Ontario Beef Youth Alliance Gathers for Summer Tour

By Robert McKinlay, BFO Producer Relations Specialist

At the beginning of August, two years of planning and delays finally paid off as BFO hosted the first Ontario Beef Youth Alliance (OBYA) Summer Tour. The Ontario Beef Youth Alliance is a network established by BFO to support and encourage the next generation of beef farmers. The alliance is comprised of individuals who are between the ages of 18 to 35 who are actively involved in the Ontario beef industry.

The tour began Friday morning at Kawartha Ethanol, a corn ethanol plant with a capacity of 80 million litres of fuel-grade ethanol production each year. The by-product of this production is high-quality distillers’ grains which are used in the local feed industry. This facility produces 40,000 MT of wet distillers’ grains and 45,000 MT of dried distillers’ grains. During the pandemic, the plant expanded into the production of higher-grade ethanol for use in hand sanitizers, pharmaceuticals, and beverages.

We grabbed lunch on our way to Enright Cattle Company, and arrived at Don and Chris Langevin’s farm, who operate a backgrounding and finishing operation that produces calves which are then marketed through their daughter’s (Kara Enright) abattoir and store. Don discussed their feeding program which utilized distillers’ grains from Kawartha Ethanol and farm-grown feed. We toured Langevin’s feedlot barns, as well as their outdoor yards which they use to background calves on year-round. We then had the opportunity to tour their state-of-the-art handling facility and discussed their quality assurance system that tracks meat withdrawals and treatments in the feedlot.

We then moved to the Enright home farm. Kara and Darold Enright, along with their son Corben and daughter Evelyn, operate Enright Cattle Co., which raises purebred red and black Simmental cattle and operate a birth-to-beef operation through a local abattoir they recently purchased. All livestock are raised on a natural diet without the use of added hormones, and a complete traceability system has been implemented. This allows them to trace cuts to individual cattle and aids in their breeding and buying decisions. We had the privilege of seeing their cow herd and their replacement heifer yard. They employ an artificial breeding program on a percentage of the herd to pursue carcass trait bulls to supply high-quality cattle for their direct marketing business. We also had the opportunity to view their line of high-quality leather products in their on-farm store. True to the farmer spirit of using what you have, the Enright’s constructed an on-farm store using an old steel grain bin. This on farm store became a destination for customers near and far during the pandemic to visit and shop.

A short jog up the road, we then arrived at Donecho Farms, which is run by Bruce and Jacob Palmateer and family. The farm has a feeding capacity of 1,200-head and calves out 160 commercial cows. Jacob is the current OBYA representative on the BFO Feedlot Committee, and the Palmateer family is actively involved in the Beef Farmers of Hastings County. Jacob and his father Bruce discussed their relationship and how they worked together when Jacob returned to the farm after working away. Both Palmateers discussed the importance of listening and respect for one another as their farm was in transition. The Palmateer farm is very unique in its ability to utilize natural features, such as flat rock in its feed storage and barn construction. They have also been able to utilize pre-owned buildings and relocate them to the feedyard to keep their yardage costs low. Bruce explained his desire to have flexible barn layouts that allow him to change pen sizes and handling systems through the use of concrete blocks and yard panels.

True to the farmer spirit of using what you have, the Enright’s constructed an on-farm store using an old steel grain bin. This on farm store became a destination for customers near and far during the pandemic to visit and shop.

The group was graciously hosted for a tour and supper at Donecho Farms, which is run by Bruce and Jacob Palmateer and family. The farm has a feeding capacity of 1,200-head and calves out 160 commercial cows.

The group moved to Jacob’s shop for supper which was generously provided by the Palmateer family. After a delicious Ontario Corn-Fed steak and amazing side dishes, we had Colleen Acres from the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association speak on the new On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) program. Colleen explained eligible projects and the possibility for young producers to source funding for new management or expansion projects. We then departed Palmateers for our hotel in Belleville in preparation for our second day of tours.

In the heart of wine country, the group stopped at Baitley Farms Ltd., which is run by John and Kathy with their son Curtis and daughter Melissa.

Saturday morning, we ventured across the bridge into Prince Edward County. We arrived in the heart of wine country at Baitley Farms Ltd., which is run by John and Kathy with their son Curtis and daughter Melissa. Baitley farms encompasses 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and hay. They have a 70-head commercial Simmental cow herd and have a 500-head backgrounding facility with a new 200-head fabric structure. The feedlot is certified with the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Program. Curtis discussed their crop rotations and how they utilize drought resistant forage crops to ensure they have sufficient feed for their cattle. Curtis showcased their new barn with feed rails they custom designed for easy adjustment. Melissa and Curtis discussed how they balance family and the farm, playing to each other’s strengths. We also visited with Allie Pennings, who is a local cow-calf producer who helps the Baitley family. Curtis emphasized the importance of good help on their operation and the variety of tasks expected of them. The Baitley’s discussed their low stress arrival protocol where calves are allowed to settle before being processed. They attribute this and the environment they are able to create in their barns to their low pull rates and performance.

On behalf of BFO, we would like to thank all the OBYA members who were able to come out for our first summer tour. We would like to thank all of our generous farm hosts who opened their doors to our group and took time out of their busy schedules to showcase their operations. The tour was an amazing knowledge sharing opportunity as we were able to see a variety of effective management practices in the different sectors of the beef industry. We would also like to thank the sponsors that allowed us to put on such an amazing event. We look forward to continuing to meet and create new learning opportunities to continue to improve the future of our industry.