February 2016 - Manitoba Beef Producers

Transcription

PUBLISHED BY MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
FEBRUARY 2016
Cattle producers finally rid of COOL
RON FRIESEN
After seven years and
billions of dollars in financial losses to Canadian livestock producers, the longstanding legal battle over
the US country-of-origin
meat-labeling rule is finally
over.
An omnibus spending
bill which included scrapping (COOL) cleared the
US Congress on December 18 and was signed into
law by President Barack
Obama.
The bill’s passage came
shortly after a World Trade
Organization arbitration
panel gave Canada and
Mexico permission to slap
retaliatory tariffs on selected US traded products
because of COOL.
The WTO had repeatedly ruled COOL violated
international trade rules.
Its latest decision cleared
the way for Canada to impose duties worth $1.055
billion annually on US imports. Mexico was allowed
$228 million.
The rule adopted in
2008 required American
retailers to label food according to its country of
origin. The WTO ruled
several times the measure
discriminated
unfairly
against imported beef and
pork.
Although COOL is no
longer in effect, it remains
on the books for now.
However, the US Department of Agriculture says it
will not enforce the rule,
pending its removal.
The move to repeal
COOL by Congress, which
usually does not react well
to losing international
trade cases, surprised some
observers. But not John
Masswohl.
“I know there’s plenty
of people who thought it
would never happen. But
I was not one of them. I
believed we could get it
done,” said Masswohl, director of government and
international relations for
the Canadian Cattlemen’s
Association.
The WTO actually
gave Canada and Mexico
much less in retaliatory tariffs than the two countries
had originally requested.
Canada had asked for
$3.068 billion and Mexico
had requested $713 million.
But Masswohl said the
final figure was still large
enough to make US legislators repeal the rule, since
the list of targeted imports
was long and included sen-
sitive products in exporting
states.
“Nobody wanted to
find out whether their
product was going to be
part of the billion,” he said.
It’s been a long haul for
the COOL dispute, which
Canadian cattle and hog
producers say caused severe damage to their industries. The rule required US
packers and feedlots to segregate imported animals,
increasing their costs. As
a result, buyers either paid
less for imported livestock
or declined to buy them at
all.
CCA
calculates
COOL cost cattle producers $639 million a year in
lost sales and depressed
prices. Annual losses to the
pork sector were pegged
at $500 million. That was
before USDA changed the
rule in 2013 to make it even
tougher and losses more
severe.
In addition, the financial cost to producers includes legal fees and
advocacy efforts. CCA
says its legal fees over
the years totalled nearly
$4 million.
Masswohl admitted
producers will never recover the money COOL has
cost them over the years.
But now that it is gone, they
can plan for the future.
The immediate question is how much COOL’s
elimination will improve
livestock market prices in
Canada.
Melinda
German,
Manitoba Beef Producers’ general manager, suggested cattle producers in
this province might have to
wait a while.
“We’re a cow-calf
province and it may not
have a direct significant
impact on the cow-calf
producer right away,” German said during a telephone news conference.
“Longer term, I think it
provides increased stability
to our markets, particularly
here in Manitoba. I think
it’s going to be very positive
for our feeder/feedlot folks.
We should see increased
stability as more markets
open up to us. We are an
export country and Manitoba relies very heavily on
exports to the US That’s going to be significant to us.”
Masswohl
agreed
Manitoba producers might
not see a difference until
they start selling calves. But
he said others could notice an improvement fairly
soon because US plants
are running below capacity. Getting rid of COOL
could encourage US buyers
to compete for imported
cattle.
“Take COOL away
and you get these buyers
down there, they’re going
to want the cattle,” Masswohl said. “What is it going to take to get the cattle
at Company A instead of
Company B or Company
C? You’ve got to think that
the bids are going to affect
the scenario.
“The question is, will
Canadian buyers of cattle
also respond to that and be
competitive? I think we are
going to see a very positive
price impact.”
Masswohl said eliminating COOL will smooth
Canada’s trade relations
with the US and help both
countries concentrate on
the European market. Canada has negotiated a Comprehensive Economic and
Trade Agreement (CETA)
with the EU but it has yet
to be ratified.
But Masswohl warned
the US had better not try to
bring back COOL in a different form or Canada can
still implement the tariffs it
chose not to impose.
“If they do something else that replicates
the COOL effect, we are
authorized to put those
tariffs on and they will
come on quickly.” 2016 Market
Outlook
Page 7
Reimer working
to build a strong
association
Page 9
Environmental hoofprint of Canada’s Beef industry
BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH COUNCIL
water erosion, and builds up soil
organic matter (also known as
carbon sequestration). Better feed
conversion efficiencies are accompanied by reductions in methane
and manure production.
While the beef industry
was pursuing business-focused
improvements in productivity
and efficiency, a lot of farm kids
moved to town, and raised their
families in urban settings that
rarely (if ever) come in contact
with agriculture. This knowledge
gap about how beef is produced
has provided opportunities for
the beef industry’s opponents to
undermine our environmental
reputation. Our industry is particularly maligned for producing greenhouse gases linked to
climate change. Practically every
living organism produces green-
house gases, even plants, but
cattle produce more than other
livestock because rumen bacteria
produce methane as they digest
feed. Additional greenhouse gases
come from manure (methane and
nitrous oxide) and fossil fuel use
(carbon dioxide). However, like
the industry’s “water footprint”
the greenhouse gas impact of the
beef industry is often vastly overstated.
In 2010, the United Nation’s
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report
called “Livestock’s Long Shadow”
which stated that livestock produce more greenhouse gas emissions than transportation, leading to headlines suggesting that
burgers are worse for the planet
than SUV’s. It was significantly
flawed because it counted all of
the emissions involved in raising
beef (e.g. emissions from cultivation and production of feed crops,
grain drying, transport of feed,
cattle and beef, etc.), but only the
tailpipe emissions of vehicles (but
not the emissions involved in extracting and refining the oil, steel,
rubber, vehicle manufacturing,
etc.). While beef producers took
issue with that report for being
unfair to our industry, anti-livestock activists also criticized that
report for being too easy on meat.
A more balanced FAO report
named “Tackling Climate Change
Through Livestock” came out in
2013. This less publicized report
found that producing a kilogram
of beef in Latin America, India or
China generates twice the methane as in North America, Europe
Page 3 ➢ Producing
Impact of transportation on cattle
Page 10
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Over the years, Canada’s
beef industry has invested a lot of
time and resources in, and reaped
considerable economic benefits
from improvements in productivity and efficiency. With higher
forage and feed crop yields, less
land needs to be bought, leased or
rented to produce the same number of calves or the same amount
of beef. Similarly, improved feed
conversions mean that less forage is needed to winter the cow
herd or less feed grain is needed
to grow a pound of beef.
These improvements in productivity and efficiency have also
produced environmental benefits.
To produce high yields, forages
need an extensive root system that
promotes healthy soil, healthy soil
microbes, improves structure, reduces soil losses due to wind and
2
CATTLE COUNTRY February 2016
ARE ALL ANTIBIOTICS
NO. In Canada there
CREATED EQUAL? are four categories
Worried about antibiotic
use and resistance in cattle?
6
Not all antibiotics are the same. Some antibiotics are more powerful than others, and some
categories of antibiotics that are often used in cattle are not medically important to humans.
MOST IMPORTANT IN
HUMAN MEDICINE
Category
Used in
treating
humans?
1.
2.
VERY HIGH
IMPORTANCE
Yes – limited or no
alternatives available
Drugs of last resort
87%
When antibiotics are used, bacteria that are responsive to the
drug are killed, and bacteria that aren’t responsive (are resistant)
survive and reproduce.
X
X
X
2
4
3
X
X
X
X
33. The antibiotic resistant bacteria
22. Antibiotics kill disease-causing
44. Some bacteria share their
few are drug resistant.
survive and reproduce.
bacteria, as well as some good
bacteria that protect the body
from infection.
“Producers
understand the concept
of antibiotic stewardship.
We understand the concept
of leaving something in a
better situation than we
inherited it.”5
-Dr. Leigh Rosengren,
Veterinarian and
Producer
IS ANTIBIOTIC FREE
The Lechuguilla Cave in New
Mexico has bacteria that have
lived in complete isolation for
more than four million years.
When treated with a variety of
antibiotics, many of these
bacteria were naturally resistant.1
A specified withdrawal time must pass after the
last treatment to ensure that there are no antibiotic
residues left in the beef. The Canadian Food
Inspection Agency regularly tests for residues. In
2013, over 99.9% of both domestic and imported
beef products were free from residues. If residues
are found, the beef is not allowed to enter the food
chain.11
ANTIBIOTICS
IN FEED
1
Just because an
antibiotic is used in
feed does not mean
it is being used to
promote growth. It is
often better for sick
animals to be treated through feed
rather than aggravating their illness
with stress from multiple injections.
Resistance of E. coli in
retail beef to any of the
drugs in the VERY HIGH
IMPORTANCE category is
less than
2.5%.7
Bacteria (E. coli) found in retail beef are rarely
resistant to more than one drug. Over 74% of E.
coli samples were not resistant to any of the
drugs tested.7
RESPONDED
TO ALL DRUGS
74.4%
RESISTANT TO ALL
DRUGS TESTED
0.003%
This means that there are lots of options to treat
most drug resistant bacteria.
For a person to get an antibiotic resistant infection from eating beef, a number of unlikely things must happen:
GROWTH PROMOTION
A category of antibiotics
called ionophores
help boost growth in
cattle. Ionophores are not
used in human medicine, and work
differently than medically important
antibiotics. There is no evidence that
use of ionophores causes increased
resistance to antibiotics used in
human medicine.3,4
“It is our privilege,
not our right to be able
to use antibiotics in the
animals that we take
care of.”5
- Dr. Craig Dorin,
Veterinarian
of the antibiotics used in
animals (livestock
and pets) are of
Low and Medium
importance.10
71%
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO GET A RESISTANT INFECTION?
WHY ARE ANTIBIOTICS USED IN CATTLE?
Ensuring animal welfare:
providing care to sick cattle,
including using antibiotics
when appropriate, is the
humane thing to do.
Humans: n/a
Cattle: Ionophores such
as Rumensin, Bovatec
DRUG RESISTANCE LEVELS ARE LOW IN BEEF
drug-resistance with
other bacteria.
ALL BEEF
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
HAPPENS NATURALLY
of the antibiotics
used in people are of
High and Very
High importance.10
Canada has several surveillance programs in
place to monitor trends in antibiotic
resistance. Examples include the Canadian
Integrated Program for Antimicrobial
Resistance Surveillance,7 FoodNet Canada,8
and the newly announced Canadian
Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System.9
X
11. Some bacteria cause disease. A
Commonly used for
Commonly used for
treatment, control and growth promotion and
prevention of disease prevention of disease
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
SURVEILLANCE
X
X
Not used in
human medicine
Humans: Bactrim,
Vibramycin
Cattle: Resflor,
Liquamycin
Human: Amoxil,
Zithromax
Cattle: Draxxin, Tylan
LOW
IMPORTANCE
Most of these products require a veterinary prescription, just like you need a prescription from
your doctor before the pharmacist will give you most antibiotics.
WHERE DOES ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE COME FROM?
1
4.
MEDIUM
IMPORTANCE
Not often – many
more effective
alternatives available
Sometimes used for
treatment, control and
prevention
of disease
Brand
Human: Cipro, Omnicef
name
examples Cattle: Excede, Baytril
3.
HIGH
IMPORTANCE
Yes – alternatives
available
Rarely used
Used in
beef cattle?
It’s important to us too.
LEAST IMPORTANT
IN HUMAN MEDICINE
PREVENTION
Preventing infection can
reduce the need to use
more powerful antibiotics
if the disease becomes
more serious. Preventive antibiotics
are also used in human medicine, like
with people who are exposed to
bacterial meningitis.
2
TREATMENT
AND CONTROL OF DISEASE
Cattle sometimes get
sick, just like people,
pets, and other livestock.
Antibiotics can help protect animal health
by limiting the spread of disease.
1
3
2
4
animal gets an
antibiotic
bacteria survives multiple
food safety controls
during processing
bacteria survives
cooking
antibiotic resistant
bacteria develops
in animal
5
7
6
8
Doctor prescribes
antibiotic
bacteria
causes illness
in person
illness is severe
enough to warrant
medical attention
X
illness fails to respond
to treatment because
bacteria is resistant to
prescribed antibiotic12
If beef is cooked properly, the antibiotic resistant bacteria die – breaking the chain of unlikely events.
The probability of human illness in the U.S. due to drug resistant food poisoning (campylobacteriosis)
is about one in 236 million.12 Being killed by an asteroid is 1000 times more likely.18
Whether
you choose
conventional or organic,
beef is an important part
of a nutritious diet.
3
Producers take their
ethical responsibility
to protect the health
and welfare of their
families and animals
very seriously, which
includes using
antibiotics when
appropriate.
Producers also have a responsibility to
use antibiotics with good judgment.
Surveillance7 indicating low resistance
in cattle to antibiotics of importance in
human medicine shows they are doing
just that. Canada's Verified Beef
ProductionTM program outlines
responsible practices for producers,
and provides training on how to use
antibiotics properly.13
Previous research showed no
predictable or uniform increase
in resistance between cattle
raised with the use of
antibiotics and those raised
without.14
Antibiotic use in agriculture is
just one small part of the whole
antibiotic resistance picture that
also includes humans and
pets.15,16,17
Manitoba Beef Producers would like to acknowledge the work and research of
Alberta Beef Producers in the creation of this brochure.
For more information on Manitoba’s beef industry please visit www.mbbeef.ca
www.mbbeef.ca
www.mbbeef.ca
220 - 530 Century Street, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4
Phone: 1-800-772-0458
email: info@mbbeef.ca
220 - 530 Century Street, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4
Phone: 1-800-772-0458
email: info@mbbeef.ca
Printed by Leech Printing 245600
DISTRICT 1
GORD ADAMS
R.M. of Albert, Cameron, Whitewater,
Edward, Brenda, Winchester, Morton
DISTRICT 2
DAVE KOSLOWSKY - SECRETARY
R.M. of Riverside, Strathcona, Argyle,
Lorne, Turtle Mountain, Roblin, Louise,
Pembina
DISTRICT 5
RAMONA BLYTH - 1ST VICE-PRESIDENT
R.M. of Elton, North Cypress, North
Norfolk, Cornwallis, Oakland, South
Cypress, Victoria, South Norfolk
DISTRICT 6
LARRY WEGNER
R.M. of Wallace, Woodworth, Daly,
Pipestone, Sifton, Whitehead, Glenwood
DISTRICT 9
DIANNE RIDING
R.M. of Woodlands, Rockwood, St.
Andrews, Rosser, St. Francis Xavier,
Springfield, Tache, Whitemouth, Lac du
Bonnet, Brokenhead, St. Clements, LGD of
Alexander, Pinawa
DISTRICT 10
THERESA ZUK - TREASURER
DISTRICT 3
DISTRICT 7
R.M. of Bifrost, Gimli, Fisher,
Armstrong
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
DISTRICT 11
DISTRICT 4
TOM TEICHROEB
PETER PENNER
HEINZ REIMER - PRESIDENT
R.M. of Richot, Ste. Anne, Hanover,
De Salaberry, La Broquerie, Franklin,
Stuartburn, Piney, LGD Reynolds
LARRY GERELUS
DISTRICT 8
R.M. of Harrison, Clanwilliam, Rosedale,
Glenella, Saskatchewan, Odanah, Minto,
Langford, Lansdowne, Westbourne,
LGD Park
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
DISTRICT 13
DISTRICT 14
BEN FOX - 2ND VICE PRESIDENT
STAN FOSTER
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
MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS
Unit 220, 530 Century Street
Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4
Ph: 1-800-772-0458
PH - (204) 772-4542
FX - (204) 774-3264
info@mbbeef.ca
www.mbbeef.ca
Maureen Cousins
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Chad Saxon
FINANCE
Deb Walger
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Esther Reimer
GENERAL MANAGER
CATTLE COUNTRY EDITOR
PROJECT COORDINATOR
DESIGNED BY
Melinda German
Carollyne Kehler
www.mbbeef.ca
POLICY ANALYST
Chad Saxon
Trinda Jocelyn
February 2016 CATTLE COUNTRY
3
Producing more with less
← Page 1
or Australia. In countries
with more sophisticated
production systems, cattle
are bred, fed and managed
in ways that produce faster,
more efficient growth. As a
result they reach slaughter weight sooner, and
spend fewer days eating,
ruminating,
producing
methane and generating
manure.
Dr. Getahun Legesse
and collaborators at the
University of Manitoba
and AAFC Lethbridge are
working on a Beef Science Cluster project that
is measuring how the environmental footprint of
the Canadian beef industry has changed between
1981 and 2011. The first
paper from this project,
entitled “Greenhouse Gas
Emissions of Canadian
Beef Production in 1981 as
Compared to 2011” will appear soon in Animal Production Science.
What They Did
These researchers
looked at many different
Canadian research projects that studied how slight
changes in reproductive
rate, feed and forage crop
yields, growth rates, carcass weights, etc. impact
how much feed and land
is needed to produce a
kilogram of beef, and
how much manure and
greenhouse gases are produced as a consequence.
A variety of data sources
(e.g. Census of Agriculture data from Statistics
Canada, Canadian Beef
Grading Agency, Canfax,
and large-scale producer
surveys) were also used.
Dairy steers that entered
feedlots and cull dairy
cows were considered to
produce beef, but veal
calves were not. A range
of cow-herd winter feeding management practices
(confinement,
in-field
feeding, swath-, bale- and
stockpiled grazing) and
feedlot production scenarios (calf-fed, backgrounded, and backgroundedgrassed before finishing)
were considered. Regional
differences in diets (cornbased feeding in the east
vs. barley-based feeding in
the west) were accounted
for.
They combined the
research information with
the production data, and
used a computer model
to estimate how resource
requirements (land base
and breeding herd size)
and greenhouse gas production changed over the
30-year period.
What They Learned
Canada produced 32
per cent more beef in 2011
than in 1981. Much of this
was due to higher carcass
weights; in 2011, slaughter steers were 29 per cent
heavier and heifers were 45
per cent heavier than they
were in 1981. Producing
the same amount of beef in
2011 required 29 per cent
less breeding stock, 27 per
cent fewer slaughter cattle
and 24 per cent less land,
and produced 15 per cent
less greenhouse than in
1981.
Although
some
greenhouse gas emissions
were from manure methane, CO2 (e.g. fuel use) and
nitrous oxide from manure and soil, nearly three
quarters of greenhouse gas
emissions were due to enteric methane produced
during digestion. Over 78
per cent of the methane
emissions occurred in the
cow-calf sector, because
the breeding herd spends
nearly its whole life consuming forage-based diets
that produce a lot more
methane than grain-based
diets do.
What It Means
Reductions in the beef
industry’s
environmental hoofprint have largely
come through technologies that improve production efficiencies. On the
cow-calf side, optimizing nutrition improves
growth and reproductive
performance. When more
females get pregnant and
successfully wean a calf,
fewer heifers need to be retained as replacements, so
the breeding herd is smaller. On the feedlot side,
heifer carcass weight has
increased due to growth
promotants that overcame
the biological disadvantages that heifers have
relative to steers. Improvements in feed crop yields
mean that a smaller land
area is needed to produce
the same amount of feed.
In other words, many of
the same things that improve productivity on the
farm, ranch or feedlot also
contribute to a smaller en-
MBP announces resignation of GM
The Board of Directors of Manitoba Beef Producers
(MBP) wish to announce they have accepted the resignation of General Manager Melinda German.
German, who took over the position in March 2014,
has been named the general manager of the Canadian
Beef Cattle Research, Market Development and Promotion Agency, which is located in Calgary. Her final day
with MBP is Feb. 22.
MBP President Heinz Reimer said it was with mixed
emotions that the board accepted German’s resignation.
“Melinda has been a strong general manager for
Manitoba Beef Producers and accomplished a great deal
in her time with us,” Reimer said. “We are sad to be losing her but pleased to know she will continue to work in
the beef industry.
“On behalf of the board I would like to thank Melinda for her contributions to Manitoba Beef Producers
and wish her the best in her new position.”
German said that Manitoba has been her home for
a number of years and while she will miss her friends
and colleagues, she is excited about what lies ahead in
Calgary.
“This is an excellent opportunity for me to work
at a national level and continue to serve beef producers, particularly those I have gotten to know during my
time in Manitoba. This is an important time for the beef
industry and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be
part of it while continuing to work in the best interests
of producers.”
German added that she would like to thank the
MBP board of directors for the opportunity to serve as
general manager and their support during her time with
MBP.
“I must also thank the staff of Manitoba Beef Producers for their hard work. Our members are fortunate
to have this dedicated group working on their behalf.”
Reimer said the search for a new general manager
will begin immediately.
vironmental hoofprint for
the beef industry.
In the next few years
this research team will
use similar analyses to
estimate how the Canadian beef industry and the
pastures and rangelands it
maintains impact water,
carbon sequestration and
biodiversity. This research
study is focused on the historical changes in the beef
industry’s environmental
hoofprint between 1981
and 2011. It is designed
to align with the National
Beef Sustainability Assessment that the Canadian
Roundtable for Sustainable
Beef (CRSB) is conducting. The CRSB initiative
is thoroughly evaluating
the environmental, social
and economic impacts
of Canada’s beef industry
from farm to fork based on
2013 practices and data.
The intent is to repeat this
assessment on an ongoing basis, sort of like the
Beef Quality Audits, so
that the industry can track
our progress over time
and identify opportunities
for further improvements.
You can learn more about
the CRSB at www.crsb.ca.
The Beef Research
Cluster is funded by the
National Check-Off and
Agriculture and AgriFood Canada with additional contributions from
provincial beef industry
groups and governments
to advance research and
technology transfer supporting the Canadian
beef industry’s vision to
be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy,
high quality beef, cattle
and genetics.
13th Annual
FAMILY TRADITION BULL SALE
MARCH 18, 2016
2 P.M. ~3 m. North of Dropmore on PH #482
Yearling & 2 Year Old Bulls on Offer
www.highbluffstockfarm.ca
Ph: (204) 564-2547 Cell: (204) 773-6448
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Call for a weigh sheet - Dan, Alana & Matthew Van Steelandt
Home: 204-665-2448 • Dan Cell: 204-522-0092 • Matt Cell: 204-264-0706
vvvranch@inethome.ca • www.vvvranch.com
1 mile W of Medora on Hwy #3, then 2.5 Miles South on Road 144W
www.mbbeef.ca
4
Plenty of highlights for
the industry in 2015
HEINZ REIMER
MBP President
Moovin’ Along
Happy New Year
from myself and the
board and staff of Manitoba Beef Producers
(MBP).
I am pleased to invite
you to attend MBP’s 37th
Annual General Meeting
Feb. 4-5 at the Victoria
Inn in Brandon. You will
be provided with industry
updates from our national partners. There are also
two panel discussions,
one regarding the transportation of cattle and another based on this AGM
theme: From Our Gate To
Your Plate: The Evolving
Customer.
The AGM is a great
time to meet with your
fellow producers, MBP
directors and staff as well
our sponsors and to tour
the trade show booths. I
also encourage you to attend the President’s Banquet for some great beef
and lots of laughs from
our featured entertainer,
comedian Matt Falk.
This month I want to
review some of the major
issues and events from
2015. It was a year to remember as we saw cattle
prices reach an all-time
high earlier in the year
and then soften in the fall
when producers were still
getting a good return on
He Sells!
Presented By:
Sons Sell!
Sale managed By:
t BaR C Cattle Co. ltd.
306-933-4200 306-220-5006
info@tbarc.com
RamRod Cattle Co.
tony, Jody & lacey dekeyser
Box 67, medora, mB, R0m 1K0
Phone 204-665-2424
tony’s cell 204-264-0270
ramrod@xplornet.ca
FRaSeR FaRmS
Jeff & nancy Fraser
Box 44, melita, mB, R0m 1l0
Phone 204-686-2281
Jeff ’s cell 204-522-5964
jeff.fraser@live.ca
CoR Vet Cattle Co.
dr. Corey W. Jones dVm
Wayne & linda Jones
Box 573, melita, mB, R0m 1l0
Phone 204-665-2449
Corey’s cell 204-264-0444
corvetcc@gmail.com
View the catalogue online
at WWW.BuyagRo.Com
their investment but not
what they had hoped for.
A number of producers who had enrolled
in the Western Livestock
Price Insurance Program
(WLPIP) were rewarded
as there were a number
of settlements. This program has helped Manitoba producers access
improved business risk
management tools and we
encourage producers to
contact your local Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation office for
more info on WLPIP.
At last year’s AGM
MBP, along with our
federal and provincial
governments, Manitoba
Forage and Grasslands
Association and Ducks
Unlimited
announced
the joint investment into
Manitoba Beef & Forage
Initiatives Inc. (MBFI)
which is located in the
Brandon area. Valuable
research and extension
activities will be undertaken that are important
to beef production such
as different forage production methods, extended grazing, and animal
handling, among others.
A lot of work was put
into getting MBFI started in the past year from
clean up, planting crops,
harvesting, fencing, cor-
We would like to welcome Laurelly
Beswitherick of Austin, MB as our new
Secretary/Treasurer.
Thank you to Donalee Jones for her work
with the MSA since 2008.
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Manitoba’s Breeders Are Among The best in the Busiens
Manitoba Simmental Association
Box 274 • Austin, MB R0H 0C0
President, Everett Olson (204) 826-2643
Secretary/Treasurer, Laurelly Beswitherick (204) 637-2046
b2@inetlink.ca
www.mbbeef.ca
ral building and the like.
Thanks to all who helped,
including MBFI directors
and staff, MBP directors
and staff, MAFRD staff
and others. Watch for a
grand opening announcement this summer.
In February 2015
Canada confirmed a new
case of BSE in a beef cow
in Alberta. The animal
was found through the national BSE Enhanced Surveillance Program, showing the program works as
it should. No parts of the
animal entered the human and animal food systems. There was a small
impact on Canadian beef
exports as some countries
closed their borders until
further details were available. Fortunately those
countries are now beginning to lift their suspensions including South
Korea which made their
announcement this January. Canada remains a
controlled BSE risk country.
After a winter with
little snow, flooding was
not much of an issue in
the spring of 2015. Instead there was a lack of
moisture in western parts
of the province, creating
a forage shortfall in some
areas. But after some late
summer rains, pastures
came back and producers worked to bring in
enough forages from other areas.
December 18 was
a day of celebration as
Mandatory Country of
Origin Labeling (COOL)
was repealed in the
United States. COOL has
cost Canadian producers
millions of dollars and
severely impacted the
cattle industry. Manitoba
producers were hardest
hit due to our proximity to the upper Midwest
US where a lot our cattle
are marketed. It is great
to look forward to open
and fair markets with the
US. There were times it
seemed as though Canada
would never win and we
must thank the Canadian
Cattlemen’s Association,
and Minister of International Trade Chrystia
Freeland and Agriculture
Minister Lawrence MacAulay for their work on
this file since taking office. As well, producers
thank former Agriculture
Minister Gerry Ritz and
former Minister of International Trade Ed Fast
for their substantial time
spent fighting COOL on
our behalf. IT’S DONE!
Beef producers have
faced some tough issues
over the past years. However, by working together
we can overcome them.
There is optimism in our
industry so let’s go out
and tell our story about
how great an industry we
have and grow our provincial herd.
In 2016 MBP will
continue to represent
beef producers’ concerns
and work to improve and
sustain our future. We are
your exclusive voice for
the Manitoba beef industry.
So Let’s Keep Mooving Along in 2016!
5
MBFI has been an exciting journey
MELINDA GERMAN
General Manager’s Column
Last year at our Annual
General Meeting, the provincial and federal governments announced funding
through Growing Forward 2
to support the establishment
of a beef and forage research
and demonstration farm in
Manitoba. This marked an
exciting time for us at Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP)
as we started our journey,
working with partners on
the development of an initiative that will support discovery research and the testing
and extension of that knowledge.
It has been a busy year
setting up the ‘farm.’ One
year later, we have staff on
the ground caring for the
55-cow herd, and building
and improving the infrastructure. The ‘farm’ consists of three sites. The first
two are just east of Brandon
and were formally the lands
used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in
their research program. The
staff have been working on
improving the infrastructure
at these two sites to ensure it
is suitable to conduct discovery research. We look forward to having two projects
underway this fall that will
investigate forage varieties
and fetal programming and
needle free technology.
As we set up the ‘farm’
we have been utilizing the
resources we inherited and
taking the opportunity to
tackle the kinds of problems producers are facing
right now. For example,
one pasture we are working
with has an infestation of
leafy spurge. This past year
we worked with partners
from Manitoba Agriculture,
Food and Rural Develop-
ment (MAFRD) and AAFC
to examine impacts on leafy
spurge through biological
controls and rotational grazing. This work is ongoing but
we are seeing some positive
results thus far.
Partnering with Ducks
Unlimited, (DU) another
project is managing land
north of Brandon at the
former Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association
site. Currently, the research
cattle are grazing swathed
millet, followed by standing
corn and then bale grazing.
One of our key objectives
is to examine practices and
technologies to extend the
grazing season. We know
through research previously
done here in Manitoba and
elsewhere in Canada that
extending the grazing season significantly reduces
the costs of production. Our
goal is to test forage varieties
and grazing techniques that
can be used successfully under our environmental and
climatic conditions. Testing
new production techniques
enables us to take the risk
out of trying new practices
allowing for an increase in
their successful adoption by
producers.
This past summer we
conducted several demonstration projects on the site
north of Brandon. Mob grazing was compared to a slower rotation system to look at
the impact on the animals,
plants and soil health. Highenergy forages such as plantain and chicory were used
to investigate animal performance, and drone technology was used to map out
vegetation density. It was a
busy summer and all of these
projects will continue this
year and we will be in a position to offer a producer tour
to highlight the results. We
did a tour test run this past
year by showing the ‘farm’
and our projects to the initiative partners such as MAFRD, DU and the Manitoba
Forage and Grassland Association.
The grand opening and
producer production tour in
2016 will highlight these and
many other projects under-
way this year. Shovels are also
in the ground building the
infrastructure needed on the
‘farm.’ First up is the cattle
handling facility and shop.
The cattle handling facility
will allow chute side demonstration and will eventually
feature a catwalk for folks to
observe at a distance. This
highlights another main objective of the ‘farm’. Not only
are we working to extend
production information to
producers but we also want
to showcase our industry
for the public, media and
policy makers. We want to
be transparent regarding the
industry and what we do and
we want to build strong relationships with our consumers and stakeholders.
We have made tremendous progress in the last
twelve months and there is
lots more to come. Look for
our 2015 Annual Report on
the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives website (www.
mbfi.ca ) and our booth at
future events to learn more
about our exciting year
ahead.
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Vice President I Hans Myhre
2nd Vice I Jeff Cavers
Secretary/Treasurer I Rae Trimble-Olsen
CAA Director I Andre Steppler
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6
New pain control procedures for 2016
ANGELA LOVELL
As of January 1,
changes to the Canadian
Code of Practice for the
Care and Handling of
Beef Cattle require beef
producers to provide pain
control during painful
procedures such as castration and dehorning.
When
castrating
bulls over nine months of
age producers must use
pain control, and when
dehorning calves after the
horn bud has attached.
The Code of Practice also
recommends other practices that will help in pain
management, such as
castrating or disbudding
calves as young as possible, preferably by the
age of three months and
before weaning.
“Most
producers
are already castrating
their calves early, which
is probably the most
important thing to do,”
says Dr. John Campbell,
of the Western College
of Veterinary Medicine
at the University of Saskatchewan. “Research has
shown there’s a lot less
stress, and a lot less pain
when painful procedures
are done at an early age.
So the first aim is to do
it early, which most producers are doing, and
then to phase in pain control as well.”
The Code of Practice recommends painful
procedures be performed
by competent personnel
using proper, clean, and
well maintained tools,
and that producers seek
guidance from their veterinarian regarding optimum castration methods,
timing, and pain control
options.
Many Producers Already Use Pain Control
“Most
producers
won’t have to change a
thing to be in line with
the revised Code of Practice,” says Campbell.
“Many producers are already using pain control
products and are very
happy with it and think
it’s the right thing to do.
And the public thinks it’s
the right thing to do. A
vast majority of producers are not going to have
any problem with it the
new revisions.”
Cost of pain control
products may be a concern for some producers,
but Campbell says it’s
probably a cost of sustaining the industry. “We
are a low margin industry and here’s one more
cost that producers have
to bear, and it probably
doesn’t provide a huge
economic advantage, but
it makes our business
look good to the public,
and we probably can’t
stand back and say we
can’t afford to do it,” he
says.
The Code of Prac-
tice also suggests that
producers minimize the
impact of branding by
using proper tools and
techniques, as there is
currently no practical
way to give pain control
when branding animals
or during surgical procedures. “We still don’t
have a great way to relieve
pain during the procedure itself, but we do have
some good products for
pain relief after the procedure,” says Campbell.
“It’s tougher to do something that is going to be
efficient especially in beef
cattle when 300 animals
are being done in a morning. It would be impossible to wait ten minutes
for a local anaesthetic to
take effect for every calf.
So we still need research
to figure out techniques
for that and hopefully we
will also get some new
drugs coming to the market for post painful procedure pain.”
New Pain Relief
Products on the Way
Calgary-based Solvet
introduced a new, orally
administered product last
fall; Meloxicam Oral Suspension. The product was
developed in partnership
with Alberta Veterinary
Laboratories, the Alberta Livestock and Meat
Agency, and Agri-Food
Canada. Dr. Merle-Olsen,
vice-president of research
and development for Solvet, said in a recent news
release that Meloxicam
Oral Suspension is the
first product in Canada
to carry a label claim of
reducing pain associated
with castration.
“The advantage of
Meloxicam, both the oral
and injectable forms, is
that they give almost 48
hours of pain control
compared to the other
products, which are much
shorter duration,” says
Campbell.
Public expectations
about animal welfare are
driving the call for pain
control as a part of livestock production. “The
Code of Practice revisions
have been agreed upon up
by scientists, industry representatives and the public
about how we should be
practising,” says Campbell.
“They are about animal
welfare and public perception of painful procedures,
and it’s just another way of
showing to the public that
99.9 per cent of producers are still doing the right
thing because they care
about their animals.”
For a list of approved
pain control medications for cattle go to:
http://www.beefresearch.
ca/research-topic.cfm/
pain-mitigation-81?utm_
s ou rc e = b e e f re s e a rc h .
c a / p a i n & u t m _
medium=redirect&utm_
campaign=Pain per cent
20Mitigation#techniques
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7
PHOTO BY ANGELA LOVELL
A large crowd of beef producers were in Neepawa in November to hear about the market forecast for 2016. The presentation was part of Farm Credit Canada’s Ag Knowledge Exchange series.
The high tide of cattle prices has turned
ANGELA LOVELL
2015 will go down in the history
books as the year that Canadian cattle
prices hit record highs, but the tide has
turned and the cycle is moving in the opposite direction. That was the message
from market analyst, Anne Wasko of
Gateway Livestock, who addressed Manitoba beef producers at Neepawa in November as part of Farm Credit Canada’s
Ag Knowledge Exchange series.
Western Canadian cattle prices hit
highs of $204/cwt for fed cattle and $330/
cwt for steer calves earlier in the year but
the huge range in prices was something
Wasko said she’d not seen before.
Why Were Cattle Prices so High?
Start with strong US prices, then
add a weak Canadian dollar and stronger
than average basis levels, explained Wasko. “Canadian beef exports are up one per
cent even though we were down 7.5 per
cent in production in 2015,” she said. “A
75 cent dollar makes us pretty attractive
around the world, and we have seen six
per cent more tonnage of beef going into
the US this year.” Canadian beef exports
to China and Hong Kong were also up.
Basis levels – the difference between
the Canadian and US cash prices – for
Canadian cattle have also been exceptionally strong. “Normally fat cows in
western Canada trade under the US market because of freight and COOL costs,
and our five year average is anywhere
from $5 to $15 under,” said Wasko. “During the second quarter of 2015 basis levels
were crazy strong and fat cattle were selling over the US floor before freight. One
reason is because Canadian packers were
so tight – last winter we had sent so many
feeder cattle south - they were desperate
to keep the cattle here, so they bid over
the US market. And then feedlots did too.
www.mbbeef.ca
Even today basis levels have been pretty
good.”
Dismal US Exports Pressure Prices
Our neighbours to the south meanwhile were suffering from the flipside of a
strong US dollar that has produced dismal
export figures – down 13 per cent overall
– for US beef. That’s also reduced exports
of other US meats such as pork and poultry, while production of these proteins
has increased, which has dragged down
the price for all meats, including beef,
at the grocery counter. “When you have
other protein products in price trouble
Page 8 ➢ Feedlots
8
← Page 7
that certainly impacts on beef, especially the low end cuts and trim,” said
Wasko.
The US was already well on its
way to lower cattle prices, adds Wasko,
having peaked in its price cycle earlier
than Canada did. “Herd expansion has
been aggressive in the US over the last
two years, and is projected to continue
through 2016 and into 2017,” said Wasko. “But the peak of their price cycle began in early 2014 following the drought
in 2013. Cow-calf producers had great
moisture conditions and excellent prices and margins in 2014 and through
2015. Based on projections the US cowcalf industry is not going to be as profitable for the next couple of years as it has
been the last couple, but there will still
be profitability.”
US cattle prices took a nose dive
in September, as demand from packers
decreased as heavier cattle headed to
slaughter. “In Canada, the average steer
carcass weight for the entire year was up
by around 30 lbs, and the historic year
over year increase averages seven lbs,”
said Wasko. “At the moment 1400 lb is
light for fat cattle and there are lots of
1700 and 1800 lb cattle in the US and
Canada.”
Canada’s Herd Beginning to Expand
While the US was expanding its
herd, Canada’s cattle numbers remained
stagnant because the industry was still
in consolidation mode, said Wasko.
“The US industry had been profit-
PHOTO BY ANGELA LOVELL
Feedlots face concerns in 2016
Anne Wasko
able on average since 2000 and was
more prepared to seize the opportunity to expand when the moisture came
and the profit levels began to kick in. In
Canada, after BSE we had a decade of
decimation to our business and equity.
So when 2014 came, and we had great
cattle prices and great profits, there
were still things producers needed to do
– like paying down debt - before they
could look at keeping heifers and building the herd. We weren’t in the same fiscal position because of the previous 10
years leading up to 2014.”
There are signs that Canada is finally beginning to expand its herd. “There
is a feeling now that there has been
some heifer retention over the last few
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months, as the number of
heifers going to slaughter or being exported is
down by 18 per cent, so
something is definitely
going on,” said Wasko.
Consumers Paying the
Price
There will be increased US beef, chicken
and pork production in
2016, which will definitely continue to put pressure on retail beef prices,
especially if the US dollar
stays strong and continues to restrict exports,
creating too much domestic supply. That’s relevant to Canadian producers because Canadian cattle prices
are based on US price signals. So while
Canadian cow-calf producers can also
look forward to a couple more years
of profitability, they’re not likely to see
anywhere near the high prices of 2014
and 2015.
Canadian retail beef prices were
strong as continued high demand from
the Canadian retail sector prevailed.
“Even with the problems we have in
the market at the producer level today prices at the counter remain at
record highs,” said Wasko. Retail beef
prices are up 15 per cent over 2014.
“Because supplies are still smaller in
Canada retail beef demand will take
another jump in 2015 and there is no
question consumers are paying more
for less of it.”
That said, consumers may become
less willing to pay high beef prices if
they continue to see lower prices in US
grocery stores, and there will continue
to be competition from pork and poultry as cheaper protein alternatives.
Feedlot Sector May be Hardest Hit
Wasko is concerned that the Canadian feedlot sector may be hardest hit
by larger numbers of cattle being kept
in Canada. “In 2014 we exported 1.2
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Friday, Mar 4
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Thursday, Mar 10
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million head of cattle and Canadian
packers were saying they needed more
cattle to run at capacity. In 2015 only
850,000 were exported, so the packers
and feedlots did a better job of offering strong basis levels to keep cattle in
Canada,” said Wasko. “The concern is
it may have worked too well. We have
kept the feeder cattle here this fall,
which is good, but it probably means
this great basis environment we have
been in, where our basis has been
above the US market, will probably flip
in the other direction and go back to
normal. The strong basis year we have
had in 2015 where fats and feeders
have traded above the US market is not
going to stay.”
It’s difficult to predict cattle prices
for the year ahead, admits Wasko, because there are so many factors that
come into play, not least exchange rates
and trade issues. There has also been
unprecedented volatility in markets
over the past year. She recommends
producers keep a close eye on the US
dollar index and base price forecasts on
historical basis levels, not the highest
levels that have ever been seen.
Be Prepared to Seize Pricing
Opportunities
“I believe there will be some good
pricing opportunities, especially early
on in the year, but producers will need
to have a game plan in place and possibly be ready to price calves,” she said.
“We saw a lot of forward selling this
summer and I think there will be more
of that in 2016 – especially through
some of the satellite and internet sales.
There will be demand for it, but the
question is whether producers will like
the price or not.”
Packers and retailers have the leverage at the moment, but that can change
quickly, adds Wasko. “Retail demand
has been exceptional but I think there is
more production coming from all three
protein sectors and we are going to have
to buy some of that demand back and
that means cheaper beef.”
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PAUL ADAIR
Home for District 4 Director and
Manitoba Beef Producer President, Heinz
Reimer, is Beautop Beef; a cozy 170-acre
farm five miles south of Steinbach which
has been in his family since the mid-1950s.
Reimer is a multi-generational rancher
whose parents immigrated to Canada from
Germany to provide a better life for their
children. Reimer operated a dairy farm
from 1978 to 1997 where he switched over
to beef.
Reimer typically runs approximately
30 to 35 head of Angus-cross cattle; a number that he is comfortable with as he balances his day-to-day with his duties with
MBP. Reimer also works part-time for HyLife in neighbouring La Broquerie where
he manages an 800 head cow-calf operation
for the company.
Reimer’s wife, Elsie, is a seamstress
who specializes in bridal-wear and alterations and also helps out on the farm where
she is able. Together they have five grown
children who return home to lend a hand
when needed.
For the most part, Reimer’s operations
have not fundamentally changed in the
many years he has been raising cattle. In
the two decades since his move from dairy,
Reimer has focused more on the genetics
of his herd and has switched his calving
season from February to mid-April to take
advantage of the springtime temperatures.
“I hate getting up in the dark and
checking cows but it’s much easier to do
it when the weather is a little warmer outside,” says Reimer.
Reimer attended his first MBP meet-
ings shortly after getting into beef. He had
already accrued many years of experience
with the Manitoba Holstein Association
and was well aware of what comes with
being part of an association such as MBP.
And although Reimer didn’t begin attending meetings with the intention of becoming a director, it was not long before he realized that he wanted to know more about
what goes on behind the scenes. In order
to accomplish this, he felt that he needed
to become more involved with the association. It is this eagerness to learn more about
the beef industry that has helped carry Reimer through his terms as a director and
President.
“Sometimes it’s nice to be the President,” says Reimer. “I gives me a chance to
see a little more of the whole story on the
industry and about our association. I live
and work in just one corner of Manitoba
and one of the best parts about my job is
that I get to see how things are done across
the province. This has been a great plus for
me.”
In his years within the industry, Reimer has been often struck by the willingness of Manitoban beef producers to come
together during the tough times, working
collectively to overcome challenges and
reach certain goals. He recognizes that
an association with strong representation,
such as MBP, helps to build the networks
and connections that ranchers need in order to be successful.
“In 2012, when we were short of hay
in the southeast here, I phoned a director
up and he was able to get me in touch with
someone with a surplus,” says Reimer. “In
another instance, I was in a desperate need
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN BLAKE PHOTOGRAPHY
Reimer working to build a stronger MBP
9
Heinz and Elsie Reimer
of a bull and I phoned up a member and,
while he said that he didn’t have one himself, he knew of someone who did. There
really are a lot of benefits in being part of an
association like ours.”
Reimer also sees the MBP membership as a valuable resource for those entering the industry or simply looking to evolve
their beef operations. Reimer sees beef
producers as always willing to offer advice
to those interested and pass off their experiences – both positive and negative – to skirt
potential pitfalls.
“We are all cow people and cow people seem to be able to get along across this
province to help each other out,” says Reimer. ”There are a lot of times where they
won’t tell you exactly what to do but will
let you know where they made mistakes so
that you can avoid them yourself.”
Health concerns surrounding the beef
industry is one of the issues that Reimer
has been passionate about in his five years
as District 4 Director. In coming years, he
would like to further improve the fight for
harmonization in regards to medications
that are being used on either side of the
border; ensuring that Canadians have access to the same drugs and vaccines as their
American counterparts.
“We struggled with liver flukes here in
the southeastern part of the province two
years ago and there just wasn’t anything
available to us here in Canada,” says Re-
imer. “Thank goodness we at MBP pushed
hard on this important issue and the drug
was there for us this past year when we
needed it.”
Moving forward, Reimer would
like to continue focusing on beef advocacy and letting the public know of the
good work being done by Manitoba’s
beef producers to ensure the welfare of
its cattle and for the protection of the
environment.
“We as beef producers sometimes get
a bad rap from media and we really need to
tell our story,” says Reimer. “When people
go eat at a restaurant these days, they want
to know where their food comes from and
that it was treated humanely. Letting the
consumer know what we do is a big investment for the sustainability of our industry.”
Reimer spends his free time - when
he can find it – trying to keep up with his
grandkids and heading out on the links to
improve his golf game. He is also an avid
hunter.
“I love to go deer hunting,” says Reimer. “That’s why should we have district meetings in the fall during hunting season – you might not see the
President of Manitoba Beef Producers
anywhere around.”
Reimer believes that the best way to
serve beef is with a rib-eye steak, marinated
for 24-hours and barbequed on the grill until it is medium done.
CATTLEX LTD.
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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
Clive Bond (204) 483-0229
Ken Drake (204) 724-0091
Bonded & Licensed in Manitoba & Saskatchewan
www.mbbeef.ca
10 CATTLE COUNTRY February 2016
Cattle transport in Western Canadian winters
CAROLLYNE KEHLER
The following article
contains the results of a recent study conducted by the
U of M and Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada
Everyone these days
has heard about our social
license, and if you haven’t
it’s likely that you will in
the future. Our beef-eating
customers are demanding
the highest quality product,
not only at the end point of
meat production but all the
way through the production cycle. Just like myself, they are demanding a
product that is safe, healthy
and produced in a humane
way. If we don’t strive to
meet these demands our
customers will go elsewhere for their food, essentially revoking our social
Denbie Ranch
and Guests
BULL SALE
Saturday, Feb 13th, 2016
1:00 P.M. @ Ste. Rose Auction Mart
Selling:
Denbie Ranch
18 Two Year Old and 28 Long Yearling Red Angus
and Red Angus X Simmental Hybrid Bulls
Myhre Land and Cattle
12 Two Year Old Charolais Bulls
Denbie Ranch
Denis and
Debbie Guillas
204-447-2473
Cell:
204-447-7608
Myhre Land
and Cattle
Hans Myhre
204-638-5664
Cell:
204-648-6416
Bar J
Jack Robertson
204-843-2246
Justin
Robertson
204-871-3086
View Catalogue @ srauction.ca
licence. But what if we are
Cattle, trailer and and $120 per 1200-1400 in this study.
already doing things well environmental measure- lb animal when marketed
Finished cattle are
and have no way to show ments were taken prior on a live weight basis (as- particularly well adapted
it? How do we tell our cus- during and after trans- suming 5 per cent shrink). to cold conditions owing to
tomers that we are already port. These included the One of the goals of this their hair and hide thickraising cattle in a way that condition of the animals, study was to find ways to ness, thick fat layer, high
is convincing? I believe this handling and unloading/ reduce bruising and shrink metabolic heat production
is where research comes loading conditions, the ex- in order to increase animal and large gut fill capacity.
into play; research is a third ternal climate and internal welfare and decrease losses Generally speaking, they
party unbiased method of trailer climate, the motion incurred by the industry.
also have good pre-transproviding the evidence of of the trailer (in the form of
If you live in one of port nutrition and health
what we are doing well and acceleration), the space al- the Prairie Provinces, I’m prior to transport. Howwhat we need to improve lowance in the trailer, and sure you’re well aware that ever, the Beef Cattle Code
upon.
location (compartment) temperatures can fluctuate of Practice recommends
With this in mind, the of the animal within the drastically during winter. protecting cattle from wet,
Beef Cattle Research Coun- trailer. After arriving at the This held true during the windy weather because
cil and Manitoba Beef Pro- processing facility, animal finished cattle transport they are more prone to cold
ducers funded a research shrink, carcass grade, dark study; internal trailer tem- stress under those condiproject to benchmark cutting and carcass bruis- peratures ranged from -32 tions.
and measure the effects of ing were measured.
The data from the curto +25 C and internal temwinter transport on cattle;
According to the Na- perature humidity index rent study indicates that
a step in the production tional Beef Quality Audit (THI) ranged from
-54 when a trailer is stationary,
chain that is often scruti- done in 2010/11, bruis- to +26. Cold temperatures humidity can build up quite
nized by the public. Histor- ing accounts for about feel even colder when quickly (within minutes),
ically, the most transport $2.1 per head of trim re- the humidity is higher, especially at the beginning
research has taken place moved from the carcass in which is likely the expla- of the journey when cattle
in warmer climates such as Canada. Shrink can cost nation for the extremely are warm from the physiAustralia, South America, the industry between $100 low THI values measured cal activity of being loaded
Europe, or warmer areas
of North America, which is
often not applicable to the
colder transport conditions
that exist during our Canadian winters.
Just over fifteen hundred (1552) finished cattle
were transported in semitrailers within Alberta
from a feedlot to a single
processing facility. The
finished cattle were transported between 1 hour 40
minutes and 7 hours 30 Just over fifteen hundred (1552) finished cattle were transported in semi-trailers
minutes between Novem- within Alberta from a feedlot to a single processing facility as part of a study on the
ber and February in 2014. impact of transportation on cattle.
LIMOUSIN
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is why we farm.”
Craig and Lorna Marr 250 Head Cow/Calf
SILVER RIDGE, MB 2013 MB COMMERCIAL BREEDER OF THE YEAR
“
We use quiet Limousin bulls for the big beefy calves with great
hair and hip. They have been our terminal cross for over 20
years and the calves are vigourous at birth, do well in the
feedlot, and have great carcass yield.
ATTENTION
PRODUCERS
Gord Kozroski 500 Head Black Cow Herd
GULL LAKE, SK 2013 SK COMMERCIAL BREEDER OF THE YEAR
“
Marketing Limousin
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List them on our website
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Using Limousin bulls on our black cows gave us calving ease
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Connor Bros. 700 Head Cow Herd
HANNAH, AB
Amaglen Limousin
Cherway Limousin
Jaymarandy Limousin
204-246-2312
204-736-2878 DIAMOND C RANCH
204-937-4980
AMAGLEN LIMOUSIN
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GUTEK LIMOUSINLen
Ian & Bonnie Hamilton
Bill & Lauren Campbell
Neil & Sherry Christiansen
The Gutek’s
www.amaglenlimousin.ca
www.cherwaylimousin.ca
www.jaymarandy.com
Darlingford, MB
Minto, MB
Ponoka, AB
Hendon SK
204.246.2312
204.776.2322 / 204.724.6218
403.783.2799
306.338.2112
Bulls
for sale on farm & cam.limousin@xplornet.com
Polled Bulls & Females
for sale
Western
Gateway Bull Sale
amaglen@inetlink.ca
neil@diamondcranchlimousin.com
HIGHLAND
FARMS
www.amaglenlimousin.ca
www.diamondcranchlimousin.com
at Douglas Bull Test StationCLARK CATTLE
April
11th, STOCK
Ste.
Rose
The Matthews
Family
BEE ZEE ACRES
Bill & Mary Anne Zwambag
Glencoe, ON 519.287.3219
bzwambag@execulink.com
www.beezeeacres.ca
EDEN MEADOW FARM
Diamond T Limousin
Terry & Lynette Hepper and family
David Clark
Port Hope, ON
905.786.2304
clarkcattle1@hotmail.ca
Campbell Land & Cattle
SK
204-838-2019 Zehner,
306.781-4628
thepper@yourlink.ca
204-776-2322
Email:
DiamondTLimo@gmail.com
COCHRANE STOCK FARMS
BAR 3Rcam.limousin@xplornet.com
LIMOUSIN
The Cochrane families
Email:
Polled Bulls forEXCEL
saleRANCHES
on farm
The Rea family
Alexander, MB
Ron & Barb Miller
Marengo,
SK
Westlock, AB 780.349.2135
204.573.6529
or 204.724.0892
Bulls
for
Sale
by
Private
Treaty
on
farm
306.463.7950 / 306.968.2923
excelranches@hotmail.com
darbyc@wcgwave.ca
r3bar@hotmail.com
204-855-2191 Darby
204-573-6529 Cell
www.cochranestockfarms.com
Hockridge Farms
www.excelranches.com
www.cochranestockfarms.com
Cochrane Stock Farms
204-648-6333 Brad
204-648-5222 Glen
www.hockridgefarms.ca
Bulls for sale on farm.
Olds, AB 403.556.5744
Bragg Creek, AB 403.585.8660
www.highlandstockfarms.com
L&S Limousin Acres
204-838-2198
The Fuchs families
Bethune, SK
Bulls
Sell April 2nd at
306.638.4422
306.789.8863
Douglas
Bull Test Station
306.638.4800
HI-WAY LIMOUSIN
Maplehurst Farms
204-274-2490 BobLAZY S LIMOUSIN
Stan & Ty Skeels & Vykki
Bulls for sale on farm
Johns &
Rimbey, AB
403.704.0288
at Douglas Bull Test
Station
lazyslimousin@telus.net
HOLLEE LIMOUSIN
Brian and Holli Lee
Janetville, On
705.340.5944
hmacsand@hotmail.com
IVY LIVESTOCK
MURPHY RANCH
Frank & Donna Murphy
Roaring River Limousin
Altario, AB
Rick & Mary Hertz and
family Duchess, AB
403.378.4190
rhertz@eidnet.org
www.ivylivestock.com
/ 780.753.1959
204-734-4797 403.552.2191
murphyranch@xplornet.com
www.murphyranch.ca
2 Yr. Old Bulls for sale
on farm
J. YORGA FARMS LTD
Jim & Stephanie
Richmond Rumsey, AB
403.368.2103
bulls@richmondranch.com
www.richmondranch.com
TRIPLE R LIMOUSIN
The Rodgers Family
Macgregor, MB
204.856.3440
triplerlimo@yahoo.ca
WINDY GABLES
SYMENS LAND & CATTLE CO. LIMOUSIN
James & Laura Symens
Claresholm, AB
403-524-4729 / 604-880-7515
symens@platinum.ca
Bryce and Nathan Allen
Warkworth, On
705.924.2583
brycea@alleninsurance.ca
Y2K LIMOUSIN
Find us on Facebook
Mike Geddes, manager
Robert Nimmo
PINNACLE VIEW LIMOUSIN TOP MEADOW FARMS
Quesnel, BC 250.747.2618 Clarksburg,
On 519.599.6776 Caledon East, On
Triple R Limousin
www.facebook.com/pages/Manitobakishkan@quesnelbc.com
mike@topmeadowfarms.com 416.580.5714
Kelly Yorga / Jeff Yorga
Flintoft, SK 306. 263-4432
306-642-7023 / 306.531.5717
www.jyorgafarms.com
Swann & Kishkan families
204-685-2628 www.pvlimousin.com
Private Treaty Bull Sale April 2nd
L.G. Limousin
204-851-0399 (c) 204-748-3728 (h) 60 Yearling & 2 Year Old Bulls
Limousin & Angus
Private treaty sales on farm
Darcy.Fuchs@mosaicco.com
RICHMOND RANCH
www.mbbeef.ca
farm@robertnimmo.com
Limousin-Association/572198599475105
www.topmeadowfarms.com
CANADIAN
LIMOUSIN
~ ASSOCIATION ~
#13, 4101-19 STREET NE
CALGARY, AB T2E 7C4
PHONE
1. 403.253.7309
TOLL-FREE 1.866.886.1605
FAX
1.403.253.1704
EMAIL limousin@limousin.com
WEB
www.limousin.com
February 2016 CATTLE COUNTRY 11
onto the trailer. Therefore,
avoiding stationary periods
is recommended because
cattle could become wet
and be more prone to cold
stress. Interestingly though,
shrink increased by 2.3 per
cent as the THI increased
from -40 to 0 indicating
that heat stress may have
been experienced by the
cattle rather than cold
stress. Because finished
unloading none of the cattle were prodded because
of the processing facility
restrictions. The majority
of the electric prodding at
loading was due to 4 handlers using the prod on
over 50 per cent of the cattle in those particular loads,
this suggests that in a small
number of cases handlers
used the prod out of habit;
not necessarily because the
Carollyne Kehler places a motion sensor in a cattle
trailer as part of her study on the impact of transportion
on cattle.
cattle are acclimated to
such cold winter temperatures the trailer becoming
too warm (approaching
or above 0 C) may actually cause more discomfort
than extreme low temperatures. Drivers should be
cautious when transporting
finished cattle, accustomed
to cold weather, on abnormally warm days in winter,
and should avoid stationary periods, during which
humidity can build up in
the trailer, especially just
after loading.
Handling was also
measured during this study
and many variables were
recorded including the
use of the electric prod. At
loading about 20 per cent
of the finished cattle were
electric prodded, at the
stunning box 1.4 per cent of
cattle were prodded and at
situation warranted it. If
these handlers would adapt
their handling style, or use
a different handling aid, the
handling scores measured
at loading could have been
greatly improved.
This project also provided a novel method of
measuring motion (in the
form of acceleration) in a
commercial transport vehicle. Acceleration in this case
referring to movements of
the trailer such as sudden
jolts (stopping and starting)
or vibrations within the
trailer. Using this method
it was determined that the
magnitude of the acceleration is dependent on speed
of the trailer, the compartment within the trailer,
and the journey duration.
Other factors affecting the
magnitude of acceleration
include vehicle suspension,
road surface, movement
of the animals and the
driving style. The highest
vertical accelerations (up
and down movements of
the trailer) were found at
both the highest and lowest
travelling speeds. The high
accelerations found at low
speeds are likely due to increased animal movement
and increased stopping
and starting for example in
towns. Further, a 1 m/s2 increase in vertical acceleration caused severe bruising
to be 1.81 times more likely.
Therefore, drivers should
avoid travelling at high
speeds (> 90 km/ hr) especially on rough roads, and
avoid routes that require
slowing down and stopping
often, in order to reduce
bruising in transported finished cattle.
There is little risk of
finished cattle or cull cows
being loaded with inadequate space allowance because loading is limited by
the weight of the cattle due
to axle weight restrictions.
On the other hand, low
space allowance can be an
issue when loading calves
and feeder cattle because
they are smaller and lighter.
Too much space allowance
was actually linked to increased shrink in finished
cattle in the current study.
Similarly, too much and too
little space allowance has
also been linked with bruising in other studies, however that was not substantiated in the current study.
Shrink increased by 2.6 per
cent as the space allowance
increased from about 2.6
m2/1500 lb animal to 6.5
m2/1500 lb animal (for reference, the belly compartment is approximately 19.4
m2). Increased shrink could
be due to the stress experienced by cattle being separated from their herd mates
or because of the increased
room to move around and
be physically active.
No cattle in this study
became non-ambulatory
(unable to walk), or died,
and only one animal (0.064
per cent) was scored as fatigued in condition (headdown, salivating, unwilling to move). The finished
cattle transported in this
study were robust, in good
health and they fared well
during the transport conditions experienced. This
is likely because finished
cattle are relatively robust
compared to cull cows or
young calves. A journey
with finished cattle would
have to have extremely
severe conditions before
finished cattle welfare was
detrimentally affected.
It is clear from this
work and other studies
that transport is not black
and white. There are many
factors involved in each of
the management decisions
drivers, feedlot operators
and processing facilities
make. It is unrealistic to
expect transport decisions
to be made based solely on
the factors measured in this
study. However, considering animal welfare when
making management decisions will also ensure high
product standards, reduced
losses and the continued
social acceptability of cattle
transport. In conclusion,
the finished cattle in this
study fared well and the
current transport practices
for finished cattle transported in western Canadian winter conditions for
less than eight hours are
indeed adequate. The information gathered during
this research project can
now be used as a benchmark for other winter
transport research.
To all of you who haul
cattle, be it occasionally or
as your profession, I wish
safe travels for you and
your passengers.
Find the Master’s
thesis detailing this study
at:
http://hdl.handle.
net/1993/30749
 calving ease
 grass-based
 strong maternal
 longevity
 moderate frame
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UPDATED WEEKLY
Regular sales every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.
Saturday,February 20th & March 19th at 10:00 a.m.
Bred Cow Sale
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Managing many types of risk on province’s radar
GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES UPDATE BY MAUREEN COUSINS
Managing agricultural
risk, protecting surface water, tackling climate change
and spring flooding were a
few of the matters on the
Manitoba government’s radar in recent weeks.
Risk Task Force Issues
Findings
In 2015 MBP provided extensive feedback to
the province’s Agriculture
Risk Management Review
Task Force. It was examining whether the current
business risk management
(BRM) programs are effective in helping producers
manage and recover from
climate-related challenges.
MBP cited the importance of having access to
sound BRM programs like
forage insurance and the
Western Livestock Price
Insurance Program, as well
as the need to revisit programs to ensure they are
as responsive as needed,
particularly after disasters.
HAMCO Angus
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ual
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1:00 p.m.
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Selling 65 Red & 50 Black Angus Yearling Bulls
Selling 20 Red & 15 Black Angus 2 Year old Bulls
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Please join us for lunch 12:00 p.m. on Sale Day
Dr. David Hamilton
(204) 822-3054
(204) 325-3635 cell
Albert, Glen, Larissa & Ian Hamilton
(204) 827-2358
(204) 526-0705 cell
larissa_hamilton@hotmail.com
MBP wants to ensure beef
producers can compete on
a level playing field with
other commodities.
MBP also raised concerns with the Task Force
around water management. This includes but is
not limited to challenges
related to: Lake Manitoba,
the Shoal lakes, Whitewater Lake, Shellmouth Dam,
and, the need for upgraded
dikes along the Assiniboine
River so the Portage Diversion does not need to be
used so frequently. Mitigation is a key tool for managing risk. MBP continues
to ask governments to upgrade water management
infrastructure to reduce
threats caused both by future flooding or droughts.
MBP has also repeatedly
sought fair compensation
for producers affected by
flooding, including artificial flooding.
The Task Force released its report and 25
recommendations in early
January. Some recommendations made to the provincial government that
may be of interest to beef
producers include:
• Consider predictable compensation for producer’s losses in designated
areas due to mitigation
measures;
• Consider a new permanent cover program to
compensate producers for
taking marginal land out of
production;
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• Continue to develop
the Excess Moisture Insurance program so premiums
and coverage reflect the
risk;
• Continue to develop
and promote best practices
program (Environmental
Farm Plan focus) to encourage best management
practices (BMPs);
• Consider reforming AgriInvest so it can act
as an incentive for BMPs
among producers;
• Support the Aquanty
HydroGeoSphere modelling project for the Assiniboine River Basin to provide data to better inform
decisions on policy and
programs;
• Create a provincewide comprehensive approach to LiDAR to provide additional elevation
and water management
data to benefit agro-environment policy, program
decisions and on-farm best
practices and productivity;
• Explore development of whole farm revenue insurance;
• Research use of
weather derivatives as a
business risk management
tool for producers; and
• Remove permanent
Class 4 wetlands from
municipal taxes through
federal-provincial
cost
sharing.
To see the full report
go to: www.gov.mb.ca/
agriculture/business-andeconomics/agri-risk-task-
force.html.
Surface Water Legislation
On November 24 the
province introduced Bill
5, The Surface Water Management Act (Amendments
to Various Acts to Protect
Lakes and Wetlands).
Key components include: strengthened protection of wetlands (no net
loss of wetland benefits);
setting through regulation nutrient targets to improve water quality, with
reporting
requirements;
and, streamlining drainage licensing requirements
with enhanced inspection
and enforcement efforts
(including greater fines
for illegal drainage up to a
maximum of $50,000 for
an individual or $500,000
for a corporation).
The proposed legislation amends five different
laws including the Water
Rights Act, the Water Protection Act, the Manitoba
Habitat Heritage Act, the
Planning Act and the Conservation Districts Act (renamed Watershed Districts
Act). It also provides recognition for the Assiniboine
River Basin Initiative, of
which MBP is an active
member.
MBP expects to provide feedback on this legislation which will likely be
debated before the provincial election on April 19.
To read the bill visit http://
web2.gov.mb.ca/bills/40-5/
b005e.php
Climate Change Plan
Unveiled
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www.mbbeef.ca
On December 3 the
Manitoba government unveiled its Climate Change
and Green Economy Action Plan and pledged to
cut greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions by one-third by
2030. The province says
it wants to look at ways to
continue expanding markets and adopting sustainable farming practices to
reduce GHG emissions.
The agriculture and
transportation
sectors
have been identified as key
sources of GHG emissions
in Manitoba. The province
is putting $5 million into
a new five-year $5 million
Climate Change Action
Fund and says monies will
be invested to drive innovation in these sectors and
other areas.
A Climate Friendly
Agricultural Practices will
be introduced to provide
incentives for BMPs, support advanced and applied
research, and enable technology transfer to build
farmer and industry capacity for climate friendly agriculture.
Of note in the Action
Plan to the beef sector the
province said it will:
• continue to make investments in flood mitigation infrastructure;
• expand the focus of
the Environmental Farm
Plan-related
programming from assessment of
agri-environmental risks
towards building resiliency
against adverse weather effects on farms;
• promote the use of
perennial grains and forages;
• provide wildlife depredation prevention and
compensation programs to
assist in mitigating agricultural conflicts with wildlife;
and
• encourage the research and implementation of water retention
approaches at both the onfarm and the basin-level
scale to provide resilience
in time of drought and extreme weather events.
• MBP will provide
feedback as elements of the
Action Plan are rolled out
to ensure the important
role beef producers play in
managing the environment
is recognized. New research
conducted by the University of Manitoba, Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada Lethbridge and Environment
Canada found there has
been a 15 per cent decrease
in methane, 16 per cent decrease in nitrous dioxide
and 13 per cent decrease in
carbon dioxide from beef
production in Canada over
between 1981 and 2011. As
well, comparing the same
time period, it took 29 per
cent fewer cattle in the
Page 13 ➢
New Land Calculator for Manure Application Available
ANGELA LOVELL
Manitoba
Agriculture,
Food & Rural Development
(MAFRD) staff have developed
a new Land Calculator which
will make it easier for Manitoba
cattle producers to expand their
herd.
The previous calculator was
based on data from Quebec, but
this one uses Manitoba-specific
data to make it more applicable to Manitoba producers,
explained Clay Sawka, a Nutrient Management Specialist with
MAFRD, who demonstrated
the new calculator at the 2015
Manitoba Beef Background and
Feedlot School in Carman recently.
Manitoba Specific Data
“Because this calculator
uses Manitoba specific numbers
the result is quite a bit less land
requirement when farmers ex← Page 12
breeding herd and 24
per cent less land to produce the same amount of
beef. Research and adoption of innovation have
been key to achieving this.
To review the Climate
Change and Green Action
Plan visit www.gov.mb.ca/
conservation/climate/in-
pand than the old models indicated,” said Sawka, who used an
actual example of a backgrounding operation that expanded
from 2,400 to 3,400 animals.
The old calculator estimated
that the producer required 2,140
acres of land for manure application, whereas the new calculator cut those acres to 1,368 acre.
“The new calculator decreased
the land that this farm needed to
access by 30% so we have really
fine tuned the process to make it
easier for guys to expand.”
A technical review must
be done for operations which
have more than 300 animal
units to assess the amount of
land the operation need to access – whether owned, rented
or leased – for manure application. That’s where the Land Base
Calculator comes in. The calcu-
dex.html.
2016 Flood Risk
In late December
Manitoba Infrastructure
and Transportation’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre
issued its 2015 Fall Conditions Report, an assessment of soil moisture levels
at freeze-up.
Higher than average
soil moisture conditions
lator takes into account animal
numbers, soil types, yields and
the individual management of
the herd.
How the Calculator Works
Producers feed information
into the calculator about the
type of manure storage, animal
numbers, weights in and out,
cycle length and number of cycles. Built into the calculator are
assumptions about the amount
of dry matter consumed per
animal per day, as well as the
percentage of protein in the animal’s diet, and the amount of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus(P)
retained by the growing animal.
These assumptions are specific
to the type of operation, so will
be different for a cow-calf, backgrounding, or feedlot operation.
The land base required to
handle the manure is calculated
based on the rate of gain per day
and amount of N and P excret-
are present in Westman,
while moisture conditions
are average in the Red River Valley.
Between April and
November, normal to well
above normal precipitation
was received in the watersheds of the Saskatchewan,
Assiniboine, Qu’Appelle
and Souris river basins. As
well, the watershed down-
PASTURE SPACE
AVAILABLE
ed, taking into account the crop
rotation used.
“It’s a simple mass balance,”
explained Sawka. “We know
how much feed is being consumed, we know how much N
and P are in that feed, and we
know how much is being retained by that growing animal.
So one subtract the other is the
amount excreted.”
Application Rates Vary
Sawka emphasized that the
calculator tells a producer the
amount of land he or she needs
to have access to, but that not all
the land will necessarily be used
for manure application every
year.
“If you put all your manure
on the first year on a quarter of
land that’s fine – you just can’t
use those acres next year,” said
Sawka. Producers might need
to rotate to different acres in
following years depending on
stream of the Saskatchewan River received above
normal precipitation. This
could lead to a higher risk
of spring flooding depending on future precipitation
levels and the speed of the
snowmelt.
The report said soil
moisture in the Saskatchewan, Assiniboine,
Qu’Appelle and Souris
river basins is slightly
greater than the soil moisture observed in the fall of
2014, which led to above
average run-off in spring
of 2015. As well, the report
the rate they apply, which is
determined by their soil tests.
Producers cannot exceed the N
rate threshold for a particular
soil type, which is set out in the
Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation.
For most soil classes growing
annual crops the concentration of residual nitrate N cannot exceed 140 lbs per acre in
the top two feet of soil. Allowable N levels are less for more
environmentally sensitive soil
types. The land calculator helps
producers make sure they have
enough land available to be sustainable over the long term.
To learn more about the
new MAFRD Land Calculator
visit: https://www.gov.mb.ca/
agriculture/environment/nutrient-management/land-baserequirements-for-new-and-expanding-livestock-operations.
html
found the Saskatchewan,
Assiniboine, Qu’Appelle
and Souris Rivers had base
flows considered wellabove normal, while the
Red River base flow was
also above normal for the
time of year with above
normal base flows and levels representing a higher
potential for spring flooding
The province will release its first flood outlook
sometime in late February.
To read the complete Fall
Conditions Report go to
www.gov.mb.ca/flooding.
On a related note, in
early January the federal
and provincial governments committed to expanding Manitoba’s network of automated weather
stations from the existing
61 stations to 84 by 2018.
They are part of the agrometeorology program and
the data collected is used
for a variety of production-related purposes. The
data is also expected to be
used to enhance flood and
drought forecasting, precipitation maps, and monitoring severe weather.
SELLING 100
BLACK ANGUS BULLS
ATTLEMAN’S BULL SALE
The Association of Manitoba Community Pastures (AMCP) will
be operating the following PFRA Pastures in 2016:
Alonsa
*Pasquia
Ellice-Archie
Gardenton
*McCreary
*Ethelbert
Pansy
*Mulvihill
*Turtle Mountain
Langford
Narcisse
Wallace
*Lenswood
Sylvan-Dale
Spy Hill-Ellice
Birch River
Bield
*Cote-San Clara
* space available
To receive an application or for more information
please contact us at:
Phone: 204 868-0430 • Email: amcp@pastures.ca
21st al
Annu
Unseen Purchase
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED!
Friday, March 4, 2016 • 1:00 p.m.
Heartland Livestock Yards
Brandon, Manitoba
View Catalogue online at:
www.hendersoncattle.com
everythingangus.com
Guest Consignor
Manager Barb Airey
T: (204)566-2134 or (204)761-1851
email: rbairey@hotmail.com
HBH Farms Inc.
Oak River, MB
Brookmore Angus
Sale managed by:
Jack & Barb Hart • Brookdale, MB R0K 0G0
Douglas J. Henderson & Associates
T: (204) 476-2607 • C: (204) 476-6696
brookmoreangus@gmail.com
T: (403) 782-3888 • C: (403) 350-8541
F: (403) 782-3849
Saskatoon
Gelbvieh Bull
and Female Sale
Saturday March 19, 2016 • Saskatoon Livestock Sales, Saskatoon Sk • www.gelbviehworld.com
For a catalogue or video contact Darcy Hrebeniuk at 306 865 7859 or firriver@xplornet.com
www.mbbeef.ca
Left, Manitoba Beef
Producers GM Melinda
German and Director
Dave Koslowsky speak
with producers during
the Holland Beef and
Forage Seminar on
January 13.
Right, MBP Project
Coordinator Carollyne
Kehler represented the
association at beef week
events throughout the
province in January.
CCIA releases tag retention study results
Canadian Cattle Identification Agency
(CCIA) has announced the key preliminary findings resulting from the mature
cow portion of the national Tag Retention
Project, which is intended to collect baseline data on cattle tag retention and tag
readability, recommend solutions to enhance tag retention and readability as well
as provide the foundation for further study.
The broad-based approach and survey
of the existing situations will provide the
foundation for identifying specific tag retention challenges that may require further
data collection.
The national Tag Retention Project
involves animals from various geographical areas across Canada to ensure appropriate representation of farming styles and
environments. The study has tagged more
than 5,000 animals with equal distribution
of approved CCIA radio frequency identification (RFID) tag types/brands at each
test site. Each farm test site was selected
based on appropriate handling facilities to
optimize tagger safety, tag application and
tag retention. In this study, each tag type is
applied according to manufacturer’s directions in terms of tag location, using the corresponding manufacturer’s tag applicators,
etc.
“The mature cow data collected in
2014 includes cattle of varying ages from
those tagged as calves in the spring of 2011
to mature cows tagged in 2011. This period
of time represents one-third of the productive life of a beef cow in Canada,” states
CCIA Vice Chair and Tag Retention Project Committee Chair Mark Elford. “Tag
readability at the first stage of this project
was greater than 99 per cent. Recent pre-
FEBRUARY
MARCH
2016 Winter Sale Schedule
DLMS INTERNET SALES EVERY THURSDAY AT www.dlms.ca - Call our office to list your cattle!
Monday, Feb 1
Butcher Sale
Wednesday, Feb 3
Presort Feeder Sale
Monday, Feb 8
Butcher Sale
Wednesday, Feb 10
Presort Feeder Sale
Monday, Feb 15
CLOSED – Louis Riel Day
Wednesday, Feb 17
Regular Feeder Sale
Friday, Feb 19
Bred Cow Sale
Sunday, Feb 21
Bonchuck Simmental Bull Sale
Monday, Feb 22
Butcher Sale
Wednesday, Feb 24
Presort Feeder Sale
Monday, Feb 29
Butcher Sale
9AM
Wednesday, Mar 2
Regular Feeder Sale
9AM
Monday, Mar 7
Butcher Sale
9AM
Wednesday, Mar 9
Presort Feeder Sale
Friday, Mar 11
Bred Cow & C/C Sale
Sunday, Mar 13
Rebels of the West Simmental Bull Sale
Monday, Mar 14
Butcher Sale
Wednesday, Mar 16
Regular Feeder Sale
Thursday, Mar 17
Sheep Sale
Saturday, Mar 19
Pleasant Dawn Charolais Bull Sale
Monday, Mar 21
Butcher Sale
9AM
Wednesday, Mar 23
Presort Feeder Sale
9AM
Friday, Mar 25
Cow-Boys Angus Bull & Female Sale
Monday, Mar 28
CLOSED – Easter Monday
Wednesday, Mar 30
Regular Feeder Sale
• All cattle must be CCIA tagged.
• Sale dates and times subject to change
• Sunday delivery between Noon and
8:00 p.m. for Monday butcher sales
9AM
10AM
9AM
10AM
10AM
11:30AM
9AM
10AM
liminary findings on tag retention across
all of the project herds averaged at 88.9 per
cent, with a range of 64.7 to 100 per cent.
This means within three years, tag loss
ranged from 3.8 to 35.3 per cent, with an
average of 11.1 per cent.”
“The average mature cow tag retention
percentage was 89.7 per cent across the 13
herds where data was gathered in 2014.
Since the final calf/yearling tag retention
percentage presented in April 2013 was
98.9 per cent, the preliminary mature cow
data represents an average decrease in retention of 9.2 per cent,” adds CCIA Tag Retention Project Manager Ross MacDonald.
“Although the mature cow data has yet to
be analyzed for statistical significance, preliminary tag retention data for the mature
cows is lower and more variable than in
the calf/yearling group. Within the coming
months, we will summarize and analyze the
mature cow data for tag retention across all
herds, tag loss by herd and tag brand as well
as tag readability.”
“The project’s 2015 cow scan schedule started with three herds in the spring
and summer, 11 this fall and one in
the winter. Moving forward, this proj-
ect will continue to analyze the mature
cow scan data, complete the mature cow
scans and the project’s final analysis, report and communications strategy next
spring. We look forward to sharing this
important information with the entire
value chain,” CCIA General Manager Anne
Brunet-Burgess affirms.
As a not-for-profit, industry-initiated
organization led by a board of directors
made up of representatives from all sectors
of the livestock industry, CCIA fully supports the national Tag Retention Project
and its findings which will educate producers on cattle RFID tag retention and
tag reading performance, and recommend
solutions to enhance tag retention and
reading performance. Details regarding tag
retention and reading performance rates as
well as recommendations to reduce tag loss
and tag readability problems will be included in with the statistical analysis in the final
report, which will be posted online within
CCIA’s home page at www.canadaid.ca.
For more information on the Health
of Animals Regulations, please visit
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/
C.R.C.,_c._296/.
9YR OLD WALKING HERDSIRE
MH TITAN 752
O C C GREATPLAINS X O C C HOMER
9AM
11:30AM
9AM
9AM
12 Noon
9AM
• Presort Sales - Delivery accepted until
5:00 p.m. the day before the sale
• Bred Cow Sales - Delivery accepted
until 2:00 p.m. the day before the sale
BLACK & RED ANGUS
RUGGED 2YR OLD Bulls
SALE MARCH 12TH - ASHERN MB
Breeding Bulls For Grass Farmers
FOR MARKETING INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS REGARDING OUR FEEDER FINANCE PROGRAM, CONTACT:
ROBIN HILL (306) 851-5465 • RICK GABRIELLE (204) 851-0613 • DRILLON BEATON (204) 851-7495
KEN DAY (204) 748-7713 • KOLTON MCINTOSH (204) 280-0359
Heartland
Livestock Services
Jonathan Bouw: 204-471-4696
Stefan Bouw:
204-232-1620
Twitter:
@ e d i e c r e e ka n g u s
w w w. e d i e c r e e k a n g u s . c o m
Moderate - Maternal - Easy Calving - Easy Fleshing
www.mbbeef.ca
A blood test for bovine TB
Dr. Allan Preston
Provincial Bovine TB
Coordinator
The Good News
In May, 2015, the
General Session of the
World Organization for
Animal Health, the OIE,
added the Bovigam 2G
TB Kit to the register of
diagnostic kits certified
by the OIE as validated
fit for approved use in
cattle, sheep, goats and
water buffalo. This approved use of the Bovigam now includes as
a primary, stand-alone
screening test to demonstrate herd/country TB
freedom, as well as a test
in individual animals
for
trade/movement
purposes. This newly
approved test, according to the manufacturer,
“will enable faster results
and can result in shorter
interruption of animal
movement – farms can
be back in operation in
one week.”
The Bovigam 2G
TB Kit is produced by
Thermo Fisher Scientific, based in Austin,
Texas, and is the only
Bovine TB, interferon-y
invitro assay that is OIE
registered. The kit is produced in a 10 plate – 300
sample package.
The Bad News
Currently, neither
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
nor the United States
Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service
(USDA-APHIS)
have approved the Bovigam 2G TB Kit as a
primary
stand-alone
screening test within
their respective domestic
programs. Further, the
Bovigam 2G TB Kits are
presently not available in
North America. Thermo
Fisher Scientific is focusing its production and
marketing on the European Union market.
The position of
USDA/APHIS is an important consideration for
Canada as it may impact
USDA-APHIS’s recognition of our surveillance
data to support any TB
freedom claims by the
CFIA in the future, especially re-gaining TB-free
status for Manitoba. The
TB control programs in
the US and Canada must
be harmonized to facilitate cross-border trade
in live ruminant animals.
Comments on the Bovigam Test
The Bovigam test
does enable producers to
only handle their cattle
once, provided they have
a very good animal identification system in place
that allows the rapid selection of animals that re-
act to the test. However,
the test does have a lower
specificity, meaning that
more false positives may
be found, necessitating slaughter, post mortem, and further testing,
along with the resulting
herd quarantine until
laboratory results are finalized. This process can
take up to 3-4 months if
animals ordered slaughtered show any suspicion
of TB. To put this into
perspective, the 2014-15
surveillance season saw
2702 head tested, with
a caudal fold test (CFT)
reactor rate of 2.82 per
cent; 76 head were then
tested with the Bovigam,
five turned up suspicious and were ordered
slaughtered, all with
negative results. Had the
Bovigam been used as
the primary screening
test, with its lower specificity, approximately 135
animals (a low estimate)
would have tested suspicious and been ordered
slaughtered – a significantly higher number, to
lead us to the same conclusion, notably all negative results.
There are some additional challenges with
the Bovigam. Currently,
CFIA’s laboratory capacity to perform the test is
limited to 5–10 samples
per week. Getting samples to the lab within the
APPLY FOR A CASH
ADVANCE TODAY...
30 hour maximum time
limit is a concern. And
preserving the integrity
of blood samples in our
severe winter conditions
is also a problem.
And cost is a significant issue – consider the
compensation for 135
cattle ordered slaughtered compared to only
five. The potential for
more quarantines is real,
and that extended quarantine period brings additional costs as well.
Retooling CFIA labs and
contributing provincial
labs to perform the Bovigam will take both time
and money. Additionally, the Bovigam kits
are considerably more
expensive than is bovine
tuberculin PPD.
A final note – the
Bovigam has not been
approved by the OIE as
a stand-alone screening
TB test for North Ameri-
can bison.
The Path Forward
CFIA estimates that
it will not be considering
the Bovigam for broad
use as a screening test
until the 2017–18 surveillance season. The
most probable scenario
for 2017–18, should additional herd testing be
required, is that producers in the Core Area
of the RMEA could be
given the option of having either the Bovigam
or the CFT test as their
stand-alone screening
test. Some consideration
has been given to potential pilot projects within
the RMEA; however,
these pilots are deemed
to be of little additional
value as the science regarding the Bovigam is
essentially complete – an
additional pilot would
not likely provide any
new information.
Conclusion
The OIE announcement regarding the approval of the Bovigam
was seen as a positive
step forward, potentially
satisfying the long standing producer requests for
a blood test for Bovine
TB. However, significant
issues still stand in the
way of the adoption of
the OIE recommendation by CFIA and USDAAPHIS. For the current
testing season, the status
quo with the CFT will
continue. With no testing scheduled for 2016–
17, we have the better
part of two years to sort
out the issues, reach a
decision for the future
role of the Bovigam.
And, if you are an optimist as am I, perhaps the
need for any herd level
tuberculosis testing will
be almost non-existent
by that time.
Stewart
Co.&&Guests
Guests
Stewart Cattle
Cattle Co.
Stewart
Co.
& Bull
Guests
7th
AnnualCattle
Black
8th
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Black Angus
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BullSale
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7th Annual Black Angus Bull Sale
50 Black
Black Angus
Angus &
& Simmental/Angus
Simmental/Angus Bulls
50
Bulls
50Stewart
Black Angus
& Simmental/Angus
Bulls
Cattle
Co. & Guests
FEBRUARY
26, 2016
2015
1:00pm
Stewart
Co. &••Bull
Guests
7th
AnnualCattle
Black
Angus
Sale
FEBRUARY
25,
1:00pm
FEBRUARY
26,
2015
•
1:00pm
NEEPAWA AG-PLEX
7th Annual
Black Angus Bull Sale
NEEPAWA AG-PLEX
NEEPAWA
AG-PLEX
50 Black Angus
& Simmental/Angus
Bulls
50 Black Angus & Simmental/Angus Bulls
FEBRUARY 26, 2015 • 1:00pm
FEBRUARY
26, AG-PLEX
2015 • 1:00pm
NEEPAWA
NEEPAWA AG-PLEX
Check out the Great Loan Advance
Rates this year!
ADVANCE PAYMENTS PROGRAM - HIGHLIGHTS
• $100,000 Interest Free
• Over $100,000 to a maximum of $400,000*
Prime +0.0% on loans over $100,000.00
(floating rate)
LOAN ADVANCES ON SOME SELECT GRAINS
CASH ADVANCE FORMS AVAILABLE ONLINE
at: www.manitobalivestock.com
Cash Advance Program Applies to:
• Manitoba Cattle, Goat, Bison and Sheep Producers
• Saskatchewan Cattle, Goat, Bison and Sheep Producers
• Alberta Sheep, Bison and Goat Producers
• British Columbia Bison and Goat Producers
• Quebec, PE, YK, NB, NL & NS Bison Producers
SALE CATALOGUE & VIDEO will be available from consignors
or online
www.stewartcattle.com
will be available from consignors
SALE CATALOGUE
& VIDEO
Email for
stewartcows@wificountry.ca
orcatalogue
online www.stewartcattle.com
Email for catalogue stewartcows@wificountry.ca
FREE BOARD on all bull purchases until April 1, 2015
will be
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SALE CATALOGUE
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SALE
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Facebook.com
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mbbeef.ca
Making a healthy improvement in 1-2-3
ADRIANA FINDLAY
Let’s focus on making
small changes to improve
our health and heart, rather
than daunting weight-loss
goals this New Year. Let’s
together revamp our diet
and self by eating better,
choosing the right items at
the grocery store and boosting energy levels with easy
exercises. Life is busy and
keeping healthy should be a
priority kept at the top of our
lists. Kick start your fitness
today with easy to follow
tips to incorporate into your
daily routine, items to watch
out for when choosing foods
at the grocery store, and daily
exercises you can get done
during commercial breaks or
on your lunch break.
Monitor salt intake.
Salt is one of the world’s oldest preservatives and is found
in almost every packaged
product and can attribute to
heart disease and increasing
blood pressure. So be Aware:
Choosing products that are
low in sodium is a good start,
this can be indicated by a
health claims approved by
Health Canada. Reading the
ingredient list is a great indication of how much of an
ingredient is present in the
food item. Ingredient lists
are listed based on quantity,
therefore the first five items
listed will make up the bulk
of the product. Tips and
tricks: sauces, soups, canned
pulses are often high in sodium, if a low sodium option
isn’t available try extending
the meal by adding fresh veggies to sauces and soups and
topping them up with water,
low sodium broth or wine
for added flavour. Canned
beans and lentils can be thoroughly rinsed removing a
lot of the salt found within
the preserving liquid. Food
labels can hide salt from consumers be aware of salt on
ingredient labels: table salt,
sodium chloride, sodium
monochloride, sodium nitrate, sodium bicarbonate
and soy sauce. Low Fat = High Sugar.
Sugar is a carbohydrate that
metabolizes in the body very
quickly turning into glucose
where it’s absorbed and used
for energy. We need carbohydrates for quick releases
of energy. Monitoring sugar
intake is hard; it’s in many
products we eat that are
packaged and is naturally
found in a lot of fruit and
vegetables. Be Aware: when
reviewing diet labels in the
grocery store, low fat can
mean high in sugar canned
fruit packed in syrup or fruit
punches contain little fruit
juice concentrate and a lot of
added sugar. Tips and tricks:
choose cereals with low or
no added sugar, liquid honey
is a great sweetener that can
be added to your taste. Salad
dressings often have added
sugar; homemade vinaigrette
can be made with oil, vinegar
and herbs. Food labels can
hide sugar from consumers; be aware of added sugar
on ingredient labels: malt,
syrup, glucose, molasses, sucralose, fructose, dextrose or
lactose.
Quench thirst with
water. Filling up on water is
the best way to stay hydrated.
Our bodies naturally lose
water throughout the day
and night through breathing, speaking and perspiring.
Avoid headaches and feeling lethargic by staying well
hydrated, aim for 8 glasses
of liquid per day. Be Aware:
Avoid empty calories found
in packaged soft drinks,
sports drinks, sweetened iced
tea or coffees topped with
high amounts of sugar and
cream. These beverages do
help hydrate our bodies however, add calories that do not
offer any form of nutrients.
I called these empty calories
because we are not receiving
many benefits from consuming them. Tips and Tricks:
Skip fruit juices and eat the
real thing, eating a piece of
fruit that is naturally high
in sugar is still offering our
body fibre that keeps us sat-
isfied and content for longer.
Carrying a bottle of water by
your side for the day will help
keep us hydrated throughout
the day. It becomes a nice
and healthy habit.
A trick to feeling stronger and more energetic is to
get moving. Physical activity
does not need to take part
in a gym. Here are some tips
and tricks to getting active
throughout the day.
Do 25 squats with your
knees safely bent without
going over your toes; bend
knees at a 90 degree angle.
This is easily explained by
imagining you are balancing your body over top of a
chair. These squats can be
done when you are brushing
your teeth in the morning or
when visiting the bathroom
throughout the day. This exercise will strengthen your
thighs and backside muscles.
Get into plank during the commercial breaks
while watching television.
Holding plank position is a
standard push up position
without bending your arms
or lowering your body. Try
holding the position for as
long as you can per commercial break during an hour of
watching television. This exercise will quickly strengthen
your arms back and core
muscles.
Starting off the New
Year motivated and ready
for change is an excellent
way to kick start your health.
All it takes is a deep breath
and 1-2-3. Most importantly change is a great way
to start feeling healthy and
energetic. Small changes of
monitoring salt, sugar intake
and increasing hydration are
great starting points. Small
incorporation of exercise
into your daily routine can
be added at any level of fitness. This month in Cattle
Country we have a Manitoba
Beef Producer’s Eat Like An
Athlete recipe featured on
TSN1290 Radio and www.
MbBeef.ca Stop Light Beef
Stir Fry. Have a wonderful
healthy and active Louis Riel
Day with family!
Stop Light Stir-Fry
Marinade:
2 tbsp (30 mL)sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb (500 g) Top Sirloin Grilling Steak, trimmed, about 3/4inch (2 cm) thick
Sauce:
½ cup (125 mL) sodium-reduced beef or chicken broth
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
2 tbsp (30 mL) EACH lemon juice, hoisin sauce and
packed brown sugar
Stir-Fry:
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 EACH red, green and yellow sweet peppers, seeded
and thinly sliced
2 cup (500 mL) broccoli florets
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced fresh ginger root
3 cloves garlic, sliced ¼ cup (50 mL) toasted slivered almonds, optional
Marinade: Combine soy sauce and minced garlic in medium bowl. Cut steak in half lengthwise and then crosswise into thin strips; toss with marinade to combine. Let
stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
Sauce: Meanwhile combine broth, lemon juice, hoisin,
brown sugar and cornstarch in small bowl; set aside. Remove beef from marinade and pat strips dry with paper
towel (reserving marinade).
Stir-Fry: Heat half the oil in 12-inch (30 cm) non-stick pan
over medium-high heat until sizzling. Scatter half the beef
strips into pan; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until browned
but still pink inside. Return beef to bowl with marinade; set
aside. Repeat with remaining beef.
Heat remaining oil in pan over medium high heat. Add
peppers and broccoli; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add a splash
of water; cover and cook until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Push veggies to side of pan to clear the centre; add
ginger root and garlic to clearing and cook until just fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Add sauce, meat and reserved
marinade; toss together and heat through until bubbling
and sauce thickens slightly. Serve topped with almonds
(if desired).
ORGANIC SAINFOIN SEED
Called “Healthy Hay” in Europe (www.sainfoin.eu)
Sainfoin is an ancient, non-bloating, nutritious, low input,
perennial legume loved by all animals. Recent research from
Utah State University indicates both better meat flavour and
nutrition from sainfoin supplemented forage.
CONTACT
www.primegrains.com
John Husband • (306)739-2900
jhusband@primegrains.com
A world of opportunities at your fingertips!
Visit us online @
www.cherwaylimousin.ca
or follow us on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CherwayLimousin
Bulls for Sale
POLLED,
RED & BLACK
Cherway Limousin
Ph: (204)736-2878
www.mbbeef.ca
Tips to meet the new code requirements
DR. TANYA ANDERSON, DVM
The Vet Corner
With the new year
comes a new calving season and also new regulations pertaining to the
dehorning of calves. Effective January 1, 2016,
the Code of Practice for
the Care and Handling
of Beef Cattle states that
pain control must be used
if dehorning calves after
horn bud attachment.
Dehorning is a necessary though painful
management
practice.
Carcass bruising, particularly of the loins is
double that for horned
versus non-horned cattle.
Studies have estimated
that bruises on fed steers
and heifers cost the beef
industry close to $2 for
every animal marketed.
Losses are even higher
for cull bulls and cows
where major bruises can
affect over 1/3 of animals.
Horned cattle also tend to
be more aggressive at the
feedbunk, in transit and
during handling. It is for
these reasons that cattle
with horns are heavily discounted at auction. Feedlots don’t like
horned cattle, especially
now with the new regulations. If you cannot or
will not dehorn, expect
to lose money come sale
time or invest in the most
welfare friendly option –
homozygous polled bulls
to eliminate the need for
dehorning.
Calves should be dehorned at the earliest age
practical as studies show
that younger calves recover quicker and have
fewer complications than
those dehorned at an
older age. The Canadian
Veterinary Medical Association’s stance is similar
to that of other national
and international organizations – disbud within
the first week of life.
Disbudding is the
term used when dehorning calves while horn development is still at the
horn bud stage – within
the first two months
of age. Horns are special adaptations of the
skin that develop from a
group of cells called the
corium or horn bud. In
calves under two months
of age, these horn buds
are free-floating. Eventually they attach to the
skull bone, developing
a blood supply and connecting with the frontal
sinus. Dehorning at later
stages is more invasive,
more painful, causes
blood loss, exposes the
sinus cavity and increases the risk of sinus
infection and prolonged
wound healing. It is for
this reason that pain
control is mandatory in
older animals.
Dehorning is not
as easy as it looks. Care
must be taken to ensure
that all the horn cells are
removed or the horns
will grow back. Chemical (caustic) and hot-iron
disbudding methods destroy the corium whereas physical methods
(spoon, gouge, wire) of
dehorning excise them.
In the interest of space, I
will not review the techniques for each method
as they are well explained
in various videos online
and can be demonstrated
by your veterinarian or
an animal health technician. Instead, I will review the different pain
control options that are
available.
Dehorning cattle of
any age without anesthetic is inhumane and
unethical. Local anesthesia, combined with a
sedative and a pain reliever provides the best
pain relief.
Unfortunately xylazine, the most
commonly used sedative
for cattle is not a safe
choice for young calves.
However, sedation is
generally not necessary
in young calves that can
be easily physically restrained to enable blocking of the cornual nerve
which supplies sensation
to the horn. Ask your
veterinarian to teach you
how to give a cornual
nerve block using Lidocaine anesthetic.
The
volume used (3-10mL)
depends on the size of
the animal. Allow several minutes for “freezing”
to occur as evidenced by
a drooping of the eyelid.
While waiting, use the
time to do other process-
ing like eartagging or
vaccinating. Don’t forget
to administer a long-acting pain medication like
Metacam to provide relief over the next couple
of days.
Remember that dehorning and disbudding
are surgical procedures.
Ask your veterinarian for
advice on selecting the
best procedure for your
operation and review
your technique, especially if you are experiencing complications. Only
dehorn healthy animals
that are on a good plane
of nutrition. Copper deficiency can cause fatal
hemorrhage due to an
impaired ability of the
blood to clot. Unnecessary stress on sick, weak
or pregnant animals will
further delay their recovery.
At this time, dehorning still remains a necessary evil in the beef
industry though great
strides have been made
in understanding the genetics of the polled gene.
The main take home at
this time is to not procrastinate – dehorn at as
young an age as possible
and remember that pain
control is required, both
ethically and by law.
March 10, 2016
1:00 pm
Spring Creek Ranch,
Moosomin, SK
100 Red & Black Simmentals, Red & Black Angus & Black Best beef bulls.
MBJ 23C
Anchor D Viper x KOP Crosby
18th Annual
Bull & Female Sale
MBJ 99C
Springcreek All In 155Y x Springcreek Knockout
MBJ 7C
Saturday, April 2nd - 1:00 p.m.
S Titlest x Springcreek Lotto
MBJ 153C
JL Upward x TNT Gunner
Goodeve, Sask. - Approx. 90 miles west of Russell, MB
On the Farm
Bull & Heifer Video available March 10 online.
All Bulls Semen
Tested & Performance Data
Available
Crescent Creek Pacsetter 12 C BW 96LB
Bulls can be delivered
or picked up sale day
($75 credit)
Crescent Creek Imprint 23 C. BW 86LB
60 Black Angus Bulls • 45 Open Replacement Heifers
LCF 74C
RRAR 37C
JL Upward x Dunlouise Commander Bond
Red MRLA 200Z x Red Soo Line Chief
Brian McCarthy & Family
Crescent Creek Angus
Box 467, Moosomin, SK S0G 3N0
PH: 306.435.3590 • Cell: 306.435.7527
brian.mccarthy@live.ca
springcreeksimmentals.com
Home (306) 876-4420
Wes & Kim Olynyk & Family
Cell (306) 728-8284
Box 192, Goodeve, SK S0A 1C0
Darren Bouchard (204) 526-7407
info@crescentcreekangus.com • www.crescentcreekangus.com
FOR SALE
Sound, quiet bulls
Built to last and add
$$$ to your wallet
Cattle that work:
Monty Thomson
Cell #: (204) 870-0089
Gladstone, MB
www.hatfieldclydesdales.com
Good milk production,
sound legs & udders,
Fertile & functional
www.mbbeef.ca
Markets see volatile start to 2016
The best word to describe the opening cattle markets for 2016 would be
volatile. The futures, with the help of the
strong American dollar, regained losses
from December, but just when things
were looking like they might turn around,
fears over the future of the economy driven by a collapsing Chinese stock market
and lower oil prices dragged the cattle
market down.
The record prices established in 2014
and the first quarter of 2015 are now fading in the rear view mirror. The reality is
that cattle prices from the latter half of
2015 to now have dropped in value more
than when BSE crippled the Canadian industry. The prices at the end of 2015 were
very close to that of 2013. Cow-calf producers can take solace in the fact that despite the massive drop this spring, it will
still be the second best price for calves
that they have every received. That, however, cannot be said for the backgrounding and finishing feedlots that purchased
the cattle last fall. They are currently
looking at losses on the background side
of $80 to $150 per head negative margins
while some of the finishing lots are looking at even more losses ranging from $200
to $350 per head. Those losses would be
even higher if it were not for the exchange
rates for the Canadian dollar. The $1.40
plus exchange rate has stopped the Canadian cattle market from even greater
devaluation.
The one noticeable change that we
could see in 2016 is the way cattle feeders price and source their replacement
inventory. Over the past two years we
RICK WRIGHT
The Bottom Line
saw more and more feeder cattle forward price contracted - in some cases six
months in advance. The opening trend for
2016 is leaning more toward a cash market with prices offered seven to fourteen
days prior to actual delivery. What is also
very evident is that Canadian cattle feeders are following the lead of the American
feeders by bidding much closer to where
the cattle can be supported by the futures
market with a profit built in. This practice
of following the futures market has contributed to much of the volatility in the
cash auctions at both the auction markets
and electronic sales. The predictability of
the live cattle markets has all but disappeared since November/December of
2015. The Americans have always been
much more sensitive than the Canadians to following the cattle futures market;
those who strayed away from that practice are the ones who suffered the biggest
losses in the finished market in the fourth
quarter of 2015.
There are many other factors that
will have a major effect on the developing
cattle markets over the next 10 months.
There has been rapid expansion for the
beef cattle herd in the United States. This
means that there are fewer heifers going
to the feedlots and fewer cows going to
the packing plants. Despite the expansion
of the beef herd, production in the United
States was its lowest since 1993. Favourable weather conditions helped pasture
and crop production, which both supported the expansion. Good weather will
contribute to the continued expansion in
2016 but if drought should occur, the expansion will be curtailed. In Canada, this
trend is expected to continue as prices begin to fall back.
Export potential south of the border will still be hindered in 2016 due
to the high price of beef and the strong
American dollar. Demand for domestic
ground beef should increase as Australia’s drought has reduced cattle numbers
in that country to the point that they are
rebuilding the herd, and there will be considerably less beef offered to North America. With mandatory COOL starting to be
dismantled, there will be more demand
by American packers for Canadian cattle
and beef products. Combine that with the
strong purchasing power of the American
dollar, and things look promising for the
Canadian feeding industry in 2016. The
other good news is that pork and poultry
production is only expected to increase by
two per cent in 2016, which should keep
their prices in line.
The biggest unknown in 2016 will be
the economy. In the past, when we talked
about the economy’s effect on the beef
market, it meant the ability of the consumer to be able to purchase beef compared to
the other proteins. This year it will be the
global money market’s influence on the
live cattle and feeder cattle futures market that will drive price fluctuations. The
BULL SALE
Thursday, February 18, 2016
on the Ranch at Russell, Manitoba
MMJ 31B
70
Two Year
Old Bulls
PB Black Simmental
MMJ 28B
Black and Red Simmentals,
Angus and Simm-Angus bulls
Also Selling Bred Purebred & Commercial Females
Red Simmental
MMJ 2B
PB Red Simmental
futures market is the benchmark for all
of the risk management options that are
available to the cattle industry. The problem is that the cattle industry has very
little control over the price fluctuations
that seem to happen to the futures market on a daily basis. The money managers
reacting to the volatility of things like the
Chinese stock market, oil prices, political unrest and a host of other issues, buy
and sell contracts to take profits, or free
up cash to take advantage of other investment opportunities. With the daily limits at $3 on the finished cattle and $4.50,
on the feeders, with expanded limits to
over $6.50 on the feeders, the futures can
change the value of the cash cattle a great
deal in one day. On January 19, 2016, the
Canadian dollar was trading at $146.25.
The feeder cattle limits for that day had
been expanded to $6.75. If markets had
dropped the limit, that would have meant
a drop of $9.87 cents per pound Canadian. No wonder the feeders are nervous
about purchasing and are changing their
purchase prices a number of times daily.
According to Sterling Profit Tracker
in the US, American cattle feeders who
did not hedge their cattle lost an average of $239.00 per head in 2015, with the
worst losses in December at $695. The
cattle feeding industry lost $4.7 billion in
2015 compared to a profit of $3.9 billion
in 2014.
It looks like cow-calf producers will
be forced to take less for their calves in
2016, as the feeding industry works toward recovery.
Until next time, Rick
HigH Quality Bulls
from Reputation Breeders
March 8 • MctavisH Charolais Charolais & Red
angus Bull sale, at the farm, Moosomin, sK
March 15 • gilliland BRos. Charolais Bull sale,
at the farm, Carievale, sK
March 17 • diaMond W Charolais, Red & Black
angus Bull sale, Minitonas, MB
March 19 • Pleasant daWn Charolais Bull sale,
Heartland livestock, virden, MB
March 22 • stePPleR FaRMs Bull sale, at the
farm, Miami, MB
March 23 • Hta Charolais & guests Bull sale,
Beautiful Plains ag Complex, neepawa, MB
March 29 • PRaiRie distinCtion Charolais Bull
sale, Beautiful Plains ag Complex, neepawa, MB
april 2 • tRi-n Charolais Farms & guests Bull sale,
Heartland livestock, virden
MMJB 40B
PB Black Simmental
MLG 39B
PB Black Angus
MLG 40B
PB Black Angus
april 7 • HunteR Charolais Bull sale, at the farm,
Roblin, MB
For more information contact:
306-584-7937
Helge By 306-536-4261
Candace By 306-536-3374
charolaisbanner@gmail.com
124 Shannon Road, Regina, SK S4S 5B1
Catalogues available online a month prior to sale at
Miles Glasman
Bonnie Glasman
Jared Glasman
(204) 773-6275
(204) 773-0094
(204) 796-0999
(204) 773-3279
mjfarms@inetlink.ca
Visit Us At:
www.mjsimmentalangus.com
www.glasmanfarms.com
Or Come See Us At The Auction:
2 1/2 miles South of Russell on Highway 16
Matthew & Leanne Glasman
Cell:
(204) 773-6055
(204) 773-3209
mlg@glasmanfarms.com
www.mbbeef.ca
www.bylivestock.com
New on-farm TB risk assessments in RMEA
ANGELA LOVELL
Cattle producers in
the Riding Mountain
Eradication Area (RMEA)
are being encouraged to
book an on-farm tuberculosis (TB) risk assessment this spring.
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) started
delivering the on-farm
TB risk assessments last
year. The assessments
are funded though the
federal-provincial Growing Forward II initiative
at no cost to participating
producers. “We are hoping to try and get as many
done as we can throughout January to March,”
says Mary Paziuk, who
has been contracted
by MBP to perform
the assessments.
Gathering TB Risk Data
“The on-farm TB risk
assessment program is
just one component of the
Bovine TB Management
Program,” says Carollyne
Kehler, Project Coordinator at the Manitoba Beef
Producers. “In order for
us to say we have minimal
risk for TB in wildlife or
livestock herds we have
to measure it and this is
one of the many ways we
are collecting information about the risk for TB
transfer into livestock.
The more producers who
participate, the stronger
and more representative
is the data. This information can also be used as
evidence to take to the
USDA so they can improve our TB status and
remove trade restrictions.”
Previous
on-farm
TB risk assessments were
performed by Manitoba
Agriculture, Food & Rural Development (MAFRD) staff. “The assessment questionnaire has
been tweaked so that the
numbers generated out
of it work better in a database,” says Paziuk. “This
has been in the works for
a few years and what took
the time was designing
the database so the data
can be used for risk assessment for the entire
area.”
Scientists in Saskatoon, Edmonton and Ottawa are currently work-
ing on computer-based
models to predict the likelihood of there being TB
in livestock, and wild elk
and deer in the RMEA.
Although data from previous assessments hasn’t
been used for this purpose, once there is a sufficient amount of information generated through
the new on-farm TB risk
assessments, it can be utilized in these models to
more accurately reflect
the level of risk.
Identifying Ways to
Reduce TB Risk
Paziuk says producers probably only need to
do an assessment every
three or four years, or if
they are making major
changes on their farms,
but it’s a useful process
to go through, even if
they have done an assessment before, because it
may identify additional
things they can do to reduce their risk. As well,
when producers do more
than one assessment, it
can demonstrate how the
risk has been reduced.
“Many RMEA producers
have already implemented measures to reduce the
interaction of wildlife and
cattle, thereby reducing
the risk of TB transmission into their herds, so
for them it’s a matter of
re-evaluating the things
that they have already
done,” she adds.
Producers who complete on-farm TB risk assessments are also eligible
for programs through
MAFRD that help with
the cost of preventative
measures such as barrier
fencing or guardian dogs.
Laraine Mitchell already has barrier fencing and gates around her
winter feed storage, and
will probably add some
more fencing around the
feeding area after completing the on-farm TB
risk assessment for the
first time last May. She is
hopeful that the program
will gather enough information to prove the risk
of TB in the area is low
enough that TB testing
might become unnecessary down the road. “We
have been testing for over
10 years,” says Mitchell, who has a 50-head
cow/calf operation near
Grandview. “We have al-
ways tested clear. I am
hoping that by participating in the program we can
help provide the information that’s needed to demonstrate we are very low
risk.”
The on-farm risk
assessment took about
an hour and a half, says
Mitchell, and was easy to
do. “Most of the questions
were about the movement
of cattle and where they
graze and are watered,
where and how they are
marketed,” she says. “Also
whether we see any wildlife around our animals
and how we minimize the
contact between wildlife
and the cattle.”
Helping to Understand
the Risk
“We are looking at
how feed is stored, and
feeding areas, but also
things like where salt
and minerals are placed,”
says Paziuk. “We also try
to determine the prevalence of wildlife, because
wild animals don’t follow
boundaries, so within the
RMEA there are people
that have a fairly insignificant risk just because
the wildlife isn’t in their
area, while others might
have a more significant
risk because it happens
to be where the wildlife
go through. If a producer
has seen wildlife around
their herd, they are the
ones who have probably
already been looking at
fencing of areas where
they’re feeding to prevent
interaction.”
Mitchell believes the
on-farm TB risk assessment is definitely beneficial. “It just makes you
understand how important this is, and understand the risks that you
may have on the farm
and how you can correct
them,” she says.
The benefit to producers, says Paziuk, is
that it gives them an opportunity to fine tune
their operation. “The
wider benefit to everyone in the RMEA is to
prove that what they have
been doing is working
and that the prevalence
of TB is decreasing lower
all the time to the point
where it’s eradicated,”
she adds. “That’s ultimately what we’re trying
to achieve.”
WHY
GELBVIEH
Because Gelbvieh genetics will complement your cowherd by adding extra milk,
extra growth and extra meat.
All traits that will improve your bottom line in today’s cattle industry.
Contact a Gelbvieh breeder for a profitable addition to your heard!
Ian Thackeray - President Box 1002 Weyburn, Sk S4H 2L2 306-456-2555 tgfis@sasktel.net
www.mbbeef.ca
Cynthia Wirgau – Secretary
Box 25 Narcisse, MB R0C 2H0
PH:204-278-3255
maplegrove@xplornet.com
Your sustainability story and the role of research
CHRISTINE RAWLUK
National Centre for Livestock and the
Environment, University of Manitoba
Increasing scrutiny of agriculture by the general public is a
reality. Agriculture’s contribution
to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change is a
prime example.
Fueled by the global climate
change summit in Paris late last
year, reducing greenhouse gas
emissions is top of mind. Both
the federal and provincial governments recently restated their
commitments to reducing Canada’s and Manitoba’s contributions,
with the province releasing their
climate change action plan.
Beef producers are doing
their part to reduce greenhouse
gas contributions, both on the
farm and through check-off dollars. The unbiased third party
research you help fund can be
used to demonstrate the positive changes the cattle industry is
making.
An example of this is a joint
research initiative by the University of Manitoba and Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada scientists
that shows a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per unit of
beef produced in 2011 compared
to in 1981.
Agricultural research is vital to understand those practices
which increase or decrease greenhouse gas emissions and by how
much. Scientific data is used to
continuously improve the accuracy of emissions estimations and
to identify promising management practices for reducing emissions. Field studies put promising
practices to the test to see if they
really work and provide realistic
expectations for using these practices on-farm.
If you attended one of the
recent Beef Week talks, you were
called to “tell your story” to the
public. Science-based information plays an important role in
telling your story as consumers
regard scientific institutions as a
highly trusted source of information.
Throwing money away
Greenhouse gas losses from
agriculture decrease profitability. Feed and fertilizer are two of
the biggest input costs in agriculture. Enteric methane is feed
energy that could have been used
for milk or meat production in
cattle. Nitrous oxide is the loss of
nitrogen originating from soils,
manures, and fertilizers, making
it no longer available for plant
uptake. Management practices
that retain feed for animal energy
and nitrogen as fertilizer for plant
uptake, rather than losing them as
methane or nitrous oxide, results
in increased productivity rather
than contributing to climate
change.
Greenhouse gas accounting for
the farm
During a grazing research
trial in southeast Manitoba, the
addition of manure greatly improved forage quality and productivity. Crude protein increased
70-85 per cent, pasture carrying
capacity increased from 89 to 340
grazing days, and pasture weight
gains increased as much as threefold. Methane emissions from
steers grazing grassland fertilized
with liquid hog manure were similar to those from steers grazing
non-manured grasses.
In a separate study, it was
found that feeding high quality
forages reduced daily methane
emissions as well as total emissions for the backgrounding
phase, as it took far fewer days to
reach weight gain targets compared to feeding low quality forages.
What about the big picture?
When assessing the merits
of a particular on-farm management practice, it is important to
think of the big picture. What are
potential gains and losses for the
whole farm? What other factors
come into play?
Completely
eliminating
greenhouse gases from agriculture is neither a realistic nor an
achievable goal. When telling
your story, it is important to consider greenhouse gas mitigation
within the big picture of farm
management. Do the benefits of
a particular management practice
outweigh the costs? Are there ad-
www.mbbeef.ca
ditional unintended or indirect
benefits to account for?
For example, in the grazing trial described above we also
measured nitrous oxide emissions from the land. Modelling of
the whole farm system revealed
trade-offs between reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and
gains in productivity and long
term sustainability.
Adding manure replenished
low soil nitrogen levels which in
turn increased overall farm productivity, but also increased total
greenhouse gas emissions by upwards of 50%. Yet to be sustainable over the long term, nitrogen
removed from soil must be replaced. It is not realistic to recommend not fertilizing low fertility pastureland as a beneficial
management practice (BMP), no
matter what the greenhouse gas
savings, as there would be other
unacceptable costs to overall sustainability.
Perennial grasslands by
their very nature are valuable for
greenhouse gas mitigation. Year
after year perennial plants extract
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, building a carbon reserve
in the soil over time. Because of
this capacity to tie up carbon in
soil, perennial grasslands are classified as carbon sinks.
Studies on two Manitoba
farms showed annual gains of
up to 400 kgs of carbon per year
from an established perennial
field while converting an annually
cropped field to alfalfa generated
an annual greenhouse gas sink of
about 4,000 kgs carbon dioxide
equivalents per hectare.
At a whole farm level, the
benefit of having perennial pastures or hayland to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
will help to offset greenhouse gas
emissions from other parts of the
farm, such as methane from cattle.
Other added benefits include reduced soil erosion and increased
biodiversity, to name a few.
Manitoba made greenhouse gas
mitigation strategies
Through our research we
develop and test made-at-home
BMPs on an ongoing basis, using
science-based data collected in
Manitoba under Manitoba production conditions. These BMPs
are aimed at reducing greenhouse
gas emissions while also improving productivity. The end goal is
always to develop BMPs that not
only work, but that also have a
high likelihood of being implemented on farm.
Animal scientist Kim Ominski and soil scientists Brian Amiro
and Mario Tenuta led the research
highlighted in this article and are
part of the multidisciplinary research team with the National
Centre for Livestock and the Environment. Their GHG research
is funded in part through AAFC’s
Agricultural Greenhouse Gases
Program.

February 2016 - Manitoba Beef Producers

Transcription

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