SHOAL LAKES BUYOUT PROGRAM UPSETS LOCAL

Transcription

Published by Manitoba Beef Producers
Courtesy of Ed White, The Western Producer
September 2013
Orval Procter used this land as pasture.
It has been under water since 2011.
Mentors help young
producers become
industry leaders.
Page 6
RON FRIESEN
KEY POINTS
Orval Procter was hoping to sell his cattle operation, which is located near
Woodlands, Man.
Instead, stuck with land
more like a marsh than a
farm, he now faces an uncertain future.
A provincial appeal
board has rejected Procter’s
land value claim and upheld a value which is less
than a third of what he feels
the land is worth.
For Procter, who had to
re-mortgage his property
to deal with the financial
pressure of constant flooding, the ruling is a bitter
disappointment. He has
already sold off a quarter of
his cattle herd and now has
two choices: try to maintain his herd on a shrinking
land base or get out of beef
altogether.
But what else would he
do?
• Procter’s private
appraisal three
times higher than
province’s offer.
• Procter appeals to
program.
• Appeal rejected.
“I’m not sure,” says
Procter. “I’m 56 years old. I
have no other training. I’ve
got a young family.”
Procter is one of many
farmers in the Shoal Lakes
area of Manitoba’s Interlake
region who are unhappy
with a provincial program to
buy land affected by chronic
long-term flooding.
The Shoal Lakes Agricultural Flooding Assistance Program, introduced
in May 2011, was intended
to provide financial aid to
flood-affected producers by
either compensating them
or buying unproductive
land.
To date, the voluntary
program has paid out $13
million to producers selling flooded property and/
or their entire farms. In
all, 46 clients have sold 217
parcels of land containing
30,600 acres. Four offers are
still outstanding.
The program has also
paid out another $5.26 million in compensation for
lost agricultural production, feed freight assistance
and emergency costs.
Recently, however, it has
become mired in controversy
over how much land offered
for buyout is actually worth.
Private land assessments conducted for some landowners
put values much higher than
the province does.
The controversy boils
down to a disagreement
over the interpretation of
fair market value. Is that the
value of the farmland alone
Special Section:
Go to page 8/9 to read about the
2013 Manitoba Beef Producers
Bursary Winners!
or does it also include other
factors, such as local improvements?
Proctor says it is the latter. As far as he is concerned,
the province has failed them
twice—first, by not dealing
effectively with the area’s
flooding problems from the
start, and second, by lowballing the value of land offered
for buyout.
Procter’s problem began
when he applied to have two
parcels of land totaling nearly
300 acres bought out under
the provincial program. An
appraisal conducted for Manitoba Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives (MAFRI)
put the value of the land at
$99,800. A separate appraisal
done privately for Procter, by
a professional appraisal service, estimated the market
value of the land at $305,000.
Procter appealed to the
Land Value Appraisal Commission (LVAC), which held
a hearing May 17, 2013.
Through his lawyers, Procter
argued MAFRI’s offer was
grossly undervalued, while
the department maintained
it was at fair market value.
In a decision released
June 19, LVAC sided with
MAFRI. The commission said the difference in
estimated value “results from
a difference of opinion as
to the highest and best use
of the lands. The respondent (MAFRI) concludes
the highest and best use to
be agricultural. The appellant (Procter) concludes the
highest and best use to be
residential.”
Because Procter’s land
was not close to a provincial
road, LVAC concluded that,
“due to the distance of the
Procter lands from a provincial highway and/or good
provincial road, we concur
with the opinion of the respondent that the highest
and best use of the land is
agricultural.”
It left the province’s offer
unchanged.
Procter says much of the
land surrounding his property contains small holdings
and residences, including at
least four new homes built
within a mile of his property.
“I would think that if
they were considered, then
they could not justify the
ruling that the highest and
best use of my property was
only agriculture,” he said.
Equally disturbing to
Procter and some other
landowners is the way the
Continued on page 2
Market favourable in
the near future.
Page 14
Postmaster: Please return undeliverable copies to:
MBP, 154 Paramount Road, Winnipeg, MB R2X 2W3 Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales
Agreement Number 40005187 Postage paid in Winnipeg.
Shoal Lakes Buyout Program
Upsets Local Landowners
The laws are changing.
Do safety practices on
your operation pass
the test?
Page 10
2
CATTLE COUNTRY September 2013
Continued from page 1
province’s assessments were
carried out in the first place.
They maintain the province conducted not one
round of assessments, but
two. Procter alleges the second set, which contained
values lower than the first,
was carried out because the
province wanted to spend
as little money on land acquisition as possible.
That apparently happened to Brian McCulley,
who received two assessments, one at market value
and another at a lower farmuse value. MAFRI offered
McCulley the lower amount
but changed its mind after
McCulley produced a copy
of the first assessment.
MAFRI insists there
was no two-tier assessment
process and all offers made
were at fair market value.
Darren Bond, a MAFRI
business development specialist in Teulon, Man., said
eligible applicants were contacted by a Crown Lands and
Property Agency (CLPA)
land acquisition officer. The
officer reviewed the property and forwarded the file
to a CLPA appraiser, who
produced a certified appraisal report. The report
was submitted to MAFRI,
who reviewed and approved
it. Then the CLPA officer set
up another meeting with the
client to present the offer.
However, Bond acknowledged some assessments
conducted early in the process were adjusted.
“We wanted to make sure
that we were operating in line
with our terms and conditions and our Treasury Board
approval to make sure that
these offers were made to
eligible applicants. We wanted to make sure we were operating under the rules that
were given to us,” Bond said.
“When we saw the higher
valuation amounts, we had
some concerns to make sure
that we were operating in accordance with our approval
from the Treasury Board
and our program terms and
conditions. So, we went back
to CLPA, in communication
with our clients in doing so,
and they explained to us why
these values were higher,
mainly because of the residential and small holdings
value added to it. Then, from
there we had an understanding of this and we offered fair
market value to the clients.”
To Procter, the admission
supports his allegation that
assessments were lowered
because the province deemed
the original too costly.
So far, eight people have
appealed their appraisals.
None were successful.
Procter admits not everyone is dissatisfied. The Shoal
Lakes Flooded Landowners
Association, which Procter
chairs, is down to 25 members from its original 60.
Many have accepted offers
and moved out.
Even so, Procter believes the process is slanted
against the landowner. And,
although he can not prove
it, he feels a decision had already been made before the
hearing because the commission upheld the province’s original assessment
without changing a dime.
“To me, that just says the
price was decided before
we ever went to appeal and
the job of the committee
was to make sure that’s all
that was paid. That’s what it
feels like.”
Update on Traceability,
Movement Documents and
Premises Identification
Theresa Zuk
Traceability has often
been a difficult issue for
producers. At times, we
have seen governments
push our industry in directions that we have
not supported. Producers
have often indicated that
they see little or no commercial value to the steps
that have already been
taken, like the RFID tags
you are all required to
put on your cattle.
In fact, we have seen
a commercial benefit to
our efforts. Markets have
opened up after BSE that
would still be closed today if we had not taken
the steps towards traceability. Don’t get me
wrong, I do not support
the often convoluted
path we have taken to get
here. Our industry has
often been pushed into
more costly and complex
solutions simply because
different levels of government and/or sectors
of the beef production
chain could not work together.
Take premises identification (PID) for example. It is clear that an
updated and validated
starting point for traceability is required in
order to track animals
through the system. But
because the PID system
was developed differently
in each province, until recently there was no link to
the national cattle identification system and the
traceability goal was not
met.
All of you who have
attended district meetings in the past few years
know of the concerns that
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has had with
the provincial PID system
and the lack of a connection to the national traceability program. I am
pleased that this problem
has been overcome and
the provincial PID system
is now linked to the Canadian Livestock Traceability System (as previously reported in Cattle
Country). This is good
news as it means you are
no longer being asked to
have multiple PIDs—one
for Manitoba and one for
the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA).
This linkage between
the Manitoba PID system
and the national traceability network has been a
long-standing demand by
MBP. We had repeatedly
stated that this shortcoming must be fixed before
any “next steps” on traceability were contemplated.
“Next steps” are coming. I know this will not
Attention Cattle
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Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture et
Agroalimentaire Canada
be welcomed by many
producers but additional
regulations on the traceability front will soon be
in place. The Government
of Canada has recently
passed the Safe Food for
Canadians Act. When the
regulations for this new
act come into force, in
about 18 months, you will
be required to use a manifest to transport cattle. In
other words, you will need
to have a manifest in order to take your cattle to
an auction mart. A valid
Manitoba premises ID
will be one of the required
boxes to fill in on this
manifest.
Given that this requirement is coming and given
the fact that we do have
the linkage between the
provincial PID system and
the national traceability
system, it is time to start
thinking about stopping by
your local Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural
Initiatives Growing Opportunities (MAFRI GO)
Office the next time you
are in town and pick up the
one-page PID application.
This will become a necessary part of doing business,
if it has not yet.
I don’t want to leave
you with the impression
that all you will see are
new regulations and costs.
I do see the potential for
real commercial benefits
from the systems that are
being built. Traceability is
often viewed with skepticism because most of us do
not view traceability as an
information tool. Rather,
it is looked upon as a cost
imposed upon our industry
as a result of BSE. But the
components of traceability
will be able to provide you
www.mbbeef.ca
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with the tools to improve
your genetics, increase your
return from your management skills and better connect with consumers.
One of these new tools
built around traceability is
the Beef InfoXchange System, or BIXS. BIXS allows
producers to capture, exchange and track specific
individual animal data.
For example, the system
can give you the carcass
yield and grade data when
your animals eventually
go for slaughter. Not only
does the system give you
the individual data, it also
shows you where you rank
compared to the rest of
Canadian production.
BIXS will also facilitate
targeted marketing plans
for specific niche requirements on the world stage.
If a particular client in
Japan or another country
wants to purchase a specific quality of cut, we can
do a better job of meeting
their needs through programs like BIXS.
What is the end result
for producers? In the future, this may allow you to
adjust your breeding programs and marketing plans
based on the productivity
and quality of the cattle you
produce. The program has
the potential to help you
improve your efficiency,
lower your costs and, down
the road, increase what you
are paid for your cattle.
This is how information
can help you become more
profitable.
Theresa Zuk is a Manitoba Beef Producers Director and Representative to
the Board of the Canadian
Cattle Identification Agency
(CCIA).
September 2013 CATTLE COUNTRY
3
COOL Faces International
Court Challenge
Ron Friesen
A coalition of American
and Canadian meat and livestock groups has launched
a legal challenge against the
U.S. government’s mandatory
country-of-origin
labeling
(COOL) law. The coalition
wants a U.S. court to strike
down the rule as illegal and
unconstitutional. It is also
asking for a court injunction
to halt implementation while
the case is being heard.
The groups involved include the American Meat
Institute, the American Association of Meat Processors,
the Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association, the Canadian
Pork Council, the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association,
the National Pork Producers
Council, the North American Meat Association, and the
Southwest Meat Association.
Their legal challenge is
the strongest effort yet to invalidate the COOL rule. The
coalition filed a lawsuit in a
U.S. district court July 8, 2013.
It submitted a second request
July 26 asking for a temporary
injunction to prevent the rule
from being implemented until the case is resolved.
“The lawsuit, when it was
originally filed, asked for a
permanent injunction against
the COOL rule, essentially
throwing out the rule. The filing we just did asks for a temporary injunction requesting
that the rule not take effect
while the lawsuit is pending,” said Eric Mittenthal, the
American Meat Institute’s
vice-president for public affairs, in a July 26 e-mail to
Cattle Country.
The controversial rule
took effect May 23. It is actually the latest version of a
five-year-old measure which,
up to now, has cost Canadian
producers $3 million a day in
lower prices for pig and beef
cattle exports, according to
industry estimates.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association (CCA) says the
new version of COOL makes
things even worse and could
triple those losses.
COOL says food sold by
U.S. retailers must be labeled
according to the country
where it originated. The labeling requirement means U.S.
meat packers must separate
imported animals from domestic ones. This results in
more work and higher costs,
which are passed back to Canadian producers in the form
of lower prices.
Originally implemented
in 2008, COOL previously
allowed packers to co-mingle
meat from foreign and domestic animals. This softened
the economic impact a little
because packers could mix
meat from Canadian and
American animals and label
it “Product of the U.S. and
Canada.”
A 2012 World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute panel struck down that rule, following a challenge by Canada
and Mexico, saying it unfairly
discriminated against imported livestock. The WTO
told the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) to make
COOL comply with its international trade obligations.
Instead, USDA toughened
the rule, requiring meat labels
to say where each production
step occurs. Now labels must
say, “Born in Canada, Raised
in Canada, Slaughtered in the
U.S.”
As a result, the U.S. industry, including feedlots,
will have to segregate U.S.
and Canadian cattle and
hogs. Feedlots previously
didn’t worry about segregating animals because comingling was allowed.
USDA maintains all
COOL does is inform consumers where their food
comes from. But coalition
members say the rule goes
beyond what the law permits.
“We are fighting this on
the basis that the government
cannot force us to label country-of-origin just because
of customer curiosity,” said
Colin Woodall, vice-president
of legislative affairs for the
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in Washington, D.C.
“In order for the government to force it, it has to have
an impact on the health, safety
or welfare of the product. And
country-of-origin is only
about marketing. It has nothing to do with health, food
safety or the overall quality of
the product.”
In their legal submission,
the coalition says COOL
violates both the U.S. constitution and the law “because
there is no legal justification
for the new ‘Born, Raised
and Slaughtered’ regime, and
because these new rules will
impose significant burdens
on, and radically restructure,
the way meat is produced and
packaged in this country.”
The groups are also calling for a preliminary injunction to halt COOL’s
implementation “because
plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their challenges to
the new COOL regulations
and because they shortly will
face irreparable harm from
the implementation of those
regulations.”
Woodall said COOL is
not hurting U.S. ranchers
economically right now but
it will if Canada and Mexico
are allowed to slap punitive
tariffs on U.S. beef. The two
countries are the top U.S. beef
export markets.
“It will have a huge impact
on the bottom line of cattle
producers around this country,” said Woodall.
Meanwhile, Canada and
Mexico have requested a
WTO compliance panel to
determine if the U.S. is following the original panel’s
directive to bring COOL
into line with international
trade rules.
If that appeal succeeds, the
WTO would allow Canada
and Mexico to impose retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S.
imports.
The Canadian government has already released
a list of U.S. commodities
that could be targeted for retaliation. Ottawa says it could
seek retaliatory compensation
of $1.1 billion annually, the
amount by which COOL is
affecting Canadian producers’
incomes.
A final resolution to the
compliance case could still be
a year away.
John Masswohl, CCA’s
government and international affairs director,
said Canadian producers would be satisfied if
USDA made a “surgical
amendment” to COOL to
allow co-mingling.
“We would still be
open to that if the USDA
were to offer a reasonable approach that eliminates the discrimination
on imported livestock,”
Masswohl said.
CCA so far has spent
over $2 million of its
members’ money to fight
COOL, both at the WTO
and now in the U.S. courts.
USDA says it will phase in
the new rule over six months
and will not actively enforce
it until November.
ATTEND YOUR MBP
DISTRICT MEETING
Meet with MBP representatives and fellow beef producers
to discuss the timely beef issues affecting your district and
industry. Elections will be held in even numbered districts.
DIRECTOR
DATE
TIME
LOCATION
ADDRESS
District 11
Caron Clarke
Oct-28
6 p.m.
Ashern Royal Canadian Legion
3 Main St. E, Ashern
Beef on a Bun served
District 2
Dave Koslowsky
Oct-29
6 p.m.
Cartwright-Mather Merry Makers Club
600 Broadway St., Cartwright
District 8
Glen Campbell*
Oct-30
7 p.m.
Gladstone District Community Centre
75, 5th St., Gladstone
Coffee Break
District 14
Stan Foster
Nov-01
6 p.m.
Durban Community Hall
612, 1st St. N, Durban
District 13
Ben Fox
Nov-04
7 p.m.
Gilbert Plains Royal Canadian Legion
19 Burrows Ave. N, Gilbert Plains
Coffee Break
District 10
Theresa Zuk
Nov-05
6 p.m.
Bifrost Community Centre
337 River Rd., Arborg
District 3
Cheryl McPherson
Nov-06
6 p.m.
Elm Creek Community Hall
70 Arena Rd., Elm Creek
District 6
Trevor Atchison*
Nov-07
6 p.m.
Oak Lake Royal Canadian Legion
291 Assiniboine St. W, Oak Lake
District 4
Heinz Reimer
Nov-08
6 p.m.
Ukrainian Home of Vita Hall
209 Main St. N, Vita
District 7
Larry Gerelus
Nov-18
6 p.m.
Shoal Lake Community Hall
315 The Drive, Shoal Lake
District 12
Bill Murray
Nov-12
6 p.m.
Westlake Community Hall
Hwy. 68, Eddystone
District 9
Vacant
Nov-13
6 p.m.
Sungro Centre
360 Veterans Ln., Beausejour
District 1
Ted Artz
Nov-14
6 p.m.
Medora Community Hall
40, 1st Ave., Medora
District 5
Ramona Blyth
Nov-15
6 p.m.
Carberry Memorial Hall
224, 2nd Ave., Carberry
*Director retiring
CALL 1-800-772-0458 OR EMAIL
[email protected] FOR FULL DETAILS
www.mbbeef.ca
4
The views expressed in Cattle Country do not necessarily reflect the position of the Manitoba Beef Producers. We believe in free speech and encourage all contributors to voice their opinion.
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
TAILGATE TALK
MBP Tackles Many Topics of Concern
Trevor Atchison
One of the perks of being president of Manitoba
Beef Producers (MBP) is
an annual invitation to
help judge the Manitoba
Youth Beef Round-Up.
This outstanding event is
held annually in Neepawa, Man. at the beginning
of August. The attendance
this year was excellent,
with over 30 new members attending.
My role at the RoundUp was to help judge the
cook-off competition and
this year they also added
the marketing contest to
the duties. It was great to
see all participants enjoying themselves and fully
engaged in the activities
at the event.
The cook-off required
the very difficult task
of showing up hungry.
Anyone who knows me
is aware that is usually
something I leave for the
long days in the field only!
I also had the task of eating or tasting each cookoff group’s meal, each of
which included a steak,
fresh vegetables (like garden fresh potatoes and
carrots), plus a dessert.
Now, once again, those
who know me realize the
tough part was sharing
with the other four judges,
who were board members
of the Alberta and Canadian Limousin Associations.
We did have 17 teams to
judge though—with so
many steaks to test, sharing turned out to be a nonissue. We enjoyed our way
through each delicious
meal before us and did arrive at a winner, which you
can read more about on
page 7.
Congratulations to all
of the Round-Up par-
Other provinces are already moving
forward with these types of initiatives and
MBP doesn’t like to see our producers left
behind. We need the same opportunities.
ticipants and I’d like to
give a special kudos to
organizers and parents
who put on this valuable
event. It covers all aspects
of beef production and
the industry, and without
those volunteers, events
like this would not happen. The participants at
events like Round-Up are
the beef producers of the
future, they are the future
of our beef industry, and
hopefully Manitoba Beef
Producers (MBP).
Along with MBP staff, I
recently sat down with Man-
itoba Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives (MAFRI)
Minister, Ron Kostyshyn.
Several issues were presented and discussed, with the
Manitoba Cattle Enhancement Council (MCEC) at
the top of the list. MBP was
advised that a new chair,
Frieda Krpan, has been
appointed to MCEC. One
of the chair’s tasks is to
conduct a review of what
MCEC has done to date,
opinions on what is ahead,
and what it will mean for
the future of MCEC now
that the provincial government stated it will not offer
a loan guarantee to MCEC.
As you know, the province
has not been matching producers’ two-dollar checkoff dollars since 2011. A
commitment was made to
publicly release the results
of this review before the
end of 2013.
Livestock price insurance was also discussed
with Minister Kostyshyn.
In July the Minister met
with agriculture ministers
from across the country
and implementation of
a western livestock price
insurance pilot program
was part of the agenda.
The timeline to roll out
the program is early 2014.
There are still a few outstanding details to work
out as far as backstops
for the program. Not only
will price insurance offer
stronger risk management
options for producers, we
are hopeful that it will be
an option for security on
Manitoba Livestock Cash
Advance funding. This
would make the Cash Advance much more readily
available to you.
During the meeting
with Minister Kostyshyn,
we also had general discussions around Growing Forward 2 and details
about programming. Directed by board member
input, MBP staff have
spent considerable time
and effort building solid
Growing Forward 2 applications. Some of these
www.mbbeef.ca
applications are awaiting funding approval so
that we can ensure programs—such as Verified
Beef Production, and animal welfare and biosecurity
programs—are available for
beef producers. Other provinces are already moving
forward with these types of
initiatives and MBP doesn’t
like to see our producers
left behind. We need the
same opportunities. We
have been told that Minister Kostyshyn and MAFRI
staff are planning to unveil
the final details of Growing
Forward 2 in late August or
early September. We hope
to have the details on the
programs in the next issue
of Cattle Country.
There is ongoing progress with the eradication
of Bovine Tuberculosis
(TB) in Manitoba through
the TB Co-ordinator Dr.
Allan Preston and the
multi-stakeholder working group set up to enhance ongoing eradication efforts. The working
group includes senior officials from Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada;
Parks Canada; the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives; Manitoba Conservation; MBP;
conservation groups; and
First Nations. It is our
hope that we will hear
back in the very near future on approval of the
federal research program
MBP applied for on behalf of affected producers in the Riding Mountain Eradication Area
(RMEA).
Earlier this year, MBP
held a one-day, in house
strategic planning session
to prioritize Manitoba’s
beef industry issues and
where to direct MBP’s resources. We looked at issues to possibly remove
from the “key” priority list,
for example, issues that
have been pushed as far
as they can go, or others
which are stuck in govern-
ment processes. The list of
priorities is high and the
list of issues to strike off
was short. There always
seem to be issues to add,
both large and small, or issues which require MBP’s
involvement.
Community pastures is
one issue that we hope to
continue to facilitate, with
the goal of helping the
people directly involved
in the pastures take the
lead. MBP staff have been
putting a lot of effort into
continued communication with government and
to keep the process moving. MBP staff have also
been putting effort into
preparing research proposals. This is just one
more example of MBP
tackling issues throughout the year and getting
the job done.
MBP has also participated in regular conference
calls held by our national
organization, the Canadian
Cattlemen’s
Association
(CCA), to update the industry on U.S. mandatory
country-of-origin labeling
(COOL). The movement on
this issue is quite slow. The
CCA has joined a coalition
of meat and livestock organizations in the U.S., Canada
and Mexico to fight the implementation of COOL in
court. This initiative is very
costly and as we move forward and incur more cost to
a shrinking check-off base,
perhaps a different approach
will need to be investigated.
Your MBP directors who sit
as CCA board representatives will carry the position
of Manitoba to the CCA and
report back to you on the
path forward.
In closing, I invite all
beef producers to attend
their upcoming MBP district meetings. MBP will
be there to listen to your
concerns and to have some
objective discussions on
many key issues affecting
your operation and industry. We hope to see you
there. Have a safe and successful harvest season.
5
GENERAL MANAGER’S COLUMN
MY SIDE OF THE FENCE
Stay Safe
CAM DAHL
I hope the summer is
treating you well. This time
last year we were looking at
limited hay crops and raising concerns about feed
shortages for the coming
winter. Fortunately this
year, while not ideal for
everyone, it is looking to
be much better.
Strong demand for beef
and adequate access to
feed for feedlots should
mean strong prices for
cattle this fall and winter.
You all deserve a few years
of this kind of forecast.
Sometimes we have the
tendency to give lip service to the notion of common sense and being safe
on the farm. We think we
are paying attention and
that accidents or injuries
will not happen to us. But
the facts do not back up
these beliefs.
Agriculture is an inherently dangerous industry.
Every day, we work with
large animals that can
cause serious damage.
Large machinery is essential to our daily chores.
Over time, the risks become part of the routine.
We stop paying attention.
In a rush, we take shortcuts and park common
sense, just for a moment.
Those brief lapses have
meant many trips to the
emergency room and
worse.
I recently heard an anecdote of a rancher who
was trying to finish bailing before a severe thunderstorm. I am sure 99
per cent of beef producers know the situation
and have done exactly the
same thing. But is getting those few extra bales
in before the rain really
worth the risk of being in
your tractor in the middle
of severe weather? Fortunately, in this case no one
was hurt. But why do we
take the risk?
And we do take risks. I
can remember sitting down
for Manitoba Beef Producers board meetings and
looking around the table at
directors who were limping, wearing slings or casts,
and who were on pain
medication. We shrug and
say: “That’s ranching.” But
our industry’s safety record
is more than just bumps
and bruises. From 2000 to
2012, over a quarter of all
the workplace fatalities in
Manitoba occurred in agriculture. This is a very sobering statistic.
This is a time of year
when farm accidents happen. We are busy. Whether the year is a success or
failure is often decided in
the next few weeks. Hours
are long and we are often
tired. This is when we
may take shortcuts. We
don’t put the shield back
in place (just have to take
if off again anyways). We
try to unplug equipment
before shutting it down
completely. We go too fast
on the ATV. We put cattle
through the chute before
welding the broken pieces
(a broken arm or worse
can be the result).
This brings up the single
biggest piece of safety advice that anyone can offer:
slow down! Take the time
to ensure that whatever
you are doing is being done
safely. Sometimes this will
mean that the baling won’t
get done today. Sometimes
this will mean that the bull
gets away or the repairs will
have to wait. But getting
home in one piece is more
important.
After making safety
a priority for you, take
the time to ensure it is a
priority for your family
and for your hired workers.
Sit down and talk about
safety on the ranch. Set up
a safety checklist for everyone to review—we can give
you some samples. Stop
to correct the bad safety
habits of those working for
you. Think about the safety
of the suppliers, service
people or visitors who may
come to your farm. Remember that ranch safety
is your responsibility.
Don’t forget about
the dollars and cents arguments around farm
safety. If you or another
key player on your ranch
gets injured, it can have
serious economic consequences for your operation. Not only will you
need to hire a costly replacement, you will also
likely see a drop in your
ranch’s productivity. Your
replacement will not have
your wealth of knowledge
about your operation, or
work as efficiently. And,
your insurance premiums
may rise too if you have
an accident.
I talked about the responsibility you have for
safety on your ranch. The
word “responsibility” does
not just have moral or familial connotations; it also
has real legal meaning. I
did not want to take this
time to focus on specific
government
regulations
but I would be remiss if I
did not mention the fact
that the Manitoba government is paying attention to
farm workplace hazards.
In this issue, Maureen
Cousins reviews some of
the regulatory requirements. You have a legal
responsibility to ensure
the safety of your family
and hired help working
on your ranch. Manitoba Workplace Health
and Safety has increased
its enforcement activities and it is specifically
looking at agriculture. If
you have hired help, even
casual or part time help
from the neighbour’s kids,
this will impact you. Feel
free to call Manitoba Beef
Producers if you want to
learn more.
KEY POINTS
• Risks can become routine. Don’t get
complacent.
• Slow down!
• New regulations mean the government
is paying attention to farm workplace
hazards.
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DISTRICT 1
DISTRICT 5
DISTRICT 9
DISTRICT 13
DISTRICT 14
R.M. of Albert, Cameron, Whitewater,
Edward, Brenda, Winchester, Morton
R.M. of Elton, North Cypress, North
Norfolk, Cornwall, Oakland, South
Cypress, Victoria, South Norfolk
R.M. of Woodlands, Rockwood, St.
Andrews, Rosser, St. Francis Xavier,
Springfield, Tache, Whitemouth, Lac du
Bonnet, Brokenhead, St. Clements, LGD
of Alexander, Pinawa
R.M. of Shell River, Shellmouth,
Hillsburg, Boulton, Grandview, Gilbert
Plains, Ethelbert, Mossey River, Dauphin,
LGD Park
R.M. of Minitonas, Swan River, Mountain,
The Pas
TED ARTZ
DISTRICT 2
Dave Koslowsky
RAMONA BLYTH - SEcretary
DISTRICT 6
TreVOR ATCHISON - President
R.M. of Riverside, Strathcona, Argyle,
Lorne, Turtle Mountain, Roblin, Louise,
Pembina
R.M. of Wallace, Woodworth, Daly,
Pipestone, Sifton, Whitehead, Glenwood
DISTRICT 3
DISTRICT 7
R.M. of Portage la Prairie, Cartier,
Grey, MacDonald, Dufferin, Thompson,
Roland, Morris, Stanley, Rhineland,
Montcalm
R.M. of Russell, Silver Creek, Rossburn,
Ellice, Birtle, Shoal Lake, Strathclair,
Archie, Miniota, Hamiota, Blanshard
Cheryl McPherson
DISTRICT 4
HEINZ REIMER - Vice President
R.M. of Richot, Ste. Anne, Hanover,
De Salaberry, La Broquerie, Franklin,
Stuartburn, Piney, LGD Reynolds
Larry Gerelus
DISTRICT 8
glen campbell
R.M. of Harrison, Clanwilliam, Rosedale,
Glenella, Saskatchewan, Odanah, Minto,
Langford, Landsdowne, Westbourne,
LGD Park
VACANT
DISTRICT 10
Theresa zuk - treasurer
R.M. of Bifrost, Gimli, Fisher,
Armstrong
DISTRICT 11
Caron Clarke
R.M. of Siglunes, Grahamdale, Eriksdale,
Coldwell, St. Laurent
DISTRICT 12
bill murray
R.M. of Lawrence, Ochre River, Ste. Rose,
McCreary, Alonsa
BEN FOX
Ray Armbruster - Past President
Manitoba Beef Producers
communications coordinator
Ph: 1-800-772-0458
Deb Walger
154 Paramount Road
Winnipeg, MB R2X 2w3
PH - (204) 772-4542
FX - (204) 774-3264
[email protected]
www.mbbeef.ca
GENERAL MANAGER
Cam Dahl
policy analyst
Maureen Cousins
www.mbbeef.ca
stan foster
Kristen Lucyshyn
finance
executive assistant
Esther Reimer
CATTLE COUNTRY EDITOR
Shannon Savory
designed by
Cody Chomiak
6
Mentors Share Wisdom With
the Leaders of Tomorrow
Angela Lovell
The Cattlemen’s Young
Leaders (CYL) program recently announced its participants for the 2013-14 year,
which brings together 16
mentors and mentees from
across Canada.
“The CYL program is
about developing leadership
skills in individuals who are
going to be young producers,
are interested in becoming
young producers or who already are young producers,”
says Betty Green, one of three
Manitoba mentors who is
also Provincial Coordinator
of Verified Beef Production
for the Manitoba Beef OnFarm Safety Program.
The CYL program was
established by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) in 2010 and
grew out of an industry recognition of the need to train
and develop young leaders to
assume the leadership roles in
the cattle industry of tomorrow, explains Jolene Noble,
CYL Program Coordinator.
Mentees who apply for
the program undergo a rigorous selection process, which
begins with a questionnaire
about why they want to be
part of the program and what
they hope to learn. This year
22 applicants were short listed and went on to a spring
forum in Ottawa, Ont. Here,
the final 16 were chosen by a
panel of judges after a round
table format to enter the program.
Once the final mentees
are chosen, the mentor selection committee reviews their
applications and identifies
potential mentors who they
believe can assist the mentees
in meeting their goals. The
mentors are then contacted
and invited to participate
and it is hugely important to
make sure that the goals of
the mentees align with the
skills and experience of the
mentors, says Noble. “Our
mentor selection committee
works really hard to ensure
they are choosing the right
mentors and getting the right
fit for the mentees,” she says.
Once the mentees and
mentors are paired, the
mentees create a personalized roadmap setting out the
specific goals and objectives
they want to achieve with the
CYL program. This allows
the mentors to see how and
where they can help.
Carollyne Kehler is Betty
Green’s assigned mentee.
She is currently pursuing
her Masters of Science at
the University of Manitoba,
where she is studying beef
cattle transport and its effects
on cattle condition and carcass quality. Kehler’s grandparents ran a dairy farm and
her experiences helping out
on the farm, as well as her
involvement in 4-H and her
passion for horses, helped
her develop a lifetime interest
in agriculture. Her goal is to
establish a commercial cowcalf ranch with her husband,
and she is hoping her involvement in CYL will teach
her some valuable skills to
help her reach that goal.
“My goals are to get some
experience by helping out on
a working ranch and see how
it is managed,” says Kehler.
“I also want to learn more
about the record keeping
portion of a ranch and what
tools are available to help us
manage our records. I also
want to discuss with Betty
the strategies of research extension and how knowledge
is transferred from researchers to producers. And just
to learn about how I can get
involved and make a difference in the beef industry by
getting involved with organizations like Manitoba Beef
Producers (MBP).”
Her mentor, who served
as past president of MBP, is
certainly well equipped to
help Kehler with many of
her goals, but a big part of
the mentorship relationship
is the additional resources,
expertise and network of
people that Green can connect Kehler to.
“There is no one person that can help Carollyne
fulfill all of her goals but
I know who to call,” says
Green. “Either someone who
I would have looked to as a
mentor or just through contact over time and knowing
that is the connection that
needs to be made. It has taken
us 40 years in farming to accumulate that list of mentors
or contacts and for a young
producer who can step in
and capture even a portion of
those, and in this case before
they actually start farming,
has got to be invaluable.”
For this year, CYL has
introduced a new initiative
called CYL Step 2, which
incorporates participation
in industry advocacy events
and more formal training in
the areas of succession planning, business skills development and governance training. Each mentee is provided
with a $2,000 travel budget to
attend industry events and
for visiting mentors. There
are also a lot of networking
opportunities for CYL participants.
“A lot of the participants
don’t realize how vast the beef
industry is and how many
opportunities there are,” says
Noble, who adds that part of
the program is about exposing them to these opportunities and the many ways they
can become involved in the
Carollyne Kehler with her mentor, Betty Green.
industry and its organizations at all levels.
The mentorship aspect
of CYL doesn’t just involve
learning more about a chosen
objective; it also allows the
opportunity for personal
growth, which is equally important to the program, says
Noble.
“Any time you pair up a
younger person with a person with more experience in
their field there is huge potential for personal growth,”
she says. “Quite often we are
looking for mentors who will
push our young leaders’ limits and get them a little outside of their comfort zone to
really maximize the personal
growth that happens within
the program.”
What prompted Green
to agree to be a mentor
for the first time this year
was the idea that she could
maybe help a young producer who is entering the
industry. She says, “I am
really fortunate because
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mentor than Green, and
appreciates all of the things
she is learning from her, but
the true value of the program, she feels, is in the care
taken to match the mentors
and mentees and the formalization of the relationship between them.
“The mentors are pretty
well matched up to the objectives you want so you are
not just getting information
from anybody, you are getting information from someone who is really focused on
the subjects that you need
to experience,” she says. “It
gives you an experience that
you would have a really hard
time getting without the program because your mentor is
committed to helping you, so
you don’t have to feel guilty
about asking them to give
time and teach you things.
We are both committed to
the program already so I
know I can really dig deep
and get a lot of information
from my mentor.”
Regular Cattle sales
every Tuesday
at 9:00 A.M.
Sheep and Goat Sale with Small Animals
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH AND 30TH @ 12 NOON
February 4-5, 2014
MBP’s 35th annual general
meeting takes place February
4-5, 2014 at the Victoria Inn in
Brandon, Man. Plan to attend!
Carollyne is very enthusiastic and her goals are
clear. When I looked at
them, I could see the ways
that I could contribute towards that.”
“I think being involved
in the CYL program is exciting and just being asked
is an honour,” adds Green,
who doesn’t regret her decision to become a mentor and realizes that she is
learning a lot from the relationship too. “Carollyne’s
enthusiasm and her view
of our industry as a new
entrant are invigorating.
It makes me re-evaluate
things. For example, yesterday we were talking
about data collection and
record keeping and I was
showing her how I was
doing it and she made a
couple of really good suggestions because she is so
much more familiar with
technology than I am.”
Kehler says she could
not have wished for a better
Fall Horse and Tack Sale
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST - TACK @ 10 A.M.
HORSES TO FOLLOW
Sales agent for HIQUAL INDUSTRIES
Specializing in Livestock Handling Equipment
For info regarding products or pricing, please call our office
For on-farm appraisal of livestock or marketing information, call:
Pictured above: Cole Johnson, 9, a member of the Dolly
Bay 4-H Beef Club at the Lundar Fair June 14, 2013. Cole
won Champion Heifer of the club with his heifer Magic.
He loves 4-H and everything about cattle and farming.
Cole says he has started his herd. The future farmer!
Congratulations to Cole and to the Dolly Bay 4-H Beef
Club, which celebrated its 100th anniversary on July 6.
www.mbbeef.ca
HAROLD UNRAU - Manager/Sales Rep.
1-204-434-6519 office or 871-0250 cell
www.grunthallivestock.com [email protected]
7
Manitoba Youth Beef
Round-up Largest Ever
This year’s participants.
MBP President Trevor Atchison (right) taste tests a delicious
Cook-off recipe while the team awaits the results.
Submitted
The 6th Annual Manitoba Youth Beef Round-Up
keeps on growing. This year
it drew the largest number of
participants ever.
The event was held along
with the Canadian Junior
Limousin Weekend, August
2-4, 2013. Seventy-seven enthusiastic junior cattle producers from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta attended the
event in Neepawa.
Excitement in the cattle
industry brought out a topnotch group of interested
cattle producers and 111
head of cattle.
The Round-Up is a great
way for juniors representing all cattle breeds between
the ages of five to 25 years,
to work together, learn new
skills and meet new people.
It all started six years ago
when Bert McDonald, Blair
McRae and Lois McRae
had the idea to initiate an
all-breeds junior show in
Manitoba. One of the drivers
was the rising cost of hosting
individual events. The group
gathered together representatives from the breed associations to move forward
and the response was very
strong.
The idea was to try an all
breeds event that was not
only a cattle show but an
event with emphasis on an
educational weekend for all
young cattle producers. Enthusiasm has increased every year, with participation
continually on the rise.
The cattle industry is
continuing to prosper when
one-third of the members
for the weekend were new to
the Round-Up, which is encouraging to see.
The weekend started off
with a workshop day on Friday, and included workshops
presented on high tensile
fencing (Grant House, Kane
Vet Supplies), artificial insemination (Bert McDonald
and Blair McRae) and injections (Marshall McDonald).
On Saturday, August 3,
members participated in a
list of exciting competitions,
such as sales talk, photography, graphic design, judging,
team marketing and team
grooming. These events took
place along with the cattle
show and educational competitions for both individuals
and teams.
One of the highlights
of Saturday was the Cookoff. Up to five members on
a team prepare a steak and
present a theme. Judges included Trevor Atchison,
President of Manitoba Beef
Producers; Limousin Representatives, Wayne Burgess
and Jim Richmond of Alberta; and new Canadian
Limousin President, Brian
Lee of Ontario. The judges
were impressed with the
taste of the steaks, presentation, themes and costumes.
Congratulations to the winning team, which included
Rachael Verwey, Lane Nykoliation, Andria Bertram and
Sydney de Koning.
On Sunday August 4, the
members took part in showmanship and cattle conformation classes. Judges for the
day were Darren Ippolito of
Kisbey, Sask. and Bill Campbell of Minto.
This year, the Manitoba
Youth Beef Round-Up presented two $1,000 scholarships. Recipients of the new
awards were Justin Kristjansson of Forrest and Laura
Horner of Minnedosa.
The Manitoba Youth
Beef Round-Up Agribition
Team was announced at the
event. It will be made up of
Laura Tolton of Carberry,
Rachael Verwey of Portage la
Prairie, Kolton McIntosh of
This happy crew served up its meal Duck Dynasty style,
beards and all. In front are (left to right): Naomi Best,
Ty Nykoliation and Jonathan Karsin. Back: Morgan
McCormick and Kolton McIntosh.
Eriksdale, and Jared Preston
of Ste. Rose du Lac. The team
will represent the Round-Up
in Regina, Sask. at the 2013
Canadian Western Agribition in November.
Special thanks to the
Round-Up Committee: Lois
McRae (Chairperson), Rilla
Hunter (Treasurer), Bert McDonald, Blair McRae, Wenda Best, Naomi Best, Dillon Hunter, Albert Rimke,
Samantha Rimke, Candace
Johnston, Ken Williams, Andrea Bertholet, Vonda Hopcraft, Melissa McRae, Travis
Hunter, Karen Williams and
Tracy Pizzey.
Thank you to everyone
who attended, judged and
sponsored the 6th Manitoba Youth Beef Round-Up.
It was a great success. Visit
the Manitoba Youth Beef
Round-Up Facebook page.
Show pictures can be viewed
on www.grantpix.com.
Important Predator Workshops
Producers encouraged to attend
Predators are a growing
problem for beef producers in all parts of Manitoba.
(MBP) has worked with
governments and other
stakeholders to form the
Livestock Predation Protection Working Group to
help develop different approaches to deal with this
issue.
Membership includes
Manitoba Beef Producers (Co-Chair); Manitoba
Conservation and Water
Stewardship (Co-Chair);
Manitoba
Agriculture,
Food and Rural Initiatives;
Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Manitoba Trappers
Association; and the Manitoba Sheep Association.
This fall, the working group will host six
predator workshops across
Manitoba. The workshops
will run from 6 p.m. to 9:30
p.m. and will include:
• Presentations and demonstrations from the
Manitoba Trappers Association.
• A presentation on the
problem predator program and helpful information from Manitoba
Stewardship.
• Manitoba Agricultural
Services Corporation will
be on hand to make a
presentation and answer
questions on compensation for predator damage.
• Manitoba Agriculture,
Food and Rural Initiatives will take part in the
workshop through presentations and be available for questions.
The predator workshops
will take place in these locations:
Boissevain
September 18
Beckoning Hills
Activity Club
La Broquerie
September 19
La Broquerie Hotel
Fisher Branch
September 25
Ukrainian National
Home
Rossburn
September 26
Town Hall
Swan River
October 2
Super 8
Ste. Rose du Lac
October 3
Ste. Rose
Jolly Club
For more information, please contact Manitoba Beef Producers at [email protected] or 1-800-772-0458
www.mbbeef.ca
2013
8
MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
2013 BURSARY WINNERS
Cassie
Scott
Raina
Syrnyk
Boissevain, Man.
I grew up on a farm and have
spent my entire life there with my
parents and two sisters. My dad
runs a cattle farm with his brother
and nephew.
We own our own cattle, as well
as custom feed for many other cattle
farmers. This is our family business
and it is very important to everyone
in our family.
Growing up on a cattle farm
means more to me than I can put
into words. Because I live on a
farm, I got involved with the 4-H
beef club at the age of five, and I
am currently the president of the
same beef club right now. It has
given me a great understanding
of everything that is cattle: how
to care for them, treat them, feed
them, and more.
I have sold 10 of my own steers
at the 4-H sale. This sale keeps me
involved in the beef industry and especially in the community. Nine local businesses have bought my steer
over the years and this is a key opportunity for my family.
Our cattle farm has gone through
three generations and it is just starting on the fourth.
Cattle are our complete source
of income and we provide beef
locally to our community, as well
as to people from across Manitoba.
My dad has kept me involved by
teaching me about cattle and getting
me to work with him on the farm.
With the knowledge and skills to process and ship loads of cattle, feed cattle
and raise their calves, I know how to
successfully run a business and provide beef to Manitoba.
The beef industry is important
to Manitoba because it is one of the
most agricultural and beef-based
provinces in Canada.
The beef industry provides a substantial and important part of the
economy in Manitoba, and keeps
the province thriving.
Agriculture, of which beef is an
integral part, provides close to a
third of the total gross domestic
product of Manitoba.
There are many reasons why I enjoy being involved in agriculture. I
care about our family business and
I love to be out and working on the
farm whenever I can. I have a personal interest in the animals and I
love being out with the cattle, which
makes me want to pursue a career as
a large animal veterinarian in a rural
community.
As well as living on a farm, it is a
privilege to provide my community,
Manitoba and the world with high
quality beef.
My family has been active with
Manitoba Beef Producers for four
generations, in the cow-calf aspect
as well as the finishing market for
steers.
Cattle are an integral part of my
life and business, and they are an
important part of our community’s
history; it is very much an agricultural-based town.
Beef producers are a major supporter of our economy and are essential to Manitoba.
Dori Fee
Entering University of Manitoba
Ethelbert, Man.
The Canadian beef industry plays a
vital role in rural and urban life across
the country to individuals, family
farms and communities.
Manitoba itself has about 8,000
beef cattle producers, making it one
of the largest herds in Canada. Beef
production provides multiple family
farm operations in Manitoba with a
source of livelihood and income, while
supplying urban residents with nutritious food products. It also provides
provincial residents with jobs at local
businesses that are needed to maintain
the beef production industry.
As a whole, the beef industry is
very important to my family, my community and my province as a business
and as a lifestyle.
The agriculture industry offers my
family a guaranteed occupation for the
rest of our lives. Almost every single
person in the world depends on the
agri-food industry and therefore, we,
as farmers, will always have a job to
fulfill.
As a young girl, the beef industry
taught me and other young individuals the importance of responsibility,
a hard-work ethic and to have a caring nature. I have gained skills and
knowledge growing up around beef
cattle and this experience has taught
me about our land and livestock, and
it will always remain important to me
with the occupation I pursue. These
qualities are significantly helpful to me
and other young people who are working toward post-secondary education,
employment and future endeavors.
www.mbbeef.ca
In my community, the beef industry
also serves to sustain jobs in farm supply companies, processing businesses,
transport services and multiple other
agri-business systems. These jobs attract people to our community, which
in turn, becomes very important to the
economy and economic development
of our area. Without cattle production, these services in my community
would not be needed and fewer jobs
would be available in the community,
causing the population size of our area
to decrease.
Community population is very important to the small town that I live near;
a decrease could cause important businesses to relocate or our local schools to
shut down. Not only does the beef industry supply jobs, it provides a healthy
and reliable food source for local people
and other communities in Manitoba.
This beef serves as a trusted source of
quality Canadian beef.
I enjoy being involved in Canadian
agriculture. It has helped me develop
as a person since I was very young.
Eight years of being in the 4-H beef
club, and showing cattle, has become
a very special and influential factor
in my life, and it has taught me many
values. In exchange, I have received an
interest in caring for animals and the
meat production process. The farming
culture allows me to be a part of a very
important aspect of our province’s
food production. The genetic advancement of Canadian cattle interests me a
lot and has encouraged me to follow a
career path as a veterinarian and embryo technician.
In closing, the beef industry means
many things to my family, my community and Manitoba. Being involved in
the industry teaches us lifelong values
and morals, which will help us feed
the increasing world population in the
future. It encourages us to promote
the importance of our products to
the world and it secures jobs in rural
communities, which may not be there
otherwise.
The beef industry helps hold together our local rural communities,
which are important to the development of Manitoba in the future.
Manitoba Beef Producers 2013 Bursary Winners
Manitoba Beef Producers is pleased to announce that four outstanding Manitoba students who plan to pursue post-secondary
studies related to agriculture and the rural economy have been selected for 2013 MBP bursaries.
Each bursary winner receives $500 toward his or her studies. The selected students are all children of active Manitoba beef producers
or beef producers themselves. MBP is proud to invest in these students and the future of agriculture in Manitoba. We congratulate
all of the winners and we wish them a successful year ahead as they pursue their studies.
This year, applicants were asked to submit an essay discussing:
“What the beef industry means to my family, my community and Manitoba.”
MBP thanks all bursary applicants and wishes them success in their studies.
Each year MBP awards four bursaries to MBP members or their children attending a university, college or other post-secondary
institution or pursuing trades training. For more information, please visit www.mbbeef.ca.
Sydney
Sprenger
Tyler
Workman
Alexander, Man.
Entering Dalhousie University
The beef industry is essential to
my family’s way of life, as well as the
economic and social aspects of my
community and province.
The industry is important because it provides the world with nutritious food and other by-products.
It also helps support other local
businesses and Manitoba’s economy
overall. Finally, beef production has
its own significance to me and has
helped inspire my interest in agriculture as a whole.
My family and I moved to Manitoba six years ago, with the mission
of maintaining a century heritage
family farm. We had never farmed
before but my father used to come
out every summer as a boy and he
loved the work and duties that come
with running a farm.
Most of our neighbours farm
cattle and within the year, we had
started a herd of our own. Now
we have 30 head of beef cattle, my
brother and I are members of our
local 4-H beef club, and I would
be lost without the companionship
of our cows. There is something to
be said for the pride I feel raising
healthy and producing livestock.
My family farms cattle as a business but I see it as a learning experience and hobby in my young
years. Through 4-H, we handle
our cattle daily, learn the cow’s
anatomy, proper feeding techniques, breeding, and the ultimate
Minto, Man.
reasoning behind its productionmarketing and food production.
It is an interactive process but one
that has taught me far more about
beef than I ever would have known.
Each year, our 4-H club has a show
to demonstrate the work we have
done, and in turn, the community
partakes in the sale.
Our local town and area is very
much a farming community, and
people understand the necessity of
encouraging younger generations
to learn and continue on in this industry, which is so essential to our
daily lives.
to our local community because
so many farmers depend on it economically as a business. Beef producers help support the grain market industry and also many occupations, such as mechanics and engineers, who focus on the equipment
used in the industry. There are also
other professionals who focus on
the scientific side of the industry to
increase and better the quality/production rate in beef production. It
is no wonder cattle farming is such
a prime market in this agricultural
section of Canada.
We are blessed with the healthy
grazing and farming land we are
surrounded with in this beautiful province, and it is due to these
abundant, convenient resources and
the large demand in the meat market, that Manitoba producers are
able to account for the third largest
head of cattle in Canada. It takes
these collective farming communities and non-profit organizations
like Manitoba Beef Producers to
protect, represent and support this
growing industry.
That is why farming cattle is so
important to me; because I can see
the need for it and I am interested
in pursuing a degree in agriculture
to keep these farming communities
sustainable, for the interest of my
family’s business, my community
and Manitoba.
The beef industry is very important to my family, community and
Manitoba.
My grandparents have always
grain farmed but they also had a
feedlot in the 1960s and 1970s,
with the help of my dad and uncles—when they were old enough.
After my dad finished his degree
in agriculture, he came home to
farm and started a cow-calf operation in 1987. He started with commercial cows and then got into the
purebred business, as well as commercial with my grandparents and
my aunt and uncle. I am working
for my dad with grain and cattle
farming so now there are three generations working together.
My grandparents don’t have
any cows now but grandpa still
helps out with chores. My brother
is in university and has a full time
job in the summer, and my mom
works off the farm—but they help
out when they can. The farm is my
family’s main source of income.
Our family has been involved in
our local 4-H beef club for many
years, starting with my grandma
showing cattle in the local Rally. My
dad and uncles, my cousins, and my
brother and I, have all participated.
We did well with our Pee Wee calves,
winning grand champion animal.
My brother has won grand champion
steer twice with home grown steers
www.mbbeef.ca
and I have won home grown heifer
and steer. We have done well with the
group of three classes and showmanship, as well. I enjoy showing cattle
at Rally Day and hope to do well this
year. Our Boissevain Beef Club is
celebrating the 100th year of 4-H in
Canada.
In our community there are quite
a few cattle farms. Most of them are
north of us by the Souris River and
south by Boissevain. They are family farms and their kids have helped
out and some are taking over the
farm. The local Co-ops, livestock
farm supply store, equipment dealers, abattoirs and the vet clinic all
get business from these farms.
to Manitoba, just like our community. It gives families a way to make
money, it supports businesses they
deal with, and their cattle are used
in Manitoba or sold to other provinces and to the United States. A lot
of people have jobs because of the
beef industry. Beef cattle are good
for the environment if things are
done right. Land that can’t be used
to grow crops can be used for pasture. Also, manure spread on fields
helps the soil with natural fertilizer
and makes it easier to work.
I enjoy being involved in agriculture because with living and
working on a farm, it has shown
me a lot of responsibility and that
hard work can pay off. Since I was
young, I have always been interested in how things work and how
to manage a grain and cattle farm.
I like to work with machinery and
with new technology. My dad likes
that I can help him with the new
computerized equipment.
I am planning to go into agriculture to get a degree at the University of Manitoba, to learn more about
farm management. I am interested
in agronomy and agriculture business. I am looking forward to a career in agriculture and maybe taking over the farm some day.
9
10 CATTLE COUNTRY September 2013
Producers Need to be Aware
of Evolving Workplace
Safety and Health Rules
Maureen Cousins
The Manitoba government’s Five-Year Plan for
Workplace Injury and Illness
Prevention, will be rolled
out soon and agricultural
producers should be paying
attention.
The action plan is aimed
at making all Manitoba
workplaces safer and producers need to be mindful
of their obligation to provide a safe workplace. This
applies not only for themselves and family members
working on the farm but
also for their hired help.
From 2000 to 2013,
more than a quarter of all
Manitoba workplace fatalities occurred in the agriculture sector. That is the single largest percentage for all
the major industry sectors
in the province. In 2012
alone, there were three fatalities, 279 time loss injuries and 497 overall injuries
in the agriculture sector.
The province’s action
plan contains recommendations arising from three
separate reports that were
released in April 2013. The
reports include the Fair
Compensation Review, the
Report of the Chief Prevention Officer, and the
recommendations of the
Minister’s Advisory Council on Workplace Safety
and Health respecting
The Workplace Safety and
Health Act.
For example, the Fair
Compensation Review looked
at several matters, including how Workers Compensation Board (WCB)
employer premiums are
set and ways to strengthen
employer incentives for injury prevention. It also examined concerns about the
incidence of WCB claims
suppression.
The province’s Chief
Prevention Officer made
recommendations about
how to enhance prevention services and programs
offered by the WCB and
Workplace Health and
Safety.
The provincial government’s new plan also builds
on its previous workplace
health and safety initiatives,
such as the 2009 requirement for the agricultural
sector to provide mandatory workers compensation
coverage.
The plan contains 10 action areas that range from
injury prevention services, to tougher safety and
health laws, to providing
a fair structure for setting
employer assessment rates.
Producers should note
there will be an increased
focus on employer engagement in higher-hazard sectors, which includes agriculture.
Specifically, the action
plan states, “Manitoba will
develop a new survey tool,
with a priority focus on
higher-hazard industries,
to significantly improve
data on areas where prevention efforts are lacking,
where stronger enforcement is needed and where
meaningful
prevention
practices are having a positive impact and could be
replicated elsewhere.”
This could include more
on-the-farm visits from
provincial officials with the
aim of assessing risks and
trying to reduce the potential for accidents.
Since 2000, the government has doubled the number of safety and health
staff, as well as increased
the number of annual
workplace inspections by a
factor of five. It is projected
there will be 13,000 workplace inspections in the
provincial
government’s
KEY POINTS
2013-14 fiscal year, compared to 5,880 in 2007-08.
•New legislation focuses on
“Dedicating more reworkplace safety.
sources to prevention will
help make Manitoba one of
the safest places to work in •This includes the safety of hired
North America,” said Famhelp and family members.
ily Services and Labour
Minister, Jennifer Howard. •Double the amount of workplace
“Enforcement is also an iminspections predicted for 2013-14.
portant part of injury prevention and our safety and
health laws will be among
activities that present • Tougher consequences
the strongest in the counfor employers who punimminent risk to life or
try. Safety and health offiish workers for exercishealth;
cers will now have the tools
ing their rights.
needed to ensure compli- • Immediate penalties for
Vulnerable workers—
backsliding after an imance.”
provement order has including young workers,
The action plan also
new workers and newcombeen issued;
outlines the government’s
intention to provide legisla- • Stronger protections when ers to Canada—are another
a worker refuses unsafe focus of the action plan.
tion, allowing for:
Mandatory workplace safework; and
• Immediate fines for
ty orientations will be required for all new workers.
A one-stop information
system will be established
so employers and workers
will be able to access information on safety services as
well as to report injuries or
unsafe workplaces.
The provincial government has several online
resources related to workplace health and safety.
The SAFE Manitoba website contains important
information, such as descriptions of the responsibilities of employers, supervisors and workers under
Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Act.
The site also contains
tools producers may find
interesting. For example,
there is an Injury Cost Calculator. While it does not
provide examples specific
to the agriculture sector,
the scenarios are enlightening nonetheless.
For example, one scenario involves a construction
worker who falls and breaks
an ankle. Both the injury
costs for the worker (including replacement and productivity costs) and the recovery
costs for the employer are examined. The number of days
calculated to recover the injury loss is 17. These costs
can have a significant impact
on all affected.
In the fall of 2013,
the Workers Compensation Board is expected
to release a new strategy aimed at eliminating
claim suppression, inappropriate return-to-work
practices and providing
recognition and rewards
for employers that practice injury prevention.
For more
information:
www.gov.mb.ca/labour/safety
www.safemanitoba.com/farms
www.wcb.mb.ca
www.mbbeef.ca
September 2013 CATTLE COUNTRY 11
Improving Carbon Storage
in Grasslands
Christine Rawluk and Michelle Gaudry
Climate change, global
warming, greenhouse gas
emissions. Agriculture—and
more specifically, methanegenerating dairy and beef
herds—is consistently at the
centre of these discussions.
However, focusing only on
cattle misses a critical component of any livestock production system; the benefits associated with the many acres
of perennial grasslands. A
more accurate estimation of
greenhouse gas emissions
is net emissions, which includes both sources and sinks
of greenhouse gases within
an agricultural system. This
holistic approach not only accounts for methane emissions
but also the carbon stored in
grassland systems.
Soils covered in grassland
are storehouses of carbon.
Breaking up grasslands releases carbon and over time
depletes the soil of this important reserve. Since the plains
were first cultivated by early
settlers, much of the original
stores of soil carbon have been
depleted.
On the crop side, this
trend has been reversed more
recently with the increased
adoption of conservation tillage and a reduction in the
amount of land in fallow.
On the livestock side,
an improved appreciation
of the role of grasslands for
long-term carbon storage is
gaining ground. Adoption
of land management practices that build soil carbon
will reduce net greenhouse
emissions from cattle farms
by helping to offset methane
emissions.
Manitoba farmland consists of more than two million hectares of pasture and
hayland. The benefits of these
grasslands are well established: reduced soil erosion;
improved soil structure; increased water infiltration and
storage; and increased soil organic matter and soil carbon.
The total amount of carbon
stored in Manitoba grasslands is estimated at 250 million tonnes (equal to a carbon
storage “value” of up to $637
million).
Producers are faced with
continued economic pressure
to convert this land, when
feasible, to annual crop production. At the same time,
governments are developing
policy on land-use practices
that focus on environmental
sustainability. This is putting
pressure on cattle producers to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and means cattle
producers play a pivotal role
in reducing the net emissions
through their management
decisions.
We now need to know
more about how land management practices affect soil
carbon gains and losses. A
research study conducted by
Brian Amiro and Trevor Fraser, who is now a Technician at
the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment
at the University of Manitoba
measured changes in soil carbon when a long standing perennial field was converted to
an annual crop.
“We saw a loss of almost
one per cent of the current
soil carbon stock in the first
year,” says Fraser. “Although
this may not sound like much,
it is more carbon than perennial grassland can store in an
entire season. It would take
several years to get that back,
even if this was returned to
grassland.”
“The idea is to keep the
carbon in the ground where
it can improve soil structure
and properties,” he explains.
“Perennial crops are more
likely to gain carbon while
annual crops are more likely
to lose carbon. A continuous
perennial rotation is the best
strategy to build carbon stock
but this may not be practical
or feasible for producers.”
However, there are still
steps that can be taken to reduce the extent of this loss
over time. Generally speaking, any strategies that maintain vegetative cover will
minimize carbon losses and
optimize carbon gains.
One strategy is to practice continuous cropping
without periods of fallow
or include perennials in
the rotation to help restore
some of the carbon that is
lost during the years of annual cropping.
Another strategy is to delay breaking the land until
later in the growing season
when growth has slowed
and temperatures are cooler.
“As temperatures fall, plant
growth slows, soil organisms
are less active, so carbon losses
will be lower at this time than
if the land is plowed earlier in
the season,” observes Fraser.
“In the long run, by adopting
beneficial management practices that minimize soil carbon losses, you can preserve
Trevor Fraser.
The equipment used to measure carbon dioxide fluxes over fields or, in this case,
perennial grasslands.
current carbon stocks and
potentially store more carbon
over time.”
This research is part of a
larger project at the University of Manitoba’s National
Centre for Livestock and the
Environment to develop new
coordinator with the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment (NCLE). Michelle
Gaudry is a student in
the Diploma in AgriculChristine Rawluk is ture Program, at the Unithe research development versity of Manitoba.
technologies and identify beneficial management practices
aimed at reducing greenhouse
gases from both cropping and
livestock systems.
New Season of Great Tastes
of Manitoba
The cast of Great Tastes of Manitoba.
Host Ace Burpee and MBP Beef Expert Adriana Barros.
Love cooking with beef?
Watch Manitoba’s most
popular cooking show
Great Tastes of Manitoba!
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is a proud
partner in Great Tastes of
Manitoba and we are excited about the brand new
24th season.
MBP’s Beef Expert
Adriana Barros and Ace
Burpee of Virgin 103’s
The Ace Burpee Show
have teamed up for a
new set of beef themed
shows. This season offers up beef recipes that
your guests will enjoy at
parties and holiday celebrations, as well as recipes for gourmet meals
made easy.
As MBP’s beef guru,
Adriana shares her updates on classic beef
www.mbbeef.ca
dishes and she also introduces viewers to the
best new beef recipes.
The show’s beverage expert from Manitoba Liquor Marts adds to the
show with suggestions
for wines, beers, spirits and cocktails that go
perfectly with each recipe.
Watch Adriana and
Ace as they showcase
some delicious recipes on
the upcoming beef shows,
which will air on the following dates on CTV
Winnipeg at 6:30 p.m.:
October 26
December 14
March 29
May 17
Watch past episodes online
at www.foodmanitoba.ca.
Federal and Provincial
Activities and Announcements
Affecting the Beef Industry
Maureen Cousins
The following is a roundup of some recent activities
and announcements by the
federal and provincial governments that affect Manitoba’s beef industry.
Ecological Goods
and Services
programming
The second round of environmental initiatives
under the Growing Forward 2 Growing Assurance
component was announced
July 31, 2013. It deals with
Ecological Goods and Services (EG&S) programming.
The application deadline was
August 15.
Up to $750,000 is being
provided in 2013-14 to help
producers implement beneficial management practices
(BMPs) focusing on water
quality. Targeted areas included: water retention structures,
natural area maintenance
and enhancement, wetland
restoration and constructed
wetlands, riparian area enhancement, buffer and grassed
waterway establishment, perennial cover for sensitive land,
and shelterbelt/tree establishment.
Unlike some previous initiatives, this program funding flows to the Conservation Districts (CDs) who
will work with producers to
implement the BMPs. Participating producers do not
have to cost share on eligible
projects but need to obtain
a valid Environmental Farm
Program Statement of Completion.
It is not yet known when
the next program intake will
occur.
Examples of eligible practices that may be funded include: alternative watering
systems to manage livestock
(only riparian pastures are
eligible); establishment of
forages for buffers; native
rangeland restoration or establishment; and construction of water retention structures to reduce the risk of
flooding and drought and for
nutrient recovery.
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is disappointed
with the approach being
taken. We have long advocated for EG&S programming
that will assist beef producers
who are making an effort to
preserve grasslands and wetlands, and who are contributing to water quality through
grazing practices. Unfortunately, this announcement
does not meet the objectives
MBP has frequently discussed with both levels of
government. Because the
programming was developed
without input from the beef
producers of Manitoba we
are concerned it may be difficult to practically implement
and could fail to meet governments’ stated objectives
as well. MBP will continue to
apprise governments of the
importance of seeking industry input prior to program
rollout to help ensure their
success.
For more program information producers should
contact their Conservation
District (CD) office or Manitoba Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives Growing
Opportunities (MAFRI GO)
office. Producers not in a CD
should contact their GO office for direction.
The catalogue of BMP
categories and eligible practices is also available at www.
manitoba.ca/agriculture.
Click on the Growing Forward 2 link.
Livestock price
insurance program
MBP was pleased to see
the July 19 commitment by
the federal, provincial and
territorial agriculture ministers to “expediting the implementation of a western livestock price insurance pilot
program.”
MBP has long sought
a livestock price insurance
program that is bankable and
affordable for producers and
governments. The beef sector
is at a competitive disadvantage because of the lack of a
price insurance program. A
timely program rollout is essential.
This commitment to cattle price insurance has been
re-iterated publicly by MAFRI Minister, Ron Kostyshyn, who has indicated that
he would like to see a pilot
program made available in
Manitoba in early 2014.
MBP will continue to
work with both provincial
and federal officials and
Ministers to ensure that you
get a product that works for
you. We are also working on
having livestock price insurance be made available as a
backstop for the Manitoba
Livestock Cash Advance Program to make the cash advance more accessible to you.
as the chair of the Manitoba
Cattle Enhancement Council (MCEC). She replaces
Dr. Barry Todd, former
Deputy Minister of MAFRI,
who retired earlier this year.
In other MCEC news, the
Council stated in its 2012
Annual Report (released in
April) that, “the provincial
government recently indicated that it will not provide
a loan guarantee and has
asked MCEC to replace that
financing arrangement with
new private investment.”
To view the MCEC’s annual
report, see www.mancec.com.
Cosmetic pesticide
ban will proceed
Stewardship Minister, Gord
Mackintosh, confirmed on
June 28 that the provincial
government will be proceeding with a ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides.
Legislation will be introduced in the next session
that will lead to the replacement of the sale and use
of synthetic chemical lawn
pesticides with federally-approved bio-pesticides instead. This will involve products applied to areas such
as lawns, driveways, school
grounds and playing fields,
among others.
Agricultural lands and
gardens, golf courses and
sod farms are supposed to
be exempt. The provincial
government said synthetic
products will also be allowed
to manage high-risk noxious
weeds and poisonous or invasive species.
The Minister added that the government’s
strategy will involve further consultation and will
include components such
as strengthened noxious
weed management to protect agricultural lands for
production.
The proposed legislation
would take effect December
2014 and include a one-year
grace period for homeowners to adapt to it.
MBP has previously
raised key concerns with
a proposed pesticide ban.
These include the creation of
urban reservoirs for noxious
weeds and the solidification
of the perception by some
that pesticides approved
for use by Health Canada
are unsafe. MBP remains
concerned about a growing
trend of seeing environmental and health regulations
based on public perception
rather than being grounded
in sound science.
Ban on use of coal for
heating delayed
Part of the provincial government’s climate change
strategy involved a ban on
heating with coal that was to
take effect on January 1, 2014.
However, the government announced in late July
there will be a grace period
of up to July 1, 2017 for coal
users to adapt to the ban—
provided that an approved
conversion plan is filed by
June 30, 2014.
The government expects coal users to convert
to other energy sources,
such as biomass. Some
financial assistance may
be available to help coal
users with the conversion
process through the Biomass Energy Support Program. See www.gov.mb.ca/
agriculture/agrienergy/
ene00s07.html. The program application
deadline is October 1. It includes, “financial support for
capital and/or infrastructure
upgrades that are required
to effectively manufacture
or consume biomass fuel,
including expansion of existing facilities or development of new capacity.”
Become a MBP AGM Sponsor
Book Today!
35th Annual General Meeting
Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, Brandon
February 4-5, 2013
MBP’s Annual General Meeting is a unique opportunity to
promote your business to Manitoba’s top beef producers.
MBP offers a sponsorship option to suit your needs.
Please contact us at (204) 772-4542 or [email protected].
Thank you for your support.
New MCEC chair
appointed
Effective July 19, the provincial government appointed
Frieda Krpan of St. Laurent
www.mbbeef.ca
Vet Corner
Standing Behind Your Product
KEY POINTS
Every bovine that
leaves the vet clinic has a
Canadian Cattle Identification Program (CCIA)
tag. That tag number, as
well as the client’s name,
are recorded in a log that
is kept at the clinic, as per
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requirements. When I am
audited, the inspector
goes through that log and,
if desired, he can review
my appointment book
and records to see the reason for each animal’s visit.
In the unfortunate
event of a disease outbreak, the log would be
used to find potential
herd exposures and to develop quarantine zones.
But, what if that 15 digit
number was used by feedlots, packers and even the
consumer? Do you want
your name associated
with your product? Answering anything but YES
means you aren’t helping
the beef industry remain
competitive in today’s
world.
Our knowledge of genetics and gene testing
has grown tremendously
in the last few years. Bull
selection is the fastest way
• Are you proud of your product? If
not, you’re not helping the industry.
to improve the genetics of
a cow herd. You can use
carcass expected progeny
differences (EPDs) and
new technologies, such as
leptin gene mapping, to
select for heritable quality traits like ribeye area,
marbling, tenderness and
feed efficiency. Enroll in
programs like the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS)
to obtain feedback information on the health,
feedlot performance and
carcass data for your
calves. Then take action
on the results to improve
your herd.
Be sure your calves
are ready to sell, whether
at weaning or following
backgrounding. Properly
developed immune systems minimize sickness
after weaning and result in
improved feedlot performance. Ensure adequate
colostrum intake and cull
cows that regularly wean
poorer calves. Work with
a nutritional consultant to
develop a least cost but effective feeding program.
Malnourished cows have
poorer conception rates,
prolonged calving intervals and poorer milk production, which results in
Tara Fulton
Dr. Tanya Anderson, DVM
•Genetics and gene testing can
improve your herd.
•A well maintained herd is good for
your pocket book.
prolonged calving seasons
and uneven unhealthy
calf crops.
Develop a preventive
herd health management
program with your veterinarian and implement
standard treatment and
vaccination
protocols.
Review these protocols on
a yearly basis as herd risk
factors may change and
new products are continually being developed.
There is legal liability for
violative residues. Know
what a withdrawal period
means and understand
that withdrawal times may
vary depending on how a
product is given (pour-on,
injection —intramuscular,
intravenous and subcutaneous), dosed (no more
than 10 mL per site at least
two inches apart) and the
reason for treatment. Follow
the label recommendations and consult with your
veterinarian if using in an
extra-label manner or are
unsure of a diagnosis and
its current treatment.
The future performance
of your calf in the feedlot
and on the rail depends on
your management practices. Poor injection techniques at birth will cause
decreased meat tenderness
and scarring. Antibiotic
residues from gentamycin,
which is used by some producers to treat calf scours,
will cause violative residues at slaughter over 18
months later.
Well-maintained and
designed handling facilities
ease cattle movements and
minimize injury to both
livestock and handlers.
Castration,
dehorning,
implanting and injections
are much easier to do with
proper restraint. Give all
injections in the neck and
not the backend. Regularly change and disinfect
needles to minimize swellings, abcesses and scarring,
which can lead to decreased
meat tenderness and increased trim. Dedicate syringes to products. Mixing
and matching syringes to
give vaccines and antibiotics can cause product ineffectiveness or adverse drug
reactions. Similarly, store
products appropriately and
follow approved disposal
practices.
Take advantage of
continuing
education
opportunities in animal
health through your veterinarian, local Manitoba
Agriculture, Food and
Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) office, farm publications and even online. Informed and involved staff
and family members have
improved morale and are
more motivated to continue performing excellent work.
Put your name behind
your production practices
and the beef that leaves
your gate. Make your
calves the top pick for
feedlots by implementing
sound management practices and spreading the
word. Work with, rather
than against, the other
stakeholders in the industry. Your profitability and
the future of the beef industry depend on it.
Invasive Spotted
Knapweed Spreading
Kelvin Heppner, Manitoba Farm Journal, Golden West Radio
An invasive weed species
with the potential to cause
more harm to pasture and
rangelands than leafy spurge
appears to be expanding its territory in southern Manitoba.
Until 2010, the only
known infestation of spotted knapweed in the province was at a gravel pit near
Sprague. That year it was
found near Beausejour and
Birds Hill Park. New patches
of spotted knapweed have
now recently been confirmed
in and just west of Winnipeg
and south of Steinbach along
Highway 12. There is also a
suspected patch at the base of
the escarpment near Roseisle.
“There is an old adage in
the invasive species world, ‘if
you want to get rid of leafy
spurge, introduce knapweed,’” says Doug Cattani, a
researcher in the plant science
department at the University
of Manitoba. “That sort of
puts it into perspective why
we are concerned about it
getting into our range and
pasture land. We know what
leafy spurge has done to a
lot of our areas and we don’t
need something else to come
along that is even worse.”
Spotted knapweed can be
mistaken for Canada thistle.
“From a distance, it has the
purple flower with that base
but the leaves are quite different. They are not spiny or
prickly and the portions of
the leaf blades are very narrow,” says Cattani.
He says suspicious plants
should be reported to a municipal weed supervisor or to
the Invasive Species Council
of Manitoba.
The course of action after
an infestation is confirmed
depends on the number
of plants. “If it is a single
plant, it can easily be pulled.
We generally recommend
bagging them and burning them. If it looks like the
stand has been there for a
number of years, a herbicide application is usually
needed,” says Cattani. “It is
a short-lived perennial. The
first year is generally as a
seedling rosette, so it is not
something that you may
easily identify.”
Spotted knapweed has
infested hundreds of
thousands of acres in Alberta and British Columbia. It can be found across
much of the western
U.S, as well, including in
North Dakota.
Animals will only graze
the weed if there is no other
vegetation available. The
plant’s roots emit a toxin
that prevents the growth of
native species.
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For more information and pricing, contact any of the Cattlex buyers:
Andy Drake (204) 764-2471, 867-0099 cell
Jay Jackson (204) 223-4006
Gord Ransom (204) 534-7630
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Clive Bond (204) 483-0229
Ken Drake (204) 724-0091
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The Bottom Line
Demand for Manitoba Cattle Should be Strong
Rick Wright
is available, cattle feeders will feel more comfortable purchasing inventory at current price
levels.
• With JBS Food Canada
purchasing XL Foods
in Brooks, Alta., contracting opportunities
for cattle changed dramatically. Last year XL
and other large feeders
contracted the majority of yearlings available
for delivery from August to December. This
year, JBS decided not
to contract any yearlings and purchase on
the cash market. Many
of the other feeders on
both sides of the border
choose the same strategy. This left the majority
of the yearlings open for
cash bids in August and
September. August cash
sales were averaging
$140.00 at 900 pounds.
• With record corn crops
projected for this harvest there should aggressive competition for
the Manitoba yearlings.
Alberta will be shopping
in Manitoba, as well as
Ontario and Quebec.
Calf prices in Manitoba
should be strong, as well.
The trend to later calving
continues in Manitoba resulting in less wet nosed
calves for sale in the fall.
Prime pasture conditions
will mean that producers
will leave their cattle out on
pasture as long as possible,
which will mean more late
The fall cattle run is
just around the corner and
what a change from last
year. Most of the fundamentals are pointing towards a strong market for
cattle producers.
Demand for Manitoba
cattle should be very strong
this fall. The yearling supply
in Manitoba is very close to
last year’s numbers and the
inventory is held mostly by
larger operators with over
500 head on the grass. The
majority of these cattle are
sold direct or forward contracted; very few come to
the auctions for sale.
There are a few changes
this year:
• There is lots of grass
and pastures are in good
condition, which will result in the yearlings staying on the grass two to
three weeks longer than
last year.
• As I sit down to write
this, the exchange on
the dollar has moved to
a favourable position to
export cattle to the U.S.
Demand to the south is
strong with the shortage
of cattle on the American side. Yearling sales
in the south have been
strong, with “sand hills”
yearlings out of Nebraska selling for over $1.45
at 900 pounds.
• Once harvest of this
year’s corn crop is underway and new crop
corn at new crop pricing
October and November
calf deliveries than normal.
Despite the wet summer
conditions, there will still
be adequate hay supplies of
hay and forage for the upcoming winter. Producers
may decide to carry more
of their calves over until the
New Year, especially if we
have a wet harvest resulting
in more feed grains.
Reports from the United
States are that producers
will start to rebuild their
herds this year after a prolonged drought depleted
numbers there over the
past three years.
In Manitoba, market
operators are reporting that
they are all booking a large
number of herd dispersals
for the fall. Slim profit margins, strong grain prices
and strong land prices are
responsible for many Manitoba livestock producers
exiting the business. There
are many acres of grassland
being torn up and converted to grain land.
The other factor in the
decline of cattle numbers is
that there is no new “blood”
getting into the cow-calf
business. The return on investment is not enough to
attract young people into
the industry. There are a few
young farmers that love the
cattle business and are willing to carry on the family
farm but in general, there
are just too many other opportunities to get good paying jobs with a good annual
income—that are complete
with benefits—that require
a lot less work and stress.
Reports out of Alberta
indicate that a number of
feedlots are shutting down
completely or are reducing the number of cattle
that they intend to feed. A
rough count showed that
confirmed closures and
reduced inventory requirements will account for approximately 140,000 head
less pen space being used in
Alberta this fall.
Cattle feeders across
Canada are nervous about
the projected feeder cattle
prices for this fall despite
the prospects of lower feed
grain costs. Higher than
projected costs of gains on
feed last year kept many
of the feedlots in the red
again. Closeouts for finishing steers came in at
five to 10 cents per pound
over budget, while heifers
were totally unpredictable. Some heifer closeouts
were 20 to 25 cents per
pound over budget. Producers could see a larger
than average price spread
between heifers and steer
calves this fall. The spread
on the yearlings off grass
is 8 to 15 cents per pound.
The spread on the heifer
calves could be as much as
25 cents this fall.
The finished cattle prices
look good for the first quarter of 2014 and despite the
uncertainty over the new
mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules,
there will be U.S. demand
Sales for Angus Tagged Cattle
March 4, 2014
October 15, November 12
204-727-1431
204-748-2809
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October 30
November 7
October 4, 18, November 8
Check out the new ALL Angus Tagged, Age Verified, Traceable and Vaccinated Sales!
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• Good pasture
conditions mean
more late October/
November calf
deliveries than
normal.
• Cattle feeders
nervous about
projected feeder
cattle prices.
for Manitoba cattle. The
Americans are not usually big players on the calf
market, but some U.S. firms
do background calves in
Manitoba. The U.S. will put
the floor price on the cattle;
Canadian feeders will have
to outbid the south to own
inventory.
The proposed Cattle
Price Insurance Program for
Manitoba could have stimulated more backgrounding by local investors and
Manitoba Hydro
204-385-2537
204-434-6519
www.ranchersendorsed.com
• Demand for Manitoba
cattle expected to be
strong.
feeders this fall. However,
it looks like it will not be
available until spring, at the
earliest. Similar programs
in Alberta and Ontario allowed smaller cattle feeders a chance to take some
low cost risk management,
which helped producers reduce losses this spring and
summer.
The key to a strong cattle market this fall will be
cheaper feed grain prices.
Corn acreage in the U.S.
was pegged at 97.3 million
acres, the largest in the
past 75 years. A projection for the 2013 national
crop production is 31
per cent higher than last
year’s—14.1 billion bushels, assuming a 158-bushel
average yield. Should the
bumper crop come to
pass, look for a corn market in the $4.00 to $4.50
range. Soybeans have already hit a 13 month low
and could trade at $3.50
lower than last year.
Here’s hoping!
Clear the
Overhead
Power Line
BECOME PART OF THE
GROWING BREED...ANGUS!
Gladstone Auction Mart
Grunthal Livestock Auction
Heartland Livestock Service:
Brandon
Virden
Interlake Cattlemen’s Co-op
Killarney Auction Market
Ste. Rose Auction Mart
Winnipeg Livestock Sales
KEY POINTS
CALGARY 1-888-571-3580
www.mbbeef.ca
During harvest this fall, pay extra attention to
overhead power lines. Contact can lead to serious
injuries or even fatalities.
When moving farm equipment, move slowly and
carefully. Know the height of your equipment and
plan a route that avoids any potential contact with
power lines. Look carefully in all directions, including up. Lower dump truck boxes and grain augers
before moving them and remember clearance can
change depending on weather conditions—power
lines will hang lower in hot weather.
To ensure safety, maintain at least three metres
of power line clearance at all times. Locate new
barns, sheds or granaries a minimum of nine metres away from power lines. Under no circumstances should anyone but trained Manitoba Hydro staff
lift a power line to allow machinery or buildings to
pass below.
For more information contact your nearest
Manitoba Hydro office or visit hydro.mb.ca.
Straight from the Hip
telling our story
Brenda Schoepp
As I prepare to leave
for more global research
in agriculture, I am recalling the innovations I
saw on farms to engage
the public in the production of food. We tend to
be a little private in Canada about our farms but in
many parts of the world,
this is not the case, nor is
it an option.
As agricultural policy
is now often rolled into
food policy, it becomes the
consumer’s right to ask the
hard questions and to visit
the very farms on which
their food is grown. As a
host for international visitors (we had 70 in 2012),
I am often shocked at the
things they know about
the area in which I live.
One Dutch guest had a
map of all the unique
farms in my community
that she wished to visit
for her research. I did not
know these dynamic businesses were there and joyfully took the driver’s seat
on the road to discovery
with her.
Perhaps one of the best
summer exercises we can
do is be a tourist in our own
community. More importantly, ask yourself how do
your visitors see you?
Show and tell is often a
big hit in school. It seems
to be the one time when every family secret is revealed.
And it never becomes outdated, even though a five
year old I knew took a power point presentation for
her kindergarten class!
Even as adults, we learn
best by seeing and interacting with a host. In Holland, I saw many farms
with board rooms for industry meetings, roadside
stands and interior glass
walled barns so we could
see the animals. In the
United Kingdom, the big
focus was on education;
farms have many field
days and school visits are
the norm.
The feature day in the
UK is Open Farm Sunday,
when hundreds of farms
throw the doors open to
the public. The interactive website (www.farmsunday.org) lets you have
a sneak peak at the farm
before choosing. Check it
out and see just how exciting a farm day can be.
More importantly, look at
what can be done with a
few or a lot of acres, with
a value added or commodity farm, and with a small
family or a big crew. The
possibilities seem rather
endless.
For nine years, Quebec farmers have opened
their doors to the public
for an Open Farm Day
(journée Portes ouvertes
sur les fermes) in September. Tens of thousands pack the narrow
roads for the excitement
of visiting the farm.
These are fun filled
days of great food and
adventure and we have
enjoyed many of these
farms. It opens your
eyes to production practises in other provinces
and you get to taste
some great home grown
foods. The open door
day in September nicely
compliments the artisan
status that farms hold in
Quebec, which allows
for farm gate sales.
In Australia, city families are matched with farm
families for a day of fun,
friendship and understanding. The site www.
farmday.com.au explains
that process and the adventure is heavily supported by industry. Think of
the real knowledge transfer in a day.
We often have an extended Lebanese family
visit us from the city. It is
the most important day of
the year for them and they
love going home with a car
loaded with veggies, meat
and flowers from our extensive gardens. Together,
we learn about each other’s
culture and food.
This year, Alberta had
its first ever open farm day
(www.albertafarmdays.
com). This two day affair
featured great eats and
farm visits, throughout the
entire province.
In Manitoba, open farm
day is September 15, 2013
(www.openfarmday.ca).
As was last year, thousands
of city folk are expected
to taste, experience and
explore the very best of
Manitoba farms.
It is the ultimate show
and tell and you don’t
have to be urban to enjoy—my hubby wants to
travel Manitoba’s Cinnamon Bun Trail. Better
yet, sign up to open your
farm next year—the mutual gain is well worth
the little extra time. If
nothing more, look at the
Last year thousands of people from Manitoba’s cities flocked to farms for Open Farm Day.
Get involved with this year’s event! Learn more at www.openfarmday.ca.
websites of all the farms
hosting or watch the videos and discover who is
doing what in your very
own backyard. Enjoy the
innovation and diversity
in this great business of
agriculture!
Brenda Schoepp is a Nuffield Scholar who travels extensively exploring agriculture
and meeting the people who
feed, clothe and educate our
world. A motivating speaker
and mentor, she works with
young entrepreneurs across
Canada and is the founder
of Women in Search of Excellence. She can be contacted through her website,
www.brendaschoepp.com.
All rights reserved. Brenda
Schoepp 2013.
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Cooking Healthy Can be
Easier Than You Think...
And Fun Too!
Adriana Barros, PHEc.
The third season of the
year means harvest, back
to school and back to busy
schedules. This might leave
home made dinners on the
back burner, only to be replaced with quick fixes like
take-out or ordering in. This
does not have to be the case!
The easiest way to combat a
busy schedule is to be organized and this can be simple
if everyone is able to do their
part. Dividing dinner tasks
and staying organized are not
new concepts, however, they
require dedication and support from those around you
in order to be successful.
Following are a number of
tips and ideas that can be easily brought into your kitchen.
Get organized!
Keep a large dry erase
calendar on the refrigerator.
This is the best way of staying
on top of all family events—
from weddings to birthdays,
soccer games to parentteacher conferences. Make
sure the calendar is large
enough to get the whole family’s activities written down
in one place. You might
even want to colour code the
markers for mom, dad and
the kids’ activities.
Get everyone
involved!
Based on the scheduled activities your family
has every week, designate
responsibilities to each
family member in order
to get dinner on the table
at a reasonable time each
night. Examples of how
kids can help include setting the dinner table, peeling and cutting vegetables,
or making a tossed salad.
Let the older children take
the lead; they can read the
recipe that is being used
for dinner and get started
on age appropriate tasks.
This could include browning and seasoning ground
beef! Giving your children
set designated tasks will
not only make them feel
involved, they will also
learn responsibility and
the importance of working together to accomplish
a larger goal. Developing
disciplinary skills does not
need to be boring and it can
happen in the kitchen!
Plan ahead!
Grocery shop only once
a week and have a list. The
fact of the matter is, you will
typically forget items and
overspend when you enter
the grocery store without
a list. Before deciding to
go to the store, make sure
you have checked through
your fridge, freezer and
pantry. This will avoid forgetting items and you will
then know exactly what
you need. After you have
a good idea of the ingredients you currently have in
your kitchen, make a meal
plan. It does not need to be
intimidating; it is just a list
of family dinners for the
week. Typically, this is seven meals. However, you can
make double batches and
recreate several dinners if
you cook one large roast at
the beginning of the week.
For example:
• Monday: Double batch of
ground beef for Monday
and Tuesday. Monday
could be hamburgers and
tossed salad.
• Tuesday: Meatballs and
spaghetti squash.
• Wednesday:
Roasted
chicken with roasted root
vegetables and potatoes.
• Thursday: Leftover meatballs from Tuesday. This
could be meatball minestrone soup with Greek
salad.
• Friday: Large slow cooker
cross-rib roast for the
weekend. Friday could
be pulled beef tacos with
coleslaw.
• Saturday: Pulled beef
sandwiches with baked
potatoes.
• Sunday: Pulled beef quesadillas with tossed salad.
Once the set meal plan
has been created it is then appropriate to create one single
grocery list.
Cook like company’s
coming!
Make big batch meals.
This means creating leftovers
that can then be used for a
few extra meals when you
are in a pinch during a busy
week. Start with having your
cupboards stocked with pantry items to make marinades,
spice rubs and sauces to season meats. Your best friend
in the kitchen should be your
slow cooker; it is fabulous
at getting all the hard work
done for you. And do not be
fearful of leftovers! By cooking a large cross-rib roast
and shredding all the meat
at once you will have many
meal possibilities that can be
stored in the freezer for two
to three months. Recreating
meals from ground beef or
shredded beef can be endless.
Here are a few options the
whole family will love.
• Calzones/pizza;
• Quesadillas;
• Dinner salads (Tex-Mex
salad, Cobb salad, pasta
salad);
• Hard or soft tacos; and
• Wraps /submarine sandwiches.
It’s time to get
cooking!
Getting the whole family
involved in making dinner
is a wonderful bonding activity AND there are many
lessons in leadership that
children can learn in the
kitchen. This month’s recipe
is courtesy of Canada Beef
Inc., Slow-Cooker South
Western Pulled Beef. Pulled
beef is an excellent recipe to
double and use leftovers for,
for several meals throughout busy weeks ahead.
Slow-Cooker
South-Western Pulled Beef
2 tbsp (30 mL)
Vegetable oil
4 lb (2 kg)
Beef cross-rib or boneless blade pot roast
1 cup (250 mL)
Beef broth
28 oz (796 mL)
Can, EACH crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes
1
Pouch, onion soup mix
2 tbsp (30 mL)
EACH tomato paste, chili powder and ground cumin
¼ tsp (1 mL)
EACH black and cayenne pepper
2 tbsp (30 mL)
All-purpose flour
1. Heat oil in Dutch oven or heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat; brown
beef all over, turning with tongs. Transfer to slow-cooker. Drain fat.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add broth, tomatoes, onion soup mix, tomato
paste, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and cayenne to Dutch oven. Bring
to boil over medium-high heat, stirring up any brown bits. Pour over beef.
Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours until beef is fork-tender.
3. Skim fat from liquid. Leave meat in sauce, remove twine. Whisk flour into 1/4
cup (50 mL) cold water; whisk into sauce in slow-cooker. Cover and cook on
high, stirring once, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Use two forks to pull
the beef into shreds.
Advertise Here!
There are many great options that fit all budgets and styles!
To advertise in Cattle Country contact MBP at
(204) 772-4542 or email [email protected].
Can you spot the familiar faces? Manitoba Beef Producers President Trevor
Atchison and his wife Melissa are featured in stores near you. Our national
organization, Canada Beef Inc., along with Safeway, presented this in-store
promotion nationally, featuring different beef producer families from
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.
CALL 1-800-772-0458 FOR
REMOVAL FROM MAILING
LIST OR ADDRESS CHANGE.

SHOAL LAKES BUYOUT PROGRAM UPSETS LOCAL

Transcription

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