From the Field

Buckle up, I think the cattle business could get very exciting. Traveling across the prairie provinces this winter showed the feed situation was a lot better than anticipated. In July, there was a full-on drought through a big portion of the western provinces. Some rains in August did provide some regrowth in many areas, and an open fall allowed many producers to graze cattle well into November, when they anticipated starting to feed months earlier. We still need to have a lot of snow, or heavy spring rains, to get some runoff to fill dugouts and sloughs, as too many producers had to haul water, or will have to next year if there isn’t some significant moisture.

There were some higher percentages of cattle culled in many operations, but not the wholesale dumping that some were predicting in early summer. Yes, the cow numbers in North America are down and the years ahead will see a significantly smaller number of calves available to feed. Since early December, when the feedlots in the USA finally became current, the price of fat cattle has moved higher. The packers are still making historical profits for this time of year, but at least the pendulum is moving to the feeders, who need a break after the last 24 months. The higher fat prices have also strengthened the calf market here in January, as the late spring and summer futures for fats look very strong.

If we can get a decent growing season and see the feed grain prices come down a bit, the calf market this fall should be excellent. When that happens, we have heifer retention, which takes more calves out of the system, which pushes prices higher yet.

The demand for beef, both domestically and internationally, has been exceptional considering the historical, record high prices being demanded in the supermarkets. Visiting around the world, Australian cattle producers are experiencing extreme, historically high cattle prices, as they just went through the scenario I am talking about here in North America. They came out of a drought with cow numbers down and the calf market increased, causing heifer retention, etc., etc.

I hope you enjoy the producer profile in this issue about cattle farming in Northern Ontario. It is interesting and that area has an almost pioneering feel to it, as more of the land is developed to be productive the further north you go.

You will also see the excellent set of Charolais bulls available in the early sales, and can find the bulls you require to fit your program and add to your bottom line.

Now, I am off to do some more picturing and touring bull pens for the spring sales. As we get into the bull sales, if Jon Wright, Robbie Chomik, or I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are always happy to help in any way we can.

All our Charolais Banner and Charolais Connection magazines are online for free at charolaisbanner. com, if you want to go back to read past articles in previous issues. On our site you will also find a complete listing of all the Charolais sales across Canada and most of the Charolais Bull Sale catalogues and videos. We also try to keep the sale news very current on our homepage, so check it out.

Until next time,

Helge

Helge By

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