Manitoba Beef Producers partnered with Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Inc. to organize calving workshops in Ste. Rose and Rosa. Special thanks to:
arranging rental of the Shevchenko Ukrainian Centre in Rosa; Manitoba Agriculture for promotional efforts, inviting MBP to partner on the producer meeting in
provided by Dr. Deanne Wilkinson-MB Agriculture Extension Veterinarian;
Boehringer Ingelheim (represented by Devin Boitson)
BY: ANGELA LOVELL
Manitoba is very much the odd one out when it comes to livestock inspection, with British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan all having long-established inspection services and legislation that requires inspection for both incoming and outgoing cattle.
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has been soliciting feedback from its members as to whether these services should be expanded in Manitoba to help act as a deterrent against cattle theft and fraud, and to instill confidence throughout the value chain.
“Producers attending our district meetings and those who have spoken with us recognize that it may be time to get on the same page as the other provinces to the west who have had livestock inspection for many years,” says Carson Callum, MBP General Manager. “That being said, we are doing our due diligence to make sure we hear from as many producers as we can before making any decision whether implementation is needed or not.”
Manitoba inspections are currently voluntary
Last year, 167,362 voluntary livestock inspections were done in Manitoba, mainly on cattle being shipped
to feedlots, auction marts or packers in the west.
Currently, Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) – a non-profit organization that provides manifests, livestock brand registration and inspection services for cattle and horses – performs the livestock inspections in Manitoba at a cost of $2.75 per head. LSS currently has around 50 to 60 part-time inspectors who inspect upwards of 1.5 million cattle a year. Livestock inspectors visually inspect cattle and issue a certificate that establishes who owns them and provides a record of the livestock type, head counts, brands (if used) and the transporter used to move them. All of this information moves with the animals in transit.
Deterring theft and fraud
When livestock inspection services were introduced in Saskatchewan decades ago it was mainly to deter cattle theft and fraud, but it has evolved to provide many other associated benefits. But, with crimes involving cattle having increased in Manitoba over the past few years, it’s definitely a factor that’s creating renewed interest in a way to verify ownership of cattle.
“When calves are worth $2500 or $3000 as opposed to $1200 to $1500, they start getting the attention of peo-
Farming is in my blood. My grandparents farmed, my parents farmed, I farm, and now my kids are farming. You keep going.”
Dean Laval Laval Family Farm, Deloraine, MB
ple who are a little unscrupulous,” says Allan Munroe of the Manitoba Livestock Markets Association.
Cattle fraud includes harbouring of animals that have strayed onto neighbouring pastures and are not returned to their owners. Even if the original owner is able to identify their animals, there is currently no way, in Manitoba, to claim them.
“The feeder co-ops in Manitoba have always required branding, but when people who have had cattle go missing see their brand on cattle, with our legislation, they can’t claim ownership to them,” says Munroe. “There will always be dishonest people but it makes it more difficult for them if we have effective regulations and a big part of that is livestock inspection.”
Livestock inspection does, of course, have to go hand in hand with enforcement, and all three western provinces have specially trained RCMP officers dedicated to investigating livestock related crime. MBP continues to advocate for the creation of a similar Livestock Investigations Unit in Manitoba, although it is unlikely to develop without a livestock inspection program to work alongside it.
page 8
As we are looking ahead to 2025 and wishing everyone the best in finishing up 2024, we’ve already had a glimpse of what 2025 has in store for us. If it is any indication so far, from a national perspective, it looks like trade will be at the forefront. This isn’t coming as a surprise, and I’d like to think that the beef industry saw this coming, and we have been proactive in ramping up efforts through all the latter half of 2024 and into 2025.
Last year ended up as a record year for Canadian cattle exports and 75% of that went to the United States. With that in mind, the Canadian Cattle Association and the provincial associations have been working together to strengthen those relationships through a lot of communication and presence at industry association
MATTHEW ATKINSON President’s Column
meetings. This is all done in the hopes that having these strong relationships and lines of communication already in place can be used to expand upon this mutually beneficial trade in which we engage.
One of the other big points here in Manitoba is of course the prospect of moving to mandatory livestock inspection to help deter theft and fraud in our sector, as opposed to the current system of producers paying for it
Boissevain-Morton, Brenda-Waskada, Grassland, Deloraine-Winchester, and Two Borders
DISTRIC T 2 MARK SCHRAM
Argyle, Cartwright-Roblin, KillarneyTurtle Mountain, Lorne, Louise, Pembina, and Prairie Lakes
DISTRIC T 3 ANDRE STEPPLER Cartier, Du erin, Grey, MacDonald, Portage la Prairie, Rhineland, Roland, Stanley, Thompson, Montcalm, Morris, and Ritchot
DISTRIC T 4 BYRON FALK De Salaberry, Emerson-Franklin, Hanover, La Broquerie, Piney and Stuartburn, Montcalm, Morris, Ritchot, Spring eld, Ste. Anne, Taché, R.M. of Piney and Reynolds
DISTRIC T 5 STEVEN MANNS Cornwallis, Elton, Norfolk-Treherne, North Norfolk, Oakland-Wawanesa, Glenboro-South Cypress, and Victoria
DISTRIC T 6 BRIAN ENGLISH Pipestone, Riverdale, Sifton, Souris-Glenwood, Wallace-Woodworth, and Whitehead
DISTRIC T 7 T YLER FULTON 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT Ellice-Archie, Hamiota, Prairie-View, Riding Mountain West, Rossburn, Russell-Binscarth, and Yellowhead
DISTRIC T 8 MATTHEW ATKINSON Clanwilliam-Erickson, Glenella-Lansdowne, Harrison-Park, Minto-Odanah, Oakview, North Cypress-Langford, Rosedale, and West Lake-Gladstone
DISTRIC T 9 TREVOR SUND Alexander, Brokenhead, East St. Paul, Lac Du Bonnet, Rockwood, Rosser, St. Andrews, St. Clements, St. Francois Xavier, West St. Paul, Whitemouth, Woodlands, LGD of Pinawa, Reynolds, Spring eld, Ste. Anne, and Taché
DISTRIC T 10
MIKE DUGUID SECRETARY Armstrong, Bifrost-Riverton, Fisher, and Gimli
DISTRIC T 11
ARVID NOTT VEIT Coldwell, Grahamdale, St. Laurent, and West Interlake
DISTRIC T 12
MARK GOOD TREASURER Alonsa, Lakeshore, McCreary, and Ste. Rose
on an as-needed basis. This was a big topic of discussion throughout our fall district meetings, but we really are at the big decision-making time for this matter. We will be talking extensively about livestock inspection again at our 46th Annual General Meeting (AGM) during the resolutions debate on the afternoon of February 20th at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. I would encourage anyone with an opinion on either side of this issue to use that opportunity, or the time leading up to the meeting, to voice their concerns or ask questions to us to gain a better understanding.
For example, we have a survey on our website asking for your feedback on whether you see value in expanded livestock expansion. To learn more about inspection and to complete the survey, go to https://mbbeef.ca/events/ and click on the AGM information page. You can see the resolution we are going to debate in this edition of Cattle Country.
If a decision is made to go ahead with mandatory livestock inspection, MBP would then take that to the provincial government as a recommendation and they in turn will have a lengthy process of updating legislation and regulations and having consultations, so nothing is an immediate flip of a switch. It is important to note that the government will want to know that industry is ready to proceed with a change to mandatory inspection. This really emphasizes how important it is for us to make a once-and-for-all decision on it. Historically this has come up for discussion with Manitoba Beef Producers every few years, but I believe at this point, we are further along with it in terms of producer interest in this matter than at any other time in the past. As such, we are definitely at that point now to make a decision at our February AGM to either move it ahead by asking the Manitoba government to put the tools in place needed to proceed with implementation and if not, to put the idea to rest for good.
With that in mind, I would encourage everybody to please come out to our AGM in late February, see friends and colleagues, hear some industry updates, and take the opportunity to discuss these and other topics along the way.
In other matters, we continue to hear more problems with wildlife interactions, and we continue working on this. One area is predation, which as we all know has been a huge problem for the last few years. We know it’s not going away anytime soon and are working to address shortfalls. One of the other big areas of problematic wildlife interactions we have heard a lot about is great concern over the number of elk in many regions of the province and how challenging that is for fences and stored feed. And of course, the huge concern with elk interactions is always the potential risk for disease transfer, like bovine tuberculosis. It was announced by the province late in 2024 that they will be doing some more wildlife counts to get a sense of numbers and where these populations of wildlife are, so that they then can make better informed decisions to be able to address a lot of this through things like numbers of hunting licenses and length of season. MBP has for years been raising with the province the importance of regular surveys being done of different types of wildlife to get a better understanding of what’s happening out there on the landscape.
We look forward to seeing you at the AGM in the weeks ahead, and here’s to a successful calving season as that process is underway again for many of you.
Happy New Year! As I sit writing this in the middle of January, there are lots of positives on the horizon. Snow and moisture are plentiful, so the worry of low dugouts and no spring moisture isn’t there. This can always go the other way in terms of too much moisture, but it still a better position to be in compared to 2021. The price for live cattle has been favorable to date and holding strong.
However, 2025 has some challenges looking ahead. The main worry is the impact of proposed broad-based tariffs being enacted by our biggest trading partner, the United States. President-elect Trump has been indicating that this may happen, but we won’t know for sure what could be involved until this issue hits your mailbox. If tariffs were to be enacted if would be detrimental to both beef producers and consumers on either side of the border. MBP and our industry partners across the country have been preparing for a response, but we hope that our integrated partnership with the US will continue with no or only limited trade impacts.
As we think about challenges on the horizon, both short and long term, it highlights the need for development and use of robust Business Risk Management (BRM) tools to help weather the storms. Livestock Prive Insurance (LPI) is a good example of a program designed to cover risk from market downturns, such as tariffs or an animal disease outbreak. I strongly encourage producers to look at this option. We are constantly stressing to provincial and federal governments the need for cost-shared premiums to help with the affordability of the LPI program, but it’s still a good option given the short-term concern with the US. To learn more about
CARSON CALLUM General Manager’s Column
LPI visit https://lpi.ca/ or https://www.masc.mb.ca/masc. nsf/program_livestock_price_insurance.html
Another BRM tool that is in need of improvement is forage insurance. I am part of a Canada wide working group looking at how to improve the tools offered in various provinces, and I see a lot of opportunities. The use of technologies such as satellite and infrared can really improve the accuracy of moisture index-based coverages. Two projects are being looked in Saskatchewan, with partnership from Manitoba. Outcomes of these projects could greatly improve our BRM tools for pasture coverage in the short term, and potentially the harvested forage programs down the road. With the volatility of weather patterns the last few years, strong coverage for a beef producers’ greatest input would be a huge help to manage risk. Keep in touch with MASC on their programs offered and provide feedback to them on current ones and what is or isn’t working on your operation. It all helps to improve the overall system.
I hope you are reading this well before our 46th Annual General Meeting on February 20th and 21st at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg. We have a great event lined up, with informative speakers, and, the chance to network with your fellow producers, government officials and other value chain members. Plus there will be a tasty beef meal and some entertainment via comedian
The main driver for AGM attendance though is the discussion and resolution about the potential for mandatory livestock inspection services being implemented in Manitoba. This will be during our business portion of the event during the afternoon of February 20th. The intent is to have a really good discussion about how it works in other jurisdictions, perspectives from key players in our industry, and then debate a resolution on whether MBP should advocate further for its mandatory implementation. We hope many folks come out, so our board can get the direction we need. See the resolution and an article on this topic in this edition of Cattle Country.
If are unable to attend the AGM to take part in the mandatory livestock inspection resolution discussion, MBP still values your feedback and we have created a general survey to solicit producers’ views on it. Please note that this separate survey is not a formal vote on the proposed resolution, but rather it is designed to provide MBP with more producer feedback on this topic. To see the survey and to register for the AGM, go to https:// mbbeef.ca/our-news/2754/
We look forward to seeing many of you at our AGM. We are in for some interesting times with the threat of tariffs, FMD concerns globally following the recent discovery of this disease in a small herd of water buffalo in Germany, and may other issues. That being said, I think our industry has the leaders in place provincially and nationally to really help drive it forward and handle the complexities of the world stage.
Cheers all!
Manitoba Beef Producers’ (MBP) board of directors is bringing forward two resolutions for debate at MBP’s 46th Annual General Meeting, one dealing with the potential for mandatory livestock inspection services in Manitoba, and the other seeking cost-shared premiums for Livestock Price Insurance.
As well, a late resolution was received from District 9 dealing with an interest in livestock producers being able to defer income from the sale of all classes to future years. The resolution was considered by MBP’s board of directors, deemed to be in order and will also be taken forward for debate at the AGM. Late resolutions were accepted by MBP’s board for consideration for debate until Friday, January 10th Information about all three proposed resolutions follows.
Resolutions will be debated and voted upon during the business portion of the AGM taking place the afternoon of February 20th at the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre at 1808 Wellington Avenue in Winnipeg.
There is no charge to attend the business and knowledge transfer portions of the 46th AGM, but banquet tickets are $60 each plus service fees. Pre-registration is respectfully requested to assist MBP with meal counts. To register go to: https://mbbeef. ca/events/46th-annual-general-meeting-presidents-banquet-and-tradeshow/
MBP Board Resolution 1: Whereas cases of theft or fraud related to Manitoba’s cattle industry have proven very costly and disruptive for the affected parties, and can undermine the confidence of lenders, investors and buyers when undertaking livestock-related transactions in Manitoba; and
Whereas livestock inspection ‒ a tool used to help demonstrate ownership using various cattle identification methods ‒ can be an important means of deterring theft and fraud, thereby helping to better secure livestock-related commerce; and Whereas inspection could potentially provide other value-added elements for Manitoba producers, such as the provision of digital manifests and helping to facilitate movement reporting and traceability requirements; and
Whereas Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) has an established history of conducting livestock inspections on Manitoba cattle on an as-needed, fee-for service basis and could be in a position to expand this service; and
Whereas the existing livestock inspection levels in Manitoba currently only cover a limited volume of total cattle-related transactions in the province, and
Whereas the legislative and regulatory environment could be improved in Manitoba to facilitate matters such as livestock inspectors being able to detain cattle or to direct the dealer to hold the sales proceeds until ownership of inspected cattle is verified; and
Whereas Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) has been investigating the various steps needed to potentially create a mandatory livestock inspection system in Manitoba, including factors such as: cost framework; required provincial legislative or regulatory changes; the service provider and logistics for expanding inspection; the value-added potential from inspection; engaging with other value chain members about their expectations and/or concerns; whether there are funding opportunities to help offset costs of implementing expanded inspection; the possible creation of a Livestock Investigations Unit tasked with investigating livestock-related crimes that could help support the work of livestock inspectors; and more; and,
Whereas MBP has been working to raise awareness of the merits of expanded livestock inspection, including at its fall 2024 district meetings where the majority of those producer attendees indicated a strong level of interest in and support for expanded inspection services as a means of helping to deter theft and fraud, as well as to potentially capture other value-added opportunities; and
Whereas if the Government of Manitoba is to make the legislative and/or regulatory changes, as well as other mechanisms necessary to support the implementation of mandatory livestock inspection it will want to be confident that the majority of the province’s cattle producers are in favour of such a move.
Therefore be it resolved to recommend that Manitoba Beef Producers now ask the Government of Manitoba to work with value chain members to take the necessary steps needed to implement mandatory livestock inspection in Manitoba, including: making required legislative and/or regulatory changes; working with the prospective delivery agent on a service agreement; determining if funding can be secured to help offset the cost of an expanded inspection system; deciding whether an investment can be made to support the creation of a Livestock Investigations Unit; and, any other steps required to move this initiative forward in the most responsive, efficient and cost-effective manner.
MBP Board Resolution 2: Whereas Livestock Price Insurance (LPI) is a forward-looking, market-based, insurance-style program that allows producers to manage price, currency and basis risk protection for all classes of cattle, making it an important business risk management (BRM) tool for Manitoba cattle producers’ longterm sustainability; and
Whereas cattle producers face significant BRM program inequities compared to other agricultural commodities, such as AgriInsurance offerings which provide for cost-shared premiums for crop insurance on a basis of 40% producer/34% federal and 26% provincial government contribution; and
Whereas guaranteed returns through crop insurance may incentivize some producers to convert valuable pasture land into cropland, thereby directly impacting grassland ecosystems and the vital environmental services they provide, such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water management; and
Whereas in the United States, uptake in a program similar to LPI ‒ the Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) program saw its producer participation rate rise substantially when premium subsidies were introduced in 2020; and
Whereas cost-shared premiums for LPI would help put Canadian livestock producers on a more even playing field with crop producers as well as with American cattle farmers and ranchers, both of whom receive premium subsidies through crop insurance and LRP programs; and
Whereas providing equitable support to Canadian beef producers via cost-shared LPI premiums to help offset their enrolment costs would help increase overall program participation rates and help reduce risk in the sector.
Be it resolved to recommend that Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) continue to advocate for the federal and provincial governments to introduce cost-shared premiums for the Livestock Price Insurance program, an approach that would be equal to that provided by the two governments for the crop insurance program under AgriInsurance, which is cost shared on a basis of 40% producer/34% federal and 26% provincial government.
Proposed late resolution (District 9): Whereas grain producers are able to defer income on grain sales to future years, which provides them with opportunities for better tax and business planning, along with the flexibility to take advantage of markets when most suitable for them, but a similar income deferral option does not exist for cattle producers.
Therefore be it resolved to recommend that Manitoba Beef Producers investigate matters related to potentially seeking an amendment the federal tax code to allow livestock producers to defer the income from the sale of all classes of livestock to future years, similar to deferral options available to other agricultural commodities.
As a reminder, voting on MBP resolutions is restricted to producers who are members in accordance with MBP’s bylaws.
As per the Section 1(1) (b) of the bylaws, membership refers to “Every person who is determined by the Board of Directors to be actively engaged in the raising of cattle in Manitoba, and who pays all fees to the Association in the manner and in the amount imposed on sellers of cattle pursuant to regulations made by the Board of Directors from time to time.”
It means that if you have requested a refund in the last 12 months you have not paid all fees to the association as set out by the regulations and are not considered a member in good standing.
BY ANGELA LOVELL
There are a lot of good reasons to include beef in your diet, and brain health is one of them. Beef provides many of the nutrients that the brain needs to maintain its structure and function and guard against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia.
The brain is the most complex organ in the body, made up of billions of cells and hundreds of kilometres of blood vessels, and is an energy ‘hog’, using 20 to 25 per cent of the body’s energy every day. Because 60 per cent of the brain’s weight is fat, it needs plenty of essential fatty acids like omega-6 and omega-3s. In total, it requires more than 40 nutrients daily including protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals.
“Nutrition is everything,” says Doug Cook, a Registered Dietitian and Canada’s leading expert on nutrition and brain health. “We are biological entities made up of many elements and we primarily get them from food. The body is constantly breaking down, remodeling and repairing itself to maintain tissue and it can only do that if it has adequate nutrition because nutrition oversees all the biochemical reactions and regulates everything – mood, cognition, memory, repair, and helps prevent dementia and brain shrinkage due to aging.”
The good news about beef is that it’s a powerhouse when it comes to providing nutrition the brain needs to function effectively and maintain itself. And you don’t have to break the bank eating a 12-oz steak every day. Just 100g of beef, on average, (somewhere between the size of a deck of cards and a computer mouse) provides 35g of protein (as much as six eggs), 10g of fat, seven vitamins and seven minerals, several of which are nutrients commonly lacking in the diets of Canadians.
Good quality protein is a major structural component of the brain and nerves, and is necessary to repair and maintain the brain’s circuitry, and provide amino acids to make the neurotransmitters that are the body’s chemical messengers.
“Beef has got a lot of the key nutrition needed for optimal brain health,” Cook says. “Like all animal foods, nutrients are concentrated in the muscles and organs, and those nutrients are absorbed really well. Beef also contains zinc, selenium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, and other vitamins and minerals, most importantly vitamin B12 which is front and centre for helping prevent brain shrinkage. Beef has a lot of B vitamins necessary for energy metabolism, as well as nutrients that support the inborn antioxidant systems that the body uses minerals to make.”
Not easy to get the message across
After 25 years as a nutrition practitioner, Cook admits that simple human nature can make it hard for people to buy into messages around investing in their long-term health.
“We are all about in the moment, short term, and we don’t think about health dividends 30 years out,” he says.
And it’s true that messages about brain and mental health have been slow to catch up to others around things like diabetes, blood pressure and heart health for a number of reasons.
“There are some historical reasons around stigma for sure, and not understanding it, and it’s a difficult organ to monitor,” Cook says. “We have sophisticated scans but we don’t know what’s happening at the level of the cells. There’s no bloodwork or biopsies that we can take.”
Unfortunately, most Canadians‒according to the Canadian Community Health Survey‒are not meeting
their minimum nutritional requirements.
“If we don’t get enough of the micronutrients the brain needs, it doesn’t have the energy to do what it needs to do, so that impacts everything from mood to memory to tissue repair,” Cook says. “If we don’t get enough omega 3s we can’t maintain the grey matter, which is a contributing factor to brain atrophy that starts in middle age. It shrinks, slows down, can’t repair itself and all the cognitive functions of the brain such as language, learning, memory and perception will be impaired.”
Beef and mental health
Research has shown that more adults (55+) fear dementia than cancer, but it’s predicted that around 1.4 million Canadians will have dementia by 2031. Dementia, however, is not a normal part of aging, and a proper diet can play a significant role in reducing the risk. Studies have shown that weekly meat consumers were 27 per cent less likely to have cognitive disorders than non-meat eaters.
“When it comes to Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, there is no disease with as much risk reduction potential via diet and a proper lifestyle,” Cook says.
Mood and anxiety disorders are now the third most prevalent chronic disease in Canada and it is estimated that one in three people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime.
So, it is significant that red meat consumption is associated with a lower risk of depression. Australian research showed that a diet consisting of mainly vegetables, fruit, meat (beef and lamb), fish and whole grains was associated with a lower likelihood of depressive and anxiety disorders, while a “Western” diet with more processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer was associated with higher odds of depression. Other studies support that meat eaters experience lower depression and anxiety compared to non-meat eaters, and suggest that several nutrients found in meat, including iron, zinc and creatine are associated with the lower depression risk. Beef and the Mediterranean Diet
The media and health professionals often hold up the Mediterranean diet as a great example of how to eat to maintain good overall health, including brain health, but it’s also led to suggestions from some quarters that people should reduce their red meat intake, inferring that it is not a healthy choice.
“A few years ago, we started to see some media articles about the Mediterranean diet being protective for mental health, brain health, mood and anxiety disorders,” says Karine Rekunyk, Director of Health and Nutrition at Canada Beef. “While we believe that is sound advice, what we also began to see was that when anyone brought up the topic of the Mediterranean diet, they were linking it to a diet low in red meat. A Mediterranean diet is not, in fact, low in red meat; that is a myth that has been perpetuated. In fact, meat consumption is one of the few things that is similar between the westernized and the Mediterranean diet. We eat similar amounts of unprocessed fresh red meats, but the Mediterranean diet has much less processed or fast food.”
In fact, differences in these two diets is as much about the way we consume food as what we consume. Our busy North American lifestyles often don’t allow much time for home prepared meals using primary ingredients. In Canada, around 50 per cent of our calories come from ultra processed foods that are nutritionally poor. But it’s not easy to change entrenched eating behaviours.
“We have normalized processed junk foods,”
Rekunyk says. “Having a takeout pizza for dinner is normal now but when you think about it, that shouldn’t be normalized.”
So, Rekunyk and her colleagues at Canada Beef, started to work with Cook and take a deep dive into some of the actual scientific research around red meat consumption and brain health, and have developed tools, including a webpage (https://thinkbeef.ca/brainhealth/ ), factsheets and webinars demonstrating the positive benefits of beef consumption for brain and mental health.
Changing eating behaviour is not easy
Because it isn’t easy to change eating patterns, Cook suggests people try to consider broader food categories – such as leafy greens, fruit and vegetables, fish and seafood, meats, legumes, dairy, fermented foods, nuts and seeds ‒ instead of focusing on individual food items.
“People will look at things like green tea, blueberries, curcumin and other herbs and spices, but if you think about food categories, there are a ton of different foods in each of those categories that can basically meet anyone’s schedule, budget, preference, or dietary restrictions,” he says. “It’s really about making healthier choices to try and displace more of those ultra processed foods.”
It’s also important to understand that what’s good for your brain is good for your whole body. Chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart issues are linked to mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Medical issues and mental health go hand-in-hand.
“Healthy patterns of eating are going to benefit your health from multiple touchpoints like prevention of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, overweight and obesity,” Rekunyk says.
Start early
Brain development starts in the womb, so eating to provide the necessary level of nutrition is important from conception throughout the entire lifespan, but studies repeatedly show that, even right from childhood and adolescence, most Canadians are simply not getting adequate nutrition from their diet.
In 2023, the University of Manitoba published its Food and Nutrition Security for Manitoba Youth (FANS) study that found, of more than 1,500, 14-year-old students surveyed across Manitoba, only two per cent of students had diets classified as ‘good’. Ninety-four per cent did not consume enough vegetables and fruit, 74 per cent were not getting enough dairy products, 57 per cent were not eating enough meat and alternatives, and 42 per cent did not consume enough grains.
The students also ate three to five daily servings of ‘other’ foods outside of the four food groups such as junk food, sweets, sugar-sweetened drinks, and fast foods. Seventy per cent had diets that ‘needed improvement’, and 28 per cent had ‘poor’ diets. A quarter of the students were classified as overweight or obese and many were lacking in essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, calcium, folate, vitamin D and fibre.
“Just as eating properly is important to establish good bones in childhood and adolescence, poor eating habits in childhood will affect our brain health and mental health,” Rekunyk says. “When we normalize poor diets and poor eating and health behaviours, there is a consequence to that.”
While it’s important to establish good eating patterns early on for healthy brain development and maintenance, it’s worth focusing on at any age. Research has also shown that establishing healthy eating patterns from midlife onwards still gives us opportunity to slow the progression of diseases like dementia.
Shawn Cabak Livestock Specialist-Beef Manitoba Agriculture
shawn.cabak@gov.mb.ca
This year’s Beef and Forage Conference held in Portage la Prairie at the end of October had several dynamic speakers talking about important topics to the cattle industry. Participants heard from a variety of presenters from across Canada and the United States talk about issues related to livestock methane production, Johne’s disease, family succession planning, business risk management, mineral and vitamin supplementation, livestock predation control, genomic tools for beef production and more. The conference was organized by Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives and Manitoba Beef Producers.
In Dr. Frank Mitloehner of University of California Davis’ talk on “Climate Smart Livestock: Separating Science from Scare Tactics”, he discussed how globally 73 per cent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are from energy use and 18 per cent are from agriculture and forestry. Of the 18 per cent from agriculture, the bigger contributors are livestock and manure (5.8%), soils (4.1%) and crop burning (3.5%). In the United States, agriculture is responsible for 10 per cent of the GHG emissions with livestock making up four per cent of the 10. So even with livestock representing a low per cent of global GHG emissions, they have received a bad rap.
Through photosynthesis, growing plants utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and sequester additional carbon in the soil. When ruminants eat plants that contain cellulose (not digestible by humans), they release methane. After 10 years in the atmosphere, the methane is converted into CO2 and is available to be absorbed by plants again. This recycled carbon is part of the Biogenic carbon cycle.
When carbon in fossil fuels is pulled up out of the ground and burned in vehicles or used to heat our homes when it is minus 30 degrees Celsius outside, it is added to the atmosphere as CO2 . This carbon came from ancient forests and dinosaurs that lived 100-200 million years ago. The biogenic cow carbon was cycled from the air and through the grass that the cow ate. Cows don’t add additional carbon to the atmosphere. The GHG footprint from cattle can be reduced through productivity improvements. This includes better nutrition and feed additives that reduce methane production, improved genetics and breeding which improve production, higher forage production and carbon sequestration, improved animal health and more.
Dr. Stephanie Hansen of Iowa State University’s presentation on mineral and vitamin nutrition, which can be viewed by scanning the QR code, highlighted the importance of microminerals copper and zinc as well as Vitamin A in cattle diets. Copper plays an important role in the many biological systems in livestock including reproduction and performance. Because of their antagonistic effect, high sulphur, molybdenum or iron in the diet (feed and water) can tie up copper in the animal’s rumen and cause deficiencies. Signs of copper deficiency include a lack of pigmentation (reddish tinge in black cattle), lameness, diarrhea, poor production and open cows.
Recently published data from work led by Dr. Cheryl Waldner with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, SK, showed 64 per cent of mature beef cows in Western Canada and 59 per cent of mature beef cows in Eastern Canada have less than adequate copper status. In Manitoba, a lot of the soils are low in copper resulting in low copper levels in the feed. If you are a cow-calf producer in Manitoba, you need to ensure there is adequate copper supplementation in your herd.
Molybdenum found in Manitoba soils and absorbed by plants which are fed in a livestock ration will tie up copper. The molybdenum in the forage that
binds with the copper in the rumen results in secondary copper deficiency. Primary copper deficiency occurs when there isn’t adequate copper in the livestock diet. Excess sulphur found in some drinking water, in high quality alfalfa, dry distillers grain, canola or polycrops will also tie up copper.
Traditionally nutritionists formulate cattle diets at 10 mg copper/kg of dry matter (ppm) if antagonists (sulphur, molybdenum or iron) are low. If molybendum is greater than two ppm or sulphur is greater than 0.25 per cent in the diet, then copper should be included at 12-15 ppm (or higher) and/or chelated (organic) mineral included in the ration. The organic form minimizes the interactions and enhances the absorption and bioavailability of minerals. Force feeding mineral with the feed (silage/grain) is the best guarantee animals will consume it. Feeding a blend of chelated and non-chelated mineral will help to overcome any possible micro-mineral deficiencies in the diet.
Zinc is important in beef cattle diets and is recommended at 30 mg/kg of dry matter. Since it is deficient in many soils in Manitoba, adequate supplementation is important. Zinc deficiencies can result in decreased growth, feed intake, feed efficiency and other ailments. In work done in Iowa, Dr. Hansen found supplementing calves with 100 ppm zinc prior to shipping resulted in less stress when being transported and calves that gained better before and after shipping.
Dr. John Basarab, University of Alberta, shared the keynote presentation titled “Genomic strategies for improving beef cattle efficiencies in a changing environment.” Basarab’s research focuses on using genomics and genetic recombination for commercial producers. With more genetic diversity comes better health and economics.
Since the early 2000s, there has been a steady decline in heterosis due to single-breed use. Around 40 per cent of cows and calves would benefit from a 30 per cent increase in heterosis. Heterosis increases fertility, longevity and lifetime productivity by 20 to 30 per cent. Additionally, calves with lower hybrid vigor had 43 per cent more health events. Those with higher hybrid vigor were able to handle stressors better. With crossbreeding, genomic retained heterozygosity is linearly related to female fertility. Use of genomic tools has a significant impact on profit, health resilience and reduced the carbon footprint of beef production. When looking at the relative value of different traits, fertility is the most important to a cow-calf producer. Compared to carcass traits, fertility provides 10 times the value for cow-calf production and the area where producers should focus the most effort.
Relative Value of traits to the cow- calf sector
Fertility traits 10
Heifer pregnancy Cow pregnancy Days in the herd
Lifetime productivity
Stayability
Longevity
Growth traits 2
Birth weight
Calving ease
Weaning weight
Yearling weight
Feedlot gain
Feed efficiency
Carcass traits 1
Hot carcass weight
Back fat thickness
Ribeye area
Marbling
Lean meat yield
Tenderness
Heritability (additive genetic effect)
Heterosis (heterozygosity, non-additive genetic effect)
Trenkle & Willham 1977; Melton 1994; Barwick & Nicol 1993
Lois McRae & Joyce Gordon RR 1 Box 57 Brandon, Manitoba R7A 5Y1 h: 204-728-3058 c: 204-573-5192 f: 204-727-7744 marmacfarms1@gmail.com
For the next issue of Cattle Country, a Manitoba Agriculture forage or livestock specialist will answer a selected question. Send your questions to Elizabeth. Nernberg@gov.mb.ca.
StockTalk for Cattle Country is brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture. We encourage you to email your questions to our department’s forage and livestock team. We are here to help make your cattle operation successful. Contact us today.
Andrea Bertholet Killarney 204-851-6087
Andrea.Bertholet@gov.mb.ca
Kristen Bouchard-Teasdale Beausejour 431-337-1688 Kristen.BouchardTeasdale@gov.mb.ca
Shawn Cabak Portage 204-239-3353 Shawn.Cabak@gov.mb.ca
Pam Iwanchysko Dauphin 204-648-3965 Pamela.Iwanchysko@gov.mb.ca
Cindy Jack Arborg 204-768-0534 Cindy.Jack@gov.mb.ca
Juanita Kopp Beausejour 204-825-4302 Juanita.Kopp@gov.mb.ca
Elizabeth Nernberg Roblin 204-247-0087 Elizabeth.Nernberg@gov.mb.ca
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Benefits outweigh the costs
Protecting producers’ ability to access financing is likely the biggest benefit of livestock inspection.
“Part of the benefits of livestock inspection is being able to offer a higher level of security that makes people feel more comfortable investing in the beef industry in this province,” says MBP president, Matthew Atkinson.
“People who run multi-million-dollar businesses say that is the number one thing that inspection gives the industry is the ability for the financial community to continue to put credit dollars in and know that the inspection process will provide a level of assurance for that investment,” says Jason Pollock of LSS.
Producers are understandably always concerned about adding costs, but Atkinson sees livestock inspection as another form of insurance.
“If it adds a few dollars a head to protect the investment, that’s pretty cheap insurance,” he says, adding that more and more producers, like himself, are having to pasture cattle further from home because of rising land and rental costs. “I choose to identify my cattle well, they have brands, and double tags but all of those do no good whatsoever if nobody is looking at them.”
LSS has estimated that the value of livestock inspection to Saskatchewan’s livestock industry – including stray animal identification and identifying missing or stolen livestock - is approximately $35 million a year.
Manitoba can choose its own system
MBP sees many benefits in using the existing LSS infrastructure rather than building a new inspection system in Manitoba from scratch. LSS inspectors would provide inspection services as cattle are unloaded at sales facilities, and possibly include traceability options to add extra value for producers. In order to maximize the benefits of expanded livestock inspection in Manitoba, it would have to be mandatory.
“We have seen an increase in issues on trying to trace ownership of cattle, and it makes it hard when it leads back into Manitoba, so we know our system of identifying cattle needs to evolve,” says Atkinson. “One of the key things to getting something better is having somebody that is actually looking at whatever we have. The first thing you need is to actually have inspection and we don’t have that, so we have to decide are we going to stay with nothing forever, and if we are not, what do we want? If we have any sort of oversight of our industry it should be by producers for producers.”
Expanding LSS services in Manitoba would require some regulatory changes. As an example, Saskatchewan’s legislation and regulations empower livestock inspectors to redirect or withhold cattle for clearance when there is a delay in verifying things such as ownership of the livestock, or who is entitled to sale proceeds. The holds can be lifted when information is provided to verify claims
of ownership by the seller, and protect both the seller, purchaser and creditors financing the transaction.
“Animals can come in with multiple identifiers, and that could be dangle tags in their ears, a tattoo, or a hot or freeze brand because some people buy second, third or fourth calvers and cycle them through, and they often have multiple identifiers,” Pollock says. “One of the things that our inspection team does is it verifies the ownership and record of transaction and movement of those animals. Sometimes that verification process takes time to be completed and they can either redirect the proceeds or cattle to the rightful owner or withhold from clearance until it is done.” Most times the ‘clearing’ efforts of inspectors takes place in a timely fashion and seldom impedes commerce.
Saskatchewan’s regulations also allow for creditors to purchase their own brand or identifier to attach to cattle they are financing which clearly signals to inspectors that the animals have a lien on them.
Shipping without inspection is the most common infraction of the Livestock Inspection and Transportation Regulations in Saskatchewan, but there are several other offences related to non-compliance with the legislation as well. They include failure to notify inspection, use of an expired brand, refusal to provide a manifest and failure to obtain a dealer license and bond.
Saskatchewan has a bond requirement for anyone who makes a living from buying and selling animals, and dealers (whether it’s feedlots, auction marts or packers) must make payment within three business days. “It gives the seller a plan B if the buyer doesn’t pay within the prescribed amount of time,” Pollock says.
Though the main benefits for producers of livestock inspection is deterring cattle theft and fraud, and securing credit, there is potential for Manitoba producers to see additional value in terms of help with reporting requirements related to federal traceability and movement reporting, particularly if an electronic record system is used for the inspections.
“There are definitely other benefits because there is a lot of data generated and we are looking at opportunities such as having that data accessible when there is a health emergency in the industry,” Pollock says. “Often, they come back to the inspection documentation or verification of where animals went, how they went, who they co-mingled with, all those things. Because of the manifest system that we have in place all of that information is available, and LSS is in the process of making all that digital.”
To that end, LSS has already developed a digital platform called MyLivestock (https://mylivestock.ca/) that combines, all in one place, information about all the federal and provincial requirements in terms of livestock inspection, transportation including humane
transport regulations as well traceability regulations.
“It’s like a digital briefcase satisfying multiple types of legislation,” Pollock says. “As the producer fills out their manifest, which is the provincial piece of it, it also fills out and provides the data for the federal requirements. Our goal is to simplify the mountain of paperwork that’s coming at producers.”
No mandatory branding
A common misconception among some producers is that livestock inspection means mandatory branding of cattle, which is not the case.
“Livestock inspection is about somebody inspecting whatever we choose to put on our cattle as an identifier, whether that is tags, brands, freeze brands or tattoos; there are many options,” Atkinson says.
Another concern being voiced by producers is whether inspection would affect commerce and delay loading and unloading of cattle at auction marts and buying stations.
“There are always challenges and we understand the concern of buyers who want to get the sale over and
loaded, and not have trucks and drivers waiting around, but it’s something that has been successfully overcome in bigger cattle producing provinces than ours,” Munroe says.
In practice, livestock inspection can speed things up, especially in the case of cattle going to packing plants.
“When cattle come into a packing plant with verification paperwork that assures the dealer (in this case the packer) about ownership of the animals by the seller, they can keep their place in line, which is critical to avoid shrink and other travel issues with cattle coming from any distance,” Pollock says. “If they don’t arrive with paperwork, they are put in a separate queue for inspection that almost always results in a delay which can cost thousands of dollars.”
MBP members will have the chance to discuss and vote on a resolution about livestock inspection at the Annual General Meeting in Winnipeg on February 20 and 21, but in the meanwhile, MBP is encouraging beef producers to contact its staff and directors with their thoughts or questions on this issue.
Check out MyLivestock.ca – an easy-to-use Canada-wide movement management and reporting App developed by Livestock Services of Saskatchewan that brings together information about all the relevant federal and provincial regulations and requirements around moving and selling cattle in Canada.
WRITTEN BY LARISSA SCOTT, ZISANUR RAHMAN, AND HOOMAN DERAKHSHANI FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR LIVESTOCK AND THE ENVIRONMENT, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
Researchers from the University of Manitoba led by Dr. Hooman Derakhshani, in collaboration with universities of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Guelph, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) have launched a groundbreaking research initiative to address methane emissions from Canada’s cattle industry.
Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and private sector partners like Semex and Lactanet, the consortium aims to develop innovative technologies and practices that will reduce the environmental footprint of beef and dairy production while delivering tangible economic and environmental benefits.
Methane: A Dual Challenge for Efficiency and Emissions
Methane, a potent greenhouse gas (GHG), is produced during the breakdown of feed in the rumen. This is a natural process that enables cattle to convert plant material into energy for meat and milk production. However, it results in the production of methane and may lead to a 2–12% loss in feed energy. This loss in feed energy reduces production efficiency while contributing to Canada’s GHG emissions. Methane is produced in the rumen of cattle across all production systems, but emissions are highest when cattle consume diets high in fiber. Consequently, there is an opportunity to identify strategies to improve feed efficiency, particularly in the cowcalf sector. The beef sector has set a target to reduce its GHG emission intensity by 33%, while the dairy industry is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. To help the cattle industry meet these goals, innovative and cost-effective solutions are needed. Tackling methane emissions not only supports these goals but also aligns with increasing consumer demand for sustainable food production and global climate objectives. Methane’s short atmospheric lifespan of 10–12 years makes it a key target for quick climate action.
A Holistic Research Approach
This research initiative uses a comprehensive strategy to address methane emissions, integrating advanced science with practical applications for farmers and industry stakeholders.
1. Building Data Resources: The research team will develop a database to characterize the microbes in the rumen linked to methane emissions and feed efficiency. This database will be made available to researchers and industry stakeholders worldwide, enabling them to identify microbes and dietary factors that are associated with low methane emissions. Use of advance computation strategies including machine learning models will play a pivotal role in analyzing these datasets, to provide insights for methane reduction strategies.
2. Developing Microbial Feed Solutions: By leveraging the natural diversity and untapped metabolic potential of microbes in the rumen, researchers are exploring novel microbial feed additives—such as probiotics and phages (viruses capable of infecting and killing rumen bacteria)—to directly reduce methane emissions without compromising animal health or productivity. Using microbiome-derived additives can also help minimize regulatory challenges, facilitating faster commercialization and adoption by producers. The Interdisciplinary Livestock Microbiome Research lab at the University of Manitoba, led by Dr. Derakhshani, along with key collaborators Drs. Leluo Guan (University of British Columbia) and Dr. Tim McAllister (AAFC Lethbridge Research Centre) aim to develop new microbial solutions to reprogram the rumen microbiome and reduce methane production.
3. Enhancing Cattle Genetics: The project will also use cutting-edge genomic research to identify heritable traits in cattle linked to methane emissions and feed efficiency. The knowledge gained will be used in genetic selection and breeding programs to produce cattle that are more productive and environmentally efficient, contributing to long-term sustainability of cattle production in Canada and globally.
The outcomes of this research will inform development of Precision Management Strategies focused on the “3R” approach ‒ Right genetics, Right feed, and Right production systems. The results will contribute to improved feeding and management practices on farms, and introduce new microbial solutions and genetic selection strategies for reducing methane emissions while optimizing productivity. These strategies will focus on practicality and broad applicability across Canada’s beef and dairy sectors.
Training the Next Generation of Agricultural Innovators
A key aspect of this project is training the next generation of agricultural scientists and innovators. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research technicians are actively involved, gaining hands-on experience in genomic research, microbiology, and precision agriculture. They are learning advanced techniques to improve livestock performance and drive future progress in sustainable agriculture. These skilled professionals will apply this knowledge in academia, government, and industry.
Broader Benefits Beyond Methane Reduction
While methane mitigation is a key focus, the benefits of this initiative extend far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project also aims to improve cattle productivity, enhance feed efficiency, and support better animal health and welfare. These outcomes not only reduce production costs for farmers but also address consumer concerns about the environmental impact of meat and dairy production. Moreover, the project contributes to food security by ensuring that Canada’s beef and dairy sectors remain resilient in the face of climate extremes. Maintaining and strengthening food security is important given that the global population continues to rise, and therefore so does the demand for food and resources. The combination of environmental, economic, and social benefits strengthens the industry’s long-term sustainability and competitiveness, both domestically and globally.
Dr. Sara Place, an Associate Professor and expert in livestock systems sustainability from the University of Colorado will discuss the cattle’s role in sustainable food systems. The lecture will take place on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 11:30 am - 12:45 pm in room 219 Animal Science Building, 12 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba.
For a virtual option to view the presentation please RSVP to https://forms.office.com/r/ZPWq0DGFW1
(OTTAWA, ON – January 17, 2025) The over 130,000 Canadian farmers and ranchers represented by the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Cattle Association and Grain Growers of Canada are calling on the Government of Canada to reverse its decision to administer the proposed capital gains inclusion rate legislation.
Farm groups call for reversal of capital gains inclusion rate
Despite the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance tabled a Notice of Ways and Means Motion (NWMM) to introduce a bill entitled An Act to amend the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations, these changes are subject to parliamentary approval and should not be implemented without the express approval of Parliament.
(OTTAWA, ON – January 17, 2025) The over 130,000 Canadian farmers and ranchers represented by the Canadian Canola Growers Association, Canadian Cattle Association and Grain Growers of Canada are calling on the Government of Canada to reverse its decision to administer the proposed capital gains inclusion rate legislation.
The average age of Canadian farmers is now over 55 years old and tens of billions of dollars in farm assets are set to change hands over the next decade.
Despite the fact that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance tabled a Notice of Ways and Means Motion (NWMM) to introduce a bill entitled An Act to amend the Income Tax Act and the Income Tax Regulations, these changes are subject to parliamentary approval and should not be implemented without the express approval of Parliament.
The average age of Canadian farmers is now over 55 years old and tens of billions of dollars in farm assets are set to change hands over the next decade. Canadian farms continue to expand, often supporting multiple households, with more and more farms incorporating for tax and estate planning purposes. Meanwhile the cost of land and farm assets continues to rise and those looking to purchase a farm face unprecedented capital costs.
The average age of Canadian farmers is now over 55 years old and tens of billions of dollars in farm assets are set to change hands over the next decade. Canadian farms continue to expand, often supporting multiple households, with more and more farms incorporating for tax and estate planning purposes. Meanwhile the cost of land and farm assets continues to rise and those looking to purchase a farm face unprecedented capital costs.
We continue to express opposition to the accelerated pace of implementation, the lack of consultation in the lead-up to these proposals, and the changes that undermine the policy intent of Bill C-208, particularly in terms of the continued uncertainty regarding future treatment of capital gains that adds costs, complexity, and delays for farmers trying to navigate the intergenerational transfer of farm assets. While the proposed amendments to the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption include an increase to the limit on eligible capital gains for producers, this alone does not address the broader challenges posed by these policy changes.
We continue to express opposition to the accelerated pace of implementation, the lack of consultation in the lead-up to these proposals, and the changes that undermine the policy intent of Bill C-208, particularly in terms of the continued uncertainty regarding future treatment of capital gains that adds costs, complexity, and delays for farmers trying to navigate the intergenerational transfer of farm assets. While the proposed amendments to the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption include an increase to the limit on eligible capital gains for producers, this alone does not address the broader challenges posed by these policy changes.
For these reasons, we call on the government to not implement the NWMM and revert to the previous capital gains and inclusion rate. We call on all political parties to support the reversal of the capital gains inclusion rate increase for farmers.
For these reasons, we call on the government to not implement the NWMM and revert to the previous capital gains and inclusion rate. We call on all political parties to support the reversal of the capital gains inclusion rate increase for farmers.
Despite the threats of a 25% tariff on livestock and beef products by soon-to-be President Donald Trump, the cattle market opened 2025 even stronger than 2024’s impressive finish.
The frequent questions that I have been receiving are, “How high can this market get?” and “How long do you think these prices will last?”
By the time this edition of Cattle Country gets to the mailboxes, Trump will be president, and the concerns over tariffs could be much clearer. I will be so bold to predict that there will be no 25% tariff on cattle or beef. Yes, there could some tariffs on other commodities, but not on cattle. The main reason for this prediction is that at this time, it is not in the best economic interests of the feeding and processing industry in the US.
The US has its smallest cow herd in over 50 years. The disruptions of Mexican cattle imports to the US, due to the New World Screwworm, are shorting the American feedlot inventory by 30,000 head per week. This has created empty pens in the southern US feedlots and has packers concerned that there could be major shortages of fed cattle to process late in 2025. Beef demand is strong south of the border. New price records were already being set for live fed cattle sales in early January, with prices surpassing $2.00 per pound live. Feedlots are fairly current with sales, and carcass weights are starting to drop. The cost of corn is still favourable for feeding cattle. The exchange rate between the Canadian and American dollar is very favourable for the US to purchase both live cattle and beef products. This is at a time when both the US packers and feeders are looking for inventory to fill the gaps moving forward. Many of the large cattle producing states are still in drought regions; for this reason the expansion of the US cattle numbers will be delayed. These reasons support current to stronger cattle prices moving forward, as well as my
prediction on the tariffs.
I personally feel that barring a “Black Swan” event such as a major drought or a border closure, we have potential for the current cattle market to last for at least two more years and possibly longer! We may have entered into a “new threshold” in the Canadian cattle market. Experts are predicting a 5% increase in the cattle prices for 2025.
The lack of heifer retention on both sides of the border last year will limit any chance of an expansion in the beef cow herd in the next year. Industry experts are predicting a further decline in the beef cowherd by 2% in 2025. Feedlots are paying record prices for heifers to go on feed, tempting cow-calf producers to sell their heifers and look for good bred cows to get their inventory back to pre-drought levels. They want calves to sell this fall when the prices are predicted to be very strong.
I don’t see many cattle producers in Manitoba stepping out and purchasing more land to pasture cows. Current land prices do not support cattle production in most areas. The age demographic of the cattle producers is not getting any younger, and many are considering exiting the business. The price of calves is high, bred cows are strong, cull cows will be even higher in the near future, and it is easy to sell or rent their land. Many cattle producers do not want to miss this opportunity if they have done their tax planning. The majority of the good bred cows went back to the farms this year. Those cows were only replacing culls, not expanding. Chances are, we may never get back to the cow numbers we had
even 10 years ago. The supply of feeder cattle available in the future supports stable feeder cattle prices. Producers will not start to retain a large number of heifers until the price from the feed yard drops considerably. The cheap cost of feed makes feeding heifers more attractive.
The exchange on the dollar will slow down imports of feeder cattle from the US into Ontario and Alberta. With the expansion in the feeding industry in both Alberta and Saskatchewan over the past few years, there are more pens that need to be filled. Once again, supply and demand support continued strong feeder cattle prices.
In Canada, we will need to maintain our current export markets for price sustainability. The cost of gain at the feedlots will need to stay close to the levels of 2024. Those costs were lower than 2023 in Alberta. The current on feed reports out of western Canada indicate much smaller numbers than the first quarter of 2024. Packers are much more current than last year at this time, and in some cases, are pulling cattle forward.
Another interesting note is the “beef-on-dairy” sector. Over the past couple of years, “beef-on-dairy” feeder cattle numbers really increased on both sides of the border. Those cattle filled the gaps in the feedlot inventories and packer harvests. Reports from the south indicate that the US is short of replacement dairy heifers and cows. In an effort to get more heifer calves suitable for the milk industry, more dairy cows will be bred back to dairy genetics instead of Angus sexed semen. This will add to the shortage of feeder cattle.
The good news is that as a cow-calf producer, it looks like you are in the driver’s seat for an extended
BY: DR. TANYA ANDERSON, DVM
As calving season rolls around, thoughts return to the challenges of calving seasons past. With record calf prices and chronic labour shortages, the pressure to ensure no health problems has never been greater. There is no time, nor people to deal with problems. The infographic picture below, courtesy of the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), summarizes the key concepts for disease prevention at calving time. This is not just prevention of disease at birth but also influences lifetime production. New research re: microbiomes and genomics is revealing just how critically important the first 24 hours in a calf’s life is from a health standpoint.
My practice has developed several handouts for clients to guide prevention and treatment of neonatal scours and pneumonia, the most common health issues seen during calving season. I also meet with clients indi-
vidually to review their program and look at what went well and what didn’t. Sometimes we have a roundtable of “like” guys to brainstorm how others manage their calf health issues and get tips/tricks. As a veterinarian, it is crucially important for me to know what a client can and can’t do and, more importantly, why that is. The BCRC website is loaded with excellent information for disease prevention but those ideals cannot always exist on farm. Manage what you can and plan for those things out of your control.
Prevention of pre-weaning disease needs to firstly focus on the environment ‒ space, cleanliness, protection from wind/rain. Have a plan for adverse weather. Cow health and genetics are also critically important ‒ body condition, nutrition - protein, energy, vitamin/ mineral programs, vaccine programs. Selection for hybrid vigour, calving ease and other maternal traits ensures that the cow raises her calf with little need
for you to intervene. Keep records and weed out those non-producers.
When prevention doesn’t work, the focus defaults to treatment. Unsuccessful treatment and higher death losses are due to one (and usually more) of the following: lack of prevention, incorrect diagnosis or treatment delays.
Assumptions can be erroneous. Blood in manure is not always coccidiosis. Age of the calf at onset of scours is helpful in establishing a likely diagnosis, but common causes like rota, corona and crypto hit calves at similar ages. While fluid therapy treatments are similar, medications and preventive protocols differ. Get a lab diagnosis and consult with your veterinarian to find out what samples are needed and when to obtain those samples. Dead calves treated with a plethora of antibiotics are culture negative even if they died from bacterial pneumonia. Scour causing bugs are only shed in the first few days of scours. The prolonged scouring is due to poor absorption while the gut heals.
Necropsies allow your vet to look at the whole picture and see all the body systems. Sometimes disease is not readily visualized or the cause not always known without further testing at the lab ‒ vitamin/mineral analysis, microscopy and PCR/culture. Sometimes disease is easily seen on necropsy and additional lab testing reveals hidden disease. Not getting that full diagnosis negatively impacts treatment success and is a major reason for dissatisfaction with prevention and
BY ANNA BORYS
Over the holidays, as my partner was taking inventory of our freezer downstairs (aka, cleaning out freezer-burnt hot dog buns), we stumbled across a couple of bags of luscious beef short ribs that needed to be used up. Since the weather has been in the “too cold to function” sub-zero digits, the countdown on our whiteboard marking the days until our Hawaiian honeymoon this February just can’t count down fast enough. Craving warmer weather, or at least the taste of warmer weather, I decided to turn the short ribs into a Hawaiian street food classic.
Although Huli Huli sauce is traditionally used to glaze barbecue chicken and would also work beautifully
on many other proteins like pulled pork or grilled salmon, I decided to braise beef short ribs. For my braising liquid, I used three quarters of the Huli Huli sauce, mixed with some unsalted beef stock and then I used the remaining sauce previously set aside to serve on top of the pulled meat. If your short ribs are extra fatty like mine were, I’d recommend skimming off the excess fat on the surface, but I won’t tell anyone you if you don’t! You may just want to cut it with some acid or fresh herbs to cut down on the richness.
And what better side to go with saucy ribs than a pile of fluffy white basmati rice? To promote the pineapple flavour in the Huli Huli sauce, I grilled some pineapple slices (straight from the can!) on my cast iron because my BBQ is under about a foot of snow. But using fresh pine-
apple over an open flame would’ve been my first choice. If you have a hard time finding pineapple juice for your sauce like I did, using a pineapple/mango blended juice worked perfectly fine. For added “wow-factor” leave the meat on the bone (if the bone hasn’t already slipped out with how tender the meat gets). Then finally, to round out the Hawaiian vibe with your dinner, use up any leftover pineapple juice with homemade pina coladas! If a warm getaway is not in your calendar this year, that shouldn’t mean you can’t enjoy the warm weather through your food. Bring the tastes of Hawaii into your home with this beef short rib recipe, or whatever other protein might be hanging out with the forgotten frozen hot dog buns.
Mahalo!
(Yields 3-4 portions)
1 kg Short Ribs, bone-in
2 Cups Pineapple Juice
½ Cup Soy Sauce
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
2 Tbsps Chili Paste (Sambal Oelek)
2 tsp Garlic, minced
1 Tbsps Ginger, minced
1 Cup Ketchup
1 Cup Beef Stock, unsalted
METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 300F. Pat short ribs dry with paper towel and generously season with salt and pepper on all sides.
2. In a large dutch oven over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Sear short ribs on all sides so they brown evenly and form a crust. Once they’re all seared, remove and set aside. Remove excess fat from pan and lightly wipe with a paper towel.
3. In a medium sized pot, whisk together remaining ingredients except the beef stock. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2-3 minutes, whisking until smooth. Remove 1 cup of the boiling sauce and set aside (or refrigerate) until later.
4. Add remaining sauce and the beef stock to the large dutch oven and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once mixture reaches a boil, place browned short ribs in sauce, remove from heat, cover with lid and set in oven for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily.
5. Remove tender meat from the braising liquid, and using two forks, pull apart in bite size pieces. Remove excess fat if desired and discard. Skim off excess fat from braising liquid and freeze to reuse at another time.
6. Heat the extra 1 cup of sauce previously saved and serve.
Serve with grilled pineapple chunks, white rice and garnish with slivered green onion and/or toasted sesame seeds.
