Beef Business May 2011

Beef Business Beef Business ‘

Saskatchewan’s largest circulated cattle industry magazine Saskatchewan`s Premiere Beef Publication September 2010cattle industry magazine Saskatchewan’s largest circulated ‘

May 2011 May 2010

In This Issue: Evaluating Land Values - An interview with Bob Lane Pg. 28 - Report on Lease Land Sales Pg. 31 Controlling STDs Pg. 33

A Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association Publication Publication Mail Agreement #40011906

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Contents

Beef Business

Cover photo courtesy of

A Proud Saskatchewan Tradition Since 1913

A Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) Publication

Industry News 6

XL Announces Closure of Calgary and Nampa, Idaho Plants

6

Canadian Medical Journal Attacks Food Safety System

12

Canadian Meat Consumption Down - Is it the Recession, the Weather, or Both?

14

Viterra Betting on Higher Grain Prices

14

Meat Trade News Butts Heads with RC Church

15

SSGA President Takes on PETA

16

Herefords Top Australia’s Mountain Calf Sales

Markets and Trade 21

Canada and EU Reach Hormone Deal

22

South Korea Ready to Cut a Deal

24

Saskatchewan Cattle Market First Quarter

25

Saskatchewan Live Cattle Trade

25

Saskatchewan Fat Cattle Trade

25

Saskatchewan Non-Fed Prices

26

Regina Retail Meat Price Survey

28

Saskatchewan Ranch Land Sales - Are the Prices Right?

31

The Crown Land Sale Program

32

Farmland Facts

Science and Production 33

Avoiding STDs

34

Reminder on Prompt Payment

35

Where’s the Beef? Active Missing Livestock Files

Association News and Reports 36

A Report from the SSGA President

38

A Report from the SSGA General Manager

Stewardship 40

SK PCAP Saskatchewan - A Vital Part of the International Piping Plover Census

42

Calendar of Events

43

Advertiser Index

Did you know that the SSGA is Saskatchewan's oldest agricultural association? cycle This M a

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Editor: Jim Warren Tel: 306-569-9389 email: jwarrenconsulting@gmail.com Advertising Sales - Tracy Cornea Tel: 306-693-9329 Fax: 306-692-4961 email: tracy.cornea@gmail.com Subscriptions - Wilma Switzer Box 4752, Evraz Place, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 Tel: 306-757-8523 Fax: 306-569-8799 email: ssga.admin@sasktel.net Subscription Rate: 1 yr $26.50 (GST included) Published 6 times per year

Feature

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General Manager: Chad MacPherson Administrative Assistant: Wilma Switzer Box 4752, Evraz Place, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 Tel: 306-757-8523 Fax: 306-569-8799 email: ssga@sasktel.net OR ssga.admin@sasktel.net Website: www.skstockgrowers.com

Design and Layout - Jackson Designs Candace Schwartz Tel: 306-772-0376 email: cjacksondesigns@gmail.com Prairie Conservation Action Plan (PCAP) Manager: Michelle Clark Box 4752, Evraz Place, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 Tel: 306-352-0472 Fax: 306-569-8799 email: pcap@sasktel.net SSGA reserves the right to refuse advertising and to edit manuscripts. Contents of Beef Business may be reproduced with written premission obtained from the SSGA Editor or Manager and proper credit given to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association. Articles submitted may not be the opinion of the Association.

SSGA assumes no responsibility for any actions or decisions taken by any reader from this publication based on any and all information provided.

Publications Mail Agreement #40011906 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses (covers only) to: Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association Box 4752, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4

Contributors Calvin Knoss Chad MacPherson Leanne Thompson

Jim Warren Cam Wilk

This magazine is printed on paper that is comprised of 50% recycled paper and 25% post-consumer waste.

It is acid-free, elemental chlorine-free and is FSC certified

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 5

Industry News XL Announces Closure of Calgary and Nampa, Idaho Plants On April 8, XL Foods announced the closure of its slaughter and processing facilities in Calgary as of May 2011 and the closure of its Nampa, Idaho plant, effective this coming June. The company will continue operations at its plants in Brooks, Alberta and Omaha, Nebraska.

Company CEO, Brian Nilsson, attributed the closures to the “significant decrease in the size of the Canadian and US cow herds,” which has affected the supply of non-fed slaughter cattle. Media reports estimate that approximately 500 workers will be affected by the Calgary closure.

Over the past several months, industry observers including Anne Dunford, have reported that western Canada’s major packing plants – the XL plant at Brooks and the Cargill plant at High River, were operating at less than full capacity. Capacity at these plants had been expanded in the wake of BSE. But following the reopening of the US border to Canadian slaughter cattle in 2006 and the subsequent decline in the size of the Canadian cattle herd, beef supplies have tightened up.

Dunford recently reported that the major plants were down to four days of processing some weeks.

Brian Nilsson has stated that if supply conditions improve by fall, the Calgary plant could reopen. Nilsson made a similar prediction in April of 2009 when XL closed its Moose Jaw, SK plant. Initially, XL attributed the Moose Jaw closure to supply issues. By the fall of 2009, the company’s failure to negotiate a new collective agreement with its unionized workers complicated reopening plans. XL locked its employees out in fall 2009 and the plant has not been operating since then.

The same union that represented the Moose Jaw employees, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), represents the employees at XL’s Brooks

6

plant. Union officials have indicated they are not satisfied with the state of contract talks with XL and have advised the membership at Brooks to prepare for a strike.

Concentration in packing plant ownership has been mirrored by concentration of union representation of packing plant workers. UFCW also represents workers at Cargill’s High River, Alberta plant. Employees at the Brooks local staged a strike the year prior to Nilsson’s purchasing the plant from Tyson Foods.

It is difficult to imagine the Alberta government allowing a strike of any significant duration to occur at either of the west’s two high-throughput plants.

The safe money is betting that in the event of a strike lasting more than week, the government would legislate the union back to work and impose an arbitrated settlement on the parties. Were that to be the case, it is unlikely that the Brooks workers and XL would wind up with a contract that differed in any substantial way from the collective agreement in

place at High River. The Brooks plant recently received $1.6 million in federal funding to upgrade its trim sorting and ground beef lines.

Despite apparent supply issues, rumours continue to circulate about potential new investors looking to acquire packing plant capacity in Saskatchewan. The announcement of a new quota for Canadian organic beef into Europe, may offer the sort of specialized market niche that would allow new processors to capitalize on the challenges the larger plants would face in segregating hormone-free beef from the regular kill.

(See the EU story in the Markets and Trade section of this issue.)

The Nilsson brothers got into the packing business in the 1990s when they bought a plant in Edmonton that burned down in 2004. In 2000 they purchased the Moose Jaw plant from the Saskatchewan government. They purchased their US plants at Omaha and Nampa from Swift’s in 2006, and in 2009 they bought the Brooks plant from Tyson Foods. B

Canadian Medical Journal Attacks Food Safety System “Eat at your own risk” is the title of an editorial appearing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that was showcased to the press in April. The editorial argues that Canada’s food safety system has major failings when it comes to tracking food borne illnesses.

According to the journal’s editor, Dr. Paul Hebert, it was no accident that the editorial appeared during the federal election campaign.

All five federal parties have promised to improve food safety following the May 2 election.

The journal editorial cites a recent study conducted at the University of

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

Saskatchewan which gave Canada a mediocre rating on food safety performance when compared to 16 other countries.

According to an article appearing in the Globe and Mail April 13th the journal article complements the calls of food safety advocates calling for a more robust food-safety system that focuses on increased traceability as crucial to managing outbreaks and reducing the resulting economic fallout.

Prior to the election the Conservative government had pledged to spend $100 million over the next five years to improve food inspection in Canada. B

MAY 2011

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www.skstockgrowers.com | ŠBEEF BUSINESS | 7

Let the

Good Times ROLL!

Join us June 5-7, 2011 in Swift Current for the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association 98th Convention and Annual General Meeting. After years of poor prices and general negativity in the beef industry, producers are finally being treated to better times. This year’s convention will focus on the bright spots in the industry and how producers can capitalize on these opportunities.

The SSGA invites all those involved in the beef industry to come and learn, share and enjoy the entertainment at the 98th Convention and Annual General Meeting!

Agenda Sunday, June 5, 2011 – Swift Current Trap Club 5:00pm Skeet Shoot Challenge 6:30pm President’s Reception

Monday, June 6, 2011 – Living Sky Casino Moderator - Kevin Hursh 7:30am Registration, Breakfast & Tradeshow 8:30am Greetings and Welcome Calvin Knoss, SSGA President

Welcome from the City of Swift Current

Address from Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud 9:00am Optimism in the Saskatchewan Beef Industry?

Dr Andrew Schmitz - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainsville, FL 9:40am Networking Break 10:00am Investing while Minimizing Risk John Kramer - President, The Development Corporation of Fort Dodge and Webster County 10:45am Ecological Services - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Peggy Strankman – Manager, Environmental Sustainability, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association 11:15am NCBA/GIPSA Update Bill Donald - President, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

12:00pm Lunch & Tradeshow 1:00pm Market Outlook Grant Zalinko - Cattle Analyst, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture 1:30pm Genomics - How the Complicated world of DNA

can Simplify the Business of Beef Sean McGrath - Creo Episteme Ltd. 2:15pm Animal Health Issues Dr. Greg Douglas - Chief Veterinary Officer, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture 2:45pm Networking Break & Tradeshow 3:15pm CCA Update Travis Toews – President, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association 4:00pm Surface Rights Panel Discussion • Brian Weedon – Land Owner • Duane Smith – Chairman, Surface Rights Board • Donny Duncan - Millennium Land Ltd. 4: 45pm Closing remarks 6:00pm Cocktails 7:00pm Banquet and Entertainment:

Scholarships

Awards (TESA’s, Life time, Presidents)

Auction (Silent & Regular Auction)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - Living Sky Casino 7:30am Registration, Breakfast and Trade Show 8:00am Working Breakfast

Call to Order, Welcome and Introductions

Approval of the Agenda

Minutes from the 2010 Annual General Meeting

President’s Report

Call for Nominations

Call for Resolutions 10:00am Networking Break & Tradeshow 10:30am Financial Report

Zone Chair Ratifications

Final Call for Resolutions 11:30am Lunch 12:30pm BCRC Update Reynold Bergen, Science Director, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association 1:30pm Voting Procedures/Results & Resolutions

Industry Updates

Other Business 2:45pm Networking Break 3:00pm Final call for nominations and Elections

Closing remarks

Adjournment

98th Convention & Annual General Meeting AccommodAtion:

Registration fees do not include accommodation. A block of rooms is reserved until May 21, 2011 at the Holiday Inn Express at the rate of $119.99+tax per night. When booking your room, indicate you are with the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association.

To reserve a room call the Holiday Inn Express at: 1-888-660-8550 or (306) 773-8288.

98th Convention and Annual General Meeting June 5-7, 2011, Living Sky Casino, Swift Current, SK

Living Sky Casino, Swift Current, SK

PersonAl InforMAtIon

egistRation FoR

June 5 - 7, 2011

Name:

Organization/Ranch Name:

Thank You To Our Sponsors As of April 15, 2011

Mailing Address: City:

Province:

Phone:

Postal Code: Fax:

Email:

Platinum

Canadian Cattlemen, FBC Publishing; Credit Unions of South West Saskatchewan; JayDee Agtech; Western Producer

Gold

Affinity Credit Union; Farm Credit Canada Intervet Schering Plough Animal Health; TD Canada Trust

Silver

Saskatchewan Watershed Authority

Bronze

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency; Canadian Hereford Association; Ducks Unlimited Canada; Heartland Livestock Services; Lane Realty; Saskatchewan Crop Insurance; Saskatoon Processing; SaskTel; The Hartford; Viterra; WellTraxx

Trade Show

Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada); Bono Holdings; Canadian Cattle Identification Agency; Canadian Cattlemen, FBC Publishing; Canadian/Saskatchewan Angus Associations; Credit Unions of South West Saskatchewan; Cypress Motors; Elanco Animal Health; Foothills Livestock Co-op; Integrated Technology Systems; JayDee Agtech; Lane Realty; Paysen Livestock Equipment; Remedy Animal Health; Robertson Implements; Scotia Bank; Stark & Marsh; Western Beef Development Centre; West Central Pelleting; Westway Feed Products

reGIstrAtIon (please add 5% GST) Early-Bird

Regular

(on or before May 25) (after May 25) Full Conference* $185.00 $210.00 + $160.00 $185.00 Spousal Full Conference* Single One Day $110.00 $135.00 + Spousal One Day $85.00 $110.00 Reception Only (Sunday) $25.00 $25.00 Banquet Only (Monday) $35.00 $40.00

For ‘One Day’ registration please indicate the day attending:

 Monday June 6th  Tuesday June 7th Please indicate if you plan to attend the Sunday night Reception:

 Yes  No Skeet Shoot Challenge, June 5th at 5:00pm at the Swift Current Trap Club.

Please indicate the number of participants: ___________ Skeet Shoot Entry Fee - $25.00 per person. *Full Conference includes all sessions, breakfasts, lunches, Sunday night Reception and Monday night Banquet. + Please indicate the name which should appear on the second name tag:

PAyMent

Total Registration Fees Enclosed: Payment must accompany registration. Registration form must be received on or before May 25, 2011 to qualify for early-bird rates. Cancellations received prior to May 25 will be refunded less a $50 administration fee. Cancellations received on May 25 or later will not be refunded. Make cheques payable to “Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association” and send to PO Box 4752, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4.

Registrations with credit card payment may be faxed to (306) 569-8799 or call (306) 757-8523.

Method of Payment (check one):

❑ Cheque (enclosed) ❑ Visa

❑ Mastercard

Card Holder Name:

p: 306.757.8523 e: ssga@sasktel.net w: www.skstockgrowers.com *Agenda Subject to Change Without Notice.

Signature:

Card Number: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Expiry Date: __ __ / __ __

Check out our 2011 SSGA

10

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

MAY 2011

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MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 11

Industry News Canadian Meat Consumption Down Is it the Recession, the Weather, or Both?

Two years of recession have been mirrored by two years of modestly declining meat consumption according to Statistics Canada figures released on March 31.

The Stats Can numbers indicate that total meat consumption for 2010 was down by 2.7% from 2009, and that consumption in 2009 was down from 2008. As of the close of 2010, annual meat consumption in Canada stood at 72.2 kg per person.

According to CanFax’s Brenna Grant this is only 2% higher than the record low of 73.7 kg set in 1991.

producers have lost some market share to the poultry people.

Today’s Canadian per capita meat consumption is tied with the figure set in 1997. But as Brenna Grant points out in her April 8 analysis, beef accounted for 23.0 kg of the total in 1997, whereas today it stands at 20.2 kg. Pork consumption is down too, so it looks like red meat

Another point that’s probably worth considering is the absence of pleasant spring weather over the past two years in Canada – and what is shaping up to be a crappy spring for 2011. We’ve had no grilling season to speak of across wide swaths of North America for the past few

Grant reasonably attributes the decline to the usual suspects – somewhat higher interest rates, consumer uncertainty given the recession and more careful spending.

She notes that beef consumption has fallen by 1% to 27.5 kg per capita since 2009. If that’s indeed the case things are bound to get worse with higher gas prices and a continued climb in the cost of housing as we head into mid-year 2011.

years. The annual barbeque season is the high point of the beef marketing year in North America, missing the first half of it could be responsible for some of the decline in consumption. It’s sort of like the turkey people missing Thanksgiving.

When your editor moved to the city in 2004, the streets were filled with the aroma of barbequing beef on most any spring and summer evening when the weather was sunny and warm. Not so the last couple of years. And it seems that if the season starts off badly it doesn’t pick up all that much later in the summer when the weather improves.

Carol Todd, a greenhouse specialist from Kendal, Saskatchewan, recently told Beef Business that if there is too late a spring, the bedding plant business falls flat, and doesn’t pick up even if conditions improve in June. “If the season is out of whack, and those weekends when people traditionally put in the garden have passed, they seem to put the whole idea out of their minds until next year.”

Perhaps it’s the same sort of thing with grilling. If dad hasn’t hauled out the barbeque by Father’s Day, it might not get put out at all.

In a recent video commentary, industry analyst Anne Dunford noted that the traditional annual high point for fed cattle sales appears to be shifting from March into April. Not wanting to draw too long a bow here, but perhaps this too is a weather related phenomena. It’s true that last year the price peak for fed cattle occurred in April at $90.80/cwt. before falling to $86.24 in July only to be eclipsed by averages of $93.81 in November and $95.61 in December.

The proof probably lies in looking at comparative sales volumes over the past several years. We’ll try to do that sort of B analysis for our next edition.

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MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 13

Industry News Viterra Betting on Higher Grain Prices

Meat Trade News Butts Heads with RC Church

By early April this year, May wheat futures on the Chicago exchange had dropped by 18% since March. Canola futures on the ICE had dropped 9% over the same period. But according to Viterra CEO, Mayo Schmidt, those lower values are not sustainable. Schmidt has been backing his prediction up with cash in futures market.

In what was probably one of those regrettable, too quick on the send button when drunk incidents, the editors at Meat Trade Daily News went over the top when they attacked Catholic clergy for encouraging their flocks to give up eating beef for Lent. An article appearing in the April 3 edition of the e-letter, provides a variety of reasonable options for celebrating Lent other than giving up beef, such as cutting back on extravagant luxury and packaged foods. Nothing much to ruffle the cassock there. It’s the introduction to the piece that was troubling. It stated in bold type that, “The Catholic Church would be better off cleaning up their own act and [quit] rogering children than attacking the beef industry.”

On April 2, Schmidt told attendees at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit in Chicago that the lower price levels should be signaling farmers to adjust their cropping intentions by paying attention to those commodities that are in tight supply.

A report in www.albertafarmexpress.ca explained that commodities investors may have been spooked by the Japan earthquake and Middle East unrest. Less timid investors, like Schmidt, are betting that the ultimate outcome of these international disturbances will be higher food prices. B

Apparently that old axiom, “You get more flies with honey than you do with a baseball bat,” hasn’t fully penetrated the thinking at the editorial offices of the publication. B

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       14

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  MAY 2011

Industry News SSGA President Takes on PETA This past March, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) announced another installment in its series of billboard campaigns intended to confuse consumers and attack the livestock industry. This round of the misinformation campaign would liken feeding kids meat to child abuse.

Previous efforts to slam the inclusion of meat in people’s diets relied on bogus message such as “Jesus was a vegetarian.”

PETA’s billboard campaigns take a page from the playbook of that famous vegetarian Adolph Hitler and his PR man Joseph Goebbels who asserted that the most believable lies are the big lies.

PETA stated it planned to place its billboards in Regina.

In early April, Saskatchewan Stock Growers President, Calvin Knoss responded to the proposed anti-beef billboard campaign by drafting a letter to the editor which was sent to major news outlets, such as the Western Producer and Saskatchewan’s daily newspapers.

is also lean. Eight beef cuts as well as lean and extra lean ground beef, qualify for the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s HealthCheck™ program. A balanced diet is also important. Many Canadians are not eating the recommended servings from each of the four food groups in the Food Guide and are getting 22 per cent of their total calories a day from foods low in nutritional value, like fats and oils, condiments, candy, chips and beverages.

Saskatchewan’s cattle producers are proud to produce a high quality food source for Canadian families. Consumers should feel confident about choosing delicious, nutritious Canadian beef as part of a balanced diet. B

Calvin Knoss President Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association

Sincerely, Calvin Knoss President Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association

Knoss’s letter provides factual sciencebased support for the inclusion of beef in a healthy diet. We have reprinted the full text of his letter below: Dear Editor: I am writing in response to PETA’s plans to run billboard advertising in Regina. This is an opportunity to remind consumers that Canadian beef is recognized by Canada’s Food Guide and is full of nutrients, 14 nutrients that Canadians need every day, including zinc for healthy growth, iron for oxygen and protein to build and repair the body. Many Canadians, especially women and children, are at risk for iron and zinc deficiencies. Beef provides the most readily available and easily absorbed source of iron. The nutrients in lean beef help you maintain a healthy weight, build muscle and fuel physical activity - all of which play an important role in a healthy lifestyle. Canadian beef MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 15

Industry News Herefords Top Australia’s Mountain Calf Sales

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The fall calf run is underway in Australia and Herefords have been commanding the highest average prices at major marketing events like Victoria’s 71st Annual Mountain Calf Sales held in the communities of Benambra, Ensay and Omeo. Hereford steer calves averaged $859 at the three sales with Angus calves averaging $805.

According t o Meat Trade Daily News, a quarter of the calves sold at the Mountain Calf Sales were purchased by feeders in the region, including JBS Swift. The JBS Swift operation is focused on EU compliance and new opportunities in Europe for grain fed cattle. B

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Simply Safeguarding Your Lifestyle®

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Research Summer Field Day At the Termuende Research Ranch near Lanigan, SK June 21st Special Focus will be on

Weather Issues Preparing for the Possibilities Registration is free and includes tours, presentations, a tradeshow, and a beef-on-a-bun lunch Steak Supper wrap up - $10 Check our website for a full agenda and directions to the ranch www.wbdc.sk.ca 16

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

MAY 2011

Spring 2011

Reporting to producers on beef marketing

Nutrition Month Gets Beefed Up March is Nutrition Month and Beef Information Centre (BIC) and Dietitians of Canada (DC) have collaborated with some impressive results.

sale. BIC’s Make It Beef (MIB) Club will promote the recipes and cookbook to 20,000 members electronically in its March Nutrition Month issue.

The beefinfo.org website and community pages (Facebook, Twitter, the Beef Blog and YouTube) will all promote nutrition month and the related Cook! booklet and contest via social media. An online contest is featured in the booklet to promote MIB Club membership; prizes include an iPod Touch and the DC cookbook. The booklets will also include QR codes (Quick Response bar codes that are scannable by a smart phone or blackberry) which will link consumers immediately to the recipe videos.

DC’s cookbook, Cook! Celebrate food... from field to table, is meant to help Canadians cook meals at home, with a focus on healthy Canadian foods and was released in March 2011 in conjunction with DC’s national Nutrition Month. BIC’s partnership on this project not only links beef to good nutrition, but BIC also provided input into DC’s messages about red meat, including wording around saturated fats.

“This was a great opportunity for BIC to collaborate with Cook! with Canadian beef The partnership between recipe booklet Dietitians of Canada and BIC and Compass Group ensure our research and Canada, Canada’s leading knowledge about beef as part foodservice company, which provides catering of a nutritious diet was shared and heard by and cafeteria services in schools, universities, consumers,” says Judy Nelson, BIC chair and businesses and healthcare facilities, is another cow-calf producer from Lundbreck, Alta. success. Compass will serve beef recipes from the Cook! booklet in its 400 cafeterias nationally BIC is promoting Nutrition Month and DC’s new during their beef promotion week. They will cookbook with its bilingual recipe booklet Cook! show BIC’s Cook! videos, distribute the Cook! with Canadian Beef. It includes the four beef booklets and hand out invitations to join the MIB recipes from the cookbook, strengthening the connection between Canadian beef and healthy Club. More than 80,000 beef booklets and other BIC consumer materials will be handed out to eating. A video cooking lesson of each recipe cafeteria patrons during the month. was developed along with key beef nutrition messages.

Campaigns like this are the result of BIC’s strong industry partnerships. Promoting beef as a Over one million copies of the Cook! recipe healthy part of a nutritious diet and reminding booklet will be inserted in subscriber issues people where to find complete information of Canadian Living (Ontario and Alberta) and about choosing, preparing and cooking beef are Reader’s Digest magazine (nationally). Costco stores across Canada will distribute 200,000 Cook! all ways in which BIC strives to meet its goals for producers. booklets and will have the DC cookbook for

This issue: Nutrition Month Gets Beefed Up February a Big Month for Canadian beef Sobeys West launches two new Canadian beef programs

BIC Committee: Chair Judy Nelson, Lundbreck, AB Vice-Chair Brent Griffin, Elbow, SK Past Chair John Gillespie, Ayr, ON Committee Lynn Willis, Princeton, BC John Bland, Strathmore, AB Mark Francis, Taber, AB Pat Rutledge, Monitor, AB Cathy Sharp, Lacombe, AB Rose Wymenga, Leslieville, AB Heather S. Beierbach, Maple Creek, SK Trevor Atchison, Pipestone, MB Matt Bowman, Thornloe, ON Tim Fugard, Petrolia, ON Jennifer MacDonald, St. Mary’s, NB

Contact: #310, 6715 - 8 Street NE Calgary, AB T2E 7H7 Tel: (403) 275-5890 Fax: (403) 275-9288 2000 Argentia Road, Plaza 4, Suite 101, Mississauga, ON L5N 1W1 Tel: (905) 821-4900 Fax: (905) 821-4915

www.beefinfo.org

Reporting to producers on beef marketing

February a Big Month for Canadian Beef The Beef Information Centre (BIC) has had a busy month, participating in conventions and conferences across the United States as well as presenting at a seminar in Vancouver – all to promote the Canadian Beef Advantage to prospective customers.

National Grocer’s Association Annual Convention February 13 – 15, 2011 Las Vegas, Nevada

American Meat Institute (AMI) Annual Conference February 20 – 22, 2011 Dallas, Texas AMI’s Annual conference is a premier industry event attended by decision makers and senior management in the United States meat trade. BIC has participated for the past eight years; this conference continues to provide a strong networking opportunity for discussions around Canadian beef with many retailers and distributors.

AMI’s well known industry tasting reception provided an opportunity for BIC to showcase a successful Canadian beef brand by highlighting the partnership with Colorado Boxed Beef (CBBC) and their 100% Canadian beef brand “High River Angus”.

Trade show display in Las Vegas, Nevada

The National Grocer’s Association (NGA) Show is the largest gathering of independent grocery retailers in the United States. With over 2000 retailers in attendance, this show offered BIC a terrific opportunity to meet with potential purchasers of Canadian beef. These retailers are looking for ways to differentiate their meat case offerings and they are the right size to work with the Canadian packing industry.

In addition to hosting a booth, BIC delivered a well-attended presentation entitled “Leveraging Your Meat Case to Maximize Your Image” which provided a review of Canada’s safety and quality systems, and highlighted the success Stauffer’s of Kissel Hill, an independent retailer with six stores in the North Eastern United States, has experienced with Canadian beef.

2

John Gerlach, Stauffer’s meat buyer, and BIC worked together extensively with a Canadian packer to establish an extremely successful beef program.

BIC continues to Mr. Gerlach’s enthusiastic aggressively engage participation at both the presentation and at BIC’s the value chain at booth generated a great every opportunity deal of interest among potential clients. “This is an excellent show for us,” says Judy Nelson, BIC committee chair and cow-calf producer from Lundbreck, AB. “Our participation at NGA created the opportunity for BIC to secure further meetings with six retailers interested in pursuing Canadian beef programs for their operations.”

A number of key client meetings were secured as a direct result of BIC’s participation. BIC has participated as a member, educator and an exhibitor at this event for many years.

The audience is aligned with BIC’s strategy and this event provides an excellent opportunity to expose a wide and influential audience to the Canadian Beef Advantage (CBA).

Meat Case at the AMI in Dallas

“BIC continues to aggressively engage the value chain at every opportunity to ensure that the CBA messaging, including quality and consistency, is clearly communicated,” says Nelson.

“In addition, assisting our distributor partners like Colorado Boxed Beef to connect with new clients helps build the volume of Canadian beef sales and demonstrates our industry’s commitment to working with our partner’s to grow their business.”

American Culinary Federation (ACF) South Eastern Regional Conference Atlanta, Georgia Feb 18th – 21st This is one of four regional events held each year by the ACF. BIC participated at this conference as a way to introduce the newly launched 100% Canadian beef brand “High River Angus” program to a foodservice audience in one of the key markets serviced by the distributor, Colorado Boxed Beef (CBBC). continued…

www.bic.cattle.ca Attended by the region’s Chefs and Chef Educators as well as local distributors, this conference provides the opportunity to meet, educate and engage with Chefs from ACF local chapters and deliver the message about the CANADIAN BEEF ADVANTAGE to a broader audience.

It also allows BIC to book further educational seminars with local chapters, three of which were booked for later in the spring. BIC delivered a presentation “Canadian Beef – A Culinary Secret from North of the Border” on Canada’s safety and quality systems from a

www.canadianbeef.info Centre of the Plate Training (COP) February 23 - 25 The Beef Information Centre (BIC) helped companies increase their profitability through improved meat utilization by partnering with the North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) at “Centre of the Plate Training Plus” this week.

Held for the first time in Vancouver B.C at Vancouver Community College, the Centre of the Plate program is designed to give buyers and sellers a better understanding of nomenclature and create a common understanding of meat cuts within industry. The course covered the major center of the plate protein items: beef, veal, lamb and pork. Now in its fourth year in Canada and with BIC’s input and recommendations, the beef portion has been greatly expanded.

Course presentations were made by BIC trade staff and by Steve Olson, meat marketing specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service.

BIC’s Marty Carpenter in Atlanta, Georgia

foodservice perspective, focusing on the high degree of food safety, quality and consistency inherent in Canadian beef.

The presentation also highlighted some unique merchandizing applications designed to meet the needs of the changing guest demographic.

“By actively engaging with these key audiences, BIC is building a strong foundation for future trade opportunities within the important foodservice sector,” says Nelson. “Assisting our distributor partner (CBBC) to connect with new clients also helps build Canadian beef sales volumes.”

www.beefinfo.org

Canadian “branded” beef

included breaking down a whole carcass.

Understanding the economics and financial implications when using various NAMP specifications was covered, and a purchasing analysis was developed for portioned steaks and cut whole muscles.

“This was a great opportunity to speak to this influential group about the Canadian Beef Advantage and ways to maximize value for beef,” said Rob Giguere, BIC’s senior director domestic trade marketing.

“Our partnership with NAMP is very beneficial for the Canadian beef industry and they recognize the value we bring to their organization.”

“The participants in the course benefited greatly from the increased involvement and information provided by the Beef Information Centre,” said Ann Wells, In addition to the course materials, NAMP’s director of scientific and attendees were given a regulatory copy of the newly revised The future is full of affairs. “The information opportunity and we are NAMP Buyer’s Guide. The Guide is the “industry bible” received looking forward to what for technical information complemented our partnership with BIC on purchasing beef and the material will build in the coming is the standard for all taught by industry purchasers. BIC Steve Olson, years played a key role in driving and showed information about the participants Canadian beef industry included in this real-world examples of profitability in the reference manual. beef industry.”

The 35 participants in the course heard presentations about the Canadian Beef Advantage and received an in-depth look at the Canadian beef industry. As well, they learned about heavy beef muscles with a demonstration that

“The future is full of opportunity and we are looking forward to what our partnership with BIC will build in the coming years,” Phil Kimball, Executive Director, NAMP.

3

www.bic.cattle.ca

www.canadianbeef.info

www.beefinfo.org

Sobeys West Launches Two New Canadian Beef Programs Sobeys West is a major grocery retailer with over one billion dollars in sales across 105 stores in Western Canada. Recognizing the importance of Canadian beef to their customers, they have recently launched two exciting new beef programs.

Sterling Silver® Source Grinds Source grinds are a huge opportunity for retailers and add value to the carcass through premium pricing. Sobeys West, working with the Beef Information Centre (BIC), has taken this one step further by introducing a product line of premium grinds sourced from Sterling Silver® beef. Ground chuck, ground sirloin and ground round carry a label that merchandises the product as “Great steak-house quality”. The colourful “hinged” labels feature the Canadian beef brand mark, a colour photo of a serving suggestion along with the related recipe on the inside of the label.

Recipes and images are provided by BIC. The Sterling Silver® premium beef (sourced from Cargill’s Alberta plant for this program) is richly marbled, consisting of only the top 12% of beef produced.

As an added benefit, any unsold roast beef is merchandised into popular beef pot pies, freshly made in-store. A win-win for customers and the retailer.

BIC worked closely with Sobeys West to develop marketing and merchandising materials including the easy to use carry case for the take-out roast beef.

Sobeys ready-to-go roast beef

Ready-to-go Roast Beef at the Deli - finally

In an exciting move to provide more options for their customers, Sobeys West has launched a new Home Meal Replacement item in their deli - hot Roast Beef to go. The seasoned and “BIC worked with fully cooked Sobeys West to BIC worked with Sobeys 800 gram create this great roast beef West to create this great merchandising (chuck eye) merchandising program program,” says that serves a Judy Nelson, family of six is ready to take home for BIC chair and cow-calf producer from dinner and is just the thing to compete Lundbreck, Alta. “Sobeys recognizes with the ever-present rotisserie chicken the opportunity for source grinds when looking for dinner ideas at the deli. and added value for their customers by providing source grinds from a premium product. Working with BIC to create a label with a recipe and serving BIC Committee Elections suggestion makes this product all the During the Canadian Cattlemen’s more visually appealing and enticing.”

Association AGM in March, the BIC These premium source grinds launched at select Sobeys West locations in February 2011.

4

committee elected their chair and vice chair. Returning for another term will be Judy Nelson as committee chair and Brent Griffin as vice chair.

Congratulations Judy and Brent!

“The deli segment has long been dominated by rotisserie chicken, so providing roast beef as another choice for customers has been incredibly popular,” says Nelson. “Shoppers are starved for time and Sobeys West has created another option for dinner in the deli; roast beef or beef pot pie are both choices that customers love.”

BIC’s efforts to maximize demand for Canadian beef and optimize the value of Canadian beef products is funded by cattle producers through the National Beef Check-Off, which in turn makes it possible to access beef industry market development funds provided by the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.

Markets and Trade Canada and EU Reach Hormone Deal Canada’s long-standing dispute with the European Union (EU) over hormone supplemented beef was partially resolved on April 7 through a memorandum of understanding that will see greater access into Europe for some Canadian beef. In return, Canada will suspend its sanctions against the importation of European beef.

The dispute began in 1981, when the EU banned the use of hormone implants throughout Europe as well as on imported beef. Canada and the US lodged a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint against the EU, claiming that the ban was not consistent with good science or WTO agreements on health and sanitary standards. In 1999, the WTO ruled in favour of the North Americans, giving them the right to impose sanctions on imports of EU beef. The US tariff sanctions amounted to $116.8 million annually.

Canada was allowed to impose $11.3 million in duties. (These amounted to 100% tariffs.)

In 2009, the US achieved an understanding with the EU, similar in principle to the deal just negotiated by Canada.

The EU ban on hormone-treated beef, did not put an end to North American beef exports into Europe. The EU continued to allow some Canadian and US beef imports onto the continent, provided the exporters could demonstrate hormonefree status along with some minimum carcass size and quality criteria. But still, this did not mean North American organic producers could sell all the beef and bison they wanted into Europe, or that any of the hormone-free beef they sold into the EU would be duty-free.

The EU’s hormone-free seal of approval provides product with the label “high quality beef.” An exporting country has to gain EU approval for the regulatory system and agency that will monitor its exports to

Europe. That system has to guarantee that hormones have not been administered by the cow-calf producer or at the feedlot.

Furthermore, packers and distributors need to demonstrate that they can successfully keep hormone-free beef segregated from their regular product. EU inspectors are allowed to do spot checks at exporting plants as well as conduct laboratory tests on tissue samples.

Under a tariff formula known as the Hilton Quota (the quota was set at a Hilton hotel), the EU imposed tariffs of 176.8 Euros per 100 kg on imported hormonefree beef carcasses and 303.4 Euros per 100 kg on processed beef. Total beef imports were then capped at a Hilton quota limit of 20,000 tonnes annually.

Once that cap had been reached, no additional product would be allowed in. The memorandum of understanding between Canada and the EU provides for continued on pg. 22

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Markets and Trade EU Ranch Hormone Deal cont. from pg. 21 a staged elimination of those duties and a Canadian quota of 1,500 tonnes in 2011, rising to 3,200 tonnes by 2013. At the same time the overall EU import cap has been raised to 58,000 tonnes annually for all approved countries combined. Within that 58,000 tonne cap, 20,000 tonnes is set aside for the US, Canada and Australia. Our 3,200 tonne cap will fall within that 20,000 tonne quota.

Doing the math, Canada’s 2013 quota amounts to 3.25 million lbs. of beef, with a potential trade value of $3.5 million at today’s rail grade carcass prices.

Of course in the wake of BSE the quota issue became a moot point for Canadians since all our beef was blocked from entry into Europe. Interestingly, Canadian bison managed to slip under the BSE radar.

Canadian bison exports to Europe were never totally blocked but were taxed with Hilton tariffs.

Canadian trade officials refer to the memorandum of understanding as part of

a road map leading to further beef trade liberalization. Let’s hope so. The current deal will allow for duty-free Canadian imports up to a cap of 1,500 tonnes by August 2012. The following year, the cap will be raised to a total of 3,200 tonnes of duty-free Canadian beef. At that point, the Canadian sanctions on EU beef will be eliminated.

The new duty-free quota does not guarantee sales. Canadian exporters will have to compete for business with approved US, Australian, New Zealand and South American exporters. And, of course, Canadian producers will need to be willing and able to meet all the EU’s “high quality beef” criteria.

So, despite a WTO ruling that says the EU is wrong in blocking the importation of hormone-treated beef, the Europeans effectively get to continue their ban – under their new agreement with Canada. The Europeans are also freed from the defensive tariffs that the WTO told Canada it could legally impose. In

exchange, Canadian organic producers will be freed from duties up to the ceiling allowed under the memorandum of understanding.

Canada also has a WTO approved cap on beef imports. Currently, our offshore beef is supplied primarily by the US, Australia and Uruguay. It is difficult to imagine EU suppliers significantly displacing any of those current suppliers any time soon.

WTO dispute settlement frameworks allow for the imposition of fines or compensation to exporters harmed by unfair trade restrictions. Compensation for Canadian producers who might have been impacted by the Hilton Quota duties was not mentioned in the EU Commission’s public statements surrounding the announcement of the memorandum of understanding. But, according to Canadian industry observers, some form of compensation has been called for within the deal. B

South Korea Ready to Cut a Deal South Korean trade officials have indicated they are ready to settle that country’s beef trade dispute with Canada through bilateral negotiations as opposed to waiting for a decision from the WTO. South Korea shut its borders to Canadian beef over BSE in the summer of 2003.

Since then (in 2007) Canada has been granted controlled risk status for BSE by the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health), and most former importers have reopened their borders to Canadian beef.

South Korea remained a holdout despite the fact it reopened its borders to under thirty months of age (UTM) US beef nearly two years ago. The resumption of US

22

exports to Korea left a supply gap in the US, which Canadian beef helped backfill.

In April of 2009 Canada announced it would be taking South Korea before the WTO to get a resolution to the dispute.

Korea’s renewed interest in negotiations has been characterized as a face saving measure given the strength of the Canadian case. Shrinking domestic meat supply brought on by an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease is likely another factor contributing to the East Asian nation’s about face.

beef annually. Currently 58% of that total is supplied by Australia, with the US accounting for around 32%. To date, the South Koreans have killed off 1/3 of their hogs and 5% of their cow herd in their efforts to stem the spread of hoof and mouth.

Canadian export observers anticipate that the current round of negotiations will see the Koreans grant entry to UTM Canadian beef. B

South Korea is a major beef importer, purchasing around 261,159 tonnes of

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

MAY 2011

The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) has partnered with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture to employ four Producer Support Representatives (PSRs) who are stationed across the province of Saskatchewan. They travel throughout their respective regions to increase awareness of CCIA and help implement voluntary traceability initiatives such as premises identification, use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag readers, livestock movement, and value-added programs such as age verification. In addition, PSRs facilitate workshops and assist producers with uploading information into the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS).

Meet our people in the field BriAn AnderSon

Brian is based out of the Saskatoon office and covers the livestock auctions in the north central region. Brian spent many years in agriculture and farm management in Manitoba before joining the CCIA team. producer Support representative, team lead, Saskatoon Phone: 306-717-2151 | Fax: 306-974-1668 Email: banderson@canadaid.ca Auction markets in region: Heartland Livestock Services (Lloydminster and Prince Albert), Meadow Lake Stockyards Ltd., Saskatoon Livestock Sales Ltd., Spiritwood Stockyards Ltd. and Edwards Livestock Centre.

dee VAlStAr

Along with her husband and two daughters, Dee owns and operates a commercial cow/calf operation in Springside. She is a registered veterinary technologist with 15 years experience in mixed and large animal practice. producer Support representative, Yorkton Phone: 306-621-0508 | Fax: 1-877-427-4173 Email: dvalstar@canadaid.ca Auction markets in region: Heartland Livestock Services Yorkton, Kelvington Stockyards, Parkland Livestock Market (Kelliher and Leross), and Whitewood Livestock Sales.

niCK AnderSon

Nick holds a diploma in Animal Science and originally comes from the grain handling industry. Along with his wife and three young children, he helps his father run a cow/calf operation and grain farm near Abbey. producer Support representative, Swift Current Phone: 306-741-4409 | Fax: 1-877-381-0721 Email: nanderson@canadaid.ca Auction markets in region: Auction markets in region: Assiniboia Livestock Auction, Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. Ltd., Cowtown Livestock Exchange Inc., Heartland Livestock Services (Swift Current), and Shaunavon Livestock Sales Ltd.

KeVin SMith

Kevin currently operates a mixed farming business which includes pulse/cereal crops and forage, as well as a commercial cow/calf operation outside of Regina. He joined CCIA with more than 30 years of customer service experience and will be covering livestock auctions in the southeastern region of Saskatchewan. producer Support representative, regina Phone: 306-209-4307 | Fax: 306-781-3313 Email: ksmith@canadaid.ca Auction markets in region: Heartland Livestock Services (Regina and Moose Jaw), Johnstone Auction Mart Ltd., Weyburn Livestock Exchange, Candiac Auction Mart, and Alameda Auction Mart.

The CCIA Saskatchewan office is located at Room 111, 3830 Thatcher Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7R 1A5 Phone: 306-974-2083 | Fax: 306-974-1668

Markets and Trade Saskatchewan Cattle Market First Quarter Saskatchewan Live Steer Prices Year to Date Dec. 24

500-600

600-700

700-800

800-900

130

120

112

106

Jan. 07

150.25

130.33

122

113.5

106

Jan. 28

154.42

140.13

130.63

123.03

114.67

Feb. 04

159.38

146.13

130.63

123.07

114.67

Feb. 11

162.1

146.17

130.63

123.07

117.38

Feb. 18

162.92

150.83

133.78

126.33

111.25

Mar. 04

158.83

153.08

137.89

126.35

113.84

Mar. 11

159.9

153.79

138.83

127.61

119.19

Mar. 18

160.14

152.5

139.25

128.65

122.06

Mar. 25

155.5

149.29

139.5

127.65

118.29

Apr. 01

158.63

146.29

136.11

126.9

117.17

Apr. 08

155.33

146.5

137.17

130.67

122.4

SKSK live year date livesteer steer prices prices year toto date

$ per cwt

400-500

170 165 160 155 150 145 140 135 130 125 120 115 110 105 100

400-500 500-600 600-700 700-800 800-900

c.

De

24

n.

Ja

07 . 28 . 04 . 11 . 18 r. 04 r. 11 r. 18 r. 25 r. 01 r. 08 b eb b n a a a a Ja Ap Ap Fe Fe F M M M M

Year to Date Slaughter Cattle Prices Cows1,2

Cows D3

Bulls

Dec. 24

160

57.87

50.75

64.5

Jan. 07

162.3

57.75

50.83

63.5

Jan. 28

174

63.88

55.8

70

Feb. 04

178

63.92

55.83

74

Feb. 11

180.37

60.79

55

73.69

Feb. 18

178.18

69.29

58.56

76.76

Mar. 04

174.93

70.02

61.5

80.33

Mar. 11

182.55

73.29

61.79

80.83

Mar. 18

182.25

76.41

65.33

82.5

Mar. 25

185

74.88

65.06

81.81

Apr. 01

195.38

78.73

69.5

87.81

Apr. 08

190.38

79.79

67.83

87.69

24

| ŠBEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

Year to date slaughter prices

Year to date slaughter prices

$ per cwt

Strs rail

200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50

Strs rail Cows1,2 Cows D3 Bulls

c.

De

24

n.

Ja

07

n.

Ja

28

b.

Fe

04

b.

Fe

11 . 18 r. 04 r. 11 r. 18 r. 25 r. 01 r. 08 b a Ap a a a Ap Fe M M M M

MAY 2011

Markets and Trade Saskatchewan Live Cattle Trade Feb. 18 - April 8, 2011

Steers $/100 wt averaged 300-400

400-500

500-600

600-700

700-800

800-900

900+

Feb. 18

162.13

162.92

150.83

133.78

126.33

111.25

113.83

Mar. 04

158.33

158.83

153.08

137.89

126.35

113.84

110.69

Mar. 11

165

159.9

153.79

138.83

127.61

119.19

112.5

Mar. 18

163.63

160.14

152.5

139.25

128.65

122.06

110.75

Mar. 25

161.75

155.5

149.29

139.5

127.65

118.29

105.75

Apr. 01

162

158.63

146.29

136.11

126.9

117.17

108.75

Apr. 08 155.33 146.5

137.17

130.67

122.4

107.67

Heifers $/100 wt averaged 300-400

400-500

500-600

600-700

700-800

800+

Feb. 18

139

142.39

133.39

125.56

117.83

112.07

Mar. 04

144

140.5

135.86

124.63

117.38

109.94

Mar. 11

142.33

143.9

137.21

128.07

118.21

109.33

Mar. 18

140.13

140.93

134.75

126.38

118.33

111.17

Mar. 25

140.75

136.93

132.23

125.17

117.44

112.76

Apr. 01

139.38

138.42

133.17

125.15

116.38

109.69

Apr. 08 141.25 135.5 131.33

123.63

119.86

110.6

Saskatchewan Fat Cattle Trade Feb. 18 - April 8, 2011 $/100 wt averaged Steers-live

Feb. 18

Mar. 04

Mar. 11

Mar. 18

Mar. 25

Apr. 01

Apr. 08

105.55

104.08

108.95

107.88

110.04

115.56

113

Steers Rail

178.18

174.93

182.55

182.43

184.75

195.75

190.38

Heifers-Live

104.86

103.35

108.39

106.39

108.75

114.16

114.1

182.43

184.75

195.75

193.13

Heifers-Rail 178.68 104.88 182.43

Saskatchewan Non-Fed Slaughter Prices Feb. 18 - April 8, 2011 $/100 wt averaged Cows

Feb. 18

Mar. 04

D1-D2

69.29

D3

58.56

Rail Bulls Live

MAY 2011

Mar. 11

Mar. 18

Mar. 25

Apr. 01

Apr. 08

70.02

73.29

61.5

61.79

76.41

74.88

78.73

79.79

65.33

65.06

69.5

67.83

133

133.5

141.5

141.5

145.5

150.5

150.5

76.76

80.33

80.83

82.5

81.81

87.81

87.69

www.skstockgrowers.com | ŠBEEF BUSINESS | 25

Markets and Trade Regina Retail Meat Price Survey Feb. 22 – April 19, 2011 ($/lb.)

Cuts

Sobeys Feb

Safeway Apr

Feb

Apr

Extra Foods

WalMart

Feb

Feb

Apr

Apr

Ground-regular

*

$2.85

*

$3.39

$2.58

$2.71

$2.72

$2.67

Ground –lean

$3.22

$3.60

$3.22

$3.69

$2.94

$3.17

$2.95

$3.31

Roast-cross rib

$4.86

$5.14

*

*

$4.20

$3.99

$4.27

*

Roast-rib

$9.20

$9.99

$8.59

*

*

$7.65

$7.97

*

Roast-round

$4.26

$5.07

*

*

*

$4.63

$3.67

$4.17

Steak-tenderloin

$15.87

$18.39

*

$19.36

$15.55

$15.55

$13.97

*

Steak-rib eye

$11.33

$13.59

$13.89

*

*

$5.99

$10.17

$10.97

Streak-sirloin

$6.72

$6.44

$6.09

$7.49

$5.84

$5.99

$8.46

$8.46

Steak-T-bone

$9.75

$10.35

*

$11.49

$9.07

$9.07

*

*

Steak-round $4.77 * $4.89 $5.59 $4.53 $4.53 $4.29 * Indicates the product was not in the display case on the day of the survey.

$4.99

Heading into the 2011 grilling season retail meat prices for most product categories hit their highest point in the past 15 months. All retailers surveyed raised prices for all but a handful of product. Perhaps another sign of the imminent warmer weather of barbeque season was the absence of roasts on the shelves at two major retailers. With the exception of Extra Foods, the retailers raised prices for all steak cuts. B LOCATIONS

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26

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MAY 2011

TH E SASKATCH EWAN FE E D AN D FORAG E PROG RAM The Saskatchewan Feed and Forage Program (SFFP) provides you with options to help deal with excess moisture. The program features three components: Transportation Producers who moved livestock to feed or feed to livestock due to excess moisture conditions are eligible for financial assistance to help with transportation costs.

The deadline to apply for the transportation component is Sept. 30, 2011.

Reseeding Producers who reseeded perennial hay/ forage land and/or pastureland damaged due to excess moisture conditions are eligible to receive $30 per acre. The deadline to apply for the reseeding component is Sept. 30, 2011.

Feed Shortfall Assistance Producers who purchased feed because of a shortage in their 2010 forage production due to excess moisture are eligible to receive up to $30 per ton. The deadline to apply for the feed shortfall component was April 30, 2011.

For more information on the Saskatchewan Feed and Forage Program, call 1-877-874-5365 or visit www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca.

AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Feature Saskatchewan Ranch Land Sales – Are the Prices Right?

Insights from inside Saskatchewan’s farm and ranch real estate business Given the opportunity to purchase their leased grazing land, one of the questions producers have been asking themselves over the past couple of years has been “is the land worth buying at current market values?”

Our Feature section for this issue of Beef Business, ponders issues and trends in farm and ranch real estate sales that will hopefully shed a bit of light on what the land market has been doing.

An interview with Bob Lane Regina-based farm and ranchland realtor, Bob Lane , hung up his shingle in 1983. Since then Lane Realty has become the leading facilitator of farmland sales in the province. Beef Business interviewed Bob at his office in Regina on April 13 to get his read on what’s been happening with land values both historically and today.

And, as you’d expect, we’ve seen some shifts in land values since we’ve been in the business. I returned to Saskatchewan from working in Alberta in 1981, and at that time it seemed land prices had peaked and were on the way down through 1982 and 1983. Values in the area around Regina had hit $1,000 an acre prior to 1981. But then the market started to fall, and then seemed to level off for a while in 1983 and 1984 at about $850 an acre. Interest rates had started rising in 1982 and grain prices were in decline at the same time. With those conditions persisting, values started to drop again after 1984, falling to around $450 an acre by 1987, which was essentially the bottom of the market. Of course the late 1980s were dry as well, and yields and incomes were down. That’s what encouraged the big push to minimum till at that time.

Minimum tillage helped solve some of the drought issues, but of course commodity prices remained weak into the 1990s.

Beef Business (BB) – Tell us about Lane Realty, Bob. How long have you been selling farmland– and what sorts of changes have you seen since you began operating?

Bob Lane (BL) -- Lane Realty has been operating in Saskatchewan, specializing in farm and ranch property sales, since 1983. Our family has been in real estate since the 1970s and we’ve been farming in the province since 1900. One grandfather homesteaded in Humboldt and the other at Birch Hills. I was farming myself until 1994 and my dad just recently retired from farming at 82 years of age.

There were a number of realtors specializing in farmland sales in the early 1980s. The more active players included Elmer O’Byrne, a fine old gentleman from the Wilcox district; and there was Lyle Van Camp from the Melfort area. Those gentlemen have both retired since then.

28

So that’s when we built the business, through those tough years when interest rates were high and land values and commodity prices were low. Those were the years when people who had never missed a payment at the bank for years, found themselves unable to meet their

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

long-term loan payments. There were people who might have had thirty or thirty-five year loans with Farm Credit and never missed a payment for 17 years.

Overnight their payments doubled and they were out of business – so those were very difficult years.

Those issues didn’t produce a huge increase in land sales. There was, in effect, a moratorium on foreclosures imposed under which the banks rented the land back to the people who were in arrears for a six-year rental period. We were still doing arm’s length sales during that time but they didn’t involve the land tied up by the banks. The moratorium was brought in by the Conservatives and was virtually the same legislation that had been used during the Depression 50 years earlier.

And of course commodity prices remained weak during the 1990s while input costs increased. The banks were acting like fair weather friends – they’d lend you money when you didn’t need it but wouldn’t when you needed it. Farm Credit had been caught by the upswing in agriculture in the 1970s and found itself with a lot of troubled loans in its portfolio in the 1980s.

The banks, like the Royal, which had been heavily involved in farmland, essentially retreated from the agriculture sector. So, there was a period there in late 1980s and the 1990s when credit for purchasing farmland was tight. Farm Credit actually stepped up to the plate beginning in that period and has become a great lender in the agriculture industry. They’ve become a lot wiser about lending to clients who are capable of repaying them and have also become a great asset to many of our clients.

Farm Credit has its head office here and a number of regional offices around the province. They are involved in what’s happening in agriculture. The major chartered banks on the other hand, have their head offices in places like Toronto.

That’s where their decisions are made and they aren’t really in touch with what’s going on here in agriculture.

MAY 2011

Feature BB – So where are we at with farm and ranch land trading today? Are we starting to see more of it moving?

BL – One of the things that’s important to know about Saskatchewan farmland is that a lot of it is owned by our uncles and aunts, many of them aren’t farming themselves, and quite a few of them have retired outside the province. Many of them have immigrated to the United States. Many of the people who actively farm own only 30% -50% of the land they’re working and rent the balance from landlords who might live in our urban centres or in other parts of the country.

There are demographic issues that have a real impact on farmland marketing.

We still have people farming who are in their 80s – there are even some in their 90s. There are quite a few in their 70s.

They are remarkable people. And they’re not farming for the money – it’s for love of the lifestyle. A lot of their children are highly educated in technical skills or with university educations. They’re out running the oil patch in Alberta – or managing pipeline companies or other businesses throughout Canada.

During the prosperous period we saw in agriculture in the 1970s, their parents made money and were able to afford an education for their kids. So for that period, there wasn’t the same sort of transition of the younger generation to the farm that we’d seen traditionally. The parents kept farming, and many of them are still farming. For example, my dad only just sold his farm at Pense and he’s 82.

When he bought that farm 18 years ago, his neighbours kidded him that he was the young guy. So there has been a real change, in that we basically lost most of a generation from agriculture.

And with your readers being interested in the cattle business they’ll know that we’ve lost a lot of cattle and a number of producers over recent years. Things had been tough for several years in a row and there were older producers who just said they’d had enough. They’d retire and hold onto their equity.

MAY 2011

So our job, a job that we really enjoy doing, is bringing young farmers that we greatly need into Saskatchewan from other parts of Canada and even Europe. We get a lot of pleasure from helping people from other regions get set up in agriculture in Saskatchewan.

For example, I can think of Andrew and Jenny Broughton who purchased a farm in the Grayson area in 2004. Andrew had been managing a farm in the Midlands of England, but he could never hope to own a farm there or anywhere in Europe – period.

Over and over again you hear people in agriculture asking –“Who’s going to farm all this land when we retire?”

But the Broughtons had equity in their home in England which they sold. That enabled them to buy a seven quarter section farm here. Their currency was strong then against our dollar, running at about 2.4 to the dollar, so they were in good enough shape financially to buy the seeding equipment and a combine.

So he got to farm his own land and he’s rented other land as well. He has had an opportunity to farm here which he wouldn’t have had almost anywhere else in the world.

We have a great need for new people in farming in this country. Over and over again you hear people in agriculture asking –“Who’s going to farm all this land when we retire?”

Another point to consider is that the size of our farms is probably hitting the upward limit. Last year when so many acres didn’t get seeded, it became clear that some people had more land than they could handle. If we’ve hit the maximum farm size we can manage; especially in some areas where the seeding and harvest windows are so tight, the current producer population will be

hard pressed to take on more. We simply need more people here.

BB – Given that grain prices picked up in 2007 and 2008, one would assume you’d have noticed a corresponding improvement in land prices.

BL – Well yes things did improve with respect to the grain markets beginning in 2007. The grass side of our business improved somewhat earlier and has been steadier. We always say the strength of the company is in our agents. We’ve got some top quality experienced ranch people with us. We’ve got Morley Forsyth based in Swift Current. Morley formerly ranched in the Tompkins area. And we’ve got Kevin Jarrett, he and his father used to run the Ponderosa Ranch at Maidstone. Kevin has been with us for eight years. Also Murray Murdoch from Lucky Lake – he still has cattle. And we have Doug Jensen, who is a rancher from Claresholm, Alberta.

We’re probably a little more active on the grain side but we’ve always been strong on the ranch side. And our success in attracting ranch listings has a lot to do with the quality of the people we have working for us in that area.

So even though the price of cattle has been down until recently, we’ve had a reasonably good situation with respect to moving ranch properties. For example, we’ve had people from the Claresholm area who had property they could sell at a good price but still wanted to ranch. They could replace that property, and then some, by coming east into Saskatchewan.

In the early 2000s there were some very dry years in eastern Alberta and we were bringing a lot of people out here to look at property. People joke that ranchers from Alberta were coming here by the busload to look at land, and that’s not a huge exaggeration. Many of those people purchased land in eastern Saskatchewan and are now well established there and part of the community.

continued on pg. 30

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 29

Feature Are the Prices Right? cont. from pg. 29

BB – Did the changes made to the farmland ownership rules allowing Canadian non-resident land ownership boost sales as well?

BL – It helped a lot. It isn’t so much that a lot of Alberta people wanted to become absentee owners. More often the case was that the older generation preferred to send one of their children to Saskatchewan to get things started. They didn’t want to put all their eggs in one basket so to speak. They preferred to wait and see how things worked out before making the full commitment. Will the land they bought work for them? Will the kid’s marriage last?

The new regulations allow them to make that sort of staged migration and transactions have picked up because of it. They’re more comfortable sending Johnny to Saskatchewan with $400,000 or $500,000 to start ranching, if mom and dad back in Alberta can hold onto the title until they know he isn’t going to be phoning them from Florida in six months to say he got tired of the ranch and sold it.

Under the old rules, somebody from Manitoba who wanted to buy land here could only purchase a half section. That’s all changed now, and the rules are the same in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta.

BB – It sounds like a lot of what you do relates to helping people with their succession planning?

BL – Yeah, and we have a full immigration department as well. We help people make the move over here. Right now the major push is coming from South Africa.

They’re interested in both grain farming and ranching. After the World Cup their currency actually came back up. It now takes seven Rand to buy a Canadian dollar, whereas before the World Cup it took ten. They have great motivation to come right now. Their security is very poor in the countryside and they can’t

30

see it improving. We’re all hoping South Africa will stabilize, but that’s where the interest is coming from. In Europe right now land values have fallen and our dollar has strengthened against the Euro.

So it makes it more difficult for people like the Broughtons to come over here because they can’t get what they need for their property in Europe or England to make the move. Right now they can get $1.48 Canadian for one Pound Sterling.

Whereas during the main rush from the UK in the1990s and early 2000s they were getting $2.45 Canadian to the Pound. So it’s a huge difference of almost 45% from what it was.

"By the early 2000s we began selling grazing land for the same price that it was selling at in Alberta."

That has slowed down the Europeans.

But we’re happy to report that Canadians have discovered Saskatchewan and are now happy to come here. The old stigmas are disappearing and people are realizing that it’s a good place to live with a great future. We promote that pretty strong. Our educational system is probably one of the best in Canada and it’s a great place for kids.

BB – Rumour mills on coffee rows across the province are full of stories about huge Chinese and German consortiums buying up big chunks of ground on speculation.

How much credence should we be giving these sorts of stories?

BL – We’re very supportive of the prohibitions on out of country land ownership here in Saskatchewan and in Alberta and Manitoba as well. A foreign buyer can only purchase 10 acres here in Saskatchewan, 40 in Alberta and I think it’s 20 in Manitoba. You have to be a landed immigrant or resident of Canada to buy more than that. The Chinese would like to come here. They see the opportunities.

But since you have to be a landed immigrant – consortiums based in China can’t do the buying.

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

BB – So where are we today with prices?

You mentioned earlier that by 1990 prices had returned to pretty close to where they’d been in the late 70s – early 80s. Are they still climbing?

BL - Land prices today are as strong as they’ve ever been. We’re up to and beyond where we were in 1990. We’ve gone full cycle and we’re right at the top. For premium farmland around Regina, Eston, Elrose, Rosetown or Melfort prices are back to around $1,000 per acre. And there has been improvement on all sides, grain land and ranch property. We’re getting $400 - $500 per acre on highly productive grassland today.

Back in the mid-1990s we were getting around $1,000 per cow-calf unit of carrying capacity. At the same time land in Alberta was selling for $2,500 - $3,000 per cow-calf unit. By the early 2000s we began selling grazing land for the same price that it was selling at in Alberta. We’ve been getting that for our sellers for quite a few years now. We, of course, don’t sell the lease land, only the ability to take over the lease along with the deeded land. But in those instances you have to have a very well qualified buyer because you can’t use the lease land for security.

That’s why they jokingly say the largest bank deposit neighbourhoods are the ones where all the lease land is because the ranchers could never go to the bank and take out a mortgage so they put their money into savings.

We have thirty-year leases in Saskatchewan, whereas in Alberta leases are for just ten years. We’ve found that when leases are transferred to new purchasers and let’s say there is only 17 years remaining on the lease, the purchaser can pay a fee and have the lease reset to 30 years. The Albertans have been able to borrow against their lease land. I’m not sure that’s always a good thing. We’ve seen where people get pulled into trouble doing that. Ranchers have been given greater opportunity to purchase their lease land here in Saskatchewan now and I see some are doing that. Not having to

MAY 2011

Feature borrow against these leases has probably saved our people a lot of heartaches over the long run. We’ve had a more conservative approach in that regard.

It’s true that if you have equity in your lease land you can use it as security for things like expansion. But if you’ve borrowed against it and interest rates go up it can be painful.

BB – One final question – we’ve seen land values rebound from the low point in 1987, are they so high now that it has become even less possible to make a profit ranching or farming it?

BL – Well, I think we’re approaching the limits now, at least from an investor’s perspective. Let’s say an investor wants to make 5% on his money. If he’s paying $1,000 or more an acre, and wants to make a profit on that investment, he’s going to start running up against the limits of what renters are willing to pay.

The going rate for land rental is supposed to allow the renter to make a dollar. That going rate is going to fall short of meeting the investor’s 5% profit expectations when land starts climbing too high. And we all know that input prices continue to rise – fuel and fertilizer are getting more and more expensive, while commodity prices remain surprisingly low -- given what we know about shrinking global food supplies. Taken together, this probably means we won’t have to worry for a while about these so called ‘bad investors’ who are only looking to purchase the land so they can rent it out.

But at the same time, it remains the case that land prices in Saskatchewan are still lower than they are in Manitoba and the land in Alberta is way out of sight. So from the outside looking in there is still opportunity in Saskatchewan if you want to go farming. B

The Crown Land Sale Program Saskatchewan ranchers who rely on Crown lease land for grazing have had the opportunity to purchase all or part of their leases at a modestly discounted price since November of 2008. The five-year Agricultural Crown Land Sale Program provided lessees with a 10% discount on the appraised value of their purchases if they decided to buy in the first year of the program. Reduced discounts would apply to purchases made after the first year; e.g. 8% in year two and so on until the discount dried up at the end of year five. A significant portion of the 4.5 million acres of agricultural land leased to producers is currently available for sale to lessees.

Ranchers leasing Crown grazing land are under no obligation to purchase their lease land. And leases would continue being renewed and awarded under the existing rules.

Reasons to purchase Beef Business interviewed several ranchers from the southwest who are considering the program or have already taken advantage of it. We found that there were a couple of regularly cited reasons given for purchasing lease land.

First was people’s desire to have equity in the land that they had been paying rent on for years and expected to be using for years to come. There is no equity acquired through renting. Also, by owning more of their land base, producers felt they would be in a position to borrow against their equity to finance regular operations or expansion plans.

Secondly, was security of tenure. Despite relatively secure lease arrangements in recent years, some producers still remember resolutions being put forward at NDP conventions calling for limits to farm size.

Similarly, Crown leases have been gobbled up by the Grasslands National Park, and some Community Pastures have been acquired by Indian bands as part of the

Treaty Land Entitlement process. At least one producer we interviewed wondered if Crown lease land might suffer a similar fate.

Speed bumps along the way While ranchers and producer organizations welcomed the program, there were a couple of bumps in the road that frustrated potential purchases.

One hurdle standing in the way of sales, was the fact that a lot of lease land had been lumped into the category of protected habitat over the past thirty years and wasn’t eligible for sale. Most observers agreed there wasn’t any rhyme or reason for some of the land being classed as critically endangered habitat.

That issue was substantially resolved in the spring of 2010 when the provincial government passed legislation adopting a new ecological assessment tool that allowed for a revision of the status of some of that protected habitat, making more of it eligible for sale to lessees. An accompanying amendment to the Crown Easements Act ensured that much of the formerly protected grass would stay in a native and protected state through the use of conservation easements. Significant penalties were put in place for landowners who contravened the terms of easements.

Breaking up native prairie, for example, could result in a huge fine.

In light of the new purchase opportunities provided by the changes in legislation, the program’s discount opportunities were moved out another year. So for 2011 a 9% discount will apply, but next year the discount will drop to 8%.

A more intractable barrier to sales was probably the state of ranch incomes when the program was first announced.

After six post-BSE years which saw producer incomes fall below the break even point – ranchers were short on cash and anxious about taking on more debt.

Indeed, it appears that tight money has continued on pg. 32

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 31

Feature Crown Land Sale Prog. cont. from pg. 31 encouraged some lessees to be selective in their purchases, ensuring that if they can only buy some of their lease land, they obtain choice quarters with features like dependable water, superior grass and road access.

Another bottom line consideration is the going rate for grazing land in a producer’s neighbourhood. While the program bases sale values on independent appraisals – that doesn’t mean the price is right. A side bar accompanying this article provides sample land value figures for a few RMs over the past two years. In at least one RM prices for native pasture have escalated to nosebleed heights. A rancher from the RM of Maple Creek told us that the inflated prices were due to “rich people from Alberta looking to buy scenery.”

How has the program played out ?

In an interview with Beef Business, Wally

Hoehn, Manager of Crown Land Services reported that to date 254,000 acres have been sold under the program. Hoehn indicated that there have been 875 individual sales agreements processed.

But according to Hoehn that does not mean there were 875 individual purchasers because some people purchase individual quarters under separate sales agreements.

– should there not be some sort of adjustment made to the purchase price?

Wally Hoehn said, “that particular bridge has yet to be crossed, because I don’t believe we have had a transaction involving an easement up to now.”

Hoehn acknowledged that coming up with a fair valuation, for land with easements, could be challenging, since there would be very few transactions of that kind to use as comparables for appraisal.

Hoehn said, “The average price paid for land under the program to date has been $300 an acre.” He added that the average includes both cultivated land and pasture.

According to Saskatchewan Stock Growers General Manager, Chad MacPherson, producers have registered concerns regarding the appraisal values for land that will have conservation easements attached to it. Given that agencies like the Nature Conservancy typically pay up to 1/3 of appraised value for an easement

Currently the Ministry of Agriculture has some conservation with easements on land that it monitors itself. However, Wally Hoehn stated that no decision has yet been made about which agency might be tasked with supervising easements that arise out of the lease purchase program. B

Farmland Facts Farm Credit Canada (FCC) in Regina provided Beef Business with a few links and bits of information on farmland values in Saskatchewan that readers may find of interest.

Land Rental Most Saskatchewan producers are both landowners and renters. According to FCC figures, 68% of Saskatchewan farmers both own and rent portions of the land they manage (FCC doesn’t distinguish between farmers and ranchers for this statistic).

Land Sale Prices FCC has a web-based tool that allows users to plug in the number for the RM they are interested in to provide average sale prices for various types of land and land uses. However, the values for many RMs don’t appear, as FCC will not do a report if fewer than three pieces of land have traded over the past two years for privacy reasons. Some of the figures, 32

provided by the FCC site might interest you.

Saskatchewan Farmland Price Trends 1984 – 2010

Farm and Ranchland price for parcels sold in selected RMs over the past 24 months

Farm Credit provided Beef Business with a spreadsheet that indicated the overall percentage increase or decrease in farm and ranch land prices from year to year over the 1984 – 2010 period. Beef Business thought it would be interesting to put

Native Grass pasture $/ acre

Cultivated grain land $/acre

High

$262

NA

Average

$201

NA

Low

$135

NA

Rural Municipality RM #17

SK Land Values 1984 - 2010 (for cultivated class 2 land in brown soil zone)

RM #51 High

$180

NA

Average

$157

NA

Low

$129

NA

High

$824

$876

Average

$699

$760

Low

$441

$656

High

$474

$583

Average

$328

$536

Low

$255

$487

RM #111

RM #561

* Source www.fcc-fac.ca/FCCApp/fcc/ en/common/FCCLoginPage.html.

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

1000 950 900 850 $ 800 per 750 700 acre 650 600 550 500 450 400 350 300 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

* Source: Beef Business calculation, based on raw figures provided by FCC and Bob Lane MAY 2011

Science and Production some real numbers into the equation.

We selected a per acre value of $850 and plugged it in for 1984. That number came from our interview with Bob Lane of Lane Realty. The number reflects the price for cultivated land in one of the premium grain farming neighbourhoods (e.g.

Regina, Rosetown, Elrose, Eston). It seems that when people are discussing land sales prices, those premium price areas are often used as a handy comparative barometer. B

Avoiding STDs

By Reynold Bergen, PhD Science Director, Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) The following was modified from an article originally developed by Alberta Beef Producers.

Trichomoniasis and vibrio are a pair of venereal diseases that cause abortions, low pregnancy rates and delayed or prolonged calving seasons. These diseases are present throughout the world, and can have severe economic costs for cow calf producers. Appropriate management of the breeding herd can help to prevent and control these diseases.

Cause: Both diseases are caused by microbes that survive and grow in the folds of the penis. Bulls over three years of age rarely clear the disease once they become infected, and serve as long-term carriers.

These microbes may also live in the reproductive tract of infected cows, though they often clear the infection within three months. Immunity lasts less than a year, so cows may be re-infected.

Some infected cows may carry the infection into the next breeding season.

Spread: Both diseases are spread by breeding activity. Infected bulls continue to breed normally and spread the infection to cows, which pass it to uninfected bulls when they rebreed. Bullto-bull is rare; cow-to-cow transmission does not occur. These diseases are more common in breeding pastures where multiple herds are mixed (e.g. community pastures), or in herds that purchase open cows or mature, untested breeding bulls.

Symptoms: Infected bulls show no symptoms. Infected cows usually abort early in the first trimester, resulting in repeat breeding, irregular heat cycles, longer calving intervals, and reduced pregnancy rates. The uterus may become infected in some cases. In uninfected herds, the majority of cows should be pregnant and calve in the first 45 days of the calving period, given proper management (good body condition score, short breeding season) and no other reproductive problems. In infected herds, with a short breeding season, many cows may be open in fall. In infected herds with

MAY 2011

a long breeding season, many cows calve in the second half of the calving season.

Testing: There are two ways to test for trichomoniasis. Tests are generally used on bulls, as they are the most likely to be infected and responsible for spread.

Bulls should not be used for breeding for at least two weeks before testing. Both culture tests (e.g. InPouch) and PCR tests use smegma samples collected from the prepuce of the penis. Results are usually available within a week. Three negative tests (conducted weekly, with no breeding activity in between) give a high level of confidence that the bull is not infected.

Culture tests do not work as well for vibrio, but a new PCR test is being evaluated in a BCRC research project.

Treatment and Vaccination: The microbes that cause these diseases do not live within the bloodstream. This makes it difficult for antibiotics and vaccines to reach the parasite. Vaccination may provide some short-lived protection, but antibiotics are rarely cost-effective.

Control and Prevention: Appropriate management of the breeding herd helps to prevent the introduction of these diseases to uninfected herds, and in eliminating the parasite from infected herds.

Control in infected herds: • Test all non-virgin bulls.

• Cull infected bulls, and replace with virgin bulls. Virgin bulls have not been exposed to infected cows, and have not been shown to harbor the infection.

• Pregnancy check and cull open and late-calving females.

• Send culled animals to slaughter to avoid infecting other herds.

• Use home-raised replacements, or purchase pregnant replacements from reputable sources. continued on pg. 34

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 33

Science and Production Avoiding STDs cont. from pg. 33

• Separate replacements from mature animals.

• Separate replacements from mature animals.

Minimizing risk in uninfected (clean) herds: • Purchase only virgin or tested bulls.

• Do not borrow, rent, lease or buy untested bulls that have been used for breeding.

• Cull open and late-calving cows.

• Winter cows and bulls separately to minimize infection of bulls by late calving or late cycling cows.

• Do not purchase open cows.

• Use home-raised replacements, or purchase pregnant replacement females from reputable sources.

• If facilities, fencing and labor are adequate, community pastures may set aside “clean” pastures for cows from uninfected herds with calves at foot, and “infected” pastures for infected herds, or herds with open cows.

• Avoid commingling of breeding herds, if possible.

• Check fences regularly to keep other animals out.

Community pastures: Community pasture patrons groups need to allow the management team to establish, implement and police biosecurity policies that help avoid venereal diseases, such as: • Test and cull infected herd and patron bulls.

• Consider wintering bulls used on community pastures away from cows to avoid re-infecting cows.

• Accept only virgin heifers and cows with a calf at foot.

Other considerations: Reproductive failure can also result from a variety of other nutritional, injury or infectious causes. A sound herd health program, developed in collaboration with your veterinarian, will help to minimize these risks. B Canada’s Beef Science Cluster is funded by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to advance research and technology transfer supporting the Canadian beef industry’s vision to be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy, high quality beef, cattle and genetics. For more information, visit www.cattle.ca or call 403-275-8558.

Reminder on Prompt Payment

by Cameron Wilk, P. Ag. Provincial Manager, Field Services Unit Livestock Branch

A licensed livestock dealer is required to pay for all purchases or sales of livestock within three working days, unless there is a written agreement between the parties to extend the date for payment.

Unfortunately, there have been instances when producers selling livestock do not receive the payment they are entitled to, or receive payment long after the sale takes place. In Saskatchewan, the authorities on the marketing of livestock is detailed in The Animal Products Act and The Livestock Dealer Regulations.

Every livestock dealer (including feedlots, stockyards, auction marts and abattoirs) is required to be licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and to maintain the appropriate levels of bonding to protect those offering livestock for sale. There are exemptions from the requirement to hold a valid Livestock Dealers licence. Examples include persons who conduct sales of registered purebred livestock; some 4-H 34

clubs and Agricultural Societies; or in specific cases, auctioneers selling livestock as part of liquidating farm assets. Bonding levels are based on a dealer’s sales volume in the previous 12 months and range from $25,000 to $250,000. They are listed on the Ministry’s website at Programs and Services/Livestock Licensed Dealers/ Livestock Dealers Search/Saskatchewan Livestock Dealers’ Agents As a first step, you are entirely within your rights to ask the person or company presenting themselves as a livestock dealer or agent on behalf of a dealer if they have a license and the amount of their bond. You must be clear as to who is purchasing your cattle or other livestock.

Before the sale proceeds, ensure you have as much information in writing as possible. That information must include: a detailed description of the number of animals, age, breed, sex, weight, body condition, pregnant/non pregnant and individual brands or other means of

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identification (CCIA tags). Ensure you obtain the purchaser’s name, full mailing address and phone numbers and the specific address that the livestock are to be delivered to (legal land description).

Ensure the payment amount is agreed to, along with terms of payment (paid in advance, cash on delivery) Most importantly, call in advance for a livestock inspection to ensure the required manifests or permits are going along with your cattle.

If you do not get paid within three working days, be sure to submit a claim against the livestock dealer’s bond within the next 30 days. B For more information: • Contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 for a referral to your nearest District Livestock Inspection office.

MAY 2011

Science and Production Where’s the Beef?

Active Missing Livestock Files April 2011 Area Missing from

Number of head 2

North Battleford

Animal description

Brand Description

Brand Location

1 Red Bull 1 Blk Bull

RR

1RWF Cow

RR

RCMP subdivision

Livestock Branch contact

Feb 7/11

N-Battleford 446-1720

N-Battleford 446-7404 Jan/11

2

Shaunavon

4

Date Reported

1 BLK Cow

RR

2 Cows 2 Calves

RH

Shaunavon 297-5550

Swift Current 778-8312

Nov/11

Spiritwood 883-4210

Sktn & N-Bfrd 933-7660 4467404

Feb/11

Moosomin 4354582

Nov 29/10

RH 2 Cow B/W RH Spiritwood

1Hf blk

1 cow Blk

LH

Gainsborough

4

1 bull 1 cow 2 calves

LH

Carnduff 4400

482-

Tisdale

22

6 cow 16 calves

LH

Tisdale 878-3810

Yorkton 786-5712

Jan 17/11

Moosomin

4

2 cows 2 calves

LH

Moosomin 435-3361

Moosomin 4354582

Nov 8/10

Maple Creek

29

1 bull 4 heifer 24 calves

LR

Maple Creek 662-5550

Swift Current 778-8312

Nov 11/10

Shellbrook

4

2 cows 2 calves

LS

Prince Albert 765-5500

Sktn & N-Bfrd 933-7660 4467404

Jan 11/11

Information provided by the Livestock Branch of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 35

Association News and Reports A Report From Calvin Knoss President, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association

As I sit to prepare this report I realize that in June I will have been the SSGA President for 2 years and this will be the last chance I have to give my thoughts to you, our readers. In the last 2 years we have seen extreme changes. Just as we went from severe drought in some parts of our province to excessive moisture and flooding in other areas, the price of cattle has changed in the last 2 years. Prices are good for all classes of cattle, breeding stock, feeders, fed cattle and even cull cows and bulls. It’s definitely a much better time to be a Stockgrower.

I have seen several market reports this winter and it is always noted that the price of cattle has gone up even though the price of feed grain and the exchange rate

36

for the Canadian dollar has gone up at the same time. This is simply because the supply of cattle is low and the demand for beef is high We have gotten so used to watching the Canadian dollar against the US dollar and figuring that into the formula for the price of Canadian cattle that we expect the high dollar to hurt cattle prices. With the US dollar low compared to the rest of the world the US is where Canada was 10 to 15 years ago when our cattle industry grew so rapidly based on the low exchange rate. The US is exporting record amounts of beef all over the world and needs access to Canadian cattle to meet this need. I believe that a higher Canadian dollar is good for our country and being able to market cattle at good prices and a par dollar is a good thing. This is why it is alright that the US is the biggest market for Canadian cattle and beef, it is important that we maintain access to our largest and best market. This is the integrated North American cattle industry that we have talked about for years.

For most of my life I have believed in the market. When it comes to the price of cattle the market is always right and the market will work if we let it. Right now the cattle business is doing well despite our help. For many years the policy of government and most cattle organizations has been to try to maintain the size of the cattle herd. This policy is in a way a form of supply management. Things like per

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head government payments encourage the industry to be a certain size and the number of cows becomes the quota to get income from the government. We need to encourage demand and find better markets for beef and then adjust the supply of cattle to fill that need. I said that the market works if we let it; it seems that the market works even if we don’t let it.

Business is competitive and we are all competitors. Not all segments of this industry profit at all times. It is important to realize that free enterprise is supply and demand and also risk versus profit. Any time we do business we take risks and a realistic amount of risk is normal for an expectation of profit. By trying to create risk management programs we create a sense that government can manage our risk for us and this may cause us to take too much risk. Producers need to manage their own businesses and government programs should not interfere in the marketplace. My goal is to create a business environment with low taxes, less red tape and paperwork, fair and free trade, a competitive industry where profit for individual producers is a realistic goal and something to be proud of.

There will be lots more discussion about markets, prices and the cattle cycle at the convention in Swift Current this June, I hope to see everyone there and you can tell me what you think. B

MAY 2011

Canada’s On-Farm Food Safety Program for Beef Cattle Producers

Cattle producers in Saskatchewan can qualify for funding provided through Growing Forward, a federal provincial initiative. To be eligible they must: Attend a VBP workshop Have $2500 worth of cattle sales in the previous tax year

Funding is available for 50% of approved equipment cost up to $750 per producer. Eligible equipment includes: head gates and chutes with neck extenders livestock weigh scales record keeping software Please contact our office for a complete list of approved manufacturers prior to purchase.

In an industry with evolving regulations and consumer expectations, VBP is a trusted, recognized process to verify on-farm food safety practices.

...driving consumer confidence To learn more information about VBP in Saskatchewan, call 1-888-675-6177 or visit www.saskvbp.ca

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 37

Association News and Reports A Report From Chad MacPherson General Manager, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association

Our 98th Convention and Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held June 5-7 in Swift Current. This year’s theme is Let the Good Times Roll. We have put together an excellent lineup of speakers for this year’s conference that are guaranteed to be informative. Please find the convention agenda and registration form included in this issue of the magazine. I would also like to extend a large thank you to all of our generous convention sponsors that without their support we would not be able to host such a successful event. I would once again like to encourage everyone to donate an item to the AGM auction the proceeds of which go towards the bottom-line of the association.

In recent months the issue of nonpayment for livestock has been brought to the forefront as a result of an unfortunate event in eastern Saskatchewan. In this case several cattle producers went unpaid for loads of cattle valued at over $300,000.

These producers were eligible to make a claim against the dealer’s bond. However in most cases of non-payment producers usually only receive compensation in the neighbourhood of 5 to 10 cents on the dollar owed.

38

“In the past ten years there have been five claims against Saskatchewan Livestock Dealers bonds in cases of nonpayment totaling over 2.5 million dollars. “

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Surface Rights Arbitration Board that when oil companies lease land to drill multiple oil wells or facilities on one site that the land be valued as commercial property.

One option being discussed to protect producers against cases of non-payment is the establishment of a SK Livestock Assurity Fund. Assurance funds are currently in place in Ontario and Alberta that protect producers up to 80% of the fair market value of their animals. It is estimated to implement an assurance fund in Saskatchewan would require a $.20 per head deduction until the fund reaches a sustainable size of 5 million dollars.

Resolution #2

At our upcoming AGM a resolution (posted below) will be debated regarding the establishment of a SK Livestock Assurity Fund. I encourage producers that are for or against the development of an assurity fund to participate in the debate by attending our AGM or calling the SSGA office at 306.757.8523.

The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association would also like to remind producers to do their due diligence and protect themselves by following the steps outlined in Cam Wilk’s article on page 34 of this issue.

The following resolutions will be debated at the upcoming AGM in Swift Current.

Zone 1 Resolution #1 WHEREAS currently when land is leased by an oil company for an oil well site that the land is valued at agricultural values.

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WHEREAS bonds do not provide adequate protection against non-payment to Saskatchewan livestock producers.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Saskatchewan in addition to bonds, develop a Livestock Patrons’ Assurance Fund (LPAF) similar to Alberta’s LPAF. Resolution #3 BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Saskatchewan to hold Saskatchewan Surface Rights Arbitration Board hearings in the Rural Municipality office where the land is located.

Zone 2 Resolution #1 WHEREAS Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD) is a production limiting disease in beef cattle.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Saskatchewan to develop a BVD awareness strategy.

Resolution #2 WHEREAS there is a perceived conflict of interest having the Saskatchewan Surface Rights Arbitration Board under the jurisdiction of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy & Resources.

MAY 2011

Association News and Reports THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Saskatchewan to have the Saskatchewan Surface Rights Arbitration Board placed under the jurisdiction of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice.

Zones 3 &12 Resolution #1 WHEREAS the stockmen of Canada have paid their share of traceability in that they have paid for tags and have been applying these tags for eleven or twelve years. This cost has been borne by the stockmen and if the people of Canada want a rigorous traceability system, that the people of Canada should pay.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Canada to fully fund the initiative of traceability beyond the farm gate.

Zone 5 Resolution #1 WHEREAS the SSGA is an independent membership driven association; and WHEREAS the number of cattle and therefore the number of check-off dollars is down significantly; and WHEREAS the SK Cattle Feeders Association no longer apply for checkoff dollars for the operation of their association.

BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA not apply for check-off dollars for core funding to run the association.

Zone 7 Resolution #1 WHEREAS the producers of beef are paying a high cost to provide traceability; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Government of Canada to remove the requirement for 100% traceability until imported beef is subject to the same regulations.

Tabled from 2010 AGM WHEREAS the SSGA has been the voice of the beef industry for 97 years; and WHEREAS the core funding from the CMDF to the SSGA has been eliminated, causing a great hardship to the organization.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that SSGA lobby the SK government for a directed check-off. This would be done as a choice by the producer on their manifest as to where their money would go. The SSGA would be one of those choices.

Tabled from 2011 Semi-Annual WHEREAS Saskatchewan primary producers have been investing $5 million dollars annually into radio frequency tags; and WHEREAS without an accurate and current premises identification database full traceability is not achievable; WHEREAS there is currently Growing Forward funding set aside for industry-led traceability initiatives.

BE IT RESOLVED that the SSGA lobby the Provincial Government to utilize the existing Growing Forward funding to provide Saskatchewan producers with free RFID tags in 2011 in exchange for registering their premises location. B

Protect your investment.

Your brand is your animals’ return address.

For more information about branding and livestock inspection, contact: Brand Registrar Rusty Hawryluk, Regina, (306) 787-4682 District Livestock Supervisors Dave Augustine, Swift Current, (306) 778-8312 Bill McConwell, Moose Jaw, (306) 694-3709 Ron Sabin, North Battleford, (306) 446-7404 Les Tipton, Saskatoon, (306) 933-7660 Robert Solomon, Yorkton, (306) 786-5712 Garth Woods, Moosomin, (306) 435-4582 Barry DeJaeger, Winnipeg, (204) 694-0830 Livestock Investigators Barry Belak, North Battleford, (306) 446-7571 Jeff Eide, Saskatoon, (306) 933-6781

WHEREAS Canada allows the importation of live cattle that do not require trace back to the herd of origin.

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 39

Stewardship Saskatchewan - A Vital Part of the International Piping Plover Census

By Leanne Thompson for SK PCAP

In early June 2011, the Saskatchewan portion of the International Piping Plover Census will take place. The International Census was established in 1991 and occurs every five years to assess the status, distribution and population trends of the Piping Plover across North America.

Coordinated in this province by Nature Saskatchewan, the census will employ agency staff and biologists as well as approximately 60 volunteers to carry out the ambitious task of surveying the Saskatchewan breeding range of this migratory species.

The Piping Plover is a small shore bird that relies on sparsely vegetated sandy and gravel beach areas, alkali mud flats of fresh water and alkali lakes as habitat.

This smaller cousin of the killdeer feeds along the shoreline eating freshwater invertebrates and creates a nest by scraping out a shallow bowl in the sand/ gravel and lining it with pebbles.

The Saskatchewan portion of this survey is critical to the overall success of the international census as previous censuses have determined that Saskatchewan supports a significant portion of the prairie Canada Piping Plover population.

During the 2006 census, 299 basins representing 1808km of shoreline were surveyed across Saskatchewan. Given this vast area and due to the fact that surveys must be completed in a two week window, cooperation from landowners and volunteer surveyors is integral to the success of the census. Landowners with recognized habitat on their land will be contacted in early spring for permission to access land(s).

and as such it is protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Some of the contributing factors to the decline in population include fluctuation in water levels, disturbance along shorelines caused by humans and livestock, and predation (by crows, gulls, hawks, skunks, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes).

So what can landowners do to protect the habitat of the Piping Plover? If you have suitable habitat on your land (sand and pebble beaches or saline wetlands) some small changes in management can have a dramatic effect on nest survival and subsequent breeding success of this species. Here is a list of tips and considerations for conservation of Piping Plover habitat (courtesy of Nature Saskatchewan): •

Keep livestock away from Plover nesting sites during the breeding season (May and June). This may include fencing to keep cattle out of habitat areas, or deferred grazing in habitat areas. For

Why all the fuss over this little bird? The Piping Plover has experienced a sharp decline in population since 1945 and is currently designated as an endangered species by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)

40

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•

•

• •

example, graze shorelines during late summer or fall, or possibly early spring before Plovers are nesting as long as the shoreline is dry.

Keep in mind that if fences are used, they should be placed at a safe distance, beyond the high watermark, to decrease the effect of predators perching on the posts.

Prescribed burning of shorelines should be done in very early spring or in the fall when plovers are not nesting. Shorelines which support shrubby vegetation should be burned to provide more suitable cover for plovers.

Note: Piping Plovers can tolerate up to 50% vegetation cover.

Avoid draining wetlands.

Avoid constructing dams or dugouts that divert water away from natural water bodies or that result in complete flooding of shorelines during the Plover breeding season.

Photo provided by David Krughoff

MAY 2011

• •

•

•

Providing off-site watering facilities for livestock so that Plover habitat is not disturbed.

Draw down water as slowly as possible in spring and summer (2-3 cm/week) to minimize shoreline fluctuations. If water is being used from more than one water body, stagger its use to prevent rapid changes in shoreline levels.

Likewise, if a water body goes dry during the summer, slowly re-flood the area (rate of 2-3 cm/week). To prepare for the following year, re-flood an area at any rate, one month prior to freeze up.

A conservation easement may be signed to ensure long-term protection of the area. B

Skeet Shoot Challenge 5:00pm Sunday June 5, 2011 at the Swift Current Trap Club during the 98th Convention and Annual General Meeting $25.00 entry fee

Landowners interested in constructing fences or developing alternative watering sites in an effort to conserve Piping Plover habitat may be eligible for partial funding of these projects. Contact Nature Saskatchewan at 1-800-667-4668 prior to beginning your project to inquire about their Stewardship programs.

For more information on the Piping Plover, visit the Nature Saskatchewan website at www.naturesask.ca. Those interested in volunteering for the census are encouraged to contact Jennifer Rumancik with Nature Saskatchewan (deadline for volunteers is May 3, 2011) at 1-800667-4668 (SK only) or (306) 780-9417 j.rumancik@naturesask.ca.

For a list of SK PCAP Supporters, please visit the SK PCAP website at www.pcapsk.org under About PCAP > Program Supporters.

MAY 2011

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 41

Calendar of Events June June 5-7

SSGA 98th Convention and Annual General Meeting

June 10

Advertising deadline for July magazine

June 15-16

SK Pasture School

June 19-25

Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW)

June 21

Western Beef Field Day

Swift Current, SK

Saskatoon, SK

Lanigan, SK

November November 21-26

Canadian Western Agribition

Regina, SK

SSGA Meeting Notice SSGA ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING June 5 - 7 Living Sky Casino, Swift Current, SK 1st Call For Nominations Please submit nominations to: Lloyd Thompson, Box 910, Carnduff, SK S0C 0S0 Phone: 306-482-3743 Fax: 306-482-3547 email: tfourranches@xplornet.com

1st Call For Resolutions Please submit resolutions to: SSGA, Box 4752, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 Phone: 306-757-8523 Fax: 306-569-8799 email: ssga@sasktel.net

SSGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS DIRECTORS AT LARGE

THE EXECUTIVE

Calvin Knoss President/Director at Large Rockglen, SK

Phone: 476-2512

Harold Martens Vice President/Director at Large Swift Current, SK

Phone: 773-6782

Doug Gillespie 2nd Vice President/Director at Large Neville, SK

Ed Bothner Past President/Director at Large Beechy, SK Ross MacDonald Finance Chair/Director at Large Lake Alma, SK

42

Heather S Beierbach, Maple Creek Ryan Beierbach, Whitewood Helen Finucane, Regina Shane Jahnke, Gouldtown Paul Jefferson, Humboldt ext 272 Roy Rutledge, Assiniboia

ZONE CHAIR DIRECTORS Phone: 627-3619

Phone: 859-4602

Zone 1 - Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 - Zone 5 - Zone 6 - Zone 7 - Zone 12 -

Lloyd Thompson, Carnduff Blade Young, Tyvan Kelcy Elford, McCord Brooks Whitney, Maple Creek Bill Huber, Lipton Brent Griffin, Elbow Keith Day, Lacadena Eileen Davidson, Ponteix

Phone: 447-4600

| ŠBEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

299-4512 532-4809 584-2773 784-2899 682-3139 642-5358

482-3743 245-3310 478-2682 662-4420 336-2684 854-2050 375-2934 625-3755

AFFILIATE DIRECTORS

Craig Boake - Shorthorn Affiliate, Melville 876-4711 Garner Deobald - Charolais Affiliate, Hodgeville 677-2589 Tom Grieve - Cattle Breeders Affiliate, Fillmore 722-3504 Karla Hicks - Angus Affiliate, Mortlach 355-2265 Connie Housek - SK/Man Galloway, Beechy 859-2268 Tara Fritz - Simmental Affiliate 297-3147

APPOINTED DIRECTORS

Dr. Andy Acton

459-2422

SASKATCHEWAN CCA DIRECTORS Lynn Grant, Val Marie Reg Schellenberg, Beechy Pat Hayes, Val Marie Jack Hextall, Grenfell

298-2268 859-4905 298-2284 697-3079

Listings of email and fax numbers can be found on the SSGA website at www.skstockgrowers.com

MAY 2011

Advertiser Index Abe’s Signs

44

Allen Leigh Security & Communications

45

Arm River Red Angus

44

Beef Improvement Opportunities/ Fort Supply

4

Beef Information Centre

17-20

Best Western Plus Inn & Suites

43

Bill Laidlaw Chartered Accountant Professional Corp.

56

Boehringer Ingelheim

13

Canadian Cattle Identification Agency

23

Grayson & Co.

45

Prairie Habitats

45

Integrated Traceability Solutions

11

Quality Starts Here/Verified Beef

37

Intervet Schering-Plough

3

Rosetown Flighting Supply

44

Jackson Designs

46

Saskatchewan Angus Assoc.

45

John Brown Farms

46

Johnstone Auction

46

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

27, 39

Kelln Solar

45

Saskatoon Processing Company

45

Kyle Welding & Machine Shop Ltd.

44

Sask/Man Galloway Assoc.

45

Lane Realty Corp.

44

Silencer Chutes

46

Linthicum Herefords

45

Sittler Composting

46

L R Truck Centre

10

Solar West

45

MCD Welding

44

South Country Equipment

22

Southern Trail Trailer Sales

10, 44

Sundog Solar

44

Superior Livestock Auction

45

Terra Grain Fuels

44

The Edge Benefits

16

Tuff Livestock Equipment

14

West Central Pelleting

7

Western Beef Development Centre

16

Western Litho

46

Weyburn Inland Terminal

44

Young’s Equipment

46

Cargill Animal Nutrition

46

Man-SK Gelbvieh

Cattle Care Vet Consultants

46

46

Masterfeeds

45

Chartop Charolais

44

Millet King Seeds

Cowtown Livestock Exchange, Inc.

44

45

Nature Saskatchewan

12, 43

Dutch Bunning

21

Nerbas Bros. Angus

The Edge Marketing Group

23

44

New Vision Agro

46

Elanco Animal Health

44

Norac Weighing & Control Systems

Feed Rite

43

15

Northstar Seed Ltd.

45

Frostfree Nose Pumps

46

Parkside Farm and Ranch

Full Line Ag

11

16

Paysen Livestock

2

Pfizer Animal Health

48

GelbviehWorld.com

45

Gibson Livestock

45

Business Directory NEW LISTINGS     

  

 

 



MAY 2011

Quality You Can Trust Humboldt Saskatoon Swift Current

800-947-9186 888-681-4111 877-881-1455

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Swift Current Reservations: 306-773-8288 Swift Current’s Newest Hotel Best Western Plus Inn & Suites

105 George Street West Swift Current, SK S9H 0K4 888-773-8818 (306) 773-4660

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 43

P.O. Box 420, Hanley, SK S0G 2E0

“Saskatchewan’s Farm & Ranch Specialists”

MCD Welding

306-528-2275

Box 502, Nokomis, SK S0G 3R0

Solar Water Heating - Water Pumps - RV Systems - Cottage/Residential Photovoltaic Panels - Portable Water Systems

JASON WILLIAMS

Ph: 306.370.1256

Dealer

email: karyjay@sasktel.net

For all of your buying or selling needs...

Contact one of our Farm & Ranch Specialists today!

To view our properties visit our website at: www.lanerealtycorp.com

Ph: 306-569-3380

Fax: 306-569-3414

Roller Mills Roller Mills - 30 bu to 1000 bu per hr.

Custom Built Equipment Cattle Panels, Headgates, Hay Feeders, Gates, Weigh Scales and Sheep & Goat Equip.

AARON BOHN Pro-Pellet Division

Black Angus Bulls Weyburn Inland Terminal Ltd.

www.nerbasbroangus.com

Box 698, Weyburn Saskatchewan, Canada S4H 2K8 Sask. Toll Free 1-800-552-8808

All Sales by Private Treaty

Box 310, Kyle, SK S0L1T0

306-375-2271

Tel: (306) 842-7436 Fax: (306) 842-0303 Cell: (306) 861-1757 email: a.bohn@wit.ca www.wit.ca

Shellmouth, MB CANADA 204-564-2540

www.kylewelding.com

Over 60 years of service!

Galvanized Water Tanks From 100 to 4100 gal.

Livestock Water Troughs - From 400 to 1250 gal.

Super Edge™ flighting for grain augers, combines, & seed cleaning plants.

Left and right hand available in all sizes. Helicoid & Sectional

Complete Auger Repairs ROSETOWN FLIGHTING SUPPLY Rosetown, SK

Phone 1-866-882-2243 • Fax 1-306-882-2217 www.flightingsupply.com rfsdealerinfo@sasktel.net EXCELLENT PREPAID FREIGHT RATES - BC $25 AB/MB $19 SK $18 (per order) NO FREIGHT CHARGES: One size 75 feet & over Multiple sizes - 100 feet & over

OVERNIGHT DELIVERY TO MAJOR CENTRES

Chartop Charolais Glen and Lyn Sauder Box 569, Gull Lake, SK S0N 1A0 Ph: (306) 672-3979 Fax: (306) 672-4347

BL

nks .

BILL LAIDLAW CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT PROF. CORP.

BILL LAIDLAW CA.CFP.

Chartered Accountant

Purebred CHAROLAIS & RED ANGUS Bulls for Sale Commercial Herd * Visitors always welcome

Division of Eli Lillly Canada Inc.

604 Government Road S. Weyburn, SK S4H 2B4 Ph: 306.842.5344 Fax: 306.842.5345 Bill@BillLaidlaw.ca

CT

Cowtown Livestock Exchange Inc. Maple Creek, SK

Regular Sales every Tuesday @ 11:00 a.m.

Locally Owned & Operated Call for info on Presort & Other Sales Phone 306-662-2648 Toll Free: 1-800-239-5933

www.cowtownlivestock.com

Your AD could be here!

Contact Tracy Cornea at 306-693-9329

Roger Meyers Sales Representative Southern Saskatchewan Box 153, Minton, SK Cell: 306-221-1558

www.elanco.ca 44

(306) 567- 4702

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

Box 688, Davidson, SK S0G

Call (306) 345-2280 or visit www.terragrainfuels.com for more information.

MAY 2011

Prairie Habitats

Deadstock Removal

RURAL & URBAN LAND ENHANCEMENT

Your AD could be here!

Contact Tracy Cornea at

• Shallow Water Line & Underground Cable Installation • Tree Moving • Tree Planting • Zero Drift Spaying • Grass & Legume Seeding • Soil Testing & Fertilizer Blending • Solar/Electric Pumps • Reclamation • Fencing • Consulting 1526 Hochelage St. W. Clint B. Sanborn Moose Jaw, SK S6H 7P9 e-mail: prairiehabitats@sasktel.net

Tel: 306-693-7803 Cell: 306-631-0529

3018 Miners Ave. Saskatoon, SK S7K 4Z8 Phone (306) 934-4887 Toll-free 1-800-803-9714

306-693-9329

®

a Tradition of Quality in Animal Nutrition

Programs for the Canadian Cattleman!

Purebred, Commercial, Backgrounding & Feedlot For more information please contact

Janie Jensen – Beef Sales Manager at 306-535-0969 Jerry Glab 306-891-8914 Tony Chandriuk 306-540-8774 306-231-3233 Krystal Nordick Jack Wagman 306-536-1004 Performance Feed, Pellet, and Mineral Programs, Supplements

GRAYSON & COMPANY

BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS 350 Langdon Cres. Moose Jaw Founded 1883

306-693-6176

www.graysonandcompany.com

General Practice

Branch Office in: Central Butte - (306) 796-2025

Linthicum Herefords Bulls and Heifers for Sale

Frank (306) 266-4417

Murray & Jan (306) 266-4377

Glentworth, SK

President Reynald R. J. Gauthier

AGRICULTURAL - COMMERCIAL - RESIDENTIAL

Innovative Solar Systems for all Applications OF

C A N A D A

INC.

Swath Grazing Great Cattle Feed

Dry or Silage Feed

Seed it June 10th...

Swath it 60 days later Box 16

St. Claude, Manitoba

R0G 1Z0

- Livestock Watering Systems - Water Pumping Solutions - Hybrid Wind / Solar Systems - Pond & Dugout Aeration

- Grid Tie Systems - Off Grid Systems - Solar LED Lights - Solar Hot Water

Canadian Livestock Auction. Ltd.

www.kellnsolar.com 1-888-731-8882 Call Today for your Free System Consultation !

email: reynald@milletking.com

www.milletkingseeds.com

204-379-2987 WIRELESS COW CAM

Northstar Seed Ltd

Forage Seed Corn Seed Lawn Seed Pick up your copy of the 2011 product catalogue at your local dealer today

Neil McLeod 306-831-9401 MAY 2011

Makes your calving easier safer and more PROFITABLE! Pricing from $450.00 - $2,275.00

Save 100's of trips to the barn!

Saves 3-5 calves per year!

Stop disturbing them while they calve!

Gives you better quality of life! since 1996

www.CowCam.ca Brandon, MB PH: 1-866-289-8164

Northstar Seed Ltd “Come Grow With Us”

Forage Seed Corn Seed Lawn Seed Neil McLeod

306-831-9401

www.skstockgrowers.com | ©BEEF BUSINESS | 45

Jackson Designs

Graphic Design Studio All types of commercial and purebred livestock auctions and farm sales.

Wash rack facilities for livestock

www.johnstoneauction.ca

Wayne or Scott Johnstone Box 818, Moose Jaw, SK 306-693-4715 (Bus) 306-693-0541 (Res) Fax 306-691-6650

Call us today for all your Catalogue and Ad Design needs!

Candace Schwartz 306.772.0376 swiftdesigns@shaw.ca www.jacksondesigns.ca

Helen Finucane office: 306-775-1443 cell: 306-537-2648 phone: 306-584-2773 Carlyle, SK

Your AD could be here!

Contact Tracy Cornea at 306-693-9329

V

CATTLE CARE VET CONSULTANTS LTD. 1A 1081 Central Ave N Swift Current SK S9H 4Z2 888-773-5773

www.cattlecarevet.com

Johnson Concrete Cattle Waterers “The Best Name in Cattle Waterers” Waterers and parts in stock

NEW VISION AGRO Box 479 Hague, SK S0K 1X0

Cargill Animal Nutrition

PH: (306) 225-2226 FX: (306) 225-2063

P.O. Box 1656 North Battleford, SK S9A 3W2

Dealer & Distributor For:

email: newvisionagro@sasktel.net www.newvisionagro.com

- Jay-Lor Vertical Feed Mixers - Feed-Rite - Cargill Nutrena Feeds - Baler twine, netwrap, silage bunker, covers, plastic wrap, inoculant

Your source for customized animal nutrition products and solutions in Western Canada.

Call us today: Phone: 1-800-552-8012 Fax: 403-320-6740

SILENCER CHUTES CANADA

® Compost Turners, Spreaders, Screeners, Baggers

The Industry Standard in Cattle Chutes

Rod Wendorff 403-330-3000

www.silencerchutes.ca 46

| ©BEEF BUSINESS | www.skstockgrowers.com

Brent Hansen Environmental 204-726-3335, www.globalrepair.ca

MAY 2011

Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association Box 4752, Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 P: 306.757.8523 F: 306.569.8799 E: ssga@sasktel.net

d e t

n a W S S G A

VolunStEERS

Security knowing that the SSGA is watching out for your business.

Supporting primary producers for nearly 100 years.

Guiding the livestock industry in the past, present and future.

Advocating for an economically viable and independent cattle industry.

What’s a VolunSteer?

An SSGA member who contributes to our new fundraising campaign by donating the proceeds of the sale of an animal.

Why become a VolunSteer?

To help the SSGA increase our financial resources to better serve our members as an advocate to protect, promote and educate on behalf of our industry.

Participating in the SSGA’s VolunSteer program is a hassle-free way to invest in the future of the beef industry - the SSGA is inexpensive insurance for your business.

What’s in it for you?

Help the SSGA increase our financial resources to better serve our members as an advocate for your industry.

• Receive a tax receipt for your donation.

• Free one-year SSGA membership ($105 value).* • VolunSteers will also be recognized in Beef Business magazine and at the SSGA Annual Meeting.* *Contribution must be at least $500 value to receive these benefits.

Help the SSGA fight for your industry!

For more information call: (306) 757 - 8523

NOW THAT THEY’RE OFFICIALLY PFIZER GOLD PLUS CALVES, YOU CAN ENJOY THE VIEW FROM THE BIXS VALUE CHAIN.

The 1% BRD Guarantee starts with you right here...

Only your Pfizer Gold Plus calves will allow your buyers to protect their investment with the 1% BRD Guarantee.*

With the season ahead now free of health worries, you can look down the road.

Your herd is special. More and more buyers are looking for Pfizer Gold calves. Be sure you communicate that when you market your calves and be sure to use to learn how your efforts paid off in the feedlot and at slaughter.

Take advantage of easy one-stop registration for Pfizer Gold, the Pfizer Loyalty Program and BIXS...

www.plp-cattle.ca

* Consult your veterinarian for details. © 2011 Pfizer Canada Inc. All rights reserved.

PGP JAD03a 0411 E PFI-097

Tomorrow’s calves. Today.