Canadian cattlemen

EXPANSION AT LAST! 路 CHAMPIONS BY DESIGN THE BEEF MAGAZINE

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JUMPING IN Colin and Tessa Verbeek, Morinville, Alta.

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Established 1938 1938 ISSN ISSN 1196-8923 1196-8923 Established Cattlemen Editorial Editorial Cattlemen Editor: Gren Winslow Winslow Editor: Gren 1666 Dublin Dublin Avenue, Avenue, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB MB R3H R3H 0H1 0H1 1666 (204) 944-5753 944-5753 Fax Fax (204) (204) 944-5416 944-5416 (204) Email: gren@fbcpublishing.com gren@fbcpublishing.com Email: Field Editor: Editor: Debbie Debbie Furber Furber Field Box 1168, 1168, Tisdale, Tisdale, SK SK S0E S0E 1T0 1T0 Box (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) (306) 873-4360 873-4360 Email: debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com Email:

Contents canadian cattlemen · february 2016 · Volume 79, No. 2

 G ET T I NG STA RT E D

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Tessa and Colin Verbeek

jumping in with eyes wide open  forage

FEATURES Big on brassicas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Champions by Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Getting first-calf heifers rebred on time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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Stewards of the land. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Jumping in with eyes wide open. . . . . . . . 26

Big on brassicas Versatility and volume outweigh

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any risks involved  seedsto c k

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The AMR dilemma: Part 3 Turning the tide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The first sign of expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Verified Beef Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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Champions by Design 16

Club-calf fever spreads across the West

Congratulations! To our February survey winner, Dr. Terry Boys of Tillsonburg, Ont. This month’s survey is on page 58. Cover photo: supplied by the Verbeek family

Comment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Newsmakers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Our History. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Research on the Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Holistic Ranching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Vet Advice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Straight from the Hip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 CCA Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Prime Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 News Roundup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Purely Purebred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 The Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Market Talk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Sales and Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 C at t l e m e n · f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

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 COMMENT

By Gren Winslow

Social licence needs to be a co-operative effort

T

he term social licence kept jumping into my mind last month as I scanned the headlines coming out of Oregon where a group of guntoting militiamen took over the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. They were there to protest the arrest of two ranchers who were convicted in 2012 of starting fires that spread to the public land adjoining their ranch. The ranchers, who were turning themselves into federal authorities, had nothing to do with the militiamen. They were simply the newest victims in the decades-old clash between U.S. ranchers and their federal government’s management of public lands. The standoff was still going on as this issue went to press. It is easy to have sympathy for the rancher and his son who got caught up in this firestorm, but the antics of the protesters was doing nothing for the stewardship image that so many U.S. ranchers work so hard to maintain. Flare-ups over the common use of public lands have been a constant irritant of ranch life right back to when the first fences went up. And they are likely to continue. What can change, however, are the attitudes of those involved. It seems obvious, for example, that the current U.S. administration seems bent on upholding an activist agenda that overrides the concerns of ranchers who care for large swatches of both private and public land. Talk of converting 2.5 million acres into a national monument, and evertougher environment restrictions on the use of public land only hardens the feelings of ranchers, many of whom depend on those lands for part of their grazing needs. Then, just as this issue was going to press, came news of President Obama’s veto of a Senate joint resolution that would halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s “waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other farm groups have been battling against WOTUS for several years now claiming it extends Washington’s control over public and private water use to an unwarranted degree. With these powers, the NCBA fears, ranchers may be required to get water permits for everyday use of water on public or private pastures. The only water source specifically excluded would be found in swimming pools and landscaped ponds, says the NCBA. It’s hard to worry about social licence when your own government seems to be threatening your very existence. Recent headlines on the Canadian side of the border paint a better picture of what can happen with a more co-operative attitude. First, was the news that the National Cattle Feeders Association has certified its animal welfare protocol with the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. This provides feedlot operators with a credible

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way to show that they are meeting all the recognized standards for animal care required by packers, the foodservice sector and by extension the public. A number of south Saskatchewan ranchers has been making similar strides in strengthening their social licence by including protection for species at risk in their management plans on native pastures. This work was endorsed by Environment and Climate Change Canada last month when the department provided $2.58 million to the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association to fund several innovative conservation projects in areas covered by the rancher-run South of the Divide Conservation Program. The money comes from the Species at Risk Partnership on Agricultural Lands fund set up originally under the Harper government to involve producers in stewardship efforts to preserve critical species at risk habitat. The emphasis is on co-operation rather than regulation to protect endangered species, and that’s an idea that fits in with the ideas of modern-day ranchers.

lare-ups over the common F use of public lands have been a constant irritant of ranch life right back to when the first fences went up You will learn more about South of the Divide and some of the ranchers involved in this program in our upcoming March issue. This is only one of many conservation efforts being organized and driven by ranchers and beef producers right across the country. Their aim is not just to create the illusion of a social licence with the public who buys their beef but ultimately to care for the land that provides their livelihood and, they hope, the livelihood of future generations to come. This is a never-ending cycle. No matter how much time and effort is put into doing the right things, and documenting them when that is necessary, there will always be those who will find fault through ignorance or duplicity. When Hollywood climate champions like Leonardo DiCaprio can look at the wonder of an Alberta chinook and see a disaster from climate change, anything is possible. Perhaps the best social licence is one that comes from doing what you know is right for your family, your neighbours and your industry. c

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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 THE INDUST RY

NewsMakers This month John Ross is retiring as director of Agriculture and Agri-Food Can­ada’s Animal Industry Division to take up the role of executive director with the Canadian Pork Council John Ross based in Ottawa. He replaces Marin Rice at the pork council who will retire at the end of April. In his 30-year career with the Agriculture Department Ross has regularly served as the government’s point man with the livestock industry. Specifically, he has been involved in the implementation of genetic improvement programs, the creation of the domestic and export market development strategies, and the national beef, pork, and sheep roundtables. He also chaired the Canadian industry/government steering committee for the country-of-origin labelling (COOL) dispute. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) serves as the national voice for approximately 7,000 hog farms, producing 25.5 million animals a year and generating over $13 billion in economic activity. Ray Armbruster of Manitoba was presented with the Carl Block Award late in 2015. His dedication to the eradication of bovine tuberculosis from livestock and wildlife in and around Ray Armbruster Riding Mountain National Park for nearly 20 years was cited as one of the reasons for his selection as a recipient of this annual award presented by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). He is a past president of the Manitoba Cattle Produc-

Letters Be fair to Minister MacAulay

Just came in to have a bite to eat for lunch and seeing that the latest edition of the “western-influenced” Cattlemen magazine had just arrived I would relax a bit and browse through it, but getting to the first page and reading your editorial (Enjoy the Honeymoon, pg. 4, December 2015 Canadian Cattlemen) made me a bit upset.

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ers Association and former director of the CCA. He is also a director of the Manitoba Shorthorn Association. Armbrus­ter and his family run a muti-generational ranch along the southwest border of the Riding Mountain National Park raising commercial and purebred Shorthorn cattle. The award honours the late Carl Block, a Saskatchewan rancher with a strong commitment to animal health. He was the first chair of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, the agency responsible for administering the national cattle identification program. He was also a director of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the inaugural chairman of the Canadian Animal Health Coalition and a former president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association. On March 1 Melinda German becomes the first general manager of the Canadian Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency based in Calgary in the offices of Melinda German Canada Beef. The agency manages the collection and expenditure of the mandatory National Checkoff (NCO) on behalf of the industry. This latest turn in German’s career follows two years as general manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers and before that director of the Livestock Knowledge Centre operated by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. The agency has been administered by Canada Beef since its inception. Following discussions about the need for some separation between the promotion agency The comment that upset me was the one you made regarding our new minister of agriculture, Lawrence MacAulay. You gave the impression that he is inferior or not capable of representing all producers including western beef producers because he is “just” from eastern P.E.I. I am not sure why you would think that someone from this region is not as capable of representing all agricultural producers as well as one from Western Canada. As far as I can determine, I believe Mr. MacAulay to be the first minister of agriculture since Confederation that was east of Quebec, with the majority of them being

and the collection of the National Checkoff the board of Canada Beef decided to set up a separate NCO division to look after the administration of the checkoff. In her new role German will report to the board of Canada Beef but work with the funders — provincial cattle organizations, importers, exporters as well as governments — and will be accountable for organizational performance and alignment of the agency’s activities related to Farm Products Agencies Act. The National Checkoff funds the industry’s research and marketing programs. Tracy Hussey is the new executive director of Farm &  Food  Care  Ontario replacing Crystal Mackay who has moved on to become the CEO of the national  organization, Tracy Hussey Farm & Food Care Canada. Hussey has over 20 years of experience working in food- and health-related roles, with 10 years in senior leadership positions. A registered dietitian by training she has a master of health sciences degree from McMaster University and comes to Farm & Food Care Ontario with experience in the food industry, a hospital environment as well as family medicine. The Dairy Farmers of Manitoba has appointed Ray Mangin to represent it on the board of the Manitoba Forage and Grain Association after longtime board member Lawrence Knockaert stepped down to take on new duties with the DFM. c from Ontario and westward. With a period that long of having an industry represented by persons not familiar with the uniqueness of the eastern regions can only lead to policies being implemented that are not beneficial and workable for the region. I believe agriculture can play a large part in our economy here in the eastern region (and I don’t mean Ontario) and to have a minister from this area that knows the industry here can only help to ensure that issues are dealt with fairness to all producers across the country. Blair Battist, Pictou, N.S.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Agriculture is our way of life too

Meet Justin With a lifetime of experience in ag, Justin helps Canadian producers build their dreams. Like everyone on your FCC team, Justin knows your industry and he’ll get to know you.

1-800-387-3232

fcc.ca

Justin Vuignier FCC Relationship Manager

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 our histo ry

100 Mile House Historic point in British Columbia Reprinted from March 1947 Canadian Cattlemen

I

t is just about 85 years since the fabulous gold strikes were first made in the Cariboo and the feverish trek northwards to the new El Dorado began in earnest. Thousands poured into the country and pushed eagerly up the long trail into the Cariboo. Until the completion of that remarkable engineering feat which provided a road link between Yale and the interior of the province through the forbidding precipices of the Fraser Canyon, the feasible route which had then been opened up from the coast to the interior was that which connected Harrison with Lillooet. Therefore Lillooet constituted the jumping-off place for the 300-mile grind over practically virgin country to the Cariboo goldfields and the high hopes of fabulous fortune. It is because of this that Lillooet took its place as the southern terminus of the Cariboo Trail and as Mile 0 in the system of identification which developed for the various stopping houses as these sprang up along the road. Thus 100 Mile House indicated that this stopping place was 100 miles from Lillooet, and the mileage calculations seem to be fairly accurate even today. The Mile House came into existence at stopping places along the road for the weary travellers and their pack animals on the long journey to and from the goldfields farther north. 100 Mile House itself was built in 1863 and the original structure added to and embellished from time to time, stood as a monument to those pioneer days until it was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1937. Incidentally the date of its construction indicates 100 Mile House was in existence 20 years before Vancouver was even thought of! The old building was interesting. It consisted of a central portion, a storey-and-a-half high, with a single-storey wing on either side. In the middle on the ground floor was a low-ceilinged room in which the “bar” was located. Up above, under the eaves of the roof, were the sleeping quarters. The space was divided into a number

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of cubicles, although this architectural improvement might have been installed at a later date. In any case only one of the “bedrooms” had a window in it. Stopping Places on Cariboo Road

While 100 Mile House remained a stopping house on the Cariboo Road, and so remains to this day, even though the accommodation in the new lodge is altogether up to date and comfortable bearing little resemblance to the primitive facilities of years gone by, there gradually developed holdings in connection which permitted ranching activity to be undertaken. The property passed through various hands and was acquired by the present owner, the Marquess of Exeter, in 1912. The Bridge Creek Cattle Ranch, as it is known, with headquarters at 100 Mile House, comprises some 14,000 acres of land, mostly deeded, and carries at the present time about 800 head of cattle. The adjoining ranch to the north was built up a few years later by Lord Egerton of Tatton through the purchase of a number of properties, including the 105, 108, 111 Mile Houses. This outfit is called the Highland Ranch and comprises some 35,000 acres. These two ranches are now operated under one management. Between them they cover a lot of territory. It is a park country with plenty of open pasture land, interspersed with clumps of poplar and pine, and with some good stands of fir along the ridges. Water, which is so important to a good ranching country, is abundant. There are over 20 lakes on the properties and half a dozen creeks. The summer range for the cattle is mostly in the timber where the vegetation grows lush and green, the open pastures being kept for the spring and fall grazing. The first shipments of beef are usually ready in July and are dispatched to the coast market over the Pacific Great Eastern Railway from Exeter station, two miles from the “100” where there are stockyard and weighing facilities. But while this is a splendid ranching country, the raising of good beef cattle is

not the only activity of importance focalized at the 100 Mile House. Serves Community Needs

The lodge was mentioned before. This building was constructed in 1930-31 and serves the discriminating travelling public today, even as the old “100” seems to have filled an important need in the less critical days gone by! Besides the lodge there is a modern coffee shop right beside the main road, which was only completed and opened for business the latter part of 1946. The large general store was destroyed by fire last fall, but will be rebuilt in due course; in the meantime business is carried out in makeshift accommodation. There is of course a post office, government telegraph office, garage and gas station, and a number of tourist cabins. It is a growing little community, being the centre for a large district, and it will no doubt keep developing as the years go by. Indeed the whole Cariboo is coming into its own — not on the old basis of an unstable population seeking fickle fortune, but on a foundation of established homes and progressive and diversified industry; the livestock industry, the mining industry, the tourist industry, the hunting and fishing industry, and all those related industries which serve a prosperous and growing population. And 100 Mile House takes its place in the pattern of expansion. But while all this development proceeds apace, the country itself remains little changed. The thunder of the falls on Bridge Creek, a mile from the “100” yet provides a background of soothing sound on a still summer’s evening. The wild laughter of the loon echoes from the lake up the valley. The wind whispers through the evergreens as they stand sentinel on the surrounding hills, against the night sky. Even if the “100” should some day become a “city,” the beauty and the loneliness of nature would never be very far away. c For more of the past from the pages of our magazine see our History section at www. canadiancattlemen.ca.

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 forage

By Debbie Furber

Ben Stuart

Big on Brassicas Versatility and volume outweigh any risks involved

S

eeing is believing for Graeme Finn, who says New Zealanders are on to a good thing with forage brassicas for winter grazing in their grassbased systems that yield massive tons of high-quality beef, lamb and milk from the country’s tiny land base. A trip there four years ago convinced him that if forage brassicas are suited to New Zealand’s coolest season, they should be great for summer grazing in Western Canada. They haven’t disappointed. The number of acres sown to forage brassicas and forage-brassica blends sold by Union Forage jumped from a relatively few acres in 2014, to 22,000 acres last year. Finn and a business partner formed Union Forage, headquartered at Lethbridge, Alta., in 2014, when Finn acquired the Canadian distribution rights for certified forage

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brassica cultivars developed by PGG Wrightson Seeds of New Zealand. Union Forage specializes in marketing select annual and perennial grazing forages and works with the U.S. subsidiary, PGG Seed, to offer the most suitable forage brassicas and blends for Western Canada. Forage brassicas are crosses of forage-type kales, turnips, Asian leaf vegetables, cabbage and radish that have been developed by PGG Wrightson Seeds for palatability, high biomass production and profitability with animal performance as the ultimate measure of merit. Two kale-turnip offerings available through Union Forage are Winfred and Goliath. They can be grazed 45 to 60 days after planting. Hunter, a turnip-Asian leaf cross, and Graza, a forage radish, are ready to graze in 30 to 45 days. Corrine Ethiopian cabbage can be grazed 40 days after planting and also has

biofumigation properties to help suppress soil-borne pests and diseases. Forage brassicas are generally planted in a mix so that they make up no more than 50 per cent of forage intake to be on the safe side for animal health. The mix can be as simple as a couple of pounds of brassica seed with one or two of your trusted cereals, such as oats, barley, triticale or fall rye. This is an effective combination because the high digestibility and crude protein of the forage brassica complements the higher fibre and starch content of the cereals. Finn got his start with forage brassicas this way on the family ranch near Madden, Alta., along the foothills north of Calgary. The idea was to convince the cows to do a better job of cleaning up the oat-barley swaths to save him the time and expense having to do so much harrowing before spring planting. It worked

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forage

like a charm and significantly improved the overall crude protein level in the swaths. The mixed swaths tested 16 per cent protein at the end of January, whereas the oat-barley swaths tested 9.6 per cent. In 2014, he bumped it up with 180 acres sown to the forage brassica-oat-barley mix that carried 210 cows from late October through May. It was excessively wet that year and approximately 50 acres couldn’t be worked until August. The late-sown mix of Winfred and Italian ryegrass provided 30 days of fall grazing before having to start on the swaths. The cost of the seed was $12 per acre and the total seeding cost was $45 per acre. Diverse mixes, sometimes called crop cocktails, might include as many as 20 annual warm- and cool-season grasses and legumes. Union Forage’s Ultimate Annual Blend includes 30 per cent hairy vetch (annual legume), 25 per cent Italian ryegrass (coolseason grass), 15 per cent sorghum (warmseason grass, some producers prefer millet or some of each), 10 per cent crimson clover (annual legume), 10 per cent Winfred, five per cent Hunter and five per cent Graza. The mix sells for $6 a pound and is sown at seven to 10 pounds per acre along with 30 pounds per acre of one or more cereals. He suggests adding forage peas at 10 pounds per acre. “The crops don’t have to be complicated. Go with what’s available, cheap and suits your needs, environment and cattle the best,” Finn advises. Chalking up the advantages of forage brassicas so far, he’d say rapid growth for multiple grazings or emergency use, great nutritional value and palatability, drought and frost tolerance, lots of biomass to capture free energy (sunlight), improved soil tilth because of the differing root systems digging and then rotting underground, and improved moisture retention because of the big brassica roots breaking up the soil and the heavy foliage reducing evaporation. “The advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but you really have to watch the disadvantages, especially in a year like 2015. We had a lot of rapid growth and nutrient uptake and nitrogen was an issue,” Finn says. Excessive nitrates in feed, usually caused by an adverse weather event, may lead to nitrate poisoning in cattle. Bloat has been a bit of an issue on fields sown to diverse mixes that included forage brassicas and annual legumes. It’s not known whether the brassicas, legumes, or the combination of the two was the problem. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

He has been advised to watch for sulphur toxicity, particularly when both the feed and water source are high in sulphur, but hasn’t seen it himself nor heard of others having this trouble. “These are problems we want you to be aware of because they can be managed with good grazing management,” Finn says. He had a quick introduction to flea beetles last spring when he saw the damage on forage brassica crops in southern Alberta and

to some extent in the Calgary area. This pest can ravage a brassica crop of any kind early in the growing season when the plants are small and environmental conditions are in their favour. This year, Union Forage will be treating all of its brassica seed with a pesticide to control flea beetles. The company also offers free nitrate testing. Continued on page 12

“Cattle coming into my feedlot are usually heavier, so I treat ’em with long lasting ZACTRAN on arrival.”

Heavier weight cattle are often at lower risk to BRD so it makes sense to treat them with the fast acting,1 long lasting2 product that won’t break the bank. (And it’s plastic, so you won’t break the bottle either.) Treat them with ZACTRAN ®. Ask your veterinarian why ZACTRAN is ideal for cattle in your feedlot. 1. Giguère S, Huang R, Malinski TJ, Dorr PM, Tessman RK & Somerville BA. Disposition of gamithromycin in plasma, pulmonary epithelial lining fluid, bronchoalveolar cells, and lung tissue in cattle. Am. J. Vet. Res. 72(3): 326-330 (2011). 2. Based on label claims. ZACTRAN® is a registered trademark of Merial Limited. © 2014 Merial Canada Inc. All rights reserved. ZACT-13-7560-JAD-E

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fo r ag e

Continued from page 11

For more information visit www.unionforage.com or www.pggseed.us, or call Finn at 403-312-2240. High-producing crop rotation for grazing

Ed Lainge grew his first forage brassica-mix crop for grazing in 2015 with two purposes in mind. He wanted to get a crop rotation going with the corn he grows for winter grazing the 800-head cow herd and he wanted to graze yearlings close to home in summer instead of pasturing them an hour away where it’s difficult to keep tabs on them. The brassica mix met his expectations despite the challenging growing conditions in the Armena area north of Camrose, Alta. The first 55-acre parcel of a 110-acre field, planted in early May to a mix of two forage brassicas, Italian ryegrass and oats, was floated on and harrow packed into the soil. All would have been well had Mother Nature co-operated, but persistent dry conditions favoured weed growth. Holding out hope, he trimmed the weeds with the haybine to set them back and prevent seed set. He was more than rewarded for his patience when rains came in late June. The brassica mix sprung to life with unbelievable growth and the cattle grazed the weeds right out of it. Germination was much better on the second half of the field sown with the air drill during the last days of May to a mix of two brassicas, grazing radish, hairy vetch, crimson clover, sorghum grass, cow peas, Italian ryegrass, with some of his own barley, wheat and oats. The 110 acres coupled with an adjoining 40-acre field of grass gave 90 days of grazing for 160 big 800-weight yearlings going onto pasture. With controlled access and four- or five-day moves, the yearlings rotated through the crop three times and four times in some areas. “It was a monster crop. If it had been cut for silage, it would have been a 10-ton crop and that’s without any added fertilizer,” Lainge says. This year, he will increase the percentage of vetch in the mix because he likes its phenomenal growth and feed value. He’ll cut back on the cereals and maybe a bit on the sorghum because it lagged in performance. He is a bit leery about taking it out altogether because you never know what this year will bring — it might be just the year for sorghum and not for another species.

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A brassica-cereal swath.

“I think I’ll leave the mix alone for the most part to get a better feel for it under different growing conditions. The seed cost isn’t outrageous so I don’t want to take out something and then wish I had left it in,” he says. The brassica mix for summer grazing will be on one of the 55-acre parcels and on another 70 acres where corn was grown last year. The other 55-acre field that was forage brassica mix last year will be sown to a mix of barley, oats, wheat, Italian ryegrass, peas and vetch for silage and the regrowth might be grazed or left as is for a protective cover. This mix will give him the option of doing some weed control with herbicide if needed. Learning the timing and extent of weed control necessary in brassica-mix crops is really the only challenge he sees. Brassica mixes can be sown on fields treated with a pre-seeding burn-off with glyphosate, but, as with canola (also a brassica), they are sensitive to carry-over residues of some herbicides. Soil health is another aspect of interest. He was able to build up the land with cows and corn and hopes to speed that up across more acres with the brassica-mix rotation and by leaving more soil armour (residue) in place for soil building. Lainge started into forage brassicas fully understanding the risks backed by many years of experience growing canola, cereal and pulse crops as well as cereals and corn for grazing. Knowing Finn and seeing the success Pine Haven Colony was having with the brassica mixes were also deciding factors. Besides, even if none of the brassicas grew, he knew he’d still have something.

Opportunity options

Ben Stuart is always interested in testing anything to do with forage crops on a working-ranch scale and says there’s no better time than good times to look for lower-cost options that could make all the difference when margins get tighter. He likes what he has seen of brassica mixes over three years growing them on the home ranch near Hardisty, Alta., and the yearling operation near Stockholm, Sask. “Most of the perennial forage growth comes in two to three months, so the reason for trying forage brassicas at first was to try to extend grazing into the autumn season and get the weight gains up so that the calves wouldn’t be going into the feedlot when it’s the prime time to put on weight in a pasturebased system. The days are cooler and it’s not usually wet and damp, so all of the elements work for the cattle from September through November. Instead of 120 days grazing, I want 180 to 200 days,” Stuart says. Last year, brassica mixes were spring seeded on 300 acres at the Stockholm place and 1,500 acres at Hardisty, where another 1,000 acres were autumn seeded. The crops were used for summer, autumn and winter grazing, with some taken as silage and the regrowth grazed in autumn. As of mid-December, the herd was just starting to swath graze crop that was predominantly brassicas. By the end of the month, the grazing days worked out to 130 to 150 cowcalf days per acre, costing roughly 85 cents to $1 per pair per day. Productivity from rotational grazing

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forage

yearlings on the brassica mix last summer worked out to 300 pounds of gain per acre and the older stock were grazing the last rotation in January. Forage brassicas are a standout in his mind because they don’t lose their nutritional quality as summer turns into autumn and winter. This is because they are biennials and don’t rush to maturity to produce seed the first year, even though they won’t survive through Canadian winters. This offers lots of options because the timing for seeding and cutting doesn’t have to be as specific as for cereals for summer grazing, silage or swath grazing, he explains. In his experience, the earlier the mixes are seeded, the higher the growth potential. Early seeding captures spring rains to make the most of the short growing season and the forage brassicas’ ability to grow later into autumn enhances yield. Crop cut at the traditional time in September for swath grazing later on dried out a lot and wouldn’t have lost quality had it been left standing, so now he aims for October. Seeing how the brassicas were still growing in November after a couple of light frosts and standing up well under a light snow cover in

December got him wondering if winter grazing the standing crop could be an option, so he is trying some this winter to find out. “Growing forage brassicas puts me in a position to take advantage of opportunities. If I can get away without swathing, that will be another way to save costs. Four out of five years we should be able to utilize the crop as we want and on that one year when we can’t, we wouldn’t lose that much because we could graze it in spring or leave the residue for nutrients for the next crop.” Another significant cost-cutting measure was mounding the silage in the field where it was cut and then setting up electric tape to control the amount eaten in conjunction with swath grazing and bale grazing to spread the cattle and cycle nutrients across the field. The cows and calves graze together until weaning around the end of March and the yearlings winter separately in a similar system. Altogether, when we talked, it looked like this could be his first tractor-free winter pasturing 3,500 head in all. The biennial nature of forage brassicas also gives them an advantage in dry spells because they will go dormant for as long as 30 days and bounce back to life when the

rains come. Last spring was the driest Stuart has seen in the Hardisty area and the brassica mix sown with his trusted standbys of oats, peas and triticale didn’t look like much at all for the first month. When the rains came near the end of June, the crops took off with tremendous growth and kept on growing as the area headed into winter with the most moisture he has seen. The Italian ryegrass in a mix with brassicas was the only species that didn’t fare so well through the weather stresses. He is looking forward to sowing a similar number of acres this year and trying a few new mixes and varieties. As he gains experience managing aboveground growth to optimize forage and beef production, he wonders what’s really happening below ground and if some practices currently believed to be beneficial could actually be degrading the soil in some way. “We need parameters and better indicators and ways to measure what’s happening below the ground,” he says. “Scientists have ways to measure plant-available nutrients and I hope to work with them to get data on our places. For now, we do the best we can for what makes sense for our environment and our system.” c

More and more firms just calculate numbers. We help calculate your next move. MNP Understands Agriculture. In fact, it is both a specialty and a passion. Our business consultants, financial advisors and professional agrologists are intimately familiar with all aspects of the beef industry. Which means not only can we help you make sense of the now, but we can also help show you what’s next. Contact Scott Dickson, CA, Director – Livestock Services at 1.877.500.0779 or scott.dickson@mnp.ca We specialize, you capitalize. Visit MNP.ca to learn more.

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 seedsto c k

By Debbie Furber

Champions by Design Club-calf fever spreads across the West

Tyson Rasmuson

M

oney-strip blaze, chrome, super hairy, freaky hairy, oh so stout, stylish, high in volume, show-ring swagger, long-spined, deep-sided, sweet-fronted… If you couldn’t be there, the catalogue descriptions of genetics on offer at Canadian Western Agribition’s first-ever Champions by Design club-calf genetics sale gives a glimpse of the excitement surrounding the emerging club-calf industry on the Prairies following suit with Ontario, where club-calf sales have been a going thing for the past decade or so. Chris Poley of the sale management team at T Bar C Cattle Co., says the club-calf industry is huge in the U.S. and picking up speed here because there is getting to be a lot more shows for juniors. In addition to 4-H shows, Regina, Swift Current, Lloydminster, and the Calgary Stampede are some of the places that readily come to mind for offering steer or summer shows geared toward youth. Most are jackpot shows and some have scholarship money attached. Club calves — called clubbies and more formally, show calves — are calves from matings designed to produce showy, topquality calves bred to excel in the show ring. Tyson Rasmuson, Agribition’s director of

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the Prospect Show and Sale and the Champions by Design sale, says most but not all club calves are purchased by 4-H club members and youths who show in junior show circles. Some do go to adults who travel the jackpot circuit. Club-calf breeders aim to produce calves with great eye appeal that comes from having a natural balance in their structure. Adding a little or a lot of colour and markings is growing in popularity because it can give a calf a touch of flair that’s sure to catch the judge’s attention the moment it walks into the ring. Hair is big and the more the better, Rasmuson says. A thick undercoat that can be clipped and combed to perfectly enhance a calf’s structure is a groomer’s delight. Steers should have great muscling with depth of rib, width of hip, stoutness of bone and large feet. Heifers should be smooth-shouldered with lots of neck extension, soft-ribbed (deep look), have sound feet and legs, and fluid movement. Popular breeding to get those traits wrapped up in a package with some hybrid vigour has traditionally been crosses of Chianina, MaineAnjou and Angus, he says. Simmental, Charolais and Hereford genetics are starting to gain some use as well. Dams and sires can

be straight-breds, but for the most part, one or both are first-cross or mixed-breed cattle. The Prospect Show and Sale features calendar-year calves of club-calf quality, while the Champions by Design sale showcases seedstock with potential to produce top show calves. “It (Champions by Design) is another opportunity for show-calf producers to market some bred females and herdsire prospects as well as embryos and semen and it gives people a chance to buy club-calf genetics to try to raise some for themselves or to sell,” Rasmuson explains. He and his wife, Chantal, raise clubbies on the farm near Midale, Sask. Last fall they participated in the Southeast Show Calf Pursuit, an open-ended open-house-style event. Starting September 10, eight breeders along the line southeast of Regina to Estevan opened their barns for viewing clubcalf prospects. Along with the Rasmusons were Jackson Cattle Co. of Sedley, Blue Moon Ranch of Weyburn, Ryley Gutzke Show Cattle of Weyburn, Piwarski Show Cattle of Weyburn,Vandy Cattle of Benson, Tableland Cattle of Estevan, and Wheatland Cattle Co. of Bienfait. The pursuit was very well received. Members in the group had visitors from all over

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seedstock

western Canada, Rasmuson says, adding that it’s a go again for 2016. Rasmuson, Poley and others we spoke with felt this first Champions by Design was quite a success in its first year. Seven bred heifers averaged $7,342.86. The high-seller was MLC403B sired by Man Among Boys, consigned by Nexera Land & Cattle and purchased by Townsend Show Cattle of Sylvan Lake, Alta., for $9,750. Two bulls and a half interest in another averaged $9,300. The high-selling bull was Dubstep, a 2012 bull sired by Walks Alone out of an Angus dam. He was consigned by Piller-Elden-Blue Moon and purchased by Ryley Gutzke for $10,500. Maple Leaf Stock Farms of Hartney, Man., sold one flush of Angus-sired embryos out of their Simmental x Shorthorn Blue Diamond cow to Spears Farms of Alexander, Man., for $4,500. Thirty-four embryos averaged $647.79. A package of three Monopoly-sired embryos consigned by Fairland Cattle Co. of Penhold, Alta., hit the high at $5,550 going to Lee Jensen of Taber, Alta. Three semen lots grossed $10,125. The

high-selling lot of five units out of the clubby sire Man Among Boys (recently deceased) consigned by Vandy Cattle, was purchased by John Hankins of Tisdale, Sask., for $2,125. Poley, who has been the push behind introducing the Champions by Design sale at Agribition, knows there are a lot of people who discount the club-calf industry, saying this type of calf has no place in the real world. T Bar C has always been an advocate for youth in the beef industry and clearly sees a place for this emerging industry. “It’s important to the purebred industry because it keeps youth involved and excited and enhances their skills as far as showing and fitting,” he says. “The goal is to raise the bar for youth by making calves that are better than any calf in the pen at home. The more competitive they are, the more excited they will be about it and the more likely they will stay involved.” The Champions by Design sale catalogue at www.tbarc.com will give you a feel for the intriguing club-calf world. Visit www.agribition.com for details on the 2016 Champions by Design sale. c

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2016-01-18 12:00 PM

 Nutritio n

By John McKinnon

Mouldy Hay and Grain — What are your Options?

A

s the calving season is fast approaching, it is appropriate to address one of the important causes of abortion in cattle that being mouldy feed. Mould can be a result of either fungal or yeast infection of cereals or forages grown for feed. Infection occurs in the field during plant growth or during harvest/storage. Examples of infections that occur during plant growth include fusarium head blight and ergot while those arising during hay or grain storage include mouldy sweet clover and growth of a number of fungal species that produce mycotoxins. Fungal infections of plants usually occur when there is a cool, wet growing season. This is the case with ergot in cereal grains such as rye or barley. The plant’s flowering period is extended under these conditions which promotes infection by the fungal species Claviceps purpurea. Storage infections occur when hay is put up at too high a level of moisture (greater than 15 per cent) or there is the right combination of moisture and temperature during grain storage, particularly corn. With respect to health and productivity of cattle, mould contamination of hay or grain supplies can result in several issues. First, moulds are living organisms and their rapid growth will reduce the energy value of the feed, particularly forages. Protein quality and content can also be adversely affected. Common energy discounts applied to mouldy hay range from five to 10 per cent. Mouldy/dusty hay also has a negative influence on feed intake as it is simply not as palatable as fresh hay. Both of these issues influence the adequacy of the diet and if unaccounted for there is the potential for undernourished cows that lose weight over the winter. A third issue related to excessive mould contamination is its potential to cause abortions in cattle and respiratory disease in cattle and humans. Abortion due to a fungal infection is known as a mycotic abortion and is a result of feeding mould-contaminated hay to pregnant cows. The fungal infection spreads from the intestinal tract to the placenta where it localizes and causes thickening of the placenta (placentitis). Abortions tend to occur between six and eight months of gestation (Source: Manitoba Food and Rural Development). Feeding mouldy sweet clover can also result in abortions and neonatal mortality, although the mechanism is different than with mycotic abortions. In this case, mould present on the sweet clover can generate dicoumoral, which is an anti-clotting substance. Abortions and calf death loss from excessive bleeding can occur at or shortly after calving. Moulds can also cause allergic reactions in both cattle and people who breathe dust from mouldy

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hay. In people, mould dust can contribute to development of Farmer’s Lung while cattle can develop pneumonia or other respiratory issues. As serious as these issues are, moulds hold one more nasty surprise for those who ignore their presence in feeds. Mycotoxins are byproducts of fungal growth that can cause poisoning in animals. Mycotoxins can accumulate as the plant grows or during storage. Depending on crop type, environment, location, harvest and storage management, there are a wide variety of mycotoxins that can potentially contaminate the feed supply. Examples include ergot alkaloids in rye, deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) in wheat and barley and alfatoxin in corn. Symptoms of mycotoxin poisoning include decreased feed intake and growth, abortions, reduced milk production and increased morbidity and mortality. Knowing that mouldy feed has the potential to cause serious disease and production issues, it would seem that the simple answer is to avoid feeding mould-contaminated feed. This, however, is not as easy as it seems. First, all feeds are contaminated to some extent with mould. Feed-testing laboratories for example conduct mould counts on feed samples with scores ranging from relative low values of less than 10,000 colony forming units (CFU) per gram of feed to heavily contaminated samples at 10 million CFU per gram of feed. While indicative of relative level of infestation, there is no clear mould count guideline that indicates safety, particularly for pregnant animals. Secondly, not all moulds produce mycotoxins and those that do require unique growing conditions to infect the plant as is the case with the fungus that causes ergot or unique temperature and moisture conditions to produce storage mycotoxins. This gets us back to the question implied in the title of this article — “What do you do with mouldy hay or grain?” As should be evident from the above discussion, the health and productivity of all animals are at risk from mouldy feed. However, pregnant cows are particularly susceptible, with abortion one of the most serious consequences. My recommendation is to avoid feeding mouldy hay or heated grain to pregnant cows or heifers. The risk is too great! If you do have to feed hay that is heavily contaminated with mould, blending with good-quality hay can help reduce contamination. Your best option is to blend the mouldy feed into rations for feeder cattle. While these animals are less susceptible to mould and their mycotoxins, there is still a need to keep a close eye on their health and performance. In the case of suspected ergot or other mycotoxin contamination, have the feed tested at a qualified laboratory. If in doubt, seek the advice of a qualified nutritionist! c

John McKinnon is a beef cattle nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 researc h o n t h e r eco r d

By Reynold Bergen

Designer Genes

T

he new year brings some new requirements under Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle. Effective January 1, 2016, Canadian beef producers are required to use pain control, in consultation with your veterinarian, to mitigate pain associated with dehorning calves after horn bud attachment (two to three months of age) or when castrating bulls older than nine months of age. Most producers realize that the longer you wait, the more difficult and painful it gets, and the greater the setback in animal growth. More and more producers are using some form of pain control (especially NSAID drugs like meloxicam, flunixin, ketoprofen) even in younger calves. So the new code requirements will primarily impact late-born calves, those that escaped early processing, and some seedstock bull calves that fail to measure up. See www.beefresearch.ca/pain for more information and our new video featuring ranch and feedlot managers explaining their stance on pain control. Whether a beef animal is horned or polled is determined by a single gene, so the widespread use of polled genetics has greatly reduced the need to dehorn beef calves. Because polled is dominant to horned, it can take generations before breeders can be confident that a polled line isn’t hiding some recessive horned genetics. At the same time, breeders also need to think about calving ease, growth rate, conformation, carcass merit, and so on. Developing polled lines in traditionally horned breeds is a very slow process. You can’t just take a horned animal and turn it into a polled animal. Until recently. A research paper entitled “Efficient nonmeiotic allele introgression in livestock using custom endonucleases” (PNAS 110:16526-16531) described how American researchers used new tools called “TALENs” and “CRISPERs” to do genetic surgery that replaced horned DNA with polled DNA in bovine cells. This has moved from the research lab into practical application. Using cells cultured from a Holstein bull, a company called Recombinetics has used this approach to replace the Holstein horned gene with a polled gene from an Angus. The DNA from these “gene-edited” cells were moved into bovine eggs to create embryos, transplanted into recipient cows, and healthy polled Holstein bull calves are on the ground. This technology has also been used on beef cattle; the double-muscling gene has been successfully copied from Belgian Blue and pasted into Wagyu and Nellore cattle. As astonishing as that may sound, remember that polled/horned is a genetically simple trait. It is controlled by a single gene, researchers know where it is located, and the precise mutation responsible for the

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polled trait is well characterized. The horned/polled gene also doesn’t seem to interact with other traits. This means that the horned/polled gene could be switched out and replaced like a fuse, with virtually no impact on other traits. Double muscling is also a single gene trait. Post-mortem tenderness also appears to be under relatively simple genetic control. In contrast, “polygenic” traits (things like feed efficiency, growth and reproduction) are governed by a large number of different genes that all have to work together in a coordinated manner. No one knows exactly how many or which genes are actually involved in those traits, or where they are all located. Not only that, but many genes are involved in more than one trait. For example, the genes that determine when and how much estrogen is produced will affect fertility, growth and carcass composition. Also, sometimes the expression of one gene is affected by another gene. For instance, a gene coding for estrogen production won’t have any effect if the gene coding for the estrogen receptor is faulty. Geneticists will need to learn much more about the actual genetic basis of beef production traits and the interactions among them before gene-editing technology will be able to improve things like fertility, feed efficiency, longevity, growth performance or beef quality. For instance, geneticists and meat scientists at the University of Alberta are collaborating on a Beef Cluster project to identify the genes responsible for connective tissue content in beef. That will help genetic improvement, even without gene editing. Time will tell whether or how gene editing will be regulated or accepted by the public. Traditional breeding aims to make favourable genes more common in the population. Gene editing does the same thing, just a lot faster and more specifically. This type of gene editing didn’t produce a novel trait; it just switched an existing cattle gene with another version. It didn’t introduce new DNA from a different species, as was done with Roundup Ready crops. This may make gene-editing technology more acceptable to some people. But the fact that it is all cattle DNA, and all the genes are in their original places, means that gene-edited cattle can’t be distinguished from traditionally bred cattle. The Beef Research Cluster is funded by the National Checkoff and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada with additional contributions from provincial beef industry groups and governments 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. c Dr. Reynold Bergen is the science director of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

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 breeding

By Heather Smith Thomas

Getting First-Calf Heifers Rebred on Time

I

t can be a challenge to get first calvers rebred without losing ground. They often calve later the next year or come up open. The two-year-old is nursing a calf, still growing, and needs good nutrition and body condition to cycle on schedule after calving. Twoyear-olds need more care and management than mature cows. Dr. Steve Hendrick, Coaldale Veterinary Clinic, Coaldale, Alta., says a lot of ranchers try to help heifers by breeding them early, ahead of the cow herd, so they will calve earlier and have more time to recover from calving before they rebreed. Dr. Colin Palmer, department of large animal clinical sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, says heifers tend to have a longer post-partum recovery period than cows and are slower to start cycling again after calving. “To overcome that, some ranchers have heifers calving one cycle length (three weeks) earlier than the cows — to give them more chance to breed back on time,” he says. Selecting replacement heifers that were

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born early also helps. This not only means they are a little older than the average heifer calf and more likely to breed, but they are offspring of your most fertile cows — the ones that breed early. “You perpetuate fertility, as well as having that extra time for them to grow,” Palmer says. “There are two main things that determine cyclicity in heifers. One is age and the other is body size and condition. Larger body size goes along with older animals, but feed can also play a role. We used to talk about feeding heifers to reach about two-thirds of their mature size before their first breeding season. But work done by Bart Lardner and Kathy Larson at Western Beef Development Centre found that feeding to 55 per cent was adequate in their Angusbased breeding herd. Their long-term work showed no negative effects, so you can feed heifers to lighter weight, if you make sure your feeding program is sufficient to achieve the target,” says Palmer. “Some of us in extension are a bit careful about recommending that strategy; however, since we feel that many heifers are only

being grown to about 55 per cent anyway, even when we were recommending 65 per cent, so we worry that the industry might try to cut them back to 45 per cent,” he says. “We don’t have to push heifers to 65 per cent of mature body weight to breed, and we don’t want to overfeed them. Getting heifers too fat, beyond two pounds-perday weight gain, can lay down too much fat in the udder — and they won’t milk as well. It’s best to have a slow and steady growth, in moderation,” says Palmer. Age and nutrition play a role in puberty, as does sire’s scrotal circumference. “The most fertile heifers are often sired by bulls that have greater scrotal circumference. Early puberty is heritable. Scrotal circumference is a good indicator of early puberty in bulls, and their daughters,” he says. “Heterosis also plays a role in fertility; crossbred heifers are more fertile than purebred heifers,” says Palmer. “Another thing that can help first calvers is to manage them separate from the mature cows for winter feeding. They don’t compete well with larger, more dominant

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breeding

cows. If you can’t keep them in a separate group, however, there are ways to manage the feed so they have more chance to eat it,” he says. “I run first-calf heifers with cows, but we try to distribute the feed evenly. Rather than using bale feeders, where there might be a bunch of cows eating the best bale and keeping the others away, we roll out the bale so it’s spread farther. There’s more chance for them all to eat it. We also changed our mineral feeding so it’s in long troughs rather than just a few tubs.” “There was some work done here in Saskatch­ewan that found young cows tend to be more deficient in copper — which plays a big role in reproduction. We wonder if the young cows weren’t able to compete for their share of mineral supplementation. It’s important to make sure young cows have access to supplement and that they are in decent body condition by the time they hit the breeding pasture,” Palmer says. Make sure they are not too fat nor too thin. On a body condition scale of five, they should be at a 3.5 to four on that scale, before calving. “It’s very hard for them to keep up, after calving,” he says. They need the best hay and the best pasture between calving and rebreeding. It also helps to use easy calving bulls for heifers. Their recovery after calving will be quicker if they can calve easily. “Cows or heifers that have a difficult calving have a longer recovery phase before they can start cycling again,” says Palmer. “In dairy herds we see a lot of sexed semen being used on heifers, to produce heifer calves,” says Hendrick. “Even though pregnancy rates with sexed semen are not as high as when using regular semen, the pregnancy rates with heifers are often a little better than cows and it’s worth that investment on heifers. If you’ll have heifer calves (which are generally smaller at birth than bull calves), they will be more easily born. Sexed semen is not used as much yet in the beef industry, but this is something that might be a factor in future,” says Hendrick. “There are also a number of drugs and protocols used for heat synchronization in heifers, to get them all bred quickly and at the same time. We used some of these in a heifer project Bart Lardner was doing at the University of Saskatchewan. When we first proposed that project, and were deciding whether to utilize some of these reproductive drugs and tools, it was interesting to hear comments from producers.

A lot of them were very hesitant about it, thinking these were too much of a crutch to get heifers bred early,” says Hendrick. Many producers want breeding to be part of the selection process for sorting out the most fertile animals to go into the cow herd. “This is a good point. If you are keeping every bred heifer, even if they caught late, it’s no wonder that they fall out of the program and don’t breed back for their next calf,” he says.

Often it’s better to use “survival of the fittest” as part of the criteria for which ones become cows. When you expose the group to a bull, the ones that breed early are the ones you want to keep. “Many ranchers put the bull in for just one cycle, or a cycle-and-a-half (or two at most), and sell the heifers that don’t breed in that time frame.” Continued on page 22

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Continued from page 21

HEIFER DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH

Dr. Bart Lardner, Western Beef Development Centre, recently did a project on developing heifers. The way heifers are developed is important because the body condition they have at first calving makes a difference in whether or not they will cycle on time to breed again. “Our objective in this project, however, was looking at developing heifers in an environment where we are expecting them to prosper as mature cows. We developed them in an extensive grazing winter system — from weaning until their first breeding season the following year — rather than in a feedlot. We were also developing them in two groups, at two different target weights pre-breeding. We looked at getting one group up to 55 per cent of mature body weight versus another group at 62 per cent of mature weight,” says Lardner. “We followed these heifers all the way through their first, second and third calving, because a lot of the earlier work on heifer weight development only followed heifers to their first pregnancy diagnosis. We kept tabs on them longer because we wanted to see if developing them to 55 per cent of mature body weight before breeding would have a negative effect on reproductive efficiency. In fact, we didn’t find any difference (in future reproductive success) in terms of whether we developed them to 55 per cent or to 62 per cent of mature body weight,” says Lardner. “Our conclusion is that maybe we shouldn’t be trying to develop heifers in a feedlot environment to get higher rate of gain that first winter, to have them weighing more at first breeding the next summer. They are never going to see that type of diet, ever again, as mature beef cows on a ranch in Western Canada. We use an extensive system in Saskatchewan, bale grazing. We’ve found that heifers developed to 55 per cent of mature weight were no different in pregnancy rate for their first, second and third calving (and there were no negative effects on performance of the calves born from these heifers), compared to heifers developed to 62 per cent of mature body weight,” he explains. “We were also looking at longevity, and found that 78 per cent of the cows that were developed to 55 per cent of bodyweight as heifers were retained in the herd after three years, and 76 per cent of the 62 per

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cent bodyweight heifers were retained after three years, so there wasn’t much difference. This gives ranchers alternatives on growing their heifers.” The main thing Lardner recommends for ranchers developing heifers to 55 per cent of mature weight by first breeding is to make sure the quality of the breeding pasture is adequate to meet the requirements of heifers that are still growing. “Prior to that first calving, we also put those pregnant heifers on a diet with good-quality roughage — such as a mixed grass/legume hay,” he says. OTHER STRATEGIES

“I also give heifers a supplemental range pellet and make sure it contains an ionophore,” says Lardner. “We want to be sure the pelleted supplement gives them the extra protein and energy they need, and an ionophore improves feed efficiency. It also helps shorten post partum interval between calving and rebreeding. It gets them cycling again quicker,” he says. “This can help make sure they are ready to rebreed and that we don’t lose them out of the herd as first calvers. They are less likely to come up open. You have a lot of development costs invested in a heifer, and don’t want her to wash out after just one calf. Our beef economist, Kathy Larson, has done some work looking at how many calves it takes to pay for development costs on that heifer. A few years back it was three or four calves, and in today’s economy it’s more like five or six calves before the heifer pays for herself. So we want that heifer to stay in the herd long term. “We are doing another project right now, though it’s a strategy a rancher might not do, to make sure first-calf heifers get rebred. We are looking at providing heifers with an energy supplement that differs in type and form of fat from most supplements, and providing this from calving until breeding. We are sourcing two types of fats, looking at mono versus polyunsaturated fats from either canola or flax. These are both common crops in Western Canada. We are looking at whether fat in the diet will improve conception rates for that second breeding season,” says Lardner. “This is one more strategy a person could try, but we don’t have results yet. As a research facility we are always trying to investigate ways of feeding heifers,” he says. If heifers are kept separate from the older cows, the heifers could be fed the fat supplement without having to provide it for the whole herd. c

February 13

Powerful Prairie Genetics Bull Sale Prairie Hills Gelbvieh, Gladstone, ND

February 20

Twisted T Gelbvieh 2nd Production Sale Saskatoon Livestock Sale, Saskatoon, SK

February 24

Beck Farms & McCoy Cattle Co. Bull Sale Beck Farms, Milestone, SK

March 5

Davidson Gelbvieh & Lonesome Dove 27th Annual Bull Sale at the Ranch, Ponteix, SK

March 7

Severtson Land & Cattle Bull Sale at the Ranch, Red Deer County, AB

March 8

Gelbvieh Stock Exchange Sale Medicine Hat Feeding Company, Medicine Hat, AB

March 12

Foursquare 9th Annual Bull Sale Olds Cow Palace, Olds, AB

March 14

Twin Bridge Farms & Guests Bull Sale

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Fladeland Livestock Bull Sale

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March 19

Saskatoon Gelbvieh Bull Sale Saskatoon, SK

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Gelbvieh Advantage Bull Sale

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March 19

Nelson Gelbvieh Bull Sale On the ranch, Glenwood, AB

March 26

Opening Day of Better Beef Sale Milne Ranch, Fairview, AB

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grazing

By Steve Kenyon

Stewards of the Land

I

n agriculture, we pride ourselves on our lifestyle. We are ranchers or farmers and we view ourselves differently than our urban cousins. We take credit for being “Stewards of the Land.” We harvest what we sow and work with nature to feed the world. This all sounds warm and fuzzy, but I think that this ideal has been forgotten by many producers. If we truly are stewards of the land, we should be valuing our production practices by more than just cash flow. I know money is not the only value that I weigh when I make decisions on my operation. Just in my local area alone I can count over a dozen stewards of the land bulldozing down trees and burning them. I always find myself wondering whether it is fog up ahead or smoke? It pains me to see this loss of biodiversity. We criticize other countries

for knocking down their rainforests in the name of agriculture, yet we don’t hesitate to do it here if it helps us get our equipment around easier, or gets us a few more acres. That treed area is home to many animals and insects that are beneficial to our operations. Many of these critters might very well be helping to control pests in our fields without our knowledge. Trees also help slow the wind to reduce erosion and evaporation losses. They work as a snow catch which means more soil moisture in the spring. The leaves that fall each year also provide fertility that was not previously found on the soil surface. They also supply shelter and feed during the winter for many different species. Our trees are important and need to be protected. I like to see trees on 30 to 40 per cent of the land I rent. Shelterbelts are a great way to improve biodiversity on the land while

still allowing plenty of room for production. I have planted thousands of trees over the years in an attempt to increase biodiversity. I also see many stewards of the land draining lowlands and filling in water sources. This is another attempt to gain a few more acres for harvest at the cost of these fragile ecosystems. A few months ago I wrote about our friendly neighbourhood beaver and how they should be allowed to do what they do best. Life begins with water and our biodiversity is dependent on riparian areas. Again, many species beneficial to us are dependent on these riparian areas. They work for us, and the best part is that they only ask for room and board as payment. We need to make sure that we provide what they require to thrive, in whatever form that might be. Water is, and always will be, a very precious resource. Every time we drain a lowland, that water goes downhill to another lowland. What happens if everyone drains their lowlands? Is it any surprise that we are seeing more flooding nowadays? Is that worth the few extra acres? What if you are the farmer down the hill?

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This is what the field on the left looked like before I took it over. Three years later both sides of the fence look the same.

Our soil life also needs to be cared for, no matter which crop you are growing. Bacteria, yeast, fungi, beetles, nematodes and earthworms are all important to our ecosystems. There are millions of soil organisms that work to bring life to the soil. Soil life needs healthy plants and plants need a healthy soil. Be wary of production practices that might affect biodiversity. Overuse of chemicals and fertilizers can reduce it, below and above the ground. Our agricultural perspective seems to have changed over the years from trying

to create and grow living organisms on our farms to needing to kill weeds, or pests or whatever else gets in our way. Now I know I might offend some people with this article but I think a few more of us need to be offended. Production practices that destroy biodiversity offend nature. If we want to brag about being the “Stewards of the Land,” then I think we need to actually be stewards of the land and not just stewards of our own short-term cash flow. By taking care of nature first and by farming in a sustainable manner, the unexpected

surprise is that an operation might become more profitable in the long term. As for feeding the world, don’t let that become an excuse for ignoring biodiversity. We first need to concentrate on growing food in a more sustainable and profitable manner. c Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. in Busby, Alta., www. greenerpasturesranching.com, 780-307-6500, email skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com or find them on Facebook.

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 COVER STO RY · g et t i ng sta rt e d

By Debbie Furber

Jumping In with Eyes Wide Open

T

essa and Colin Verbeek will forever look back on 2015 as a landmark year. They married, established a new yardsite with a home and barn where they hosted their first annual prospect-calf open-house sale, she accepted a position as general manager of the Canadian Limousin Association, and he took the plunge into farming full time with his parents on the family’s fourth-generation mixed grain and Limousin operation, Hillview Farms, near Morinville, Alta. It’s really only the beginning of the story. They started penning for themselves in their high-school years after meeting during a 4-H camp at Olds College, where both later completed the two-year agricultural management course, majoring in marketing.

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The next chapters are bound to blur together as they work toward assuming full management and ownership of the farm, while Colin’s parents, Raymond and Corine, look ahead to their eventual retirement. “Some people like to ease into farming, but we decided that if we ever did want to expand the land or herd, it could happen faster with me being in full time,” says Colin. He always thought he’d like to farm, but never felt obligated to take over the family farm. The time seemed right to jump in with a running start while cattle prices were on the upswing and with his parents at a point where they weren’t too keen to expand on their own, yet not ready to move on. Their commitment to farm with his parents is only the first step in the long process of succession planning, he adds.

It starts with a sound plan, say Tessa and Colin Verbeek, plus some parental support, a large helping of passion for the business, and a willingness to go for it

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getting started

They also have the full support of Tessa’s parents, Joan Nybo and Larry Frischke, at Sundre, Alta., where she grew up with animals being a big part of family life. They have a small commercial herd, her mom works at a veterinary clinic and her dad is a veterinarian who practiced for 20 years from his clinic in Innisfail and now regularly does locums for local veterinary clinics. Their plan for the immediate future calls for continuing as a mixed operation. “The Limousin herd, with 150 purebred cows, has been a lifetime pursuit for Colin’s parents and we will continue with that,” Tessa says. “As the transition occurs with us taking over, we hope to maintain that number and work on improvements, such as shortening the calving interval. We will continue to work closely with my parents as well, and eventually bring the commercial herd over.” The commercial herd includes several of Tessa’s cows that are the foundation of the show-cattle business she started a couple of years ago and she and Colin now operate together as Crossing Creek Cattle. The name is a reminder of challenges overcome while establishing their yard on the far side of a creek that borders the full length of their property. Select crossbred cows are bred to popular club-calf sires to produce sound and showy calves for purchase by youth who participate in 4-H and jackpot shows. Their goal is to raise quality calves that are successful in the show ring, safe and fun for youth to work with, in hopes of passing on their own love of showing cattle to an even younger generation. It’s a venture that complements their cattle-clinic business, which in recent years has been taking them on the road at least a dozen weekends a year to coach kids in grooming and showmanship, not to mention nearly as many trips to help judge 4-H and youth events. Tessa started offering cattle clinics for 4-H clubs five years ago and interest has grown to include requests from other youth organizations and bookings at community events, such as Northlands Farm and Ranch Show, FarmFair International, Camrose Bull Congress and the Calgary Stampede. One unique setting was Australia, where they led a clinic for agriculture students from local high schools when a scholarship opportunity came her way to work for a month at Manali Limousin and Lim-Flex. Their clinics cover any and all aspects of showing cattle for beginners on up, from choosing a show calf, calf care at home and halter breaking to clipping, grooming, fitting for shows, showmanship and judging, depending on each group’s needs. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

They built their ideal calving barn as a multi-use facility to accommodate many business needs. The main section is roomy enough to set up eight pens with portable panels for calving season and host clinics and sales at other times of the year. It includes a two-head wash rack, front office area and washroom. A lean-to off one side is slated for their processing area, which will come in time as the budget allows. The other side is a covered drive-through for tractors and storage. With help from handy relatives on weekends, they had the building far enough along by late September to host their first prospect-calf open house and sale with phone-in bidding, along with free cattle clinics over the two days. Most of the calving will happen at the home place this year because the design for the cor-

rals and water system is still in the works. They hope to use as much steel as possible for the job so that the corrals won’t have to be replaced during their lifetime in farming. Summer will bring another round of fencing, adding cross-fences within the perimeter fence they put up around some hayland near their yardsite last fall. Land is at a premium in their area being so close to Edmonton and first class for growing grain, so most of the cattle are trucked elsewhere to rented pasture for summer grazing. The people factor

People are top of mind when they think back on the resources that have helped them get started in the beef business. Whether it is the lasting connections Continued on page 28

C at t l e m e n · F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

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g et t i ng sta rt e d

Continued from page 27

made through their years of involvement in 4-H and at college, or those made at industry conferences and events in recent years, it’s all about people. They count participating in the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders program in 2014 among their best experiences. Tessa’s mentor was Jamie-Rae Pittman at Kyle, Sask., who operates a marketing company focused on serving agriculture.

They found themselves in similar situations having moved their lives and businesses to other areas to farm and ranch with their husbands. Tessa was interested in how Jamie-Rae managed the transition, as well as learning all she could about how to successfully market purebred cattle, right down to the finer details of photographing cattle and catalogue design. Colin was paired with Dyce Bolduc of Cudlobe Angus, a reputable purebred oper-

ation near Stavely, Alta., who mentored him on aspects of herd management, genetics and feeding for profit. “The cattle industry is an interesting group,” Colin says. “When we talk with people or tour their places, they are always excited to share things about what works for them. I think I’ve learned the most just from talking with people — and from our parents. We can take it all in and consider if it fits in our budget. “It’s quite amazing the people out there who are willing to help if you have a plan for the future, passion, motivation and end goals and they can see it. You need that kind of support because it would be impossible to get started in farming today without it and family backing.” Start with a plan

They agree that their trump card was their detailed business plan showing how their operation would be efficient and financially feasible. Not only were they successful in getting the necessary financing, their plan garnered positive comments from their lender. They started with the basic plan that Tessa had worked up for a college project, and it took another year to flush out all of the details specific to their operation. “It really makes you stop and think about where you want to be, how you will get there and what’s needed to get there,” Colin says. “We have deviated very slightly from our original business plan, primarily due to finances, available time, succession plans, and the current cattle market,” says Tessa. “That is OK. A business plan is something to keep you on the right trajectory, but if you need to refocus for one reason or another, there is nothing wrong with that. “In hindsight, I wish we would have shared our business plan with our parents in greater detail. Both our families are aware of our goals and intentions, but I think, especially in a succession scenario where an individual or couple are going to be taking over a farm operation from parents, it would be very worthwhile to encourage the parents to read your business plan and talk about it together. Just because your family knows you want to keep farming does not mean they know the full extent of your own plans and dreams for the operation and your future.” “We are fortunate because right from a young age in high school, we were together and both of us had a clear idea of what we wanted to do. We had a goal and plan and went for it,” Tessa sums up. c

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 animal h ea lt h

By Ron Clarke, DVM

The AMR Dilemma: Part 3

turning the tide

W

hile it may not be possible to solve the antibiotic resistance issue, it is possible to stop talking past the issue and work co-operatively to forge a way forward. Dr. Lonnie King, dean, Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine in his keynote address to the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA), November 2014, was confident much could be done over the next five years. His thoughts on what could be reasonably accomplished: • Build a portfolio of mutual interest and turn that into a national strategy and a national plan. • Make sure all groups involved are also part of the solution, so nobody’s left out. • Help the public and decision makers better understand this issue and not take sides as we look for a solution. • Adopt a stewardship plan across the board. • Ensure agriculture is helping lead the way and seen as such. In order to address antibiotic stewardship in human and animal practice, careful and accountable use of antibiotics in all settings is necessary. To this end, ensuring disease prevention takes precedence over the existing dependence on antibiotics is critical. Investment in development and use of vaccines is an important corollary. Increased veterinary oversight regarding use of antimicrobials in livestock production can be an important step forward if genuinely accepted and staunchly observed in all circumstances. Vet-

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erinary oversight of antimicrobial use must go hand-in-hand with veterinary guidance to industry on implementation of optimal production rearing practices that minimize disease. Development and use of rapid diagnostics will play a role. Development of educational programs for doctors, patients, veterinarians and clients is essential. Educational opportunities need to be accessible to a broad spectrum of users and part of patient/client stewardship programs with a One Health perspective. One Health perspectives will only evolve if understood and endorsed by all players. Major progress depends on decreasing antibiotic use, not the complete explanation of resistance and mechanisms behind resistance. More investment is needed in finding ways to measure antibiotic use, incidents of resistance, use patterns and outcomes. The shift of priorities from pure academic research to metrics and surveillance is critically important. Metrics of success in the effort to minimize the development of antibiotic resistance include assessing the effectiveness of antibiotic stewardship programs, increasing veterinary oversight in animal agriculture, and more careful monitoring of antibiotic usage and resistance in human and animal health. A report to President Obama on combating antibiotic resistance from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) in September 2014 stated, “While it is clear that agricultural

use of antibiotics can affect human health, what is less clear is its relative contribution to antibiotic resistance in humans compared to inappropriate or overuse in health care settings. This uncertainty is largely due to difficulties in tracing precisely the origins and spread of specific resistant microbes and, more fundamentally, the transmission and spread of specific resistance genes in microbial communities. It also reflects a gap in our understanding of the complexity of resistance across different species and the environment.” This report also notes the diversity of livestock operations, assesses the impact of changes, and calls for national capability for microbial surveillance in humans and agriculture. The report’s comment about animal agriculture, “... [the] extent to which antibiotic resistance in animal agriculture contributes to human infection is not known [and] risks to human health posed by the agricultural use of antibiotics are, appropriately, a matter of serious concern.” Unlike the human medical community, veterinarians often manage as their own pharmacies. In doing so veterinarians put themselves in the role of diagnosticians, pharmacy owners and prescribers. Drug sales are part of most food animal business plans, a practice coming under increased public scrutiny and one that potentially contrasts with sound antibiotic stewardship and prudent use. Continued on page 32

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a n i m a l h ea lt h

Continued from page 30

A positive step forward in antibiotic stewardship has been the evolution of quality assurance programs in animal agriculture. Quality assurance guidelines are implicit about eliminating drug residues in food products and provide important direction toward enhanced antibiotic stewardship. The fundamentals of a national strategy — in both Canada and the U.S. — for combating antibiotic resistance have been discussed for two decades and gathered into various briefs, synopses and reports, yet little new comes forth from abstracts submitted to those who commission input. The missing piece always seems to be commitment to invest in change that will make a difference. It seems everyone awaits the miracle of change without inducing change. Few can argue that the level of understanding about what is needed to slow the spread of antibioticresistant bacteria is at hand. A resolute and courageous step forward must replace the erratic and checkered dance around AMR that has marked the past 20 years. Guidance for Industry #213, published in 2012 by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S., is one of the first new initiatives that will move the North American industry toward a level of stewardship we have collectively talked about for years, yet have been afraid to take the step. Not that many years ago, Guidance #213 would have encountered sulphurous resistance by various industry factions. Today, the opposition offered to a game-changing piece of regulatory reform is cautious, but clearly shows industry’s accession of the move against AMR was inevitable and predetermined. Almost certainly, Canada will be forced to follow suit. Guidance #213 provides impetus to

phase out use of medically important antimicrobials in food animals for production purposes (e.g. to enhance growth or improve feed efficiency), and to bring the therapeutic uses of such drugs (to treat, control, or prevent specific diseases) under the oversight of licensed veterinarians. Against the backdrop of advances in the U.S., Canada continues to struggle with loopholes in federal regulations that allow the import of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) — antibiotics in their raw chemical form, many from third-rate manufacturing facilities in China, India and Eastern Europe. Access to APIs from approved manufacturing facilities allows legitimate manufacturing companies to import raw product for pre-approval manufacturing and testing. Drug regulations were never intended to allow producers the ability to import and incorporate APIs into livestock feed for therapeutic and growth promotion purposes, a serious and unjustifiable blemish on Canada’s prudent use of drugs. A second flaw in Canadian regulations is the rule allowing producers to import non-approved vaccines and pharmaceuticals for their own use. Own Use Import (OUI) guidelines, initially struck to facilitate import of vaccines and drugs from the U.S. not yet approved in Canada in the case of disease outbreaks. Typically, drugs imported under OUI concessions did not have analogous counterparts in Canada and none carry Canadian drug identification numbers (DIN) — numbers assigned to all approved drugs. Today’s economic climate and exchange rates shifted and expanded producer use of OUI concessions to include a wider range of livestock drugs. Although importers provide sworn affidavits to customs at border crossings

regarding the fact that drugs are to be used in their own herds and that veterinary prescriptions are issued for drugs requiring prescriptions, inconsistencies occur that seem to fly in the face of prudent drug use and redeeming stewardship. In 1997, calls for surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial use in Canada were published, with the recommendation to establish a national farm surveillance system to monitor AMR and use in the agri-food and aquaculture sectors. As a result, the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) was established, and co-ordinated by the Public Health Agency of Canada in partnership from Veterinary Drugs Directorate, Health Canada; Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Provincial agriculture and public health academia; and private industry. The objectives of the CIPARS Farm Program include establishing an infrastructure to support a national farm surveillance program that collects AMR and use data, describes trends in farm use and AMR, investigates the association between farm antimicrobial use and resistance, and provides sound data for human health risk assessments. As we move toward a more effective, responsible and action-oriented approach to AMR, other factors come into play: • Understanding the role of irradiation of food products in preventing foodborne pathogen infections, but also for antimicrobial resistance from foodborne pathogens to humans. • Identify control points that can restrict the transfer via food, soil, and water of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from agricultural settings. • New antibiotic development. The need

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animal health

for new antibiotics is so urgent government officials, drug companies and medical experts, faced with outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs,” are pushing to speed up the approval of new antibiotics, a move raising safety concerns among some critics. • Non-antibiotic interventions to combat bacterial diseases. • Government funding directly to pharmaceutical companies to initiate antibiotic development. Pharmaceutical companies frequently choose to put resources into drug development with bigger payoffs. • Manipulation of the immune system to enhance its effectiveness during bacterial invasion.

• Corporate-induced cuts to antibiotic use by the production industry. Conclusion

The time for talk has passed. We are on a fast track backward to a pre-antibiotic era when infectious diseases were the leading cause of death. One author described it as sleepwalking toward a third-world status; another described the AMR dilemma a “tragedy of commons” where perceived, potential self-benefit is weighed against a small potential harm to society at large. The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance, and the single most important action needed is to reduce their use. If co-operation

can’t be fostered among all key stakeholders, a post-antibiotic era is inevitable. Tipping the balance requires a wholesale change in attitude. North Dakota Department of Health’s Dr. Terry Dwelle, a pediatrician and rancher, boiled it down to being vigilant, judicious and smart. Most importantly we need to come out from behind the barricades and silos and work together (November 2013, National Institute for Animal Agriculture, Bridging the Gap between Animal Health and Human Health). Having achieved a greater awareness of the threat of antibiotic resistance, it may be time for a switch to education; move it to the trenches, to the moment of contact and decision-making. We can do better. c

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C at t l e m e n · F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

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 managem e n t

By Charlie Gracey

The first sign of expansion

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t last there are clear signs of beef herd expansion in Canada! In 2015 the output, or productive capacity of the national herd was reduced: almost 13 per cent in numbers of animals marketed and 10 per cent in tonnage. Most of that reduction, however, is explained by an almost 20 per cent decline in heifer marketings and a 16 per cent decline in cow marketings. Inasmuch as dairy cow culling rates are quite stable one can be confident that all of the decline in cow marketings was out of the beef herd so I have recalculated the decline in beef cow culling to be 21 per cent. This is quite conclusive evidence that the long decline in the beef breeding herd has at last ended. The heifers that did not appear in the market in 2015 had obviously been retained from the 2014 calf crop and were bred in the summer of 2015. Alas their calves will not reach market until 2017, but one can be quite confident that the long decline in the national herd has been ended and growth has begun. As stated often before, a decline in cow marketings is not, in itself, a sign of herd growth. Herd growth can only come from an increase in heifer retentions that exceeds the rate of cow culling. In 2015 approximately 800,000 fewer heifers were marketed than steers and were therefore available for herd replacements. The total cow cull was approximately 600,000 head. Since dairy cow marketings make up about 40 per cent of total cow marketings that means that only about 360,000 beef cows were culled in 2015. That’s a culling rate of about nine per cent, close to the lowest possible practical culling rate. The data above suggests a very vigorous growth rate with 800,000 replacement heifers replacing 360,000 culled beef cows. Bump that up to about 400,000 to allow for natural death loss in the breeding herd. However, two other factors must be taken into consideration. The first is that the fed cattle slaughter includes a sizeable number of dairy steers and very few dairy heifers. Also my estimate is based on the assumption that heifers and steers in the export data were present in the same ratio

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as in the domestic kill and this may not be the case. Reliable data on the sex of exported fed and feeder cattle is difficult to find. So, if we allow for 200,000 dairy steers, based on an estimate that I have made, and assume that exports of feeder and slaughter cattle were equally divided between steers and heifers, the spread between steers and heifers marketed would be reduced to about 525,000 head. That suggests a net increase of 125,000 beef cows or a beef herd expansion rate of 3.1 per cent. A more conservative estimate is that the beef breeding herd has expanded by 2.5 to 3.0 per cent. I’ll stand by that estimate for 2016 and we will see what the inventories show. The declining supply led to a 5.3 per cent decline in domestic slaughter but a much larger 32.4 per cent decline in slaughter cattle exports and a 31 per cent decline in feeder cattle exports. Despite a decline in overall supply, total beef exports remained unchanged. However, exports to the U.S. increased 5.3 per cent while exports to Mexico and to offshore markets declined 12 per cent. Beef imports rose but only slightly, declining 4.0 per cent from the U.S. and rising 12.4 per cent from offshore for an overall increase of 1.4 per cent. In 2015 per capita beef consumption has taken the sharpest drop in many years to 17.7 kg per capita on a retail weight basis. That converts to 24.2 kg (53.4 lbs.) on a carcass basis. Per capita consumption or disappearance is now lower than it has been since the mid-1950s. The industry in Canada has been much slower than the U.S. in commencing herd growth. Note: The numbers in this analysis that relate to weight are all expressed as “retail weights” which are 73 per cent of carcass weights. I did this to bring domestic production in closer alignment with beef imports and exports. This conversion factor of 73 per cent is used to convert per capita consumption from a carcass weight to a retail weight basis. c Charlie Gracey is an industry analyst living in Ontario.

 M a r k et i ngs DISTRIBUTION OF CANADIAN BEEF 2015

Beef to U.S. 24% Exported feeder cattle 9% Exported cows and bulls 8% Exported slaughter cattle 6% Non-fed beef consumed in Canada 10% Fed beef consumed in Canada 34% Beef to Mexico 7% Beef to rest of world 2%  co n su m p t i o n SOURCES OF CANADIAN BEEF CONSUMPTION 2014

Domestic fed beef 53% Domestic non-fed beef 15% Offshore imports 12% U.S. imports 20%

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 Holistic R a nc hi ng

By Don Campbell

goal setting

H

olistic Management is a decision-making process. It is designed to help us make better decisions. The idea is to make decisions that are simultaneously socially, environmentally and financially sound. One definition of HM is: how to care for your people, improve your land and make a profit. There it is, in a nutshell. When you look after the people, the land and the money you haven’t left anything out. When you stop and think about it, the only possible way to be sustainable and successful in the long run is to care for all three areas. If we do anything less, it is just a matter of time until our businesses fail. A logical question at this point might be: how exactly does HM do this? The process begins with goal setting. All the people involved in the business or family work together to form a holistic goal. Since each individual has an opportunity to contribute, the goal is meaningful to each person, not just some nice words on a piece of paper. The holistic goal is not meant to be accomplished. It is meant to give guidance and direction over a long period of time, comparable to our personal north star. As such it should account for our desired quality of life, forms of production and future landscape. Quality of life: This portion of the goal should ask, what morals and values are most important to us? What do we hold dear? How do we treat each other? What does success look like to us? What type of character do we want to display? Production: This portion of the goal defines, what are we going to do to create the quality of life we desire? Many of us are not used to thinking that we need to do something concrete to create our quality of life. Somehow we think a good quality of life will just happen. I don’t believe this is true. We have described the quality of life we desire. To create it we will need to set aside time for communica-

tion, time for family and friends, time off etc. This step allows us to see that life is more than work. Our time management will need to reflect this. The second part asks us: What are we going to produce at a profit to allow us to meet our financial needs? Here we will list various enterprises that we might have in our business. At this point it is important to stress profit not just production. Future landscape: This portion of our goal first asks us to describe our farm under ideal conditions in 100 years. Here we might describe a healthy well-functioning ecosystem. The second question asks us to describe our local community under ideal conditions in 100 years. Here we describe what we hope to see not what we think we will see. Our holistic goal is now complete. At this point things become really interesting. We begin to make decisions that will move us towards our goal. We begin to spend our time, talents and money in ways that will help us create the future we desire. Life is no longer happening to us. We are now in charge. We have been empowered. We are creating the future we desire. This is a true definition of success. There is tremendous power in goal setting. I invite you to consider goal setting in your life. I think you will find it beneficial. Many studies have been done. People with a goal tend to fare better. People with a written goal do even better. A family or a business with a written goal does the best. We live in the best country in the world. We have unlimited opportunity. We all have the potential to create the future we desire. Goal setting can help. I wish you success. c Don Campbell ranches with his family at Meadow Lake, Sask., and teaches Holistic Management courses. He can be reached at 306-236-6088 or doncampbell@sasktel.net.

- 2015 Delegate, Diane M., Selkirk, MB

y! . da ed to it er lim st s gi g i Re atin Se

Great conference! Very Inspiring and all that I learnt can be used in my profession and in my personal life.

LISTEN, LEARN, NETWORK & GROW Open your mind to the endless possibilites. Prepare to be inspired. Aquire the life skills you need to reach your goals. This conference could be life-changing. Register today! Visit advancingwomenconference.ca or phone 403-686-8407.

HYATT REGENCY CALGARY, MARCH 28 & 29, 2016 38

C at t l e m e n · F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

Advancing Women Conference WEST 2016 / Canadian Cattlemen National / 7” x 3.357”

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

LLB

30th Annual Bull & Female Sale March 12th 2016

at the farm

Featuring over 700 head of Quality Breeding Stock

Canada’s Largest Annual Angus Production Sale • 150 yearling bulls •100 2 year old bulls •100 yearling heifers • 300 commercial heifers • 60 purebred & commercial bred heifers

Black & Red Two Year Old Bulls

Purebred Heifers

Bred & Open Commercial Heifers

Black & Red Yearling Bulls

LEE, LAURA & JACKIE BROWN TRISH & TIM HENDERSON

catalog online www.llbangus.com

Box 217, Erskine, Alberta T0C 1G0

email: llbangus@xplornet.com Phone: 403-742-4226

 vet aDvi c e

doin’ what needs doin’ — part 1

A

wise old farmer once advised me, “Do what needs doin’, scratch what needs scratch’in. A good piece of advice as we look ahead to calving season and the grazing season beyond. Being sure cows and bred heifers are fed properly through winter and later stages of pregnancy tops the list. Do this well and many other things simply fall into place. Body condition plays a critical role in preparation for breeding season and rebreeding. The cow’s job in a commercial herd is to have a healthy calf, get rebred by 83 days postcalving, and wean a calf every 365 days. Thin cows (BCS 2) have a difficulty doing that. Increased calving difficulty when cows are in good condition (BCS 2.5) isn’t an issue. Empty feed yards in the dead of winter come with huge economic consequences for individual producers. Monitoring body condition of cows during gestation is closely linked to calving success and profit. Body condition impacts future reproductive performance, calf health, weaning weights, and overall herd productivity. Thin cows (BCS 2 or less) are only half as productive as cows in optimum condition (BCS 2.5-3). Producers should talk to their veterinarian about incorporating BCS as a tool in managing the cow herd. Changing nutritional needs of brood cows and pregnant heifers during western Canadian winters can be a challenge. Feed analysis is needed for proper management of feed resources. Overfeeding is costly; underfeeding affects body condition and influences both short- and long-term performance of the breeding herd. Adjustments to dietary protein and energy required to gain weight, should start no later than 60 days before calving. A full trimester (90 days) is better. Gaining weight becomes increasingly difficult and expensive as gestation progresses, especially when heifer growth through gestation is considered. Adding is very difficult when cows are lactating. Nutrient requirements increase 30 to 40 per cent at calving. Inadequate nutrition during the last trimester of gestation affects birth weights, colostrum quality and immunity, reduced calf survival, decreased milk production,

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and reduced weight gain in calves — all the way out to weaning and beyond. Winter-feed and forage-grazing costs account for 60-65 per cent of total cow-calf production costs in Western Canada. Costefficient winter feeding programs are important as long as reproductive potential is not compromised. It’s worth noting, that only 38 per cent of swath-grazed forage samples meet the energy needs of a cow through the last third of pregnancy (at -25 C) and only five per cent of those samples meet energy requirements in the last month of pregnancy. Cows relying solely on swath grazing often lose body condition through winter. Over 90 per cent of feed samples contain detectable levels of mycotoxins, naturally occurring compounds produced by fungi growing on plants in the field or during storage. Managing risks associated with mycotoxins is important. It starts with knowing what mycotoxin is involved and levels contained in feed. Fungi and moulds commonly detected in feeds include fusarium, penicillium, aspergillum, and ergot. Clinical signs associated with mycotoxin contamination can include feed refusal, unthriftiness, abortions, circulatory disturbances (ergot), and gastrointestinal disturbances. Nitrate poisoning has been associated with frozen green feed in silage and baled cereal crops. Mouldy sweet clover can cause severe hemorrhagic episodes in cattle. Another important activity in the doin’ ledger is minimizing disease risk for newborn calves prior to and during calving season. Nowhere in cattle operations do basic principles of biosecurity come into play more than the time when highly vulnerable newborns get dropped into an inhospitable world of bugs and temperature extremes with a constant need for sustenance. I consider the following ideas as common sense for disease control in newborn animals, but realize common sense isn’t as common as one might think. Preventing disease isn’t about beating bugs — that’s impossible. Disease prevention, the underbelly of biosecurity, is about controlling the line of scrimmage between disease, host and environment. For instance, a calf is born with little immunity, then — in a perfect world — receives

antibody-rich colostrum from a nutritionally fit cow in a clean environment. Volume matters: five per cent of their birth weight in colostrum before they are 12 hours old, or 1.8 to two litres for a 34-kg calf. Pathogen numbers grow exponentially as calving season progresses. Space and simple hygiene become limiting factors. Simple things like keeping the udders of nursing cows clean and the calf ’s environment dry and comfortable as possible are important first steps in controlling scours. Calves from heifers face a greater risk of getting sick attributable to lower-quality colostrum, poor mothering skills and calving difficulty. Deal with these problems at the start of the calving season when things are the cleanest and the least harried. The most important source of infectious organisms for calves is the gut of adult cows. The number of harmful bacteria, viruses and protozoa shed into the environment by cows steadily grows as calving season progresses. Sick calves become multipliers to countless billions of infectious organisms blanketing the calving environment. Calves born later in the calving season are exposed to higher levels of potential pathogens. Calves born later in the calving season face a greater risk of acquiring disease. Cows and space can be effectively managed with programs like The Nebraska Sand Hills Calving System. The Nebraska system offers a basic way of effectively neutralizing extended contact among beef calves by: 1) using age to segregate calves to prevent direct and indirect transmission of pathogens from older to younger more susceptible calves, and 2) scheduled movement of pregnant cows to clean calving areas to minimize environmental contamination and contact time between calves and the larger portion of the cow herd. The primary objective is to recreate starting conditions of the calving season each week by having new calves dropped in uncontaminated areas, free of older, infective calves. Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to Canadian Cattlemen (gren@fbcpublishing.com) or WCABP (info@wcabp.com).

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Doing tough things well defines a champion

Euthanasia and animal abuse questions are two of the toughest exactly how best to handle it and there is no one best approach, says Ferguson. “But ask yourself if you can recall cases of animal abuse where in hindsight there would have been less damage if it had been handled sooner? “Most of us would answer yes to that,” he says. “We never want people ratting out neighbours or looking for opportunities to settle personal grudges,” he says. “But as an industry we want to continually ensure producers understand what is acceptable in the countryside. Looking the other way is not acceptable. “At the very least people should be prepared to quietly report suspected abuse to people who are trained to deal with the situation. Sometimes neighbours may not be the best people to take the lead. Something as simple as people from a nearby county can help as a first step.” Some provinces have a helpline to call as a first step. The discussion is confidential and respectful and does not result in a full-scale intervention unless or until it is necessary.

In sports terms it is called playing through adversity. Tough situations often define champions, an athlete and a team’s success. In the beef industry how tough issues are handled can define you as a person, your farm and your industry team. Two of the toughest are on-farm euthanasia and handling instances of neglect in the neighbourhood. Ontario beef producer Dan Ferguson has seen many cases firsthand over several years as an educator with the Beef Farmers of Ontario. He has some simple advice from that experience. Euthanasia: Be honest

Most producers enjoy their cattle and provide excellent care, but a rare incident of neglect could cost the industry.

Putting an animal down is an emotional decision that not everybody is equipped to do, says Ferguson. “They have worked at keeping that animal as healthy as they could and ensuring quality of life. When they make the decision that the best outcome for that animal is to end the suffering, it can be tricky for producers to get their head around that. “It’s like putting down your dog. You are connected with that animal. It doesn’t mean you are weak or vulnerable or anything else to have to call in somebody to help.”

so transparent producers are forced to handle the situation properly, says Ferguson. They need to use the tools that have been developed for this to handle the situation properly. “Dwelling on the fact that an animal worth something mere days ago, is now a cost makes no sense,” he says. “Think what it will cost if you mismanage this situation and it is taken out of context by media.”

Understand transparency

Reporting animal neglect

Farmers need to accept that euthanasia is going to happen on their farm. Today the industry is

Suspected animal neglect or abuse is no easier to handle. It is never easy to know

Help available

There is more help available to industry all the time for the tough issues in production, says Ferguson. It is simple to check what is available through provincial associations or Verified Beef Production co-ordinators. c

DEVELOPED BY PRODUCERS. DEVELOPED FOR CONSUMERS

CANADA’S FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE AGAINST BRD:

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A sick calf costs time and money, so when it comes to preventing BRD, serious cattlemen don’t play around. They go with the proven leader — Pyramid® FP 5 + Presponse® SQ1. Over 10 million doses2 of this winning combination have been administered for one simple reason: It works. One easy shot protects your calves against 5 viruses and 1 bacteria associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD). And that’s no B.S. For more information, talk to your veterinarian or Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. representative. Aids in the prevention of disease caused by bovine rhinotracheitis virus, bovine virus diarrhea (Types I and II), bovine parainfluenza 3 and bovine respiratory syncytial virus, and aids in the reduction of severity of pneumonic pasteurellosis caused by Mannheimia haemolytica. 2 Impact Vet data 2004–2014.Pyramid and Presponse are registered trademarks of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. © 2015 Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.

1

 straigh t f ro m t h e h i p

By Brenda Schoepp

A Balanced Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility

T

here is a shift happening in the business world and it’s coming to a company near you. It is the new, intensified and completely transparent model of corporate social responsibility. In many communities social responsibility has two tags: one is environmental and the other is community. Are the major employers playing by the rules of environmental consciousness and are they giving back? Yes, they are giving back. The average Canadian donates one per cent of their annual income to charity but corporate donation is at a much lower level of .02 to .07 per cent of annual income. The sponsorship of the little league may seem like a big play in your backyard but in reality is just a drop in the ocean of reduced taxation. The environmental rules are a little more elusive. I’ll use a real example. One company in our area gave to the community while draining a local lake for fracking. It pulled so much water out (over one metre) that the ice imploded causing a huge environmental disaster. There was no recourse because they had a licence to pump water. In this case we heard the redundant argument of sustainable action — the pumping was licensed, the lake will recover (in 15 years) and they cleaned up after themselves so that is going the distance. And that brings us to the term, sustainability, an overused catchphrase that covers a lot of ground, and water. In terms of community concerns, companies rolled out the sustainability road map, to sustain is not to improve, it is to keep as is for future use. It is a catchphrase with a catch. When it comes to soil, water, air, financial wealth, health and societal needs, the sustainability veil covers it all but does not advance a society to the point of balance, or empowerment. Some now argue that real social responsibility rests in profits. The more profitable you are the more jobs you provide and that in itself is enough. Indeed, a cattle feeder once told me the most important thing he can do for his community is to be profitable. I don’t argue with this because industry and commerce are the foundation of communities. But at some point we all need to give back in a way that moves the pin off the mark. And it is this type of social responsibility that folks are now looking for. To hold companies accountable for destruction is important. A case in point was published in Alberta Venture Business Magazine. In 2014 oil company “S” had revenue of $40 B with a return to communities of less than 0.06 per cent and the purchase of 11 per cent of its goods and services in the communities in which it operated, which might be seen as responsible. But that same company used 149 million cubic metres of fresh water, spilled 2,949 cubic metres of reportable substance and spewed out 21,934,000 tonnes of C02-equivalent emissions. The argument that they are creating jobs

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does not get close to narrowing the massive production and environmental issues that have long-term effects on those communities. Small business in Canada is also responsible and by way of history often do not have to be motivated into giving. They are on the ground working in their communities, tend to be involved in actions that are reflective of their core business and do not have a “we are going to save the world” play because they want the community to thrive. If the community thrives, so do they. At some point big business can lose the feel of the hand that feeds them. This Ivory Tower attitude is quickly covered by sustainable plans that cost little, save more and give the company a temporary social licence. Temporary, because as transparency increases so do expectations. The question is: how does this play out on the farm? An Ipsos Reid study completed in 2012 asked Canadians what they knew of farming. Only seven per cent of respondents knew about farming, with 47 per cent knowing nothing about it at all. The remaining respondents knew a little. Based on this estimate seven per cent of Canadians have an idea of what a farm is and what a farmer does. Now take that into the discussion on social responsibility and you can see why it will be important that we all weigh in on the discussion. Will Canadian consumers lose the feel of the hand that feeds them? Everything we do in agriculture is up for discussion and the national meetings on social licence were created out of this need. It goes well beyond covering our steps with the sustainability blanket — that won’t keep the cold fingers of societal expectations out any longer. Society wants water and may think farms should pay to use it, they want food and still want it cheap, they want clean air, the protection of animals and access to property for play. What they do not want is a scientific report or complicated answer or excuses. Working towards a balanced approach to engaging agriculture while meeting the societal needs of our customer is going to be tough, and we start by influencing government, so we are not caught in a web of regulations that potentially drive down profitability. If one sign of a thriving community is jobs, then Canadian farms need to survive. Agriculture and agri-food are major employers. If part of our social licence is environmental consciousness then we need the data to prove it. If the future relies on healthy soil and clean air then we need to ensure it and if communities are built through rural activity then the economics of farming need to be shared. Consider this: when it comes to social licence, the consumer could be our friend because we have shared values. They just don’t know us. And that story is ours to tell. c All rights reserved, Brenda Schoepp 2016

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

11th Annual Family Day Bull Sale Canada’s largest selection of 2 year old Angus bulls.

Monday, February 15, 2016 1:00 p.m. at the farm at Athabasca, AB Lunch at 11:30 a.m.

SELLING: • 190 Red and Black Angus 2 Year Old Bulls

• A Strong Set of 200 Commercial Red & Black Angus Bred Heifers due to Start Calving May 1st

“Sharing in the Excitement of Agriculture” With over 2000 mother cows exposed in 2015, we at Ole Farms raise trouble free cattle. In order to be profitable we believe that a cow must be able to: feed herself on forages for as many days as possible with minimal mechanical intervention, rebreed each summer and wean a calf every year. All of our cattle must be deep bodied, easy fleshing and have solid feet. This enables them to hold condition and breed without being pampered. Our sale bulls are 21 months of age. They are moderate, forage developed and ready to make your operation more profitable.

Kelly & Anna Olson: 780-675-4664

Sale Managed by:

Kelly Cell: 780-689-7822 Travis: 780-689-8324 Graham: 780-675-0112

www.olefarms.com

 CCA repo rts

By Dave Solverson

Positive signs on trade front

T

he Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) participated in a roundtable with Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland in Edmonton in January as part of her consultations with provincial leaders, industry representatives and academics on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and on international trade. The timing coincided nicely with a letter CCA sent to the minister detailing the importance of the TPP to Canada’s beef industry and the need for the federal government to ratify the agreement. In addition to the sheer value of the trade agreement to beef producers, being a founding member of the TPP would give Canada a say in the terms of entry for additional countries that may want to join the TPP in the future. I reinforced these messages at the roundtable and emphasized that one of the strong selling features of Canadian beef into the emerging markets is the environmental and social attributes. I indicated that we have a strong social licence to produce beef in Canada because we take care of our environment, animals, and are very conscious of food safety. Provincial representation at the roundtable included Alberta Minister of Agriculture Oneil Carlier, and Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault. Industry representatives from the Alberta Wheat Commission, Alberta Milk, Egg Farmers of Alberta, and Alberta Beef Producers were also in attendance. Overall it was a very positive discussion with no opposition to the TPP, including from the provincial representatives from milk and eggs. Representatives from Livestock Gentec, University of Alberta economists, and forestry and agriculture scientists also participated. Minister Freeland, who grew up on a mixed farm in the Peace region, said although it’s important to get new trading partners, she wants to make “trade” itself happen. She acknowledged the hard work of the CCA in achieving the successful repeal of the U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) file. The minister was very interested in CCA’s environmental and social strengths in the beef industry and in agriculture in general. Another strong point was that she indicated we are well respected in the research and innovation areas of agriculture, and applying that innovation in our practices. Overall, I was very impressed with her knowledge about agriculture and enthusiastic attitude to trade. On the same day as the roundtable, a new study examining the environmental footprint of beef production was released. The study shows Canada’s beef industry continues to improve efficiencies that lessen its environmental impacts, with production of one kilogram of Canadian beef creating 15 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions in 2011 compared to 1981. Continual improvements in production and feed effi-

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ciencies, crop yields and management strategies, resulting in reduced emissions and resource requirements, were largely responsible for the significant decrease in environmental impact. January 1, 2016 marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA). While the February 2015 case of BSE in Alberta nixed burgeoning exports last year, the resumption of trade effective December 30, 2015 means opportunity for beef producers. The Korean tariff on Canadian beef dropped to 34.7 per cent — compared with a 40 per cent tariff without CKFTA — on January 1 and will continue to drop as part of Korea’s beef tariff phase-out with Canada. While positive, the U.S. and Australia are ahead of Canada in their respective beef tariff phase-outs with Korea. Correcting this disparity in phase-outs could be addressed at the TPP level by making it a condition of entry for Korea. While the normalization of trade with South Korea is good news, the CCA’s view is that Canada had sufficient information within days of the February discovery of BSE case No. 19 to adequately assure any country, including Korea, of any concerns they might have had regarding the safety of Canadian beef. The protocol between Canada and Korea reached in 2012 was never intended to enable a delay of resumption of imports pending the full completion of Canada’s trace-outs and publication of complete epidemiological report. The CCA will be seeking assurance that Korea will not be permitted to maintain such a lengthy delay in resumption of imports again in the future. Consideration of Korea’s future entry into the TPP may be an opportunity to achieve clarification to the protocol. Canadian beef exports to China experienced phenomenal growth in 2015, becoming Canada’s second-largest export market from its fifth in 2014. Exports through October more than doubled compared with the same period in 2014 despite China being closed for nearly two months in 2015 due to BSE case No. 19. Volume through October increased 11 per cent while value more than doubled to US$115.3 million. Nearly 80 per cent of the 2015 exports to China took place from July to October. I feel we could do even better once China expands our access to also include bone-in beef. I am hopeful that 2016 will be the year we achieve that. Earlier in January I attended the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) Legislative Ag Chairs Summit meeting in Denver. The meeting provided the opportunity for CCA to express appreciation to government officials and state representatives for their important work that contributed to the repeal of COOL. I am glad to have this file behind us and look forward to an exciting year ahead. c

Dave Solverson is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

Transcon’s Mountainview Bull Sale March 26, 2016 Innisfail Auction Mart Innisfail, AB

RF Throttled 311A

Wheatland Circuit Breaker

Walking Herd Sire 2014/2015 Champion Simmental Bull Farmfair Top 5 in Supreme All Breeds Farmfair 2014 Champion Simmental Bull Agribition 2015 Champion Simmental Bull Olds Fall Classic 9 SONS SELL

Walking Herd Sire $60,000 High Selling Bull 2014 Wheatland Cattle Bull Sale

Outlaw Soda Pop 14B

Outlaw Short Circuit 41B

High Selling Bull in last years sale $18,000 to Labatte Simmentals Full sibling heifers Average $16,000 last year 2 FULL BROTHERS SELL

First Circuit Breaker calves to sell Average $9000 7 SONS SELL

Outlaws High Selling Female this fall Wheatland Circuit Breaker Daughter Sold to Dunluce Farms for $15,000

Also Sons Selling By:

RF Torque, Remington Red Mile & MRL Red Force

Thanks to all our buyers this fall that purchased an Outlaw female

Glasman Farms Czechmate Livestock Crisis Cattle Co

Deeg simmentals Martinvale Farms Connor Njaa

 prime cuts

By Steve Kay

MARKET VOLATILITY WILL CONTINUE

T

he North American meat and livestock industry got a welcome pre-Christmas present when Congress repealed the beef and pork parts of the country-of-origin labelling law. The move brought relief and a certain rejoicing in all three countries. Not only can normal movement of livestock resume without costly segregation, potentially disruptive retaliatory tariffs were avoided. The industry though, especially the U.S. beef industry, will be craving a reduction of something that was actually disruptive and likely cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars. That something was the extreme volatility seen in the futures, cash live cattle and wholesale beef markets. However, the volatility will continue, especially while the U.S. continues to have a full-blown “weather market.” It alone will cause live cattle prices to remain in flux every week until March. The extreme volatility began with the futures market, which at times appeared to be divorced from market fundamentals. But it didn’t directly cause the volatility that pervaded the cattle and beef markets. A disturbing pattern was how boxed beef prices had huge run-ups then equally large collapses. This occurred before and after each of the three biggest holiday weeks of the summer. It occurred again in November-December when prices collapsed (the Choice cut-out lost nearly US$24 per cwt in seven weeks) then exploded the last week of the year. The collapse also forced cash live cattle prices sharply lower. They lost just shy of US$20 per cwt in seven weeks. But they also then exploded, in large part because of severe winter weather in most of cattle-feeding country. The result was an unprecedented US$18 per cwt rally in live cattle prices in two weeks. Last year taught the beef industry some further painful lessons. Cattle feeders discovered that the money

Selling:

A North American view of the meat industry. Steve Kay is publisher and editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly.

BOZ 59C

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22nd al u Ann

always runs out before the cattle. Cattle feeders and packers realized that the shrinking cash grain-fed cattle market demands urgent action or it will disappear. Cowcalf producers accepted the reality that the remarkable returns enjoyed the past two years are now history. The biggest lesson though was the damage that record-high wholesale and retail beef prices caused. Those prices made beef deeply uncompetitive with pork and chicken and even priced ground beef out of the reach of some consumers. A new year though brings fresh hopes. Cattle feeders will be desperate to stem their historic losses of 2015. As noted, cash live cattle prices rebounded over the holidays but only because of the weather. Higher prices will be necessary for at least the next two months just to offset the weight loss and much higher cost of gain caused by wretched feedlot conditions. It might take cattle feeders several years to recoup their 2015 losses. Cow-calf operators saw lower returns in 2015 compared to 2014, and the pattern will be repeated this year. But returns might still be US$200 per cow. It’s worth remembering that returns often struggled in the US$50$100 range and that was while many producers also battled severe to extreme drought. Drought conditions have largely disappeared except in California so this year should be a good one. The biggest hope will be that beef becomes more affordable. A projected 4.3 per cent increase in U.S. production from 2015 will be a start. But how much more aggressively retailers feature beef will be the key. Already the signs are promising. Ground beef at US$1.99 per pound appeared to be history. But the Lucky supermarket chain in northern California put that price on 85 per cent lean ground beef over the holidays. I ran to the store to stock up, and I hope others did as well. c

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Sire Keys All State 149X www.canadiancattlemen.ca

CANADIAN FORAGE & GRASSLAND ASSOCIATION

www.canadianfga.ca • Ph: 506-260-0872

Dr. Bruce Coulman (third from left) received the CFGA Leadership Award from (l-r) CFGA chair Doug Wray, Claude Lesperance of CNH and Doug Warrener of CNH.

A successful conference in Saskatoon The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association held its sixth annual conference, November 17-19 in Saskatoon, with 124 participants attending from across Canada and the United States. What better way to kick off a conference than with an optional tour? Pre-conference delegates had the opportunity to explore the University of Saskatchewan’s Rayner Dairy Research and Teaching Facility, the Canadian Light Source Inc’s Synchrotron and New Holland’s Manufacturing Facility. The conference proceedings, which are now available on the CFGA website, www.canadianfga.ca, touched on topics ranging from energy-dense forages and forage fertility to sustainable beef and conservation tillage systems to support soil health development.

The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association is online with a newly refreshed website and online resource. Connect with CFGA on Twitter @CFGA_ACPF and on Facebook!

Each year the Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association recognizes an individual who exemplifies and enhances

the goals of the CFGA, and whose leadership has national or international significance for the promotion or advancement of forage and grasslands management. This year, the CFGA Leadership Award was awarded to Dr. Bruce Coulman, a leader in Western Canadian forage development. Dr. Coulman is a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, where he has served as head of the Plant Sciences Department for eight years. His research has focused on perennial forage grasses, cereal forages and grass seed production, and he has been involved in the development and registration of over 20 forage cultivars through his work at the U of S and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Planning is already underway for the 2016 CFGA conference, which will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 15-17, 2016 — mark it in your calendar! We look forward to seeing you there!

 TH E INDUSTRY

NewsRoundup identification Tag losses higher on cows

It won’t be long before the industry may have some answers to a problem that has long been the ire of beef producers — tag retention for animal identification. The final report on the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s (CCIA) national tag retention project will be made public on its website (www.canadaid.ca) this April along with details on retention rates for each of the seven makes of tags approved for animal identification in Canada and one of the Quebec-approved tags. Project leader Ross Macdonald says considering that the retention rate for calves was quite high, averaging 98.9 per cent in the first 18 months of the pro­ ject, he wasn’t sure what to expect for the mature cows. Preliminary findings indicate that it is lower at 89.7 per cent. “This is in line with what we have been hearing on the ground that tag retention

in calves isn’t the problem. The problem is with the cows,” says Macdonald a consultant and cow-calf producer from Lake Alma, Sask. The preliminary mature-cow findings included data from 13 project herds scanned in 2014 out of 18 herds in all. Macdonald and Dr. Paul Jefferson, vicepresident of operations for the Western Beef Development Centre, who has been involved in the project from the design stages through statistical analysis, will be poring through the four years of data once the final scans wrap up this winter. Macdonald and an assistant tagged more than 5,000 head of commercial cattle beginning at spring processing in 2011 for most of the 3,600 calves, and at fall preg checking for most of the cows, with the remainder tagged in 2012. Herds selected for the project were spread out from British Columbia through Ontario and ranged in size from 76 to 535 head to put tag performance to

The Canadian Limousin Association board of directors selected in December are: standing (l-r): Tim Andrew (Alta.), Mark Angus (Man.), Erin Kishkan (B.C.), Jim Richmond (Alta.), Matthew Heleniak (Ont.), Lynn Combest (Alta.). Seated (l-r): Eric Boon, vice-president (Sask.), Terry Hepper, president (Sask.), Tessa Verbeek, general manager, and Bill Zwambag, treasurer (Ont.).

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NEWS ROUNDUP

the test under differing geographies, climates and styles of farming. All project-tagged animals remaining in the herds have been scanned annually. Some of the cows in the maturecow analysis were tagged as calves and retained in the breeding herd, while some of the mature cows tagged the first year have since been culled. Whereas there wasn’t much variability in tag retention rates across the makes of tags and location of the herds for fallweaned calves and yearlings, retention was quite variable for the mature cows. This brought the overall retention rate for all ages of project cattle to the end of 2014 down to an average of 88.9 per cent. It ranged from a low of 64.7 in some herds to 100 per cent in others. The final report will lend some insight into reasons for tag loss and how producers might improve retention rates and readability. It will include the complete project description and statistical analyses of tag retention rates for cattle of all ages across all project herds, tag losses by herd and tag loss and read rates by make. It will then be up to the CCIA board to decide on the next step for this research. The original project called for following tag retention through the lifetime of the cows, which would normally be eight or nine years.

fied audit designed for the feedlot segment of the food production industry. It covers the period in an animal’s life from its entry into the feedlot to when it is loaded for slaughter, and thus harmonizes well with the PAACOcertified North American Meat Institute’s (NAMI) meat plant welfare audit. The program also complements the Canadian Beef Code of Practice with specific best management practices for feedlots. The non-proprietary instrument is the

product of a coalition of feedlot operators, packers and customers (retail and food service), veterinarians, ethologists, animal scientists and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Major packers Cargill, Tyson and JBS were key co-operators in developing the audit. Lily Edwards-Callaway, PhD, JBS Beef Cattle Welfare leader and NAMI hanContinued on page 50

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A new tool for auditing animal welfare in feedlots developed in Alberta for the Calgary-based National Cattle Feeders Association (NCFA) has been given conditional Certified Audit status from the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO). “From PAACO’s perspective, this is a great accomplishment and shows great foresight on the part of the Canadian cattle feeders,” said Jennifer Walker, DVM, PhD, newly elected PAACO chair. “Many species associations, processors, private audit companies and humane organizations have utilized PAACO’s thirdparty independent review process to ensure the quality and add credibility to their animal welfare audit instruments.” The Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program developed by the NCFA, is unique in that it is the first certiwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

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“He thought we were a slow-moving forest fire.”

Continued from page 49

dling committee chair commended the Canadian feedlot industry for taking on this initiative. “Consumers increasingly rank animal welfare as an important factor in their buying decisions and this tool will provide confidence in an integral segment of beef production. This initiative presents an opportunity for our industry to increase transparency and share our animal welfare values with discerning customers and consumers.” “The feedlot industry has been proactive in working collectively with our processors and other stakeholders, such as our retailers, to develop this assessment tool,” says NCFA chair Larry Schweitzer. “It was important to involve all players in the beef supply chain to create a credible audit instrument, which PAACO’s process brings to this tool. “Our goal was to have a program that satisfied our packer customers and their retail and food-service customers without adding costs, duplication or a bureaucratic burden on feedlot operations.” Schweitzer says his organization’s ulti-

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NEWS ROUN DUP

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mate goal is to eventually harmonize the Canadian feedlot assessment program with U.S. programs to provide a North American feedlot animal care audit/assessment program similar to the NAMI audit for processing plants that is widely adopted in U.S. and Canadian establishments. Now that the audit has been certified, NCFA’s next step will be to educate Canadian feedlot operators on the expectations and criteria to which they will be held accountable. PAACO is also exploring the opportunities to develop a training curriculum so it can offer auditor certification courses. PAACO currently has certified nine audits and others are being reviewed. Information on all PAACO-certified audits and programs, as well as the 16 core criteria for certified audits, is found on the “certification” page of the PAACO website, www.animalauditor.org.

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News Roundup STAMPEDE

By Jerry Palen

“It will be the perfect Valentines! You buy lovely flowers, a dinner out and finally I tell you where I hid the TV remote!”

Continued from page 51

PAL) fund supports projects that enable famers and ranchers to preserve key wildlife habitat while still meeting their own production needs. Potential initiatives include new and inventive conservation strategies. The work will take place over five years in southwestern Saskatchewan, in areas covered by the South of the Divide Conservation Action Program (SODCAP Inc.), which will be involved in the delivery of the pilot projects. “Agricultural producers are key partners in our ongoing efforts to protect and recover species at risk,” said Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change Canada. “With this fund, we’re supporting the many Canadian ranchers and farmers using land stewardship practices that benefit wildlife.” SSGA president Doug Gillespie notes most of Saskatchewan’s remaining native grass prairie is on privately managed ranchland and the ranchers, many of them members of the SSGA, are in the best position to protect habitat for species at risk.

The SSGA proposal includes plans for habitat restoration, results-based conservation agreements, and grass banking, as well as money for fencing and other infrastructure to protect the land and water resources on project ranches. “Ranchers, livestock and species at risk can co-exist, and they have been for generations,” says Tom Harrison, executive director of SODCAP Inc. In many cases, Harrison says the conservation tools and strategies utilized on these projects will be is proud to present t used in Saskatchewan for theAgCanada.com first time. AGGronomyTV is a series of videos th “SARPAL is the right approach,” says Gilto soil management and crop produ lespie. Regulations and fines don’t make  New Seeding Technology sense when the ranching industry has volun Tire Performance tarily protected this habitat all along. Given  the right tools, we’ll be able 4R to Stewardship do what’s Growing Soybeans best to support biodiversity on the land.”

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NEWS ROUNDUP

greenhouse gas emissions in 2011 compared to 1981, a new study has found. Continual improvements in production and feed efficiencies, crop yields and management strategies, resulting in reduced emissions and resource requirements, were largely responsible for the significant decrease in environmental impact, according to the first results of a comprehensive five-year (2013-18) study examining the Canadian beef industry’s environmental footprint. The work done by researchers at the University of Manitoba, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lethbridge and Environment Canada, found a 15 per cent decrease in methane, 16 per cent less

nitrous dioxide and 13 per cent less carbon dioxide generated by beef production in Canada today versus 30 years before. Compared to 30 years ago we can produce the same amount of beef with 29 per cent fewer breeding cattle and 24 per cent less land. This study looked at the entire production chain from the cow-calf end to the feedlot. Other studies will focus on the impact of today’s beef production on water use, biodiversity and ecosystems services. “We’re working to get a more accurate assessment of the Canadian beef industry’s environmental footprint and these results indicate that the footprint per kilogram of beef produced is get-

ting smaller,” said Dr. Tim McAllister, a research scientist at AAFC Lethbridge and one of the study’s principal investigators. “The decreased emissions and reduced resource requirements to produce beef over the past few decades, due in part to enhanced production and feed efficiencies, crop yields and management practices, wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for investments in research and development, and the industry’s ability to adopt those technologies,” he explained. Dr. McAllister works with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Continued on page 54

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News Roundup Continued from page 53

Sales Management:

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Nations on procedures used to develop these estimates, and has served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 100 RED & BL ACK SIMMENTAL BULLS The environmental impact of livestock production has been a contentious topic for some time, and greenhouse gases and resource R PLUS SIMMENTALS R PLUS SIMMENTALS Ross LeBlanc & Sons Ross LeBlanc & Sons use have been at the forefront of this environmental debate. For the Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7 Box 1476 Estevan, SK S4A 2L7 Canadian beef industry, with over 68,500 beef farms contributing Marlin 306.634.8031 Marlin 306.634.8031 Cell 306.421.2470 Cell 306.421.2470 $35 billion worth of goods and sales to the economy, clarity on this Ross 306.421.1824 Ross 306.421.1824 topic is important. Jason 306.421.9909 Jason 306.421.9909 “Unfortunately, perceived concerns of negative environmental impacts of beef often overshadow the beneficial impacts of the beef Sales Management: industry,” noted Tim Oleksyn, a cow-calf producer from ShellOBI brook, Sask., and chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council. “Beef Rob Holowaychuk 780.916.2628 producers are inherently motivated to be more efficient, which Mark Holowaychuk most often has social, economic and environmental benefits. Now 403.896.4990 that we have resource use and GHG emission benchmarks, we can move forward as an industry and more strategically target our SALES MANAgEMENT: R PLUS SIMMENTALS oBI efforts to improve.” Box 1476 ESTEVAN, SK S4A 2L7 RoB HoLowAyCHUK Canada’s beef industry currently accounts for 3.6 per cent MARLIN LEBLANC 780.916.2628 (CELL) 306.421.2470 of Canada’s greenhouse gas production and 0.072 per cent of (CELL) 306.421.9637 MARK HoLowAyCHUK (HoME) 306.634.8031

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N EWS ROUNDUP

global greenhouse gas production. At the same time, land that grows grasses and legumes for cattle sequester carbon, thereby reducing GHGs. The results of this study speak to the industry’s commitment to continuous improvement and sustainability. It will also provide important historical information to the environmental component of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB)’s first-ever National Beef Sustainability Assessment. The CRSB sustainability assessment will benchmark the industry’s social, economic and environmental impact using 2013 as the baseline. The assessment will be revisited, and progress evaluated, every five years. Results from the remaining phases of the industry environmental footprint study, including water use, biodiversity and provision of ecosystems services, are expected in 2018. The study was funded by the Beef Cattle Industry Science Cluster.

Grading

Yield is down, fat is up By Charlie Gracey

The year-end 2015 grading results are cause for concern but I doubt many have noticed. On the positive side we see a very sharp increase in AAA carcasses from 57.1 per cent of the total in the Prime to A series to 62.0 per cent. In fact Prime plus AAA now make up almost twothirds of the total. Wonderful! But don’t stop here. Before we applaud the increase in “quality” let’s have a look at the yield classification side of the matter. In 2015 the highestyielding class fell out of bed, dropping from 50 per cent of the total in 2014 to just 41.3 per cent in 2015. As Donald Trump might say, “what the hell is going on?” What is going on is that cattle feeders, faced with recordhigh replacement prices decided to market more feed through the cattle they already owned and deferred the purchase of an admittedly reduced supply of replacement cattle. That might make short-term economic sense but it doesn’t say much for the product. A short explanation is needed. Quality in youthful cattle is determined almost exclusively by the level of marbling. I say almost exclusively only to avoid criticism that I overlook other important factors. But if you look at the B grades those other important factors have excluded only 1.75 per cent of the carcasses from the Prime and A series grades. So I can assert that the level of marbling has increased simply because the cattle got fatter. If one wishes to dispute that observation you must ignore the yield results. Yield is determined primarily, and again almost exclusively, by fat thickness measurements taken at the ribbing site and, as stated above the Y1s dropped from 50 per cent in 2014 to 41.3 per cent in 2015. Therefore no one can dispute that the cattle were much fatter in 2015 than ever before during the present grade standards regime. Actually the high water mark for yield was way back in 1997 and 1998 when A1s reached 71.1 per cent of the total. I am being deliberately blunt here because I think it’s time the industry addressed this issue. The consumer is being shortchanged. The industry is supplying more fat and less lean meat than ever to a consumer who is generally unaware. The fat she pays for was removed in the trimming process but somebody, and who else but the consumer, had to pay for that production. Continued on page 56

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WELSH BLACK News Roundup

Bulls for Sale • 32nd Consecutive Year Testing Bulls • 25 Select Bulls On Test Chosen From Over 250 Brood Cows • 12 Different Sires • 100% Polled or Scurred Bulls • 85 lbs. Average Birth Weight

Continued from page 55

So would I then sacrifice quality for yield? Not in a million years. We have known for at least the last four decades that it is possible to breed, raise, feed and market animals that are of high quality and also high yield. If I were to define the ideal carcass, with the poor tools we have to do that, I would suggest that this should include the top half of the AA grade and all of the AAA and Prime carcasses that had a Yield Grade 1. That definition would have included 43 per cent of the carcasses graded in 2005 but only 29 per cent of those graded in 2015. So we don’t have to look for proof that a better carcass is possible. We just have to look at what was done a decade ago. So I have to ask again, when is the industry going to implement instrument grading and start paying more attention to carcass yield? Only when producers are paid fairly for both quality and yield will they respond with a better product. The cattle feeder cannot and should not be blamed for responding to a marketplace that sends strong signals about quality and faint beeps about yield. When these signals are better balanced in terms of price offerings producers will respond. Grading results matter!

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 distribut i on of bee f ca rcass Can Prime 70%

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We’d appreciate it if you could tell us a little about yourself. It makes it easier for us to keep your main interests in focus  I’m ranching or farming Enterprise Total beef cattle Yearlings on feed/pasture Registered cows Fed cattle (sold yearly) Commercial cows Horses Calves on feed/pasture Other livestock

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don’t like. There’s also some space for you to tell us what you would like to see in future issues. ClIp And enClose your mAIlIng lABel. each month, we will draw one name from all the surveys sent in and send that person a Cattlemen cap. It could be you!

What do you think of: On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you and your family like these features? 5 – I always watch for it; let’s see more of it 4 – I regularly read it and like it 3 – I usually read it 2 – There are things I’d rather read 1 – I don’t want it; get rid of it Regular Columns 5 4 3

Regular Columns News Roundup Purely Purebred The Markets

5

4

3

2

1

Market Talk Sales and Events

2 1 Nutrition Comment Research Special features 5 4 3 2 1 Newsmakers Letters Calving Issue (Jan.) CCA Reports Custom Feedlot Guide (Sep.) Prime Cuts Stock Buyers’ Guide (Aug.) Straight From The Hip Animal Health Special (Sep.) Holistic Ranching Beef Watch (May & Nov.) What would you like to see? __________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ How much time do you and your family spend reading 1666 Dublin Avenue Canadian Cattlemen?  Under 2 hours  Over 2 hours Winnipeg, Man. R3H 0H1

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STAMPEDE

By Jerry Palen

Continued from page 57

News Roundup Continued from page 57

 co r r ect i o n

“There they go! All 273 of them, or 284… no, 396… or was it??”

HOG HITH

FARM & RANCH EQUIPMENT Ltd

E OU TST

1974

RA ANDING B

♦

Our article, A Single Squirt to Manage Pain, (pg. 22, 23, December 2015 Canadian Cattlemen) requires some clarification. The article states: “A second dose of Metacam, an injectable meloxicam product, can be given 48 hours later if needed.” In fact, Metacam 20 mg/ml Solution for Injection is labelled in cattle for only a single subcutaneous or intravenous injection of 0.5 mg meloxicam/kg weight, i.e. 2.5 ml/100 kg. We apologize for any confusion or concern our error has caused to our readers or Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Ltd., the manufacturer of Metacam 20.

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1-800-661-7002 C at t l e m e n · F e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

59

 NEWS ABOUT YOU

By Mike Millar

PurelyPurebred

Suggestions are always welcome. My phone number is 306-251-0011 Email: mike.millar@ fbcpublishing.com

n THE HERD LETTER FOR 2016 IS ‘D’ n Since our last issue Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) board has presented its Jim Lewthwaite Memorial Award to Brian Rossnagel and its Chris Sutter Award posthumously to Neil Jahnke. The Jim Lewthwaite Memorial Award recognizes those committed individuals who do an outstanding job of promoting the CWA internationally as a showcase for Canadian livestock genetics and agriculture technology. The Chris Sutter Award, previously named the CWA builder award, recognizes individuals or companies that contribute to the development of CWA. Plant breeder Brian Rossnagel of Saskatoon volunteered at the CWA for 18 years, starting with his involvement with the Grain Show and later became the CWA president. Neil Jahnke of Gouldtown, Sask. served as vice-president of the CWA, as well as a founding member of Canada Beef Export Federation, and president of the Saskatchewan Livestock Association, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. n Three 4-H Ontario members who won their classes in the National Junior Beef Heifer Show at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto in November will represent Canada at the prestigious Young Show Stars beef competition in the United Kingdom in March. The three are: Bailey McConnell from Kincardine, Champion Senior Showperson; Alexa Avelar from East Garafraxa, Reserve Champion Senior Showperson and Megan Foubert from Kemptville, Reserve Champion Intermediate Showperson. The Young Show Stars competition from March 23-24, 2016 involves youth ages 14-24 from across the United Kingdom. Scoring is done on a team basis in several categories, including stock judging, cattle and sponsorship displays, cattle fitting and preparation, teamwork and knowledge, public speaking, cattle parading and ring etiquette. The winning U.K. team will travel to Canada in November to participate in The Royal’s National Junior Beef Heifer Show, along with more than 300 4-H Beef Club members from across Canada.

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C at t l e m e n · f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

The Manitoba Charolais Association board of directors, front row (l-r): Rae Trimble-Olson, sec.-treas., Portage la Prairie; Hans Myhre, first vice-president, Dauphin; Shawn Airey, president, Rivers; Jeff Cavers, second vice-president, La Riviere and Brad Cline, Belmont. Back row (l-r): Ron McDonald, Sidney; Matthew Ramsey, Strathclair; Trent Hatch, Oak Lake; Scott Johnson, Rathwell; Jim Olson, Portage la Prairie; Kevin Stebeleski, Oakburn; Michael Hunter, Roblin; and Rob Gilliland, Virden.

n HTA Charolais of Rivers was voted the Manitoba Charolais Breeder of the Year at the recent annual meeting of the Manitoba Charolais Association. Kris and Louise Kristjanson of Ochre River were named Manitoba Charolais Commercial Producers of the Year. Team Canada 2016 is sponsored by The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Tullamore Angus Farms, Flightpath Shorthorns, Beef Farmers of Ontario and Peel Mutual Insurance Company. n According to the latest issue of the Canadian Hereford Digest the fourth year of the Canadian Hereford Association’s residual feed intake (RFI) research is off to a great start with 180 bulls currently finishing up the 105-day fall trial and another 160 or so registered for the spring trial starting this month. The goal is to identify the range of RFI values within the Hereford breed in developing Canada’s first RFI EPD. The Alberta Livestock and Meat Association is covering the cost of HD genotyping for both trials. So far, they’ve analyzed 1,200 bulls. Feed intake is measured daily using GrowSafe feeders and live weights taken on entry and every two weeks on test to calculate average daily gain, average daily dry matter intake (DMI) and RFI, the amount

of observed DMI, less predicted DMI. The lower the better. Genetic evaluation for feed efficiency was then performed. After edits, 1,050 observations of RFI remained. A pedigree consisting of 5,654 accounted for relationships between animals. Data was additionally corrected for age on test, age of dam and contemporary (test) group, then EPDs were generated and published. The heritability of RFI was deemed to be 0.36. All tested animals were genotyped. Genomically enhanced EPDs will be available in early 2016. n In December the Canadian Hereford Association (CHA) board removed the $15 subsidy on embryo calf DNA testing so ET calves will now be charged the regular fee of $40 for parentage and abnormality tests. As well the CHA increased the THE enrolment fees to $6 per cow to cover the cost of stepped-up EPD evaluations. In 2016 the association will run six EPD evaluations to

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PURELY PUREBRED

provide newly calculated EPDs for breeders to market cattle, and provide a quicker turnaround on getting genomic evaluated EPDs on cattle. n Congratulations go out to Jaelayne Wilson, daughter of Lee and Dawn Wilson of Miller Wilson Angus, Bashaw, Alta., and Loren Jacobs on their marriage over the Christmas season. The question on everybody’s mind is whether Loren will change his last name to Wilson. We will keep you updated! n On a sad note the beef community lost a pioneer in the AI industry in early January. Albert Harrison of Southwest Genetics, Shaunavon, Sask., known to his friends as Ab was recognized far and wide in purebred and commercial circles alike. Albert started his career with ABS in the early ’70s teaching cattlemen how to AI and select bulls. This was a change from the industry norm at the time, where the AI technician came out to the farm to AI the cow. Part of Albert’s job description was promoting the latest bull lineup at Agribition in the ABS booth. He and the rest of the crew took that job to heart, starting at 5 a.m. by handing out coffee and doughnuts to exhibitors who were looking for the tractor and cart that was generally being driven by Albert. With the switch to controlled breed-

ing program and more cattlemen breeding their own animals Albert joined Genex and was instrumental in setting up many largescale breeding programs in Western Canada. I had the privilege of working with Albert for a good many years. He will be missed! n The Keith Gilmore Foundation (KGF) recently recognized the benefits from a couple of generous gifts to their scholarship fund. Bar Pipe Hereford Ranch donated the “Pick of the 2015 Heifer Calves” in support of the foundation during the 2015 Southern Alberta Hereford Tour last fall. Jim Sutton purchased the “Pick” for $12,500 with the proceeds from the donation directed to the “Future of the Breed” scholarship program administered through the KGF. The other major contribution was an offer by Blairs.Ag to buy a pick of the herd flush from their herd during the Hereford Agribition sale. Dennis and Andrea Babiuk of Brosseau, Alta., purchased the lot for $7,500. The Keith Gilmore Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1987, dedicated to supporting youth in agriculture and beef industry research. Eight scholarships totalling $21,500 were presented to young achievers in the agricultural community in 2015. Continued on page 62

Over 1,000 Charolais & Angus Bulls from nearly 5,000 cows. Let us help you find the right bull for your program. FEBRUARY 26 • MAPLE LEAF CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Ponoka (AB) Ag Event Centre MARCH 7 • COYOTE FLATS CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Coaldale, AB MARCH 8 • McTAVISH CHAROLAIS CHAROLAIS & RED ANGUS BULL SALE, at the farm, Moosomin, SK MARCH 14 • PALMER CHAROLAIS WITH NIELSON LAND & CATTLE CO. BULL SALE, at Palmer Charolais, Bladworth, SK MARCH 15 • GILLILAND BROS. CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Carievale, SK MARCH 17 • DIAMOND W CHAROLAIS, RED & BLACK ANGUS BULL SALE, Minitonas, MB MARCH 19 • PLEASANT DAWN CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Heartland Livestock, Virden, MB MARCH 22 • STEPPLER FARMS BULL SALE, at the farm, Miami, MB MARCH 23 • HTA CHAROLAIS & GUESTS BULL SALE, Beautiful Plains Ag Complex, Neepawa, MB MARCH 24 • ELDER CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Coronach, SK MARCH 29 • PRAIRIE DISTINCTION CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Beautiful Plains Ag Complex, Neepawa, MB APRIL 2 • TRI-N CHAROLAIS FARMS & GUESTS BULL SALE, Heartland Livestock, Virden APRIL 4 • WILGENBUSCH CHAROLAIS NORTH OF THE 49TH BULL SALE, at the ranch, Halbrite, SK APRIL 5 • CEDARLEA CHAROLAIS & WINDY WILLOWS ANGUS “GIT R DONE” BULL SALE, Windy Willows Farm, Hodgeville, SK APRIL 7 • HUNTER CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, at the farm, Roblin, MB April 13 • MUTRIE FARMS/BAR H CHAROLAIS BULL SALE, Candiac (SK) Auction Market April 16 • BRIMNER CATTLE CO. AND WRAZ RED ANGUS CORNERSTONE BULL & FEMALE SALE, Whitewood (SK) Auction Mart

For more information contact:

The Manitoba Hereford Association has named the Dueck family of Firdale Polled Herefords from Austin as its commercial breeder of the year for 2015. The award was presented by Steven Manns, president of the MHA.

306-584-7937 Helge By 306-536-4261 Candace By 306-536-3374 124 Shannon Road, Regina, SK S4S 5B1 charolaisbanner@gmail.com Catalogues available online a month prior to sale at

www.bylivestock.com www.canadiancattlemen.ca

C at t l e m e n · f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

61

PU R E LY PU R E B R E D Continued from page 61

 Cattlemen’s Young Leaders 2015: Breeanna Kelln, Duval, Sask. Mentor: Ben Thorlakson, Carstairs, Alta. Breeanna grew up on a mixed farm near Duval, Sask. She and her husBreeanna Kelln band, Greg Hill, along with son Emmett, continue to live near Duval and own a commercial cow-calf and backgrounding operation. Breeanna attended the University of Saskatchewan, where she obtained bachelor and master of science degrees in animal science. Her M.Sc. research was done at the Western Beef Development Center with Dr. Bart Lardner and focused on extensive winter feeding systems for beef cattle. Breeanna has a passion for the plant/animal/soil interface, extensive winter grazing and loves talking with primary producers about their operations. Since graduating, Breeanna has worked in many areas of agriculture including business development and agronomy. Breeanna is employed with

DuPont Pioneer as their livestock information manager for Western Canada. Through the CYL program, Breeanna hopes to gain insight and knowledge from leaders in the industry. Her main objectives are to gain understanding with respect to global marketing, international trade and policy. Brendan Zettler, Teeswater, Ont. Mentor: Robert Bielak, Toronto, Ont. Brendan was born and raised on a family farm outside Teeswater in Bruce Brendan Zettler County. The family farm has always been a mixed operation but one constant has always been beef cattle. As soon as he was able, Brendan joined his first 4-H beef club and his passion for cattle and agriculture has been growing ever since. After high school he attended Ridgetown College to obtain an associate diploma of agriculture, which then led to completing his bachelor of science, honours agriculture from the University of Guelph. Currently Brendan works in the grain industry for Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. as a sales agronomist and helps on the family farm where

they raise beef stockers, sheep and chickens. Brendan also raises his own stockers and has a partnership with his brother and sister where they cash crop in the Teeswater area. Brett Hassard, Medicine Hat, Alta. Mentor: Mike Pollard Brett was raised on his family’s commercial cow-calf ranch south of Medicine Hat, Alta. In 2014, he gradBrett Hassard uated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of science in agriculture majoring in animal science. He is currently the feedlot health supervisor at South Island Farms, a 6,000-head backgrounding and finishing yard south of Bow Island, Alta. He has also remained involved with the family ranch, going home to help out whenever possible. The management and future of his family’s ranch is something that is very important to Brett and he would like to one day take over operations along with his younger brother. Brett is planning to use his CYL experience to learn more about international and domestic livestock marketing and policy as well as succession planning. c

Want to know what’s next in agriculture? Watch This Country Called Agriculture and be informed. This Country Called Agriculture is a new on-demand video series that delivers relevant news & information on the agriculture industry. Host Rob Eirich interviews ag pioneers, professionals and academics that offer insight into today’s trends and what the future holds for agriculture – on and off the farm. Video topics include:  Sustainability  Starting a new farm

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www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 Market Su mma ry

By Debbie McMillin

TheMarkets Fed Cattle Although fed cattle prices soared to new highs through the first half of 2015, the last six-month average slipped back to 2014 levels at $165/cwt. This downturn continued towards the end of the year as the fed futures fell to another low in mid-December. The first week of January saw fed steers climb back to $179.11/cwt which was $4/ cwt over the last week of the year but $12/ cwt under the start of 2015. The increase also strengthened the basis. The cash-tocash basis at press time was -$13.34/cwt, nearly $10/cwt wider than a year ago and $1.83/cwt wider than the end 2015. Steer carcass weights in 2015 averaged 895 lbs., 33 lbs. above 2014. Mild winter conditions and a slumping fed market in the fourth quarter were contributing factors. Steer carcasses at the end of December averaged 940 lbs., 61 lbs. more than a similar period in 2014. The January 1 cattle-on-feed report came in at 937,691 head, up four per cent on the year but three per cent under the five-year average. December placements totalled 88,643 head, a rise of 14 per cent more year to year. Steer slaughter in 2015 totalled 1,389,087 head a drop of two per cent from 2014. Heifer kill at 734,128 head was down 13 per cent. Preliminary data for 2015 has fed cattle exports down 45 per cent at 212,105 head.

Feeder Cattle The Canadian dollar supported feeder cattle prices through much of 2015. That coupled with tighter supplies due to the smaller cow herd led to good feedlot demand for replacement calves. However, a downturn in the fed market and pressure in the technical markets created unreachable break-even levels. This pressured the feeder market into its downward spiral in the fourth quarter of 2015. At the start of 2016 feeder cattle prices have started to show signs of stability. The start of 2016

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saw 550-lb. feeders priced at $264.90/cwt which is $33.85/cwt lower when compared with a year ago but $18.90/cwt higher than the low reached in the fourth quarter. The 850-lb. feeder steer price at the start of 2016 was $220.94/cwt, down $21.20/ cwt from a year earlier but up from the lows near $200/cwt in December. The 850-lb. feeder basis was -$4.05/cwt at the start of January which is over $12/ cwt narrower than the same period in 2015. Feeder cattle exports ran below yearago levels for much of 2015. Near the end of the year total feeder exports reached 287,556 head, down 35 per cent from 2014.

Non-Fed Cattle Disappointing trim prices led to lower export demand and that coupled with higher local fall run volumes pressured cow prices lower in the last quarter of 2015. From the summer high to the fall low D1,2 prices fell 33 per cent. At the start of 2016 they showed some improvement finishing the first week of the year at an average $109.63/cwt, an $8.80/cwt improvement over early December. Year to year January is down just over $25/ cwt. If you go back another year it is $27 over the start of 2014. 2015 cow slaughter totalled 346, 726 head, down 15 per cent on the year. Cow exports to the third week of December were off by 21 per cent year to year at 210,909 head. Butcher bulls also turned lower towards the end of 2015 but gained some back in the first week of 2016 by averaging $125.64/cwt which was a $6/cwt improvement from the end of December. Looking at the preliminary data for 2015, bull slaughter totalled 10,341 head while exports totalled 80,409, just 341 head fewer than in 2014. Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

 DE B’S OUTLOOK Fed Cattle Fundamentally as we start 2016 the fed market is bullish in the first quarter as fed numbers and carcass size are expected to tighten in North America over the next month. If the technical market strengthens as well it would lead to increased U.S. buyer interest and support for the local market. If beef demand remains sluggish and technical markets uncertain fed cattle will trade sideways near term. Longer term the seasonal trend projects improvement towards spring however, global economic concerns as well as local uncertainty remain important factors to watch along with the Canadian dollar. Continued weakness in the dollar provides a floor in the fed market. Feeder Cattle Despite recent price improvement steep fed cattle losses hang over the feeder market and feedlots will need time to recover. The weak dollar supports feeder prices to the extent that it may increase exports if basis levels become wide enough. Calf demand in the coming months always gets a boost from grass cattle buyers however, high break-evens, and uncertain economic will have a dampening effect as we start working through 2016. Non-Fed Cattle D1,2 prices generally strengthen from January to February as supplies tighten and the cows available gain some condition. Countering this seasonal trend could be an expected surge in numbers as producers who were holding cows back in hopes of better prices in the new year send their extras to town. Better trim prices would also help North American non-fed cattle prices and spur additional export demand. The Canadian dollar also remains friendly to this market.

More markets 

C a t t l e m e n · f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 6 63

M A R K ETS

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers

Market Prices

210

340

190

310 280

170

250

150

220

130 110

ALBERTA Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

160

210

160

190

140

170

120

150

100

130 110

ONTARIO Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers

Break-even price for steers on date sold

2016 2015

2016 2015

January 2016 prices* Alberta Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $207.76/cwt Barley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.72/bu. Barley silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.00/ton Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.51/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.39/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166.89/cwt Break-even (June 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167.54/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $214.67/cwt Corn silage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.64/ton Grain corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.83/bu. Cost of gain (feed) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.97/cwt Cost of gain (all costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111.32/cwt Fed steers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163.16/cwt Break-even (July 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173.33/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

Steer Calves

190

(500-600 lb.) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

80 60

D1,2 Cows Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Ontario

Alberta

2016 2015

2016 2015

Ontario prices based on a 50/50 east/west mix

Market Summary (to January 9, 2016) 2016

2015

Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,086. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,674 Average steer carcass weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 942 lb.. . . . . . . . . . . . 875 lb. Total U.S. slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,163,000. . . . . . . . . 1,226,000

Trade Summary Exports 2015 2014 Fed cattle to U.S. (to December 31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215,801.. . . . . . . . . . . 387,819 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to December 31). . . . . . . . . . . 287,608.. . . . . . . . . . .441,942 Dressed beef to U.S. (to November). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470.22 mil.lbs.. . . . .450.21 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to November) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 650.66 mil.lbs.. . . . 654.54 mil.lbs IMPORTS 2015 2014 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to November) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to November) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240.73 mil.lbs. . . . . . 263.77 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to November) . . . . . . . . . . 88.09 mil.lbs. . . . . . .68.53 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to November) . . . . . . . 51.28 mil.lbs. . . . . . .34.34 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to November) . . . . . . . . . . . 28.65 mil.lbs. . . . . . . 33.85 mil.lbs Canadian Grades (to January 9, 2016) % of A grades +59% 54-58% AAA 15.3 25.2 AA 14.6 8.7 A 0.2 0.8 Prime 0.3 0.9 Total 35.0 31.0 EAST WEST

Total graded 9,437 35,976

Yield – 53% Total 26.0 66.5 4.3 27.6 0.1 1.1 2.6 3.8 33.0 Total A grade 99.0%

Total ungraded 573 100

% carcass basis 82.4% 90.9% Only federally inspected plants

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C at t l e m e n ¡ f e b r ua ry 2 0 1 6

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

 market ta l k

By Jerry Klassen

Canadian Dollar Update

T

he Canadian dollar dipped to 13-year lows against the U.S. greenback in early January as recessionary pressures along with left-leaning fiscal policy set a negative tone for the economy. Earlier in September of 2015, I wrote an article stating the potential for a weaker currency and since then, the Canadian dollar has deteriorated by nearly 10 per cent. Fed and feeder cattle prices experienced a sharp jump in early January which has been enhanced by the weaker loonie; at the same time, imports of U.S. corn and DDGs have been limited. The lower Canadian dollar has resulted in a net benefit for cattle producers alleviating some of the disastrous losses in the feedlot sector experienced south of the border during the fall period. I’ve received many calls from feedlot operators in regards to the Canadian dollar outlook so I thought this would be a good time to revisit the overall environment influencing the exchange rate. The U.S. Federal Reserve increased its lending rate in December which was supportive to the U.S. dollar. There was minimal, or hardly any effect on short-term lending rates and longer-term mortgage rates; however, the psychological impact was supportive for the U.S. dollar. U.S. inflation continues to run below expectations and exports of larger-ticket items have slowed. The Bank of Canada cut interest rate twice in 2015 and we could see another decrease in 2016. Therefore, the divergence in interest rates spreads will continue to pressure the Canadian dollar and limit any gains. If interest rates in one currency strengthen relative to another currency, investors will pull money from the lower-rate environment and move funds to the higher one. The Bank of Canada is concerned about rising house prices in major urban centres and the large percentage of household debt relative to income levels. A person making $200,000 per year in a million-dollar-plus home in Toronto will become vulnerable on a rising tax bill. Therefore, potential tax increases on income earners making over $200,000 could exacerbate the housing market dilemma. Interest rates need to stay low until the Bank of Canada is comfortable the households can service their current level of debt on the tax increases. On the flip side, inflation is becoming a huge problem, given the large volume of imported household goods, especially imported foods like fruits and vegetables. For farmers, a new combine or tractor is about 25 per cent more than in 2014, largely due to the currency issue. It has even raised prices of used farm equipment due to U.S. trade. Canadian fiscal policy is uncertain moving forward but investors are skeptical how the federal and provincial governments will manoeuvre through the recession. There is no way the federal government can stimulate the economy enough to offset the overall negative effects of lower commodity prices and growth in unemployment in the private sector. Provincial governments are

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 m o n t h ly g lo b ex ca na d i a n d ollar 1.10000

Major support is at 0.70. A break below here puts the 0.62 level as the next downside target

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0.61978 0.60000

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facing rising deficits with no constraints or spending cuts in the forecasts. Rising taxes are negative for a currency and governments usually collect less because people find loopholes. Secondly, this also spills over into less revenue from consumptive taxes PST or GST because consumers just don’t have the extra cash to buy the high-end family SUV. This is the first full year of lower oil prices and there is no signal of recovery. In fact governments should plan for lower oil prices in the future instead of basing budgets on US$45 to US$50 oil, as many provincial governments have done. Transfer payments to the provinces will have to be pulled back from a first glance, unless the federal treasury is prepared to go into a massive deficit. China is experiencing slower growth and there are now suggestions that property values have symptoms of a bubble with wealth eroding in the stock market. The minor depreciation of the yuan against the greenback is of little help to the export-based business because other currencies of major importers of Chinese goods have eroded at the same pace or faster than the yuan adjustments. Currencies tend to trend for long periods of time and the trend is down. The Canadian dollar has minor support at US$0.70/Cdn. A break below here puts the historical low of US$0.62/Cdn. as the long-term target. Bottoming action can last for years so don’t expect a major rally any time soon. c Jerry Klassen manages the Canadian office of Swiss-based grain trader GAP SA Grains and Produits Ltd., and is president and founder of Resilient Capital specializing in proprietary commodity futures trading and market analysis. He owns farmland in Manitoba and Saskatchewan but grew up on a mixed farm feedlot operation in southern Alberta. He can be reached at 204-504-8339.

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 GOINGS ON

 A DV E RT IS ER IN DEX Page Advancing Women 38 Airdrie Trailer Sales 59 Alberta Cattle Breeders Assoc. IBC Alberta Veterinary Medical Assoc. 17 Allen Leigh Security & Communications Ltd. 51 Arlin Strohschein 56 Belvin Angus 31 Boehringer Ingelheim 41 Bohrson Marketing Services 37 By Livestock 29, 61 Canadian Angus Assoc. 58 Canadian Cattle Identification 14, 15 Canadian Charolais Assoc. OBC Canadian Forage & Grassland Assoc. 47 Canadian Gelbvieh Assoc. 22, 23 Canadian Hereford Assoc. IFC Canadian Limousin Assoc. 34, 35 Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society 58 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc. 53 Canadian Simmental Assoc. 9 Canadian Welsh Black Cattle Society 58 Cattlemen’s Financial Corp. 59 Cattlesoft-Cattlemax 17 Chapman Cattle Company 57 Corporation Allflex, Inc. 25 Farm Credit Canada 7 Genex Cooperative, Inc. 51 Gilbrea Consulting Ltd. 58 Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. 50 Harvie Ranching 5 59 Hi-Hog Farm & Ranch Equipment Kolton Kasur 52 Lakeland Group/Nortstar 18 a-p LLB Angus 39 Lloydminster Exhibition Assoc. 48, 58 Merial 11 MNP LLP 13 Nester Livestock 33 Ole Farms 43 Outlaw Cattle Co. Ltd. 45 R Plus Simmentals 54 Rainalta Simmentals 46 Rawes Ranches Ltd. 49 Remitall Farms Inc. 24 Riverside Welding 58 Royal Bank of Canada — RBC 21 Saskatoon Gelbvieh Bull & Female Sale 50 Summit 3 Sale 55 Supreme International Ltd. 28 Tru-Test Inc. 56 Union Forage Ltd. 32

Sales&Events Events February

IO annual meeting, Mallot Creek, B Boardroom, Elora, Ont. 10 Sustainable Energy in Manitoba — What’s Cooking, Agriculture Extension Centre, Brandon, Man. 14-16 Western Canadian Holistic Management Conference, George P Buleziuk Conference Centre, Russell, Man. 16-18 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference, Saskatoon, Sask. 16-18 Ontario Beef Farmers Cattlemen’s College and annual meeting, International Plaza Hotel, Toronto, Ont. 17 National Cattle Feeders Association annual meeting, Sheraton Hotel, Red Deer, Alta. 17-19 Alberta Beef Industry Conference, Sheraton Hotel, Red Deer, Alta.

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9

March 23

anadian Beef Breeds Council annual C meeting, Best Western Port O’ Call Inn, Calgary, Alta. 28-29 Advancing Women Conference West, Hyatt Regency, Calgary, Alta.

April

28-May 8 F leckvieh Simmental Congress of the Americas, Villahermosa Tabasco, Mexico

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25

25 27

March 1

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2-3 5

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May

26-28 B .C. Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting, Penticton Trade & Convention Centre, Penticton, B.C.

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June

11

9-11 C anadian Angus Association annual meeting, Hotel Le Concorde, Quebec City, Que. 14 2016 FutureFare, Edmonton Marriott at River Cree Resort, Edmonton, Alta.

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12 12

Sales

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February

14

8

18

oose Creek Red Angus 2-Year-Old and M Yearling Bull Sale, at the ranch, Kisbey, Sask. Stauffer Ranches 2-Year-Old Black Angus Bull Sale, Fort Macleod Auction, Fort Macleod, Alta. Anchor D Ranch Simmentals Genetic Edge Bull Sale, at the ranch, Rimbey, Alta. Soderglen Ranches Select Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Airdrie, Alta. Denbie Ranch & Guests Bull Sale, Ste. Rose Auction Mart, Ste. Rose du Lac, Man. Ole Farms 11th Annual Family Day Bull Sale, at the farm, Athabasca, Alta. Rawes Ranches 33rd Bull Sale, at the ranch, Strome, Alta. Chapman Cattle Co. 10th Annual

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12 13 13 15 16

“Forage-Developed” Angus Bull Sale, Stettler Auction Mart, Stettler, Alta. Nordal Limousin & Angus, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask. Glassman’s M&J Farms Simmental and Angus Sale, at the ranch, Russell, Man. 22nd Annual Rainalta Simmental and Charolais Bull Sale, Bow Slope Shipping Assoc., Brooks, Alta. Stewart Cattle Company Annual Black Angus Bull Sale, Neepawa Ag-Plex, Neepawa, Man. Benlock Farms Bull Sale, at the farm, Grandora, Sask. Lewis Farms 31st Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Spring Grove, Alta.

16 17 18 19 22 26

28

elvin Angus 4th Annual Bull Sale, B at the farm, Innisfail, Alta. “Herdmaster” 21st Annual Bull Sale, Exhibition Grounds, Camrose, Alta. Erixon Simmentals Annual Bull and Female Sale, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask. Calgary Bull Sale, Century Downs, Calgary, Alta. Davidson Gelbvieh & Lonsome Dove Ranch 27th Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch bull yards, Ponteix, Sask. McMillan Ranching Ltd. 21st Annual Bull Sale, at the ranch, Carievale, Sask. R Plus Simmentals Bull and Female Sale, at the farm, Estevan, Sask. Pride of the Prairies Bull Show and Sale, Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, Alta. Harvie Ranching Bull Sale, at the ranch, Olds, Alta. A. Sparrow Farms Annual Bull Sale, at the farm, Vanscoy, Sask. 3rd Annual Next Generation Bull and Female Sale, Exhibition Grounds, Lloydminster, Alta. LLB Angus 30th Annual Bull and Female Sale, at the farm, Erskine, Alta. Black Pearl Bull and Female Sale, Edwards Livestock Centre, Tisdale, Sask. Remitall Farms Bull and Select Female Sale, at the farm, Olds, Alta. Reich Angus and K3 Ranch 2-Year-Old Bull Sale, Calnash Ag. Centre, Ponoka, Alta. Ter-Ron/Redrich “Get a Grip” Bull and Select Female Sale, at the farm, Forestburg, Alta. Reese Cattle Company Charolais Bull Sale, Innifail Auction Market, Innisfail, Alta. Saskatoon Gelbvieh Bull and Female Sale, Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon, Sask. Steppler Farms 5th Annual Bull Sale, Miami, Man. Outlaw Cattle Co. in Transcon’s Mountainview Sale, Innisfail Auction Mart, Innisfail, Alta. Cockburn/Merit Cattle Co. Bull Sale, Johnstone Auction Mart, Moose Jaw, Sask.

April 3

4

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Summit 3 Specle Park Sale, Codiak Acres’ farm near Ardrossan, Alta. Wilgenbusch Charolais 13th Annual North of the 49th Bull Sale, at the ranch, Halbrite, Sask. Moose Creek Red Angus Yearling Bull Sale, at the ranch, Kisbey, Sask. Rodgers Red Angus 43rd Performance Bull Sale, Perlich Bros. Auction Market, Lethbridge, Alta. c

 Event listings are a free service to industry.  Sale listings are for our advertisers. Your contact is Mike Millar at 306-251-0011 or mike.millar@fbcpublishing.com

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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