greater producer education and outreach around deadstock management, including the economics and risks of on-farm disposal versus rendering. OB This article is provided by Livestock Research Innovation Corporation as part of its ongoing efforts to report on research developments and outcomes, and issues affecting the Canadian livestock industry.

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

31

Adding Value to

Ontario Beef Through

Quality Assurance

Steps to become VBP+ Certified:

s T e P s T e P

AUDIT PREP During the training webinar, you will learn about the audit requirements. Operations must have at least six months of records for cow-calf producers and three months of records for feedlots.

s T e P

ON-FARM AUDIT Schedule an on-farm audit with a trained auditor coordinated through the national office.

Complete any Corrective Action Requests from the audit to successfully become a VBP+ Certified operation.

s T e P

1 2 3 4

TRAINING Currently offered as a free, live webinar.

Upcoming training webinar: October 24 at 7 p.m. Please email jaclyn@ontariobeef.ca for details.

MAINTAIN ACTIVE VBP+ STATUS Complete yearly record requirements to ensure that you are still in compliance with the program.

On-farm audits are completed once every five years.

Ontario feedlots also have the option to be certified under the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance Program through the completion of training, assessments and an on-farm audit.

For more information on the OCFBQA, please contact

John Baker

Audit Audit Level Level

Operation TypeOperation Type

1 Level 1 2 Level 2 3

• COW-CALf •• SHORT-TERM Cow-Calf BACKGROUNDING

LeveL LeveL

LeveL

OR LESS) • (4 MONTHS Short-term backgrounding (4 months or less) • BACKGROUNDING (MORE THAN 4 MONTHS)

••FINISHING Backgrounding (more than 4 months) FinishingCOW-CALF AND •• COMBINED

$1,250

ON QA Rebate ON QA Rebate ON QA Rebate First-Time Audit Audit Renewal

$937

$1,250

$1,250

$937

$1,750

$1,750

$1,312

$1,750 $2,000

$1,312

$1,500

BACKGROUNDING (more than 4 months) • Combined cow-calf and backgrounding COW-CALF TO FINISH $2,000 $2,000 $1,500 Level 3 • (more than 4 months) • of 75% Cow-Calf toaudit finish * Ontario's QA Rebate Incentive of the VBP+ cost is available until December 31, 2021 on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding for this program is

provided by the Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) and the Joint Marketing Committee (JMC), a partnership between BFO and the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association.

john@ontariocornfedbeef.com Dan Ferguson dan@ontariobeef.com 32

Audit AuditCost Cost

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

Jaclyn Horenberg jaclyn@ontariobeef.com

FOCUS ON HERD HEALTH

By Daniel Pecoskie, DVM, Metzger Veterinary Services

The ABCs of Antibiotics: A Farmer’s Guide to Responsible Use A

s another school year starts, kids are returning to classrooms, reuniting with friends, and inevitably bringing home unwelcome cold and flu viruses. Similar to a kindergarten class, our feedlot cattle are going through a comparable mixing process, getting exposed to new bacteria and viruses, and thus require prompt treatment from producers. Farmers are often the first responders to sick cattle and therefore need to make daily treatment decisions. As veterinarians, we often get the question, “Are there any new antibiotics out there?”

However, the more important consideration is how can we most effectively use existing drugs to reduce the impact of disease.

With the number of available drugs, choosing the appropriate antibiotic can be daunting. However, it certainly gets easier with time and experience. Your veterinarian is a great resource to help develop treatment protocols, supply references, discuss cases and importantly, assess sick animals on-farm.

Antibiotics have various roles on farm. One role is metaphylaxis, which involves the treatment of a population of cattle to control new cases of disease. For example, tulathromycin is used to reduce cases of shipping fever pneumonia. Additionally, ionophores, like monensin, are used in feed to reduce bloat and improve feed efficiency. Watersoluble or feed antibiotics can be used to medicate groups of cattle experiencing a similar disease process. Finally, injectable antibiotics are administered to treat individual cases of disease.

Antibiotic selection may involve the following considerations: 1. Does the animal have a fever (body temperature greater than 103°F/39.4°C)?

2. What symptoms are present and what body systems are affected (i.e. coughing/lungs, scouring/intestines, etc.)?

3. Has this animal been treated before?

4. What is the weight of the animal (in pounds or kilograms)?

5. How often do I need to repeat treatment with the drug?

6. What is the drug withdrawal time?

The development of a treatment protocol or flowchart with your veterinarian can help you select the appropriate antibiotic to use in varying situations. This can help you establish a drug inventory list, and you may even be able to have some products on hand to treat common diseases of cattle promptly and effectively.

As an example, animals showing signs of fever are often dull, depressed and off-feed. Fever can be associated with inflammation, viral or bacterial infection, and is usually an indicator that antibiotics will be required. However, we must consider other clinical signs and symptoms. An animal showing signs of diarrhea likely requires a different antibiotic protocol from an animal with signs of pneumonia and should be treated differently.

For cases, such as pneumonia, it is common to treat new cases with what we would call a first-line antibiotic. This antibiotic would be used to treat all new cases of pneumonia in your cattle. In cattle that do not respond promptly to first-line treatment, or that relapse with pneumonia, a different second-line antibiotic would be used to treat Continued on page 34.

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

33

Continued from page 33. – Focus on Herd Health

the animal again. Treating with multiple antibiotics at the same time is not recommended in all cases, unless specified by a veterinarian.

It is more important to treat sick animals promptly with a single antibiotic than to be late to identify and treat sick animals by using multiple drugs at once.

Drug dosages are calculated using the weight of the animal. This can be accurately done if you have a scale available on your chute.

However, estimating body weight visually is very common. Visual estimation can take practice, and it is important to be as accurate as possible, to not under or over-dose the animal. The information to calculate drug dosage for an animal (in mL) can be found on the drug bottle or insert, and is outlined below: Body Weight (in lb) ÷ 2.2 = Body weight (in kg) Body Weight (in kg) x Dose (mg/kg) ÷ Concentration (mg/mL) = Dosage (mL) to use in animal Some antibiotics only need to be given once, as they have a duration of activity and last longer in the body. Other antibiotics may require daily injections for several consecutive days to be effective.

Location and route of injection are also important considerations, as some drugs are required to go into the muscle, under the skin, in the vein or even behind the ear. This information is available on the drug container or package insert for reference. The label will also clarify recommendations for storage temperature for the drug. Proper handling of antibiotics is important to maintain the effectiveness of treatment. Bottles should only be pierced with a clean needle and should be drawn up into a clean syringe or multi-dose gun. Used syringes should be cleaned regularly.

!

34

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

Meat withdrawal is also an important consideration when treating heavier animals with antibiotics (or other drugs), as it may limit the ability to ship animals to processing promptly. If you are not certain about drug withdrawals, please contact your veterinarian. This is especially important if you are considering transporting animals with special provisions or pursuing options for on-farm or emergency processing.

In some cases, your veterinarian may recommend using a drug in ways other than what is intended on the label. Extra-label drug use is when a drug is used at a different dose, volume, and/or route of administration for the treatment of diseases other than what is listed on the label. The reasons for using drugs in an extra-label manner may be due to lack of response to approved products, lack of access to approved products (due to backorders, etc.) and/or other financial considerations. This altered usage may have other implications, such as an increase in the drug withdrawal. Thus, extra-label drug use, especially if changing the dose or route of injection, should not be done without first discussing with a veterinarian, especially if there are existing drugs on-label to use first.

Depending on the disease process, your veterinarian may take swabs, tissue and/or fecal samples for culture and sensitivity tests at a veterinary diagnostic lab. This testing may reveal the populations of bacteria involved and can indicate which antibiotics the bacteria are susceptible to. This will help your veterinary team select the appropriate antibiotic to use, especially in cases with poor response to treatment.

There are many options available for the use of antibiotics on farm.

Our responsibility is to both select and use antibiotics with care and intention to maximize the response to treatment, and hopefully reduce the need to use more than is required. OB

MARKET INFORMATION UPDATE

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

S

tatistics Canada released its Cattle Statistics Report in August. The report listed the volume of fed cattle on Ontario farms at 439,200 head on July 1, 2023 which is up five per cent from July 2022 and up 11.2 per cent over January 2023 (typically July volumes are higher than January 1st inventories). The July 1st inventory of fed steers and heifers is the largest volume since July 2018. In the mix, July 1, 2023 steers are up 19 per cent from January 1, 2023 and up just 5.5 per cent over the previous July 1st numbers and is the largest July 1st inventory since 2018. Heifer volumes on July 1, 2023 are also up slightly over January 1, 2023 by 4.5 per cent and 3.8 per cent higher than July 2022. Heifer volumes on July 1, 2023 are the largest noted since July 2020.

The Stats Canada inventory of beef replacement heifers on Ontario farms on July 1, 2023 was 36,600 up 6.7 per cent from January this year, but 3.7 per cent below July 1, 2022 inventories. The July 1, 2023 number is the second lowest July volume (fully steady to July 1, 2021) reported in this data set and even further back than 2009.

The Stats Canada inventory of beef cows on Ontario farms on July 1, 2023 was 227,800 head, up 0.7 per cent from January but 4.5 per cent below July 2022. The dairy cow inventory on July 1, 2023 is the lowest since July 2017. Over the last 15 years, the dairy cow volume in Ontario has been fairly steady with just 2021-2022 seeing slightly larger numbers, but generally the volumes have been quiet stable. Not so for the beef cow numbers, which have been declining since 2004 with the exception of the spread between 2015-2020 where July 1st inventories saw very little change. The July 1, 2023 beef cow inventory is the second lowest July 1st inventory since 1953 with July 1, 2021 being the lowest.

The Stats Canada inventory of calves under one year of age on Ontario farms as of July 1, 2023 was 421,700 head, down one per cent from July 1, 2022, but fully steady to July 1, 2016, with only July 1, 2022, larger in volume during that time period. Looking back over the last 15 years, the volumes are down however they have bounced back slightly from their lows in 2018. Volumes are currently 12 per cent lower than 15 years ago (2009).

The Ontario railgrade market remains extremely strong and even though it has dropped from the record-high set in early June where the spring market peaked, prices continue to set new records. As indicated in the graph the current railgrade prices are well above the previous two years and the five-year average, as well as the previous record set in 2015. Comparing current prices to the previous records in 2015 the profit markets are currently lower due to high input costs despite the higher cash market. If we follow the trend of the last couple of years and the five-year average, prices should stay in a very narrow trading range until later in the fall, but, that all depends on demand. Processing volumes at federally inspected plants this year are down by six per cent from last year as of August 31, 2023. Provincially inspected processing volumes as of July 31, 2023, are down nine per cent from the same time last year with volumes higher than 2019 and earlier. Supporting the market is the increase in live cattle export volumes to the U.S. from Ontario. As of July 2023, fed steer exports

to the U.S. from Ontario are up 759 per cent over this time last year, fed heifers up 89 per cent, cows up just three per cent and bulls up 45 per cent. The stronger U.S. cash cattle trade and lower Canadian dollar have provided much support for the Ontario fed cattle market.

The fed/cull cow market in Ontario has been very strong this year with prices reaching new highs. The year-to-date volume sold through auction markets is higher than last year most likely due to the strong prices cows are bringing, however, numbers are lighter than the previous two years, which is not surprising given the decline in on-farm numbers. August 2023 saw 10,226 cows sold through auction markets, which is the largest August monthly volume since 1997 with August 2005 coming in second at 10,225 cows sold.

The Ontario stocker and feeder cattle trade is also on fire. Prices are setting new record highs in every category surpassing the previous records set in 2015. Note in the graphs included, the September prices are from the 1st to 15th due to reporting deadlines. Pricing this year is following the seasonal trend but at elevated levels. Looking at the market and prices, if this year follows the seasonal trends, prices could start to ease moving into the fall but still well above prices we have seen before. So much of that depends on if the market does follow the seasonal trend and if the demand is stronger than the supply.

The special fall stocker sales have started to commence with the majority of sales taking place in October and November. Vaccinated and pre-conditioned stocker and feeder cattle (i.e. dehorned, castrated etc.) are in high demand and will bring a better price than nonprocessed cattle. Many of the upcoming fall stocker sales feature vaccinated cattle.

Info-Link cards are available on our website under the Farmer Hub/ Industry tab or you can ask your auction market if they have any available. Info-Link cards are a pen-card farmers can use to document feeder cattle information on vaccination, parasite control, implants and any other pertinent information. These cards are designed to help facilitate information flow between buyers and sellers of feeder cattle.

Info-Link cards are to be submitted to sales barn staff when selling feeder cattle. The cards can be placed on the pens holding the cattle or the information can be read by the auctioneer when the cattle enter the sale ring. OB

Continued on page 36.

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

35

Continued from page 35. – Market Info

Nominate a Deserving Producer for The Environmental Stewardship Award O

ntario beef is not only produced sustainably, it also has a positive impact on our environment. This dedication to our land and the future of our farms needs to be highlighted and shared, not only within our industry but to our consumers and the public.

Since 1995, The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) has been awarded annually at the provincial and national level to recognize beef farmers’ leadership in conservation. Nominees and applicants are selected based on their stewardship practices, accomplishments and goals.

Producers can either be nominated by an individual or organization, or apply themselves. Both methods are equally encouraged. The national TESA recipient is announced during the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) awards’ banquet. All provincial recipients are awarded an all-expense paid trip for two to attend CBIC that is held in different locations across Canada in August of each year.

The Ontario recipient of The Environmental Stewardship Award will be recognized at BFO’s Annual General Meeting. Further benefits for Ontario TESA recipients include: • Recipient’s farm will be highlighted in an Ontario Beef video showcasing their environmental work, and its importance to sustainability and stewardship.

• Recipient will receive a $2,000 cash award, and also direct a $500 donation to a BFO-approved conservancy or environmental group of their choice.

36

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

• A choice between a farm sign or plaque, presenting them as an Ontario TESA recipient.

BFO encourages individuals or organizations to nominate a beef farmer/farm who they feel is deserving of recognition for their environmental efforts. An Ontario TESA Nomination Form is available to submit to BFO staff who will work with the nominee to complete their application. BFO equally encourages beef farmers/farms to nominate themselves for this award through submitting the official TESA application form.

The deadline for the 2024 Ontario TESA application/nomination is November 30th, 2023.

Nomination and application forms can be found at www. ontariobeef.com, or by contacting LeaAnne Wurmli at the BFO office by email at leaanne@ontariobeef.com. OB

Continued on page 38.

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

37

Continued from page 37. – Market Info

38

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

BEEF EXPORTS - CANADA (AAFC)

United States

Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23 % Change

Total

204,468 tonnes

+1%

Japan

Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23

Total

Mexico Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23 % Change

27,235 tonnes

19,252 tonnes Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23

-37%

8,834 tonnes

-31%

Viet Nam

Total Beef Exports

Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23

Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23

Total

7,609 tonnes

+34%

South Korea

-9%

278,229 tonnes

-5%

BEEF PRODUCTION - CANADA (AAFC)

Jan. 1 - July 1 ‘23

Last Year Same Time

% Change

Fed

517,987 tonnes

562,369 tonnes

-8%

Non-fed

86,160 tonnes

80,793 tonnes

+7%

BEEF IMPORTS - CANADA (AAFC)

Jan. 1 - Sept. 9, ‘23

Last Year Same Time

US

71,578 tonnes

73,969 tonnes

% Change -3%

Uruguay

9,749 tonnes

6,973 tonnes

+40%

Mexico

7,932 tonnes

7,030 tonnes

+13%

Australia

6,749 tonnes

7,835 tonnes

-14%

Non-CUSMA

27,690 tonnes

24,057 tonnes

+15%

11,006 tonnes

-45%

118,083 tonnes

-2%

EU-27 (beef/veal total) 6,104 tonnes Total

115,840 tonnes

LIVE CATTLE - CANADA (AAFC) IMPORTS

EXPORTS

EXPORTS

Jan. 1 - July 31, ‘23

Jan. 1 - Sept.2 ‘23

% Change

Purebred

6,710

Non-Purebred

162,313 Feeder cattle & calves

Slaughter steers & heifers & cows 308,292 Bulls

-5%

108,793

-32%

23,037

-15%

LIVE CATTLE EXPORTS - ONTARIO

Week ending Sept. 2, ‘23 Week ending Aug. 26, ‘23 Year to Date

Total to US.

2,707

2,426

86,329

Steers, Heifers, Cows 2,579

2,346

82,853

80

3,476

Bulls

128

ON TAR IO BEEF • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

39

CALENDAR

Ontario Beef Industry Events November 18 – Fall Classic Shorthorn Female Sale, Hanover

October 21 – Clarke Family Farms Pasture of Dreams Angus and Simmental Sale, Blenheim

November 18 – Futures One Online Simmental Sale

October 21 – Cream of the Crop Blonde d’Aquitaine Sale, Hoards Station

November 19 – Leahy Livestock 3rd Annual Online Simmental Sale November 21-22 – OFA Annual General Meeting, Delta Hotel Toronto Airport & Conference Centre

October 21 – Potter Charolais Online Dispersal Sale, Earlton October 21 – CANCELLED --- Clarke Family Farms and Guests Pasture of Dreams Sale, Blenheim --- CANCELLED

December 2 – Beef Day at Guelph – Calving School Edition, University of Guelph

October 23 – Carson’s Fall Limousin Influence Stocker Sale, Listowel October 27 – Cargill Fall Limousin Influence Stocker Sale, Cargill

December 2 – Eastern Showcase Limousin Sale, Hanover

October 28 – Platinum Picks Charolais Female Sale, Colborne

January 12-14 - Beef Industry Convention, Best Western Lamplighter Inn, London, beefindustryconvention.com

October 28 – Ontario Simmental Association’s Simmental Influence Stock Calf Sale, Keady

February 21-22 – BFO Annual General Meeting, Delta Hotel Toronto Airport and Conference Centre

November 3-12 – Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

March 16-17 – Spring Thaw Online Sale

November 4 – Eastern National Hereford Show, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto November 4 – Limousin Show, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair November 5 – Simmental Show, Royal Agricultural Winter Fair

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 December 2023 issue is November 15.

Call 519-763-8833 for information 40

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

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

Cell (519) 429-5902

Advertise in

BEEF BUSINESS LEADERS

Very reasonable rates! Deadline for December 2023 issue is November 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 bethany@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 Phone: 519-538-4877 Cell: 519-372-7459 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 McKinlay R.R. 1, Ravenna, Ontario N0H 2E0 Tel: 519-599-6236 jmckinlay@bmts.com

Breeders of Quality Cattle Simmental • Red Angus • F1 Crosses

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 December 2023 issue is November 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 • OC TOBER /N OVEMBER 20 23

41

WELLNESS ON THE FARM Information Provided by Farm Credit Canada and an AgriSuccess article by Peter Gredig

Farming, Fulfilled M

any discussions surrounding mental health focus on the challenges. Conditions like depression, anxiety and self-doubt receive a lot of necessary attention. Thankfully, the stigma of talking about and dealing with these issues is dwindling as society comes to terms with the reality that most people will experience a mental health challenge at some point in their lives.

But what about the positive aspects of good mental health?

Self-awareness is a huge part of the mental health discussion, and just as we’re all learning to recognize warning signs or symptoms of mental health concerns, being aware of and understanding good mental health traits is important too.

The Benefits of Farming Feeling a sense of fulfilment is part of what makes farming such a compelling vocation. From an emotional perspective, fulfilment is often described as being satisfied, happy in personal choices and having positive energy. One might describe it as “being in a good place right now.” On the professional side, fulfilment is more about feeling that your talents and skills have led to successful outcomes – and this is where farming can be so rewarding.

Having a passion for what you do and being able to celebrate milestones and reach defined goals can stimulate a feeling of accomplishment and fulfilment. It’s important to set goals and celebrate meeting them. It’s easy to immediately shift focus to the next objective, but deliberately taking time to “stop and smell the roses” is a big part of extending the feeling of achievement.

Recognizing moments of joy, whether exuberant and shared or solitary and personal, is where fulfilment lies. Step out of the tractor after a productive day and take a moment to breathe in the smell of the soil and acknowledge the beauty of the farmscape, or appreciate a long row of contented cows enjoying their feed before leaving the barn.

Being cognizant of these moments and seeking more of them will generate more fulfilment than buying the land or building the barn.

Some people naturally take this approach. For others, it might not come as easily. The key is that there’s only one person who can build a life of fulfilment – you.

There are endless articles and advice available on how to achieve fulfilment in personal and professional lives, and they share some common elements. The following 7 Steps to Self-Fulfilment is from Brian Tracy, a motivational speaker and author.

42

O N T A R I O B E E F • OCT OBE R/NOV E M BE R 2 0 2 3

1. Surround yourself with positivity - your happiness and attitude can be greatly affected by your environment and the people around you.

2. Visualize success - give yourself goals to reach in your personal and professional life. Visualize what it will take to be successful and implement a step-by-step plan.

3. Celebrate your accomplishments - Give yourself recognition and a reward for a job well done.

4. Take charge of your happiness - don’t blame others for your lack of happiness. Take the matter into your own hands and find ways to be fulfilled. You are completely responsible for your own happiness and fulfilment.

5. Help others - share some of your resources with others. It can be time, money, skills or something else. You will help someone else and add to your happiness.

6. Take care of yourself - try to lead an active and healthy lifestyle.

Rest when you need it and don’t overlook your own needs.

7. Find the good - look for the situations and people in your life that are positive and focus on these. OB

TRACING BACK A

QUARTER

OF LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION

CENTURY

For Industry

BY INDUSTRY

A lot has changed since the CCIA was founded 25 years ago, from our corporate logo to our new offices and National Distribution Centre in Calgary.

But one thing hasn’t – our commitment to

delivering a world-class traceability and ID program that Canada’s livestock industry can be proud of.

To learn more about our history and our role as a Responsible Administrator, visit canadaid.ca