Canada $40 plus applicable taxes per year $75 plus applicable taxes for two years (GST included)
USA $65 per year U.S. funds Foreign $130 per year Canadian funds
These fees are subject to the following taxes:
AB, SK, MB, QC: add 5% to all fees for GST
BC: add 12% to all fees for HST ON, NB, NFLD: add 13% to all fees for HST NS: add 15% to all fees for HST
Production & Ad Copy Changes
Special production requests and ad copy changes may be subject to extra charges. Charges will apply on an individual basis.
Layouts & Proofs
Requests for special layouts should be in the Simmental Country office by the 21st day of the second month preceding publication. Although every effort will be made to provide proofs on all ads, proofs are guaranteed only if all ad material arrives in the Country office prior to deadline.
Advertising Content
The Simmental Country assumes no responsibility for the accuracy and truthfulness of submitted advertising copy or electronically supplied pictures and has the right to refuse any ad copy or photos. Advertisers shall indemnify and hold harmless the Country containing pedigrees or statements regarding performance must conform to records kept by the Canadian Simmental Association. Copy deviating from official records may be changed as necessary without advertiser consent.
Editorial Policy
Articles and information in this magazine represent the opinions of the writers and the information that, to the best of our knowledge, was accurate at the time of writing. Users of any information contained in Simmental Country are encouraged to validate that information by independent means.
Please Return Undeliverable Copies to: Canadian Simmental Association #13 , 4101 - 19th Street N.E. Calgary, Alberta T2E 7C4 Phone: 403-250-7979
Published by Today’s Publishing
Box 2330, Warman, SK S0K 4S0
Phone: 306-933-4200 www.todayspublishing.ca
Editor: Bryan Kostiuk
Marketing: Chris Poley, Ben Wright & Shane Michelson
Beginning January 1, 2025, the CSA is offering a rebate to cover part of our member’s costs to do genomically enhanced parentage panels on heifers and bulls born in 2025 that are 100K DNA tested.
DNA must be submitted to the lab by December 31, 2025. All 2025 born calves with a 100K test result confirming accurate parentage verification at March 1, 2026 will be credited $10 per animal to active CSA member accounts up to a maximum of $100,000.
FROM THE GATEPOST
BY BRUCE HOLMQUIST General Manager, Canadian Simmental Association
2025 YEAR-END REVIEW
As we near the end of the year, I thought we would take some time to remember and highlight some of the successes for Simmental in Canada during 2025!
The year began with one of the most successful bull sale seasons ever in the Simmental breed. Simmental bulls were once again in great demand with very solid prices being paid across Canada.
While excellent cull bull prices assisted some of that demand, Simmental’s overall acceptance and popularity also drive the success.
No other breed delivers a more balanced package with regards to both maternal and terminal traits, and that has made Simmental one of the mainstream breeds in Canada, and one of the only breeds with sustained and steady growth in all areas. Simmental adds value in so many ways.
Later in July, Simmental breeders from across Canada traveled to Weyburn to attend the CSA Annual General Meeting and National YCSA show. One of the week’s other highlights was another very successful Friends of Canadian Simmental Foundation Sale. The Saskatchewan Simmental Association did a great job in hosting all the events and we thank everyone who contributed in any way.
The remainder of the summer months were filled with other activities, field days and provincial YCSA events and meetings that created great opportunities for networking among members, both new and old. If you didn’t take advantage of attending some of them, you
would do well to get to some of them next year. In midOctober the Canadian Simmental board of directors and Foundation directors met in Calgary for our fall board meetings.
We welcomed new director from Ontario, Blair Williamson, to his first set of meetings and we look forward to his influence over the coming years. We thank retiring director Shane Williams for his six-year commitment to the CSA board during the two terms he served. The final run of events is the fall shows and sales, which have begun and are riding the wave of Simmental enthusiasm both in numbers and in quality.
By the time you read this, the Canadian National Show will have been held in Victoriaville at Expo Boeuf and brought together cattle from across Eastern Canada. The commercial cattle market is very strong, with record prices once again and the good Simm-cross steers are once again topping many sales in dollars per head realized. In all ways, it’s dollars taken home per head that still pay the bills and counts the most.
2025 was an excellent year for the cattle business and the Simmental breed and I look forward to that continuing in 2026.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!
DARRYL SNIDER REFLECTS ON 40 YEAR CAREER
& IT’S NOT OVER YET
While Darryl Snider has been around cattle and the livestock industry pretty well since the time he could walk, as he reflects on a career that has spanned more than four decades, what stands out in his mind are the people he’s met along the way.
Born and raised in Ontario, Snider has made Alberta his home since the early 1990s. He recalls his first trip out west as an 18-year-old tending to eight two-year-old Charolais bulls to be shown at a sale in Lloydminster. He remembers sitting on a tack box in the show barn and being impressed to meet some of the prominent figures in the show and sales business such as Don Raffan, Rod McLeod, Dennis Ericson and Mark Stock.
“Those guys came by and commented on how nice those Charolais bulls looked,” says Snider. “I thought they had the neatest jobs in the world. I got to know them later on. Don Raffan was the auctioneer and Rod, Dennis and Mark were ringmen.”
That’s a term that Snider uses quite often as he looks back over his own notable career in the Canadian livestock industry. There are many figures that he idolized and respects, many people who serve as his mentors, and with his warm and welcoming personality it is safe to say that just about everyone he’s met during his career remains a friend.
“I have always believed that you never want to close a door, and never want to burn a bridge,” says Snider. “Success means different things to different people. It might be a trophy or a banner to some, but to me the real success is being able to sit and have a visit with people you’ve met somewhere along the way over the past 30 or 40 years. Maintaining those relationships is what success means to me.”
Snider and his wife Debbie, who have lived on their farm near Viking in central Alberta for the past 20 years aren’t retiring. They’ve made more time for themselves in the past couple years as they sold their purebred Simmental cattle to W Sunrise Angus and Simmental in southern Alberta, but Darryl is still travelling the country as consultant for Bohrson Marketing Services.
“Our two boys are grown and have their own careers, and I’m still working but we figured it was time to slow things down a bit,” says Snider referring to the decision to sell the cattle. “We appreciate Tanner and Megan Walgenbach of W Sunrise for buying the herd. We haven’t quit cattle completely. We still have the land, so we’ll probably get back into someday. But for now, we are enjoying the break. We’ve been married for 33 years and were never able to take a holiday. Well now we have, we’ve been able to get away and take some time for ourselves.”
Snider was born and raised on the family farm near Wilton, not far from Kingston in Eastern Ontario. His parents Dave and Bev Snider were sixth generation on the farm founded in 1806.
“I was raised on a horse farm,” says Snider. “My dad was an auctioneer and always a bit of horse trader so at any given time we had anywhere from 25 to 100 horses on the farm. We all showed horses at different events around the area.”
After high school, Snider attended Kemptville Agricultural College just south of Ottawa. His first job after graduation was working for Eastern Breeders providing AI services. He later got a job working for NZL Charolais. “And that led to my first connection with Western Canada,” he says. “NZL sent eight Charolais bulls to the show and sale in Lloydminster and I was sent to look after cattle. Arrangements had been made for the bulls to be kept at Gord Rattray’s farm at Viking. That’s where I met him for the first time. He was a great individual and later became one of my mentors in the livestock industry.”
After the Lloydminster sale, Snider remained in Alberta for a few days and accompanied Rattray to visit Soderglen Ranches just north of Calgary. He met ranch manager Scott Lees and owner Stan Grad. “It was on that trip that I fell in love with Alberta, the country and beef business,” says Snider. “I met some great people early on.”
Returning to Ontario, he worked for NZL Charolais for a short time, before leaving to sell cars in Ottawa. He wasn’t at that very long before a call came from Alberta one day. It was Scott Lees offering Snider a job at Soderglen Ranches.
“Soderglen was planning a Charolais dispersal sale and they wanted someone to prepare the cattle,” says Snider. “They said all I needed to bring were my clippers and a bed roll. I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into, but I accepted the offer.” From there Snider never looked back. He prepared cattle for that Soderglen sale, then stayed on with the ranch after that. He also clipped cattle for other breeders at Farm Fair in Edmonton.
Connected again with Gord Rattray, got to know Glen and Kevin Maxwell who owned Maxwell Simmentals at Viking, first exposing Snider to the Simmental breed, and eventually landed back at Soderglen to help with calving in the spring of 1991.
It was during that spring he met Debbie (Knight) who was to become his future wife. After that calving season he got a job with Mader Ranches helping them prepare Salers cattle for summer and fall shows.
“And it was during that time that Randy Mader and another breeder Nick Berjian bought some embryos which resulted in the first black Simmental calves being born in Alberta. I wasn’t sure at that time if these black cattle would catch on but later they certainly did.”
In 1993 Darryl and Debbie were married. He worked several places after Mader Ranches but eventually took on the job as herd manager working with Les Duncan of Parkhill Ranches at Okotoks. “And that’s where I fell in love with the Simmental breed,” says Snider. “I was preparing cattle for shows and sales, these cattle had great temperament, I really like their calving and mothering ability. I enjoyed the breed and as time went by I really loved the people who were involved with Simmental cattle as well.”
As they looked ahead to someday having their own Simmental herd, Darryl and Debbie bought their first six bred Simmental cows from Gary and Don Burnham who owned Prickly Pear Simmentals at Helena, Montana. They were able to keep their cows at Parkhill and grow their small herd. Snider continued working for Parkhill and connected with others in the livestock business, such as Dan Skeels, an auctioneer of the Calgary Round-up group where Parkhill marketed genetics in the mid-nineties.
Skeels remains a close friend. It was also around that time, Snider met Frank Mapletoft, who was the fieldman for the Simmental Association. From their own breeding program, the first Simmental bull that Snider sold went to Alex Graf who owned Graf New Horizon at Delburne, east of Red Deer, AB.
After several years of working for Parkhill, Darryl and Debbie along with their young son Cooper decided it was time to move on. They rented a house and acreage from Gord Rattray at Viking. Debbie got a job with the Viking School and Darryl, looking to make a bit more money, went to work in the oil patch. It wasn’t his favourite job in the world but was a means to an end as they raised and grew the family as second son Owen came along and they were working to build their Simmental herd as well.
In the early 2000s, Snider had the top selling heifer calf at FarmFair that went to 3D Simmental owned by the Schwartz family in Saskatchewan. It was at FarmFair that he met Alana Groeneveld (now Palmer), with the Canadian Simmental Association. She asked Darryl if he would be interested in working as a fieldman for Simmental Country Magazine.
“I said I would have to think about it,” says Darryl. “I gave it some thought, talked to Debbie about it. That fall at Agribition in Regina I met with Alana Groeneveld again along with Bruce Holmquist who was president of the Canadian Simmental Association (CSA) at that time, and I agreed to take on the job.” Dale Kelly was CSA general manager in those days. Holmquist later followed Kelly in the GM position.
As a fieldman for Simmental Country Magazine, when Darryl was able to sell a double page advertising spread in the magazine, the deal included him working as a ringman for that advertiser’s sale. He remembers his first job as ringman was working a sale for Little Willow Creek at Lloydminster. This is where he found his passion for being in the cattle auction industry.
That began a eight-year stint with Simmental Country Magazine. “I loved every minute of it,” says Darryl. “I enjoyed selling ads, but I also got to meet a lot of people. And that’s what was important to me. I got to meet breeders from all over the country and got to meet their families as well. It was great being able to make connections with those people, many of which we still have today.”
After his time with the Simmental Country, Darryl decided it was time to move on.
Cooper holding red heifer Snider's Cypher, Owen holding black heifer OJ's Biscuit at AYCSA show
Montreal, QB New Year’s Resolution Sale with Debbie
“I enjoyed the job, and I did well selling ads, but it’s always been my feeling with work that you get to a point where you know there’s probably someone else out there who could do a better job than you,” he says. “So I decided I had done my time. I cherished every minute I worked with Simmental Country and was able to work with great mentors. “
It was during his time with Simmental Country that Darryl met Scott Bohrson who had recently started his own sales management business called Bohrson Marketing Services. During a sale in Estevan Sask, Bohrson planted the idea that if Darryl was ever looking to change jobs he should give him a call.
“So in about 2013 I decided to leave Simmental Country,” Darryl recalls. “And one December morning, I am at the kitchen table discussing that decision with Debbie, not sure about the next move and the phone rings. It was Scott Bohrson, and he was travelling through Viking that day and wanted to meet for lunch. I met him for lunch and when I came home, I announced to Debbie that I was now working for Scott and Becky Bohrson as a sales consultant.”
For the past 13 years Darryl has been on the road from one end of the country to the other working as a consultant for Bohrson Marketing. “It’s been a great opportunity and a job that I love that involves people that I think of as family,” says Darryl. “But I must give a great deal of credit to Debbie for making it all possible. I’ve been travelling and she’s stayed home with the boys and looked after the cattle. She’s been my rock throughout my career.”
Over the years Snider’s Cattle Service built up a purebred Simmental herd of about 25 cows. Darryl says it was a tough decision to disperse, but it was the right move at that stage in their lives.
“I don’t have any plans to retire but now Debbie and I are able to get away more on work trips as well as the occasional vacation,” says Darryl. “It has just been such an awesome journey to get to meet so many wonderful people, to get work with people I idolized, and get to learn from so many supportive mentors. It has also been great over the years to be able to be part of two Simmental World Congresses both held in Alberta.”
Snider was a fieldman for the Simmental Country for the first one and as a sales consultant for Bohrson Marketing that was held at their facility for the second one. “It was a tremendous opportunity to be part of those events in two different capacities,” he says. Snider says his life has been a great journey and knows there are still plenty of experiences ahead.
“I’m only 55 but I have been involved in some aspect of the livestock business for about 50 years — since I was a kid,” says Snider. “And I have had some affiliation with the Simmental breed for more than 30 years. Debbie rolls her eyes because I often say this: “all roads lead to somewhere”. In my case the roads have led me through the wonderful world of the livestock industry, and into the lives of so many amazing people. Probably the three priorities of my life are family, friends and Simmentals. I am looking forward to see where the road leads to next.”
BREED IMPROVEMENT
BY SEAN MCGRATH
Breed Improvement Coordinator for the Canadian Simmental Association
CONTEMPORARY
GROUP
Probably the most common questions and misconceptions I answer about genetic evaluation and EPDs surround the concept of contemporary groups. Breeders are always concerned about other breeders outmanaging or their own cattle expressing phenotypes that are less than the neighbour.
The reason that genetic evaluation is such a powerful tool and the reason that it is more useful in determining relative genetic merit of animals is due in large part to the concept of contemporary groups.
Raw phenotypes do not express the genetic merit of the animal, rather they express the genetic merit interacting with the environment/ management.
Let’s look at a simple example of calves from 2 bulls. Bull A has an average 205-day Adjusted Weaning Weight of 845 pounds from his calves and Bull B has an average 205-day Weight of 700. Which bull has greater growth genetics? You might logically say Bull A, but that answer may not be as simple as you think. The truth is usually hidden in the data (which is why we need genetic evaluation).
Firstly, if Bull A and Bull B calves are born in the same herd, in the same calf crop, around the same time of year and were summered together, then the answer is fairly obvious. Bull A likely has genetics for faster growth to weaning.
But what if Bull A and Bull B are from different herds? Does Herd 1 have better or worse management? Are pasture conditions comparable between Herd 1 and Herd 2?
Were Bull A calves creep fed? Or maybe Bull B calves were? Is the average weight from all bull calves or bulls and heifers? Was there a drought in the location of one of the herds? What if Bull A and Bull B are full sibs? Does that complicate things at all?
This is exactly where contemporary groups come in. The basic concept of a contemporary group is that cattle of the same sex, born at a similar time and that are managed together have roughly the same opportunity to perform or express their genetics.
By grouping cattle with the same opportunity together, we can then start to ascertain what portion of the performance is genetic and what portion is managerial. For this concept to work we need animals to compare in a contemporary group, and we need genetic ties between groups, in this case Bull C. A contemporary group must have more than one animal, since genetic evaluation is conducted by making comparisons between animals. If there is only one animal in the group, it can’t be bigger or smaller or faster or slower.
A contemporary group must also have variation. If every animal in the group has the same measurement, then we can’t figure out which one is bigger or smaller or easier calving or more docile.
Let’s look at the calf crop from Bull A and Bull B and see if we can determine which one has the genetics for more growth. For this example, we will assume that all the calves are bulls.
Herd 1 Herd 2
When we take the data in context, we can see that in Herd 1, the calves from Bull A are actually 10 pounds below the average weaning weight, and that those from Bull C are 20 pounds above the group average. In herd 2, Bull C has calves that are 10 pounds below the average and Bull B is 15 pounds above average.
In this simplified example, Bull C is the pedigree link between the herds. The linkage is usually much more complex and significant, but Bull C makes the point. The difference in performance of Bull C calves from Herd 1 to Herd 2 is 200 pounds.
This 200 pounds reflect management differences between the herds and contribute to what we call the “permanent environment effect”. Again, this is a very simplified example, but it makes the point that phenotypes and genetic merit are not exactly the same thing.
Finally, when we look at the calf crop numbers, we can see that we have more information on Bull A in Herd 1 than on Bull B in Herd 2. This does not alter the EPD but should be reflected in greater accuracy in the EPD for Bull A.
Contemporary groups are an important concept in genetic evaluation to create a fair and level playing field on which to make comparisons. A contemporary group is defined as animals from the same herd, of the same sex, of roughly the same age, and managed in the same way. With this definition at its core, we can then move into uncovering the relative genetic merit of individuals across the breed.
Hannibal x Mindbender
Homo Polled Homo Black 3/4
BRED: KT Disco 4065
Potent x Bartender
Homo Polled Red Purebred BRED: WBL Top Tier 456G
Jesse James x Philosophy
Polled Fullblood
BRED: Kuntz North Star
Caliber x IPU Bentley 81F
Homo Polled Homo Black Purebred BRED: Greenwood Revenue 175M
Top Tier x Potent
Homo Polled Red Baldy Purebred BRED: Weppler Eight Ball
Our 46 th Annual Bull Sale
Friday, March 6th, 2026 Moose Jaw, SK
EMAIL labatte.simm@sasktel.net
To be put on our mailing list!
LaBatte Simmentals & Guest East Poplar Simmentals
46 th Annual Bull & Female Sale
Friday, March 6th, 2026
Johnstone Auction Mart, Moose Jaw, SK Offering: 90 Beef Bulls - Reds, Blacks & Fullbloods 15 open heifers
Caliber x Lotto
Homo Polled Hetro Black Purebred BRED: Tokyo Rose 17M
Potent x Northern Red
Homo Polled Red Purebred BRED: Wepplers Eight Ball
One only has to look from the outside at the advances the cattle industry is making in general. This article is a small overview of some of the major changes I have seen. Perhaps there will be positive things you can change or convince your neighbour to do going forward.
There will always be a range of management styles, and all of us have our wish list of things to make the cattle industry better going forward. Government regulations sometimes help with this progress and at other times thwart it. The whole industry has to work together more and use new technology to help us produce, grow, transport, and market cattle. We can learn from what some other countries are doing. Canada is unique in the fact that the different seasons pose different management strategies, and our distances are great when it comes to the stress of transportation. The newer transport regulations may alleviate some of those concerns, and we all know loading and unloading is key.
Transport has been cut down significantly by the extended use of satellite and Internet sales. The purebred industry, because of bigger producers, is seeing more and more sales done on farms with either the use of video auctions or the cattle still being present to look at. With being on the Internet with organizations like DLMS, TEAM, and other producers can bid remotely, and the cattle are then transported from seedstock producer directly to purchaser. Unnecessary trucking costs and stress are being eliminated rather than to-and-fro auction markets. While there are costs in the form of producing these videos, many times we don’t talk about the cost and stress savings to the cattle.
A video of cattle slowly walking in their natural environment allows you to see a lot more than cattle spinning around in a small sales ring, as an example.
And the videotape can be replayed with the touch of a button. When cattle need to be transported long distances, especially to slaughter, electrolyte products such as DeStress can be fed in their last meal to cut down shrink and dark cutters — another potential huge benefit to our industry. There are also pheromone pour-on products such as DeStress or Cattle Zen that reduce stress and make cattle calmer for not only transport but weaning and other stressful events.
The research is there to support these products, and we want cattle arriving at our plants or their new owners in the best shape possible. Everyone loses when dark cutters increase and shrink is at a maximum. With the codes of practice being produced and widely accepted across Canada as the how-to-produce guide with a heavy stress on animal welfare, many positive changes have been initiated.
NSAIDs (anti-inflammatories and painkillers) are being widely accepted and prescribed by veterinarians in spring processing for the traditional branding, dehorning, and castration, lameness, and birthing difficulties. By the use of these products in certain procedures, we are seeing a downturn in the use of antibiotics. Castration is a good example of this and I have implemented it in the small amount of practice I do.
Castration of larger bull calves — freezing and NSAIDs — have taken the place of antibiotics. Now with longer-lasting implants also being utilized, everything in some cases can be done in one pass through the chute, eliminating further labour and stress. Castration of all sizes is being taken over by the lidocaine-impregnated bands. This addresses all the concerns of former castrations, except one must make sure tetanus vaccine is given.
I would dare say one of the biggest changes I have seen in all the years of practice is handling facilities. Low-stress cattle handling combined with good facilities and calm personnel make the task enjoyable and give a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. From auditing how you implant to, in most cases, eliminating prod usage and with the feedlot audits, our handling and processing techniques have improved greatly.
It really is a joy working cattle, and hydraulic chutes also facilitate this. Other stressful events such as tattooing in the purebred industry or freeze branding see more NSAIDs given commonly. Processing of cattle was involving more injectable vaccines, but now many antigens are being combined, keeping shots down to a couple. Intranasal vaccines may, in some cases, eliminate some of these needles.
We have seen advances in dewormers being given through the feed and scripted through the minerals in some cases. Water-soluble dewormers have been developed for the poultry industry and give the ability to manage timing perfectly with almost zero labour necessary and a very accurate amount given. The need to fill holes in health parameters with vaccines being given at ideal times before stressors results in herd immunity.
This doesn’t mean we totally eliminate the occurrence, as in general we are dealing with a biological system and the response is variable. Herd immunity prevents outbreaks, minimizes disease prevalence, reduces severity, and in many cases will cut down on antimicrobial usage.
I have seen an increased vigilance to diagnose individual conditions such as lameness in the cow-calf sector, weight loss, and poor reproductive performance. Great strides in education, early intervention with foot trimming, and where possible, prevention have been dramatic when it comes to lameness. Keep on top of emerging diseases and the reportable ones such as tuberculosis. I do think both the breed associations and cattle organizations need a united front to pressure the CFIA to change their handling of diseases such as tuberculosis or finally end some of the financial burden the packing industry has when it comes to BSE-specified risk materials.
This country has more than rid itself of BSE, and we need to put resources into other diseases. When it comes to the risk of either foot-and-mouth or African swine fever, our borders need more security when it comes to illegal meat smuggling.
All these things are necessary for the cattle industry and purebred cattle breeders getting stronger. The future is very bright in many ways, and I hope the fall weaning has been good for everyone.
CANADIAN CATTLE ASSOCIATION
BY TYLER FULTON Canadian Cattle Association President
At time of writing the situation with US trade is very volatile. Rather than dive into that and have it be out of date by the time of reading, I wanted to touch on some more durable subjects. Rest assured we are doing all we can on the US market access front.
The Canadian Cattle Association hosts annual “producer fly-ins” in Ottawa to connect beef producers with government representatives to discuss Canadian beef industry priorities. Each meeting is an opportunity to discuss topics of national and regional importance as well as for education, relationship building and advocacy.
With support from FCC, Canada Beef and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association, we also held a reception for parliamentarians, policy makers and stakeholders to mingle with CCA directors, producers and staff in a relaxed and informal setting. It was a tremendous opportunity to get to know each other and share some delicious nutritious Canadian beef.
We appreciate all of the producers who made the time to travel to Ottawa and present their regional concerns and reinforce the national concerns and challenges that CCA has been sharing. Among the topics discussed were business risk management programs, tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers, trade and market access, regulatory burdens, the need for regulatory alignment with the USA and other international trade partners, and the importance of enhanced preparedness for foreign animal diseases.
None of these topics were new issues. Most changes we see are a result of several meetings stretching over weeks, months or years. It takes time to build momentum and change rarely occurs quickly.
On October 21, legislation was tabled to welcome the United Kingdom into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Due to non-tariff trade barriers, the UK market remains inaccessible to Canadian beef while imports of UK beef into Canada have been welcomed.
The situation has become even more unfair to Canadian beef producers as the value of UK beef imports into Canada rose from $16.6 million in 2023 to $42.5 million in 2024, a 156% year-over-year increase. From January to August 2025, imports totalled $32.2 million, up 19% from the same period in 2024.
CCA held a rare press conference on October 23 and called for the Canadian Government to terminate the Continuity Agreement for failing to meet commitments. As the UK walked away from bilateral negotiations, we called on the Government of Canada to terminate the trade continuity agreement and ensure bilateral negations can begin again, where our barriers can be properly addressed.
This is an extremely disappointing position to be in near the end of a year that has been fraught with trade uncertainties and geopolitical challenges. Fortunately, there have been positive developments that we can reflect on as well. As we look back over this year and review our advocacy efforts,
uncertainty over the Canada-USA trade relationship has seen CCA busier than usual advocating for the continued integration of the North American beef industry. The United States and Canada have the largest two-way trade in live cattle and beef in the world and 70 percent of Canadian beef exports are bound for the USA.
Small- and medium-sized American processors and local and regional food systems rely on Canadian cattle to thrive and stay in business. Canadian producers import live cattle from many states and high-value genetics in the form of semen and embryos are regularly bought and sold on both sides of the border. This integration of our live cattle and beef markets is why CCA places huge emphasis on advocacy efforts in the U.S.A.
CCA also welcomes and celebrates market expansion and new market opportunities. Sometimes both producers and consumers question why so much Canadian beef is exported. Canfax analyzes production, export and import statistics and have determined that even when looking at net beef exports as a percentage of production, the reliance on trade is at 40 percent.
While the domestic market is the largest and most stable portion, production that exceeds domestic consumption must be exported. Further to this, value can be created by sending the cuts least desired by the domestic population to markets where they are preferred. Every new market opportunity, whether large or small, is a welcome opportunity for Canadian beef producers.
Throughout the year we also welcomed announced improvements to AgriStability, Livestock Tax Deferral for regions impacted by extreme weather, and increased compensation for producers who lose animals to disease outbreaks. As the end of the year approaches and thoughts turn toward the new year, it is a good time to review your business plan, emergency response plan, biosecurity protocols, and the business risk management programs available to you.
Your provincial association and government as well as your breed association, our national government and the beef and agricultural industries all offer tools and programs to help support your work in raising beef cattle and producing high quality genetics. While not every program will work for every producer or operation, it’s important to regularly evaluate the tools and support programs available to you to ensure you are not missing opportunities.
If you have questions about CCA’s advocacy efforts or specific challenges, we encourage you to reach out to us at contact@cattle.ca or (403) 275-8558 . We welcome your questions and feedback.
On behalf of all of the elected member representatives and staff of the Canadian Cattle Association, we wish you a merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and happy new year.
CANADIAN BEEF BREEDERS COUNCIL
THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT
A theme of importance this past year has been the ‘Team Canada’ mentality. Whether it was the Four Nations Cup, the Blue Jays in the World Series (as I write this), or the response to tariffs South, the unified voice of ‘Team Canada’ has been recognized across the country.
A good team is rarely free of conflict, and a great team welcomes diversity to push the collective further in pursuit of a common aspiration.
The Canadian Beef Breeds Council is the team that needs the producer involvement to help drive the sector forward. AgriMarketing is a useful tool for members to directly capitalize on global marketing opportunities.
As we enter the fall show season, we especially look forward to seeing the impact this funding can have with international involvement at Farmfair International and Canadian Western Agribition.
Our members continuously look for ways to innovate and leverage their operations to be of the highest standard internationally.
CBBC is also using the Team Canada approach with our partners at the Canadian Cattle Association to coordinate efforts on various files including the preparation ahead of the CanadaUnited States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
The higher degree of alignment with messaging the more impactful our efforts can be both within Canada and with breeders South. Uniform messaging about the importance of the free-trade agreements in our industry are also our own responsibility when connecting with our colleagues in the USA.
As your representation of the seedstock collective, CBBC will continue to amplify the issues that matter to you as breeders. The stronger our membership the stronger our voice so I also challenge you to reach out to myself or any board member with comments, feedback, or curiosity.
Finally, we are requesting producer feedback on market access to the EU. Specifically, with regards to exporting embryos to the EU.
We would appreciate if you could submit your responses before February 1, 2026 and share this with any EU clients you know as their input is also valuable. You can access the survey on our website or by scanning the QR code here.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY:
MACY
LIEBREICH, CEO
604-861-6740
Info@beefbreeds.ca https://canadianbeefbreeds.ca/
CBBC - EU EMBRYO MARKET ACCESS SURVEY:
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Canada 2ND Class Mailing
Cheque or Visa/MC
$40.00 plus tax - one year
$75.00 plus tax - two years
Simmental Country is the official publication of the Canadian Simmental Association. We endeavor to bring you up-to-date information and articles that are of interest to both the purebred and commercial cattlemen.
U.S 1ST Class Mailing
Cheque or Visa/MC (US Funds)
$65.00 - one year
PLEASE CHECK ONE OF THE ABOVE
Foreign 1ST Class Mailing
Visa/MC only (US Funds)
$130.00 plus tax - one year
To purchase your subscription, please forward payment to #13 - 4101 - 19th St. NE Calgary, Alberta Canada T2E 7C4 Fax/Email your Visa/MC number, expiry date and CVV. Cheques payable to the Canadian Simmental Association.
MEGAN PROUSE President & Ontario Director 705-277-1411 meganprouse1@gmail.com
maxburris1@gmail.com
bobbijo123.bf@gmail.com
SIMMENTAL ASSOCIATION the of British Columbia
SEEKING NEW MEMBERS!
Are you a BC resident and passionate about Simmental influenced cattle? Join the Simmental Association of BC to help promote and establish a more prominent Simmental presence in our province.
Check out our facebook page for events and news happening around our province!
To become a member please email: SIMMENTALBC@GMAIL.COM for a membership form!
REGIONAL REPRESENTATION
The Simmental Association of BC provides regional representation for Simmental breeders and commercial cattlemen alike, with special promotion and attention to marketing Simmental influenced cattle in British Columbia. Our association scope stretches beyond the seed stock industry, and we want to have commercial cattlemen participate in this exciting future.
Sweepstake$
:: Farm Nominations only $250!
~ Nominations open to any CSA members!
~ Contact the SSA Office or any of the SSA Directors to nominate your farm!
Memberships can be purchased in advance office ph/text: 306-697-7855
email: sasksimmental@yourlink.ca
:: Silver memberships only $100! For a chance to win...
~ $10,000 Sale Credit(s) to purchase an animal from any of the nominated farms!
