Simmental & Angus Bull & Female Sale on the ranch Thursday ... · DECEMBER 2016. Strong . POSTMASTER: PLEASE RETURN UNDELIVERABLE COPIES TO: MBP, UNIT 220, 530 CENTURY STREET, WINNIPEG,

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DECEMBER 2016

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Strong turnout for low-stress handling clinics Page 3

Connecting the dots in the beef industry

Page 13

CFGA tour makes stop at MBFI

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Simmental & Angus Bull & Female Sale on the ranchThursday, February 16, 2017

Russell, Manitoba

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Glasman Farms Matthew, Leanne & Sarayah Glasman

Home 204 773-3209 cell 204 [email protected] | www.glasmanfarms.com

The stage is set for Manitoba Beef Producers’ 38th Annual General Meeting.

Scheduled for Feb. 2-3, 2017 at Bran-don’s Victoria Inn, the theme is Sharing our Story as the beef industry continues to focus on highlighting the great work being done in areas such environmental stew-ardship, sustainability and animal welfare.

“Our industry has a great story to tell,” said MBP President Heinz Reimer. “There are so many reasons for our pro-ducers and those working within the in-dustry to be proud of the work they do. However, many of those same individuals are humble, hard-working people who don’t realize they have a major role to play in making sure our customers, and the public at large, understand we produce a safe and nutritious product and that our practices are among the best in the world.

“Our goal at the AGM is to not only highlight these stories, but also to encour-age our members and give them some tools to be part of the discussion on their industry.”

The AGM officially kicks off at 9 a.m. on Feb. 2 with registration and the open-ing of the tradeshow. As in past years in-terest in the tradeshow is high and MBP expects a wide variety of businesses and organizations for the show.

The first session on day one begins at 10 a.m. and, in keeping with the theme is entitled Industry Answers Social Li-cense. Tentatively scheduled to be part of the panel discussion is a representative from the Verified Beef Production Plus program, Brenda Bazylewski of Mani-toba Egg Producers, and Russel Hurst from CropLife. Kelly Fitzpatrick of Nu-

triScience Solutions will serve as the fa-cilitator of the dis-cussion.

“Our goal with this discussion is to have a cross-section of individuals from other agriculture industries that have dealt with social li-cense questions of their own,” Reimer said. “We feel it will beneficial for our members to hear the beef sector isn’t the only industry facing growing interest in its production prac-tices and also to hear how those industries responded.”

In an effort to engage more young producers in the AGM, a Young Produc-ers Forum will be held from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Marty Seymour, the former CEO of the Canadian West Agribition and current Director, Industry and Stakeholder Rela-tions at Farm Credit Canada will be the featured speaker for the forum. Producers 35 and under are invited to take part in the forum.

The business portion of the AGM will be held on the afternoon of day one. Members will hear reports on MBP’s activities from the past year and re-view the association’s financial report. An update on Manitoba Beef & For-age Initiatives and a discussion about growing the herd will also take place. Rounding out the afternoon will be the

resolutions session where members will have the opportunity to debate the 20 car-ried resolutions aris-ing from the fall dis-trict meetings. Late resolutions will be accepted until noon on February 2. Please contact the MBP of-fice if you wish to bring forward a late resolution.

The evening will be highlighted by the

annual President’s Banquet. Included on the banquet agenda is the awarding of The Environmental Sustainability Award for Manitoba and a presentation to retiring MBP District 11 director Caron Clarke.

The keynote speaker for the banquet is Dr. Cody Creelman of Airdrie, Alberta. Creelman, who works with Veterinary Agri-Health Services in Airdrie, has be-come well known in social media circles as an advocate for the agricultural indus-try and will talk about the importance of producers speaking out for their industry, as well as his experiences in this area.

“We are excited to have Creelman speak at the banquet,” Reimer said. “He is a passionate advocate for agriculture and has become an important voice on social media and through his blog.”

Day two kicks off bright and early at 8 o’ clock with the opening of the trade-show. The panel discussion, Is the Custom-er Always Right begins at 8:30 a.m. Tenta-tively scheduled for the panel discussion

are Phil Gallagher, Executive Chef for the Earls’ restaurant chain, John Graham of the Food Solutions Group and Dr. Kelly Main of the University of Manitoba who will speak about consumer trends. Tom Lynch-Staunton, Issues Manager for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is scheduled to serve as facilitator for the discussion.

“We are particularly excited about this panel discussion,” Reimer said. “Our consumers are inundated with all kinds of information about how their food is produced and much of that information shapes their buying decisions. It can be frustrating for producers and the industry as a whole to try and keep up with rapidly evolving public preferences about food. We believe this panel will provide a look into consumer demands and how respon-sive as an industry we need to be.”

Closing out the AGM will be reports from some of the national beef industry organizations (National Check-off Agen-cy, CCA and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef) and a market forecast for 2017.

“We strongly encourage our mem-bers to attend the AGM,” Reimer said. “This is truly their opportunity to help inform the association’s future direction, to learn more about the external forces that are affecting our industry and to talk about the importance of sharing our story with the public.”

To register for the AGM please see http://www.mbbeef.ca/annual-meeting/. If there are any questions regarding the event please call the MBP office at 1-800-772-0458.

Sharing Our Story theme of MBP’s 38th AGM

Veterinarian Dr. Cody Creelman will be the keynote speaker at the annual MBP President's Banquet Feb. 2 in Brandon.

December 2016CATTLE COUNTRY2

www.mbbeef.ca

DISTRICT 13BEN FOX - SECRETARY

R.M. of Shell River, Shellmouth,Hillsburg, Boulton, Grandview, Gilbert Plains, Ethelbert, Mossey River, Dauphin, LGD Park

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

DESIGNED BY

CATTLE COUNTRY EDITOR

FINANCE

POLICY ANALYST

Chad Saxon

Esther Reimer

Trinda Jocelyn

Chad Saxon

Deb Walger

Maureen Cousins

DISTRICT 14STAN FOSTERR.M. of Minitonas, Swan River, Mountain, The Pas

MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS

Brian Lemon

Carollyne Kehler

Ph: 1-800-772-0458

Unit 220, 530 Century StreetWinnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4

PH - (204) 772-4542FX - (204) 774-3264

[email protected]

GENERAL MANAGER

PROJECT COORDINATOR

DISTRICT 1 GORD ADAMS R.M. of Albert, Cameron, Whitewater, Edward, Brenda, Winchester, Morton

DISTRICT 2 DAVE KOSLOWSKY R.M. of Riverside, Strathcona, Argyle, Lorne, Turtle Mountain, Roblin, Louise, Pembina

DISTRICT 3 PETER PENNER - TREASURER R.M. of Portage la Prairie, Cartier, Grey, MacDonald, Dufferin, Thompson, Roland, Morris, Stanley, Rhineland, Montcalm

DISTRICT 4 HEINZ REIMER - PRESIDENT R.M. of Richot, Ste. Anne, Hanover, De Salaberry, La Broquerie, Franklin, Stuartburn, Piney, LGD Reynolds

DISTRICT 5 RAMONA BLYTH - 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 7 LARRY GERELUS R.M. of Russell, Silver Creek, Rossburn, Ellice, Birtle, Shoal Lake, Strathclair, Archie, Miniota, Hamiota, Blanshard

DISTRICT 8 TOM TEICHROEB - 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT R.M. of Harrison, Clanwilliam, Rosedale, Glenella, Saskatchewan, Odanah, Minto, Langford, Lansdowne, Westbourne, LGD Park

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 KEN MCKAY R.M. of Bifrost, Gimli, Fisher, Armstrong

DISTRICT 11 CARON CLARKE R.M. of Siglunes, Grahamdale, Eriksdale, Coldwell, St. Laurent

DISTRICT 12 BILL MURRAY R.M. of Lawrence, Ochre River, Ste. Rose, McCreary, Alonsa

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A number of producers throughout the province CFGA tour makes stop at MBFI excess moisture conditions that CFGA tour makes stop at MBFI crop for feed and/or preventing their cattle from grazing the corn.

Manitoba Beef Producers has been in touch with Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) seeking clarification about the adjusting process and to see what can be done for produc-ers in this situation. The following was provided by MASC to MBP:

Normal Adjusting Process Under normal circumstances if a

producer was considering either graz-ing his silage corn or harvesting it for grain, MASC would complete a field appraisal by weighing a representative sample to determine the potential wet tonnage and they would also obtain a sample to be sent away for a moisture and TDN test. Producers are not sub-ject to a coverage reduction under this scenario.

If a producer had a poor silage crop

and was wanting to destroy it, the same appraisal process above would apply, however, the coverage would be re-duced by 15 per cent .

2016 Adjusting ProcessIn 2008, MASC implemented an

adjusting process for silage corn to deal with extremely wet conditions whereby producers are unable to silage their corn during the optimum silage period. It was recognized that while silaging was no longer a viable option, there was still value in the corn if it was used for an al-ternate feed source. MASC considered numerous things such as grain corn and grazing feed values versus actual silage, as well as wastage when it was used for grazing.

As a result, it was agreed that if a producer was going to harvest the corn as grain or if they were going to graze the field, MASC would adjust and sample the field in accordance with its regular adjusting procedures, but it would apply a 50 per cent factor to the appraisal, thus reducing it in half.

If a producer was not able to com-bine or graze the field and destroys the field, MASC would appraise the field at a zero yield at the time of destruction. The producer would then be eligible for full payment, minus the 15 per cent coverage reduction for destroying the field.

MASC is applying this policy in 2016.

MASC realizes the serious impact that this fall’s extreme wet conditions is having on some producers and are will-ing to work with the producers to try and assess these fields and make payments (where applicable) as quickly as possi-ble. MASC has a policy to make advance payments, in the event a producer is un-able to take action or destroy his field at this time.

Information for producers with flooded/inaccessible corn

CCA Media Release

The Canadian Cattle-men’s Association (CCA) congratulates Prime Min-ister Justin Trudeau and International Trade Min-ister Chrystia Freeland for successfully navigating an uncharted and complicated path through European Union (EU) politics and

signing the Canada-EU Comprehensive Econom-ic and Trade Agreement (CETA) in Brussels Oct. 30.

The Canadian beef cattle sector has been a long-time champion of the CETA and is pleased with the prospective elimina-tion of EU import tariffs on nearly 65,000 tonnes of Canadian beef. With this

new access, the EU has the potential to become a $600 million annual market for Canadian beef, up from current levels of approxi-mately $6 to $10 million per year.

CCA Director and Foreign Trade Vice-Chair Doug Sawyer travelled to Brussels earlier this week to highlight the immense

potential of the CETA for the Canadian beef sector and to emphasize the need to resolve the outstanding technical barriers.

“It was clear that the EU recognizes the value of the CETA and put their shoulders to the wheel to secure that recognition by all their member states,” Sawyer said. “Beef access

to the EU is a core expected benefit from Canada and we will expect a further ef-fort to be put into remov-ing the remaining technical barriers.”

CCA President Dan Darling has discussed the CETA with Minister Free-land on numerous occa-sions in recent months and is confident that the

Minister fully appreciates the desire of the Canadian beef industry to gain real meaningful access to the EU. “With signature of the Agreement now be-hind us, we will continue to work in close partner-ship with the Government to get the remaining is-sues across the finish line,” Darling said.

CCA welcomes signing of CETA, urges resolution of barriers to beef trade

December 2016 CATTLE COUNTRY 3

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BY CHAD SAXONMBP Communications Coordinator

“At the point that you feel like you need to go faster, you usually just need to slow down.”

That message, among others, was delivered by Rory Sapergia during a pair of low-stress handling clinics held in October. Or-ganized by Manitoba Beef Producers with funding from Growing Forward 2, the clinics were held at the Grunthal Auction Mart and Manitoba Beef & For-

age Initiatives Brookdale Research Farm Oct. 14 and 15 respectively.

Sapergia, who is origi-nally from Saskatchewan but now resides in south-ern Alberta, said he has been “messing” with his own philosophy of low-stress handling for 20 years after being introduced to it through clinics and work-ing with others in the field, including noted stockman Dylan Biggs.

“(Biggs) has really pushed me to evolve and step into this avenue of

helping other people,” Sa-pergia said during a break in Grunthal. “The first clinic I took of Dylan’s was probably eight or nine years ago. It really struck me that I had to do it and since then I have taken three or four of his clinics and I actually hosted one last year at a feedlot I was managing and by the end of the second day Dylan said you need to be doing this. That a pretty grand compliment coming from Dylan.”

Sapergia said while working at feedlots, ranch-es and a dairy during his career, he has always forced himself to go as “nice and slow as I can whether or not anyone was watching,” a concept that has served him well whether working with cattle or horses.

“I shoe horses as well and started when I was 13 with my dad. I’d go to pick up a horses't foot and it would jerk its foot away. It took me a long time to learn just how to handle stock.”

Asked to expand on his philosophy, Sapergia said an important aspect of working with cattle is giving them a reward or release. He noted cows have a stigma that they are dumb when the opposite

is true and by providing them with a reward dur-ing the handling process you will start to build trust with them.

“If you are always pushing on them and al-ways asking for more and more and more with no release, eventually, no dif-ferent than a child, they are going to retaliate,” he said. “When cows retaliate they are running you over or chasing you. They are big animals and, if worked improperly, dangerous animals.”

During the clinic

in Grunthal, Sapergia showed attendees that by using their body as a tool and keeping things such as arm movements to a mini-mum, the cattle will find the hole and be willing to move because they aren’t pressured to do so.

“A lot of it is confi-dence within your body. If you go up to even a quiet cow and are tip-toeing and taking baby steps, those cows are either going to completely disrespect you and not move or they are going to say ‘I can take advantage of this guy’ and bowl you over.

“You don’t have to be aggressive about it, but when you make a move-ment, make it because you mean it. You are go-ing to make mistakes, I have made a hundred just messing by my own seeing what I can do. That is part of learning. But you have to have the confidence in yourself to get out there and see what you can do.”

Sapergia also used a portion of the Grunthal clinic to focus on loading cattle onto trailers in a safe manner.

“It’s a dangerous part of the beef industry and a tough one to solve. These guys got to get into trucks with cows that maybe you

don’t necessarily want to be with.”

Although he’s aware all of the participants in his clinics will take away different pieces of what he has to say, Sapergia said he’s hopeful the instruc-tion leads them to reevalu-ate how they handle their stock.

“There’s going to be some people move on with what I show them today and some are going to brush it off as too time consuming. But I have found with this, if you spend the time initially, it saves you so much time in the end.

“Even the matter of pulling a pen of cattle in an auction mart situation like this, if you take the time to pull that pen calmly, they are going to walk up the al-ley calm, they not going to stop halfway and run back at you. They are going to be looking for the hole. I really hope people reeval-uate what they are doing and give the stock a chance to think and reward the stock when they are doing something positive.”

MBP would like to thank Steve’s Livestock Transport, Masterfeeds, and P. Quntaine and Sons for their sponsorship of the clinics.

Handling cattle the low-stress way

Rory Sapergia demonstrates his method of low-stress cattle handling during a clinic in October in Grunthal.

A participant in the low-stress cattle handling clinic faces down four cows at the Grunthal Auction Mart

Another round of Manitoba Beef Producers’ district meetings is in the books.

The last of 14 meetings was held Nov. 16 in Carman, culminating a busy month for MBP staff and direc-tors.

General Manager Brian Lemon said overall, he felt the meetings were a success with sold attendance in most locations and good discussion.

“The past year hadn’t been an easy one and producers were anxious to hear and see how MBP was sup-porting them,” Lemon said.

As in past years, the meet-ings included a review of MBP’s fi-nances and activities on behalf of its roughly 7,000 members. Lemon said members had a number of ques-tions ranging on topics from prob-lem predators, water management, Crown land and community pasture management, and potential impacts of the US presidential election.

Each meeting also included a discussion on how best to grow Manitoba’s herd size. The discussion came on the heels of Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler’s comments over the summer that he would like to see the provincial herd get back to pre-BSE numbers.

Shortly after Eichler made

those comments during an event at Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives, MBP staff and directors met with the minister and his staff to discuss how best to achieve that goal. During the meeting, MBP pledged to have dis-cussions with its membership and report back on their comments and suggestions.

Lemon admitted that with prices sagging and many producers struggling with issues such as excess moisture it was tough for those in attendance to look at growing the herd.

“Trying to engage producers in a positive/forward-thinking discus-sion when many are facing challeng-es, was difficult,” Lemon said. “That said, the discussions went well, with

lots of input received.” Lemon noted that the growing

the herd discussions focused around four large themes thought to be nec-essary to realize the objective: 1. making cattle farming more pre-dictable economically (and profit-able);2. growing acres;3. attracting new entrants;4. labour to assist existing producers to grow their herds.

“Overall I was happy with the level of engagement and very pleased with the willingness of producers to engage in the discussions, especially given the challenges many have faced over the past few months.” he said.

Members also had the oppor-tunity to propose resolutions to be debated on at the upcoming annual general meeting in Brandon. Twenty resolutions were carried and will come forward to members in Febru-ary.

Just one change to MBP’s board of directors took place as Robert Metner of Moosehorn will take over as director in District 11 from Caron Clarke who has reached her term limit.

Discussion on growing herd highlights district meetings

Brian Lemon


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BY MAUREEN COUSINSMBP Policy Coordinator

Manure spreading challenges, a Throne Speech, flood prepared-ness and labour are just a few of the provincial matters of note in recent weeks.Fall Manure Spreading

Wet fall conditions proved challenging for many producers trying to spread manure. Mild weather and warm soil led the provincial gov-ernment to extend the normal Nov. 10 deadline for nutrient applications several times to Nov. 21. MBP provided input to the government as it considered these exten-sions, advising that pro-ducers needed more time to spread.

However, it is ex-pected that some beef producers were unable to apply and incorporate their manure before this deadline.

There is a provi-sion in the province’s Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation (LMMMR) that allows for field stor-age of solid manure.

Of particular note, the manure can be stored for a period of time be-fore it has to be spread, specifically: “An operator shall remove and dispose of all livestock manure in a field storage area no later than Nov. 10 of the year following any year when the operator stores livestock manure in the area.”

It is required that the stockpiled manure is

stored at least 100 metres from water sources so nutrients do not run off and cause potential pol-lution of surface water, ground water or soil.

As well, the regula-tion states that “After the manure is removed, the field storage area must remain empty of manure for at least 12 months. Before storing livestock manure in the area again, the operator must grow a crop on the emptied manure storage area that will deplete the area of any leached.”

For complete in-formation about field storage of solid manure refer to Section 7 of the LMMR. See: http://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/envpro-grams/livestock/

Producers who need to request authorization to apply manure due to an emergency situation or other extenuating cir-cumstance should con-tact the Environmental Approvals Branch of Manitoba Sustainable Development via email at [email protected] or by phone at (204) 391-0540 or (204) 945-3078.

The winter nutri-ent application ban is in effect until midnight on April 10, 2017. This applies to all forms of nutrients including live-stock manure and inor-ganic fertilizer. For more details see: http://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/waterstew-ardship/wqmz/winter_app_nutrients.html .

Throne Speech High-lights

The Progressive Conservative provincial government brought

down its second Throne Speech Nov. 21 with a strong emphasis on themes such as achiev-ing economic growth, an eventual return to bal-anced budgets and pru-dent fiscal management.

There were no refer-ences to specific agricul-tural commodities, pro-gramming or services. Rather, agriculture was mentioned in the context of the work of the Pre-mier’s Enterprise Team and a new strategy for growth and diversifica-tion. The government restated its commitment to reducing red tape, and promised increased access to venture capi-tal and expanded trade and workforce training. Among the stated goals is adding jobs in areas such as value-added pro-cessing of agricultural commodities.

Producers who have concerns about regula-tory burden are asked to contact the MBP of-fice to share them so we can take these forward as part of the provin-cial consultations in this area.

The government also promised to “renew focus on the economic development of rural Manitoba, working to-ward a shared vision in partnership with the As-sociation of Manitoba Municipalities, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Economic Developers Association of Manitoba, Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Communities, Indigenous communities and rural stakeholders.”

The province re-

stated its commitment to the Lake Manitoba/Lake St. Martin flood outlet channel. MBP has repeat-edly requested that the project be undertaken as swiftly as possible and that producers be con-sulted prior to final route selection and during the construction process as required.

The government remains committed to creating a made-in-Manitoba carbon pric-ing and climate change plan but no specific de-tails were unveiled as to how this will work. Several resolutions re-lated to climate change will be debated at MBP’s 38th AGM in February. Some call for payments to agricultural producers for any measurable in-crease in carbon seques-tration that occurs on their land, while another calls for an exemption from carbon taxation on all agricultural-relat-ed inputs to ensure the sector is not unfairly disadvantaged.

The Throne Speech touched on natural re-sources management, noting that the govern-ment “shares the con-cerns of all Manitobans regarding the dangers of unsafe and unsustain-able harvesting practices and the decline of some provincial wildlife popu-lations.” The government committed to “engage stakeholders and rights-based harvesters in the management of our fish and wildlife resources, to develop comprehensive co-management strate-gies aimed at securing the long-term sustain-ability of our wildlife and fish populations, reduce unnecessary regula-tions and enhance public safety through enforce-ment efforts by Mani-toba’s conservation offi-cers with the assistance of tips from the public to crack down on unsafe hunting practices.”

A resolution calling

for a ban on hunting at night in Manitoba will be debated at MBP’s 38th AGM.

Also of note in the Throne Speech, the prov-ince touched on pension plans, saying it intends to provide Manitobans with a new option, the creation of Pooled Re-tirement Pension Plans. These are a deferred in-come plan designed to provide retirement ben-efits for employees and self-employed individu-als who do not have ac-cess to a workplace pen-sion.

The province also promised to clear up the backlog of applications under the Provincial Nominee Program and to work with the federal government to improve processing speeds for visa applications.

Shellmouth Reservoir outflows increased

On Nov. 15 Manito-ba Infrastructure began increasing outflows from the Shellmouth Reser-voir to 1,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) as part of the annual fall draw down to make room for anticipated spring run-off from the upper As-siniboine River.

The outflow on Nov. 14 was 830 cfs. Out-flows will be increased gradually until 1,600 cfs is reached. The prov-ince says 1,600 cfs will be maintained for part of the winter and spring.

As of Nov. 14 the in-flow into the Shellmouth Reservoir was 1,650 cfs, with the reservoir at a near record level for that time of year. Further, heavy rains have seen the Assiniboine reach record high levels for this time of year from Saskatch-ewan into Manitoba and as far east as Headingley.

The province has said that flows and lev-els are forecast to remain near record levels set in the fall of 2010 until the spring run-off.

For more informa-

tion on the extended forecast see:

www.gov.mb.ca/mit/floodinfo/floodoutlook/forecast_centre/rivers/reports/Assiniboine%20River%20Flows%202016.pdf.

WCB Act ReviewThe provincial gov-

ernment is undertaking a legislative review of the Workers Compensation Act, a process required every 10 years.

The process is being led by a legislative review committee (LRC).

For complete details about the review visit www.wcbactreview.com. The deadline for pub-lic comments is Feb. 15, 2017.

The LRC will review all submissions and pre-pare a report for consid-eration by the Manitoba government on or before June 30, 2017. Safety Program Targets

AgricultureThe federal and pro-

vincial governments are providing more than $432,000 through Grow-ing Forward 2 over two years toward the estab-lishment of a farm safety program to be admin-istered by the Keystone Agricultural Producers.

A Manitoba farm safety council will be created that will include representatives from or-ganizations focused on workplace safety and health, such as SAFE Work Manitoba and representatives from a number of agricultural stakeholders. MBP has asked to have a seat on the council.

The program will provide a number of ser-vices such as commod-ity-specific farm safety workshops; information and resources on health and safety regulations; basic safety orienta-tion for farm workers, supervisors and own-ers; help identify safety risks on agriculture employers operations, and more.

Government activities update


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2016

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FOR MARKETING INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS REGARDING OUR FEEDER FINANCE PROGRAM, CONTACT:ROBIN HILL (204) 851-5465 • RICK GABRIELLE (204) 851-0613 • DRILLON BEATON (204) 851-7495

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Friday, Dec 2 Bred Cow Sale 11:30AMMonday, Dec 5 Butcher Sale 9AMTuesday, Dec 6 No Boarders Charolais Female Sale Wednesday, Dec 7 Regular Feeder Sale 9AMFriday, Dec 9 Bred Cow Sale 11:30AMSunday, Dec 11 AW Angus Dispersal SaleMonday Dec 12 Butcher Sale 9AMTuesday, Dec 13 Bonchuk Farms Simmentals Production SaleWednesday, Dec 14 Regular Feeder Sale 9AMFriday, Dec 16 Bred Cow Sale 11:30AMMonday, Dec 19 Butcher & Bred Cow Sale 9AMWednesday, Dec 21 Twin Brae Simmental Dispersal

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!

First sale of 2017 is January 9th

The past few weeks have been busy times for MBP’s staff, offering us our an-nual opportunity to visit each district and meet with cattle producers attending their district meetings. This was my first chance to experience the meetings. I really enjoyed my chance to meet with many of our mem-bers and appreciated their honesty and can-dor, and the passion that everyone has for the future of the industry. I especially en-joyed the opportunity to answer questions and participate in the engaging discussions. The questions weren’t always easy, but ask-ing the hard questions is important and is how we will succeed.

A key part of each district meeting was a discussion about Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler’s announcement of his goal to grow our cattle herd to pre-BSE numbers. The discussions about how to participate and partner with the govern-ment and deliver on this ambitious goal were some of the most interesting during the district meetings. The discussions chal-lenged everyone to not focus on the prob-lems and impediments, but rather to focus on solutions to these hurdles. We plan to formally summarize the feedback in a doc-ument to share with Minister Eichler, but in the meantime I will highlight some of the key points we heard.

The key message we heard over and over again was that profitability, and spe-cifically sustainable and bankable profits, were the single most important challenge to growing the herd. We heard in all 14 districts that providing a climate where both new and existing entrants have con-fidence in the viability of their operations and in the industry is key to attracting new entrants and encouraging existing produc-ers to increase the size of their herds. There was general consensus that without long-term confidence that the regulatory, envi-ronmental and economic climate is going to be supportive of the cattle industry, that attracting new entrants or enticing exist-ing producers to stay and grow their herds is going to be very, very difficult. There is lots that the Government of Manitoba can do to help in this regard, and we are looking forward to engaging with them to begin the process of pulling together their strategy.

Beyond the foundational prerequisite of secure and bankable profitability, some

other factors we heard several times as be-ing important parts of the solution were: increasing the usability of community pastures and Crown lands; having better overall water management strategies and compliance; providing better risk-man-agement tools designed specifically for the cattle industry; and, developing improved tools to encourage young people to enter the industry.

Changing topics a bit now, the other thing that I want to write about is the US election. While I am certainly not an expert in US politics nor in international rela-tions, during the district meetings I heard lots about the run-up to the election and later the outcome. Trade is a huge part of the Canadian cattle industry with about 40 per cent of our production being exported, thus it is very relevant that we always keep one eye on what’s going on with our trading partners. And, as the US accounts for about 70 per cent of all our exports, it is especially important that we keep an eye of what’s go-ing on in the US.

President-elect Donald Trump made many statements during his campaign about what he thought of the various trade agreements the US currently has in place and those still being negotiated. It is cer-tainly expected that during an election candidates will make all sorts of statements that sound protectionist, and that they make statements critical of existing trade deals.

While it certainly seems as though the future of the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP) is very bleak, and the trade deal is potentially dead with the President-elect Trump continuing to say he won’t sign on, increasingly we are also starting to hear rhetoric about his stance on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Both Canada and the US have enjoyed the benefits of NAFTA and the cattle industry has also benefited on both sides of the border. NAFTA is a very broad and comprehensive trade deal and is about many more things than agriculture or the beef sector; many areas of the US economy needs the agreement as much as Canada does. While President-elect Trump may wish to re-open the deal and renegotiate it, this isn’t something that is done with a simple stroke of a pen.

Bottom line, I don’t see anything hap-pening quickly, and I think we need to be a bit careful to react to the rhetoric. Pres-ident-elect Trump will be sworn-in in late January, and until he is President Trump, I have no doubt that we will continue to see and hear provocative statements intended

to make headlines. All this said, it does seem appropriate for Canada to consider options to move forward to improve our access into TPP countries in preparation that the TPP will fail to get ratified in the US and thus lose impetus in the other sig-natory countries. Working to advance bilat-eral trade agreements with countries such as Japan would be a very prudent “Plan B.”

Finally, the district meetings were a great chance to meet many Manitoba beef producers, and as I mentioned at each of the 14 meetings, the staff are more effective when we know what’s important to the pro-

ducers we represent. Given these meetings are only one time per year, during the rest of the year I would encourage all producers to get to know their district director and work through these 14 individuals. Also you are invited to contact the office directly: call, e-mail or stop in at the office if in Winnipeg. The more we know about what’s important to you, the better we are able to represent you and advance your interests. Our goal is to ensure you see value and benefit in your check-off investment.

See you in Brandon on February 2 and 3 for the 38th AGM!

It’s cloudy and raining again as I’m writing this in mid-November. It seems like it’s been raining or snowing since the Thanksgiving weekend.

The precipitation is adding to the many challenges producers having been facing this fall as they work hard to get feed put up, clean their corrals, bring cat-tle home from pasture and vaccinate their calves in muddy pastures. But as cattle producers we seem to always get through the tough times and look forward to bet-ter times.

By the time Cattle County goes to press we will have just completed our fall district meetings. Thank you to MBP staff and directors for all the hard work and dedication that goes into preparing for and presenting the meetings. Thanks to all of the producers who attended as well. This is always an opportunity for you to interact with staff and directors and dis-cuss issues of importance to our industry.

There were a number of resolutions that were carried at the fall district meet-ings and they can be found on page 8 of Cattle Country. The resolutions will be debated and voted upon at the 38th An-nual General Meeting Feb. 2-3, 2017 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon.

In this column I would like to focus on the consumer. We sometimes seem to

live in a society that seems to be less con-cerned with reality than wanting instant everything. Once our bare necessities of life have been taken care of by a well-oiled economy, sometimes the system can cross the line. Somewhere along the way con-sumers and producers become targets.

Consumers are flooded with mixed messages and signals that leave them thinking what they see and hear in the media is what they need and is better for them, regardless of the facts. As producers we need to work hard to inform consum-ers that what we do in the beef industry is good for the environment, that our ani-mals are well cared for and that we pro-duce a safe, healthy and wholesome prod-uct.

Misinformation is not always about

telling the truth, but about pushing a mes-sage enough times that people will be-gin to believe it is true. We need to work against propaganda that harms our indus-try and inform consumers that as produc-ers we aren’t the bad guys we are some-times made out to be.

I am a husband, father, grandfather, and a friend. I am also a lover of nature, taking care of cattle and the land to the best of my ability to ensure that our cus-tomers get the safest and healthiest prod-uct they deserve. I don’t claim to be an ex-pert but I try to do the best as I am able to.

As we move closer to Christmas, on behalf of MBP staff, directors and my fam-ily, I wish you the best through the holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Great discussions at district meetingsBRIAN LEMONGeneral Manager’s Column

Working to combat mixed messagesHEINZ REIMER

MBP President

Moovin’ Along


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RICK WRIGHTThe Bottom Line

Cattle producers face the unknown everyday and routinely adapt to that uncertainty. What will the markets be when it comes the time to sell their stock? How will the weather af-fect their forage and grain crops? What uncontrollable animal disease or govern-ment policy announcement might be lurking in the shadows that could change the whole cattle industry?

Much of the talk in No-vember centred on the TB case found in Alberta and what implications it might have on cattle exports and market prices. The elephant in the room that everyone had been nervously avoid-ing was Donald Trump. The new President-Elect in the United States made a lot of radical protectionist statements in his election campaign, and early indi-cations are that he intends

to try to follow through on them.

Trump’s transition team has suggested that Trump intends to reshape American trade policies that would ultimately, in his opinion, benefit pro-ducers, manufacturers and US workers. This would include withdrawing from NAFTA and other trade agreements currently in place. Since the start of NAFTA, the pork business, not the cattle business, has been the big winner. NAF-TA allowed cheap, Ameri-can-produced pork to com-pete in the world market, making less competition for beef domestically. On thebeef side, the Americans have increased beef imports to the point that they are running an import/export deficit. On paper that looks bad to beef producers, but better genetics and more ef-

ficient bunk management at the feedlots are producing bigger cattle that produce more American grown trim. That increase in the trim requires more imports of lean, offshore beef to mix with it to create acceptable ground beef, a staple of the American household. It looks like both Canada and Mexico are open to revisit-ing the North American Free Trade Agreement, but I would predict that there might be some major dif-ferences of opinion with President Trump as to what “fair trade” is. Trump sup-porters in South Dakota are strongly suggesting that Trump reinstate M-Cool to

help prop up cattle prices. While Trump may con-sider M-Cool, he needs to be reminded that Canada has the authority from the WTO to impose tariffs of up to $1.6 billion annually on American beef coming into Canada to compen-sate Canadian producers for past M-Cool policies. We all know that Trump cannot single-handedly make the changes that he promised, as he needs the support of the US govern-ment. The scary thing is that it was the rural voters who got Trump elected. If you look at the elector map from the election, it is solid red Republican votes from

the northern tip of North Dakota straight down the map to the perimeters of the cities in south Texas. The majority of the Mid-west and central cattle and grain producing states voted for Trump and will be pressuring him to make good on those protectionist promises he made prior to the election.

With all of the uncer-tainty as to what direction the Trump administra-tion is heading, you would think that the feeder cattle markets would be unstable at best. If industry truly be-lieves that Trump can suc-cessfully bring in policies that will reduce imports and maintain exports, the futures markets on the CBT should react favourably. This would create a sup-ply shortage similar to the drought in 2014, pushing up demand and cash prices

for replacement cattle, es-pecially the lighter weight, long-term cattle. Although the futures have had more positive days than nega-tive days since the elec-tion, we have not seen the price increases that indicate sweeping changes in the cattle policies. In fact, the demand for lighter cattle has been volatile at best with feedlot operators in the US showing fear of the long-term market.

The herd expansion in the US looks like it has reached its peak. There are more and more heifers go-ing to feedlots and not be-ing placed in the breeding programs. Cow slaughter has increased throughout 2016, taking more mother cows out of production. This is good news in the long-term, but in the short-term it means more beef coming into the protein market. This large supply should have a negative af-fect on the futures market and short-term cash prices.

In Canada over the same time period, the cash market has followed the futures with increased de-mand for all classes of feed-er cattle. On the north side of the border, Canadian cattle feeders once again are ignoring the signals from the south and buying the lighter feeder cattle at 15 to 20 cents higher than market prices of November 1, 2017. During the last two weeks of November the heavier cattle also got higher along with a significant price in-crease in the heifer calves. The last time we completely ignored the signals from the south, cattle feeders in Canada, especially the backgrounders, experi-enced even bigger cash losses than BSE.

With so much un-known and uncertainty ahead in the cattle mar-kets, I hope that Canadian cattle feeders are not set-ting themselves up for an-other wreck. Despite all the cheap feed in Canada, the cattle at today’s prices still look risky. One of the big-gest unknowns will be the future value of the dollar. Once Trump is in office and tries to bully his trading partners, the dollar should become very volatile. One thing for sure is that Can-ada needs to strengthen its export opportunities with other nations as soon as possible. Whether Trump is successful in backing out of NAFTA, bringing back M-Cool, or disrupting the TPP agreement, his actions will keep the market volatile. Only time will tell.

Until next time, Rick

US election could lead to volatility

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JULY 2016

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Report on greenhouse gases

Page 3

Collect data anywhere, anytime

Page 7

MBP delegation visits Ottawa

Page 5

BY ANGELA LOVELL

The Canadian beef industry and consumers were outraged when Cana-dian restaurant chain, Earls announced it would source “Certified Humane”, antibi-otic, hormone and steroid free beef from U.S. sources rather than from Canada.

“We weren’t against US beef,” says Tom Lynch-Staunton, Issues Manager for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “We were against the implication that the way we raise cattle wasn’t as good.”

Because of the massive hue and cry, Earls reversed its decision and is working with Canadian beef producers to source beef that meets its criteria. Good news for Canadian cattle producers who are already working hard to produce quality beef humanely and sustainably. But there are other things coming out of the Earls situation, says Lynch-Staunton, that are hugely beneficial to the beef industry.

“It gave us a good opportunity to

tell people what we’re doing, especially around animal welfare and humane han-dling,” he says. “We were able to have con-versations about things like how we use antibiotics and why we use growth hor-mone implants.”

Connecting with ConsumersAs rural populations decline and

urban populations increase, less and less people have relatives, friends or someone they know who is a farmer or a rancher. “People don’t know how their food is pro-duced. They see and hear things that tell part of the story, but they don’t tell the whole story. All the marketing claims and labels are confusing people, so they are asking questions,” says Lynch-Staunton.

Alberta rancher, Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, who chairs the Canadian Round-table on Sustainable Beef (CRSB) says the Earls situation demonstrates that producers need a framework that will en-able communication with food and retail

Page 2 ➢

Earls may have done the Canadian beef industry a favour

After months of hearing about the benefits of the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program, producers can now see for themselves how validating their sustainable production practices provides opportunity to proactively share their stories with consumers and beef retailers.

Officially launched in June, the new, national VBP+ program in-cludes training and auditing for animal care, biosecurity and environmental stewardship along with on-farm food safety practices within the cow-calf and feedlot sectors. Through validating sus-tainable practises at the primary pro-

duction level, VBP+ enables producers to publicly demonstrate their commit-ment to responsible stewardship of both cattle and resources.

The level of transparency VBP+ of-fers on a range of key production prac-tices provides retailers and consumers with the knowledge that the beef they purchase is from a healthy animal raised with appropriate oversight and care on the farm, ranch or feedlot. These essen-tial attributes are applicable throughout the beef production supply chain and are captured in a new impactful VBP+ logo.

VBP+ shows that Canadian beef

producers are listening, said Alberta rancher and Chair of the producer-led VBP+ Transition Management Com-mittee Cecilie Fleming. “Being a VBP+ registered producer enables beef opera-tions to showcase the good production practises they commit to on their farms, ranches and feedlots as well as fosters continual improvements. VBP+ is a straightforward, practical and low cost program to implement yet contains the robust validation required to satisfy the retailer, other end users, and consumer needs. A voluntary program, VBP+ al-lows registered operations to be part of a bigger picture of raising beef cattle

that can flow into the growing Cana-dian sustainable beef supply stream.”

VBP+ is an expansion of the for-mer Verified Beef Production on-farm food safety program. Work began in late 2013 to expand the program to include production practices valida-tion in all areas of the beef production supply chain. National delivery and oversight of VBP+ maintains a confor-mance system and streamlines delivery of information, training, online tools and resources. Like the initial program, VBP+ remains voluntary and industry-led.

Page 2 ➢

VBP+ program officially launched

Little RoperThis young girl tried her hand at roping during a stop at MBP’s Cattle Tales exhibit at the Red River Ex. The exhibit included live cattle, equipment such as a cattle trailer, roping station and meat cooler as well as information on the Manitoba beef industry.


SEPTEMBER 2016

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Earl's president apologizes to producers

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Reimer elected Vice-Chair of Check Off Agency

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Mitigating and recovering value of dark cutting

Page 11

BY ANGELA LOVELL

Canadian beef producers will soon have access to a set of indicators that they can measure their production systems against to see if they meet the standards required to be a verified, sustainable beef producer.

Why does that matter? Because con-sumers are demanding sustainable beef, and everyone along the value chain needs to understand how they can contribute to supplying a sustainable beef product, says Cherie Copithorne-Barnes, Chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef

(CRSB). “We know this is going to be very important to processors because retail and food service companies need something tangible to be able to market,” she said dur-ing a presentation to the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary on August 11. “We already have effective tools that producers can use to verify that they are raising sustainable beef. Our job now is to coordinate these tools in a way that is re-portable to our end users and explore dif-ferent funding models to ensure that costs associated with this process are distributed as evenly as possible.”

She added that a study commissioned

by CRSB – the National Beef Sustainability Assessment – is due for release in Septem-ber. The Assessment is a summary of a 500-page document that provides a benchmark of the social, economic and environmental performance of the Canadian beef indus-try. “It’ll show where we’re at, for example in an area like carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions but also the so-cial and economic side of it too,” said Co-pithorne-Barnes in a phone interview after the conference. “It identified areas where we’re doing well and also opportunities for improvements, and will be something that producers will be able to take a look at and

really evaluate where they stand against these things.”Looking for Producers for National Pilot

A number of Canadian beef producers participated in the McDonald’s Sustainable Beef Pilot Project, which ended earlier this year, and measured their operations against a number of indicators for sustainable beef production. From the experience gained through the McDonald’s pilot, CRSB is re-leasing a revised, second draft document of Indicators for Primary Production this fall for public comment. The draft document currently contains 25 indicators, of which

Page 2 ➢

How to be a sustainable beef producer

BY CHAD SAXONManitoba Beef & For-

age Initiatives’ (MBFI) present and future was on display during the first Mc-Donald’s Production Day Tour.

Held on July 19 at MBFI’s Brookdale Re-search Farm, the tour was the public’s first opportuni-ty to get a look behind the scenes of MBFI and learn more about the research projects taking place on the 640-acre section of land north of Brandon.

MBFI Chairwoman Ramona Blyth said the day was a tremendous success with just shy of 100 people

making the trip to Brook-dale.

“We were all very en-couraged to see the interest in MBFI among produc-ers, researchers and the public at large,” she said. “There has been so much work put into this project and the entire team is very proud of all that has been accomplished in a relative-ly short period of time. So to see the interest shown at the production day tour was very rewarding for our team.”

Blyth said along with allowing the public to see the work taking place at MBFI, a focus of the tour was to begin the process of showing producers how the research projects can be used on their operations to increase efficiency and, ideally, profitability.

“The extension to pro-ducers is one of the most important components of MBFI. The research is still in its early stages but we were happy to start the ex-tension process.”

MBFI is a collabora-

tion between Manitoba Beef Producers, Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Forage & Grasslands Asso-ciation and Ducks Unlim-ited. After the initial an-nouncement of the project in 2014, work truly began in earnest in 2015 at the three research farms that

comprise MBFI, Brookdale as well as the First Street and Johnson farms which are both located on the eastern edge of Brandon.

“In the past 18 months we have forged full speed ahead to get MBFI running so that we can get some re-search and demonstration

projects off the ground,” Blyth said in her opening comments. “Transitioning from the initial concept to the setup of MBFI to suc-cessfully completing sever-al research projects in such a short order is no small feat. It took people with a shared vision.”

Officials from all four organizations were on hand for the tour includ-ing Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler, who was named to the position shortly after the provincial election earlier this year.

Page 2 ➢

Tour provides inside look at MBFI

Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler

Shawn Cabak of Manitoba Agriculture provides an update on the extended grazing study taking place at Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Brookdale Research Farm. The project is evaluating extended grazing strategies to assess how they can help reduce feed costs and increase nutrient returns to the soil.


OCTOBER 2016

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Building Public Confidence in Canadian Beef

Page 3

Sharing the Ag Story

Page 6

Ranching and Rodeo Run Deep for Adams

Page 11

BY RON FRIESEN

You can’t accuse Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler of thinking small.

Eichler wants to increase Manitoba beef cow herd by 70 per cent to 750,000 head over the next 10 years.

Eichler announced his goal during a Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiative tour in July.

Exactly how Eichler hopes to achieve the proposed increase isn’t clear. He admits he doesn’t have an actual plan and says that’s not his job anyway.

“It’s not up to me or government to come up with solutions. We have to look within,” he said in a recent interview with Cattle Country.

Manitoba’s beef cow herd numbered 440,200 head on January 1, 2016, the lowest

since 1994.But Eichler is sure the growth is

achievable and increasing cow numbers will create all kinds of spin-off benefits for Manitoba’s beef industry.

“I’m sure if we get the numbers, you’ll see those opportunities come forward,” he said. “Business creates business and when you see those numbers come forward, they’ll react to that.”

Eichler says there are a few things gov-ernment could do to help, such as waiving fees on crown land or making more private land available for grazing.

“That’s all part of the conversation about what we need to do.”

Industry officials say Eichler’s idea of boosting Manitoba’s beef numbers is a good one but express skepticism about whether it is realistic. Page 2 ➢

Eichler promotes big beef herd increase

(above) Manitoba Beef Producers and Canada Beef were game sponsors Sept. 17 when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers beat the Toronto Argonauts at Investor's Group Field. Prior to the game, MBP had a station in Tailgate Plaza where

fans had the chance to practise their roping skills.

(left), A father and son check out the Canada Beef cuts chart.

Football Fever!

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Annual General Meeting December 7 at 7:00pmSalon B, Keystone Centre, Brandon

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Happy Holidaysfrom the Manitoba Simmental Association

Q: This summer, my hay yield was good, but I have been hearing the quality is below average. What effect can this have on my beef herd?

A: You are correct. Manitoba Agriculture’s 2016 feed test results show below average energy values, which can cause a lot of problems in both the short and long-term.

2016 was a different year for most Manitoba hay makers. Hay stands matured early because of an early and warm spring, so if you made hay on the same date in 2016 as past years, your hay would be more mature and accordingly lower in energy. To make the problem worse, frequent rains kept many producers from cutting on time, and often delayed baling hay that was lying in swath. Rain on laying hay has a tendency to wash sugars out of the conditioned stems, and eventually, molds in swath consume sugars, which reduces hay energy val-ues. If you were unlucky enough to have mature hay swathes, with rain and some mold, the energy values could be very low.

Low energy hay supplies cause both short-term and long-term changes in your herd, so feeding the same volume of hay as normal can be deficient, and cause ex-pensive losses that can be avoided.

Short-term problems with low energy hay include:•Reduced gain on growing cattle. Lower energy hay

is the equivalent of reducing grain in the ration. You may be feeding for two pounds per day of gain on calves, but only gaining 1.25 or 1.5 pounds per day

• Reduced condition on cows. Cows that are fed low energy hay in the cold Manitoba winter will use fat deposits to stay warm, and lower their body condition score. Cows with less fat deposits have less natural insulation and require more feed to stay warm.

• Reduced calf nutrition before calving (parturi-tion). This can result in weak calves, which are slower to suck colostrum and more prone to calf illness such as pneumonia, scours and coccidiosis.

Long-term problems with low energy hay:• In Manitoba, low energy for an entire winter in

Manitoba can cause a lower number of weaned calves in the fall of 2017, because of calf nutrition deficiencies in early life there can be long term health issues with these calves. This can cause increased mortalities pre and post-weaning.

• It can lead to lower pregnancy rates in fall which

results in higher culling rates for cows.• It can result in a longer, slower calving season in

2018, with more variation of calf size in the calf crop.• It will lead to less cattle income in 2017 and 2018.

Solutions to low energy feedThe easiest solution to low energy feed for gestating

cows is to provide more hay than normal. Cows will ad-equately compensate for low energy feed if they can eat the leaves and top branches of the crop and leave behind the thick stems and moldy portions. This practice in-creases the perceived waste, but the remaining stems, if eaten, would dilute, rather than supplement the energy intake.

The use of a bale processor to mix thick stems and moldy hay with high quality leaves and fine stems does not improve cattle body condition. Processing stems to make them more palatable will cause the animals to in-take stems with very low digestibility, which does not raise the energy level of the diet. Bale processors that have aggressive hammer action also can turn fine stems and leaves into tiny particles that fall to the ground, or float away as dust, which actually reduces the energy available to the cows.

Adding energy with feed grains is another method of compensating for low energy hay. The addition of bar-ley, corn, oats or screenings will increase activity in the rumen and improve the digestion of mature hay stems, which would otherwise not be digestible. The addition of feed grains adds to cash costs of feed and labour, but it can be a quick way to solve the low energy problem. This fall, feed grain cost is much lower than recent years, and can be a competitively-priced energy supplement.

How can you be certain that you have low energy feed? Have your hay supply tested for energy and protein.

Manitoba Agriculture and most feed companies offer technical assistance to feed test your hay. You should test individual fields separately, so you can plan your schedule of feeding accordingly. Often, saving the best energy hay to just before calving or post-calving, is your best investment.

To determine if your hay has a low energy value, compare your feed test to the attached table. If your hay has a total digestible nutrients (TDN) score below the number in the table, you should consider changing up your rations for this winter. TDN is a percentage closely associated with the calorie concentration.

The Manitoba Agriculture Livestock extension team offers free StockTalk webinars. The next webi-nar will be on December 20. To register, go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8714498641 314555907

We want to hear from you For the next issue of Cattle Country, Manitoba Agri-

culture livestock specialist Pam Iwanchysko will answer a selected question about planned grazing. Send your questions to [email protected] by Decem-ber 19, 2016.

The StockTalk Q&A Feature for Cattle Country is brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture. We en-courage you to email your questions to our depart-ment’s forage and livestock team, who have a com-bined 230 years of agronomy experience. We are here to help make your cattle operation successful. Contact us today.

StockTalk Q&A Feature brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture

RAYMOND BITTNERLivestock Specialist Manitoba Agriculture

[email protected]


www.mbbeef.ca

Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) held its 14 an-nual district meetings throughout the province in October and November. These meetings provided producer members with information about policies, issues and actions undertaken by Manitoba Beef Pro-ducers.

The following are the resolutions that were pro-posed by producers, debated and carried at MBP’s district meetings. They will be brought forward for debate at the 38th MBP Annual General Meeting (AGM) being held February 2, 2017 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon.

Note that four districts (5, 6, 7 and 9) have adopt-ed similar resolutions with respect to climate change. These may be combined by MBP’s Resolution Com-mittee for debate and voting purposes at the AGM.

There were no resolutions arising in the district meetings held in Districts 2, 3 and 4.

If you wish to bring forward a late resolution for debate at the AGM, it must be provided to MBP staff no later than noon, February 2, 2017. Please send it to [email protected] to the attention of General Manager Brian Lemon.

MBP has also published these resolutions online at www.mbbeef.ca to help ensure that Manitoba’s beef producers are aware of them in advance of the AGM.

Please attend the 38th MBP AGM to debate and vote on the resolutions. We look forward to your par-ticipation.

District 11 – held Oct. 2411.1 Whereas there are several options for routes

to drain from Lake Manitoba, including potentially draining through the chain of lakes (i.e. Reed Lake, Clear Lake, etc.); and

Whereas the determination of the route could impact agriculture and the environment.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lobby the provincial government to consult with land own-ers in the region of the drain as part of determination of the most appropriate route for the drain from Lake Manitoba to Lake St. Martin.

District 9 – Oct. 259.1 Whereas the level of CO2 in the atmosphere

has been linked to climate change and global warm-ing, and

Whereas all governments are concerned about climate change and global warming as was evident at the Paris conference on climate change in November 2015, and

Whereas the federal and provincial governments of Canada committed to reducing CO2 emissions at the Vancouver conference in March, 2016, and

Whereas increasing the organic matter in grass-lands is the most promising way to practically and economically sequester carbon, and

Whereas Canada’s large land base and its poten-tial for carbon sequestration could provide a net cash benefit for the provinces and the country.

Be it resolved that the Manitoba Beef Producers lobby the Government of Manitoba to implement a program that would pay agricultural producers for any measurable increase in carbon sequestration that occurs on their land; and

Be it further resolved that the Manitoba Beef Producers encourage the Canadian Cattlemen’s Asso-ciation and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef to lobby the Government of Canada to imple-ment a program that would pay agricultural produc-ers for any measurable increase in carbon sequestra-tion that occurs on their land.

District 4 – Oct. 26No resolutions came forward.

District 2 – Nov. 1No resolutions came forward.

District 1 – Nov. 21.1 Whereas the current funding model of educa-

tion is outdated and unfair to agricultural producers; and

Whereas property ownership does not reflect on its ability to pay its tax bill; and

Whereas the Minister of Agriculture has an-nounced the Manitoba government’s objective to grow the provincial cattle herd to pre-BSE numbers.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the provincial government that the provincial edu-

cation system be funded by residential property and personal and corporate income and be removed on farmland and farm production buildings.

District 6 – Nov. 36.1 Whereas the Province of Manitoba wishes to

grow the beef herd; andWhereas critical to this will be encouraging new

entrants to the industry and key will be sound succes-sion mechanisms.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the provincial government to allow the sale of a producer’s beef breeding herd to be part of the one-time capital gains exemption.

6.2 Whereas the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has been linked to climate change and global warm-ing, and







District 5 – Nov. 45.1 Whereas the level of CO2 in the atmosphere

has been linked to climate change and global warm-ing, and







5.2 Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lobby the Government of Manitoba for an exemp-tion from carbon taxation on all agricultural-related inputs to ensure the sector is not unfairly disadvan-taged.

District 14 – Nov. 714.1 Whereas currently Manitoba Agricultural

Services Corporation’s forage program focuses on al-falfa and alfalfa-grass mixtures and doesn’t recognize other legume-grass forage mixtures.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lobby Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation to expand the forage program to include coverage for legume-grasses.

14.2 Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers

review its procedures to allow that any producer who leaves any amount of provincial check-off with MBP be considered a member in good standing.

District 12 – Nov. 812.1 Whereas improper water management is in-

creasingly a major impediment to achieving the Min-ister of Agriculture’s objective of growing Manitoba’s cattle herd specifically given the need to ensure effec-tive utilization of Crown lands and,

Whereas beavers are creating real problems blocking drains and culverts impeding proper drain-age of rural lands.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the Government of Manitoba to improve mainte-nance of existing drains on both Crown Lands and private lands, and to ensure proper management of Manitoba’s watersheds.

District 13 – Nov. 913.1 Whereas the Minister of Agriculture has an-

nounced his goal of increasing the provincial cattle herd to pre-BSE numbers and critical to this will be increased access to pasture lands, and

Whereas beavers are a creating real problems blocking drains and culverts, flooding good forage acres and impeding proper drainage of rural lands.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the Province of Manitoba to provide a $50 per bea-ver removal incentive to ensure proper management of the beaver population.

13.2 Whereas Manitoba’s cattle producers have increasingly been looking to corn silage as a major source of feed and given this past year’s (2016) exces-sive moisture conditions, preventing producers from being able to access their silage crop in a timely man-ner,

Whereas the producers’ inability to access their silage, and in many cases alternative management plans are not feasible or even potentially unsafe to the cattle.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lobby Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation to provide proper recognition and compensation of the 100 per cent loss of the producers’ corn silage.

13.3 Whereas the Minister of Agriculture has an-nounced his goal of increasing the provincial cattle herd to pre-BSE numbers and critical to this will be increased access to agricultural Crown lands in Mani-toba.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) lobby the Government of Manitoba to provide the Minister of Agriculture with oversight and control of all Manitoba’s agricultural Crown lands, and

Be it further resolved that MBP lobby the Prov-ince of Manitoba to allow more flexible transfer of Crown lands between producers to ensure its effective use by Manitoba’s cattle producers.

13.4 Whereas private property rights are essen-tial to the management of beef cattle operations and are continually being pressured by non-agricultural and urban interests.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the Province of Manitoba for right to farm legisla-tion ensuring private property rights for agriculture.

District 7 – Nov. 107.1 Whereas, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere

has been linked to climate change and global warm-ing.

And whereas all governments are concerned about climate change, water retention within water-sheds and global warming, and are committed to the climate change mandate as was evident at the Paris conference on climate change in November 2015.

And whereas the federal and provincial govern-ments of Canada committed to reducing CO2 emis-sions at the Vancouver conference in March, 2016.

And whereas increasing the organic matter in grasslands and the wetlands within the grasslands, is the most promising way to practically and economi-cally sequester carbon.

And whereas Canada’s large land and wetland base and its potential for carbon sequestration and water retention within watersheds could provide a net cash benefit for the provinces and the country.

Be it resolved that the Manitoba Beef Producers lobby the Government of Manitoba to implement,

Resolutions for debate at the 38th


www.mbbeef.ca

Book early to get your best value!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION $75 PER PERSON

• Must be purchased by January 6, 2017 at 4 p.m.

• Package includes admission to all MBP meetings, lunch on February 2, coffee breaks, 1 FREE Banquet ticket (value: $50).

• Non-refundable.

MEETING ONLY (NO BANQUET) $40 PER PERSON

GENERAL REGISTRATION $90 PER PERSON - AFTER JAN. 6

Package includes admission to all MBP meetings, lunch on February 2, coffee breaks, 1 FREE Banquet ticket (value: $50).

• Non-refundable.

NEW! YOUNG PRODUCER MENTORSHIP OFFER

• MBP members are encouraged to mentor and register a young producer (ages 18 to 39).

• The young producer receives a complimentary registration with a mentor’s registration.

• Package includes admission to all MBP meetings, lunch on February 2, coffee breaks, 1 FREE Banquet ticket (value: $50).

PERSON 1:q EARLY BIRD $75 q MEETING ONLY (NO BANQUET) $40q GENERAL $90

NAME: _______________________________________________

ADDRESS: ____________________________________________

CITY/TOWN: __________________________________________

POSTAL CODE: ________________________________________

PHONE: ______________________________________________

FAX: _________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________

PERSON 2 (IF REQUIRED):q EARLY BIRD $75 q MEETING ONLY (NO BANQUET) $40q GENERAL $90q YOUNG PRODUCER *Complimentary with mentor’s registration

NAME: _______________________________________________

ADDRESS: ____________________________________________

CITY/TOWN: __________________________________________

POSTAL CODE: ________________________________________

PHONE: ______________________________________________

FAX: _________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________

EXTRA BANQUET TICKET NAME: _______________________________________________

q BANQUET $50 *Banquet tickets are non-refundable.

MAKE CHEQUE PAYABLE TO:Manitoba Beef Producers220 - 530 Century Street Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4PHONE: 1-800-772-0458 FAX: 204-774-3264

RESERVE A ROOM: Call the Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre toll free: 1-800-852-2710Quote booking number: 285399

MANITOBA BEEF PRODUCERS 38TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGREGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.MBBEEF.CA OR MAIL OR FAX YOUR REGISTRATION TODAY!

PLEASE GO TO WWW.MBBEEF.CA FOR THE AGM

AGENDA

February 2-3, 2017 | Victoria Inn, Brandon, MBREGISTER AT WWW.MBBEEF.CA OR CALL 1-800-772-0458.

& President’s Banquet38th Annual General Meeting

ATTEND MBP’S YOUNG

PRODUCER FORUM

WITH GUEST SPEAKER

MARTY SEYMOUR FROM FCC

NEW THIS YEAR

within their Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS) program or another complementary program, an in-centive that would pay agricultural producers for any measurable increase in carbon sequestration along with any environmentally sound practices that would retain additional water resources on the land they manage.

Further be it resolved that the Manitoba Beef Pro-ducers encourage the Canadian Cattlemen’s Associa-tion and the Sustainable Roundtable on Beef to lobby the federal government to implement a program that would pay agricultural producers for any measurable increase in carbon sequestration that occurs on the land they manage, along with any environmentally sound practices that would retain additional water resources on the land they manage.

District 10 – Nov. 1410.1 Whereas proper water management is in-

creasingly a major impediment to achieving the Min-ister of Agriculture’s objective of growing Manitoba’s cattle herd, specifically given the need to ensure ef-fective utilization of private and Crown lands, and

Whereas beavers are creating a real problem blocking drains, culverts and natural waterways, thus impeding proper drainage of rural lands.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lobby the Government of Manitoba to improve main-tenance of existing drains on both Crown lands and private lands, and to ensure proper management of Manitoba’s watersheds.

10.2 Whereas all government are concerned about climate change and global warming as was evi-dent at the Paris conference on climate change in No-vember 2015, and

Whereas the federal and provincial governments of Canada are committed to reducing CO2 emissions at the Vancouver conference in March 2016; and

Whereas primary producers are absolute price-takes both in terms of purchasing inputs and selling production and are unable to pass any incremental costs, and

Whereas any steps to reduce CO2 emissions ahead of our trading partner (the United States) would severely impact the economic competitiveness of the agriculture sector in Canada and potentially the rural Canadian economy.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the provincial and federal governments not to take any steps toward reducing CO2 emissions that are out of steps with steps taken in the United States.

10.3 Whereas the Minister of Agriculture has an-nounced his goal of increasing the provincial cattle herd to pre-BSE numbers, and

Whereas Manitoba Beef Producers is trying to encourage young and new producers into the indus-try as a way of addressing the Minister of Agricul-ture’s goal of increasing the herd.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the Province of Manitoba to have an interest rebate or reduced interest rate for young and new producers on their livestock cash advances under the Advance Payments Program.

District 8 - Nov. 15 8.1 Whereas the federal government is imposing a

carbon tax to decrease carbon emissions; andWhereas forage crops and rangelands sequester

carbon.Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-

by governments to compensate cattle producers for the amount of carbon sequestered.

8.2 Whereas night hunting is dangerous is dan-gerous to people, wildlife, livestock and property.

Be it resolved that Manitoba Beef Producers lob-by the Manitoba government to outlaw night hunting.

District 3 – Nov. 16No resolutions came forward.

MBP Annual General Meeting

If you wish to bring forward a late resolution for debate at the AGM, it must be provided to

MBP staff no later than noon, February 2, 2017.

Please send it to [email protected] to the

attention of General Manager

Brian Lemon.


www.mbbeef.ca

For on-farm appraisal of livestock or marketing information, callBRAD KEHLER - Manager/Field Rep.1-204-434-6519 office or 204-346-2440 cell204-434-9367 fax Box 71 Grunthal, Manitoba R0A 0R0

www.grunthallivestock.com [email protected]

GRUNTHAL LIVESTOCK AUCTION MART

Season’s Greetings from the Owners and Staff!

Regular sales every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

Last sale of 2016 is Tuesday, December 20First sale of 2017 is Tuesday, January 10 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, December 10 at 10:00 a.m.Bred Cow Sale

December 12 at 12:00 p.m. Sheep and Goat with Small Animals & Holstein Calves

Check out our Market Report

online UPDATED WEEKLY

Merry Christmas from the Manitoba Angus Association

Come to Ag Days Angus Booth 2017and purchase your Canadian Angus

Rancher Endorsed Tags for 2017.

1-888-622-6487www.mbangus.ca

-

Thank you to the Angus

customers and consumers of

2016!

BY CHRISTINE RAWLUKNational Centre for Livestock and the Environment, University of Manitoba

Composting is worth a second look as a nutri-ent management and soil improvement tool. It is a proven way of turning ma-nure and other low value or waste organic materials into a uniform, soil-like prod-uct, providing it is done right.

More than simply stockpiling manure for an extended period, compost-ing is the management of a naturally occurring bio-logical process called aero-bic decomposition. When properly managed, micro-organisms break down and stabilize organic materi-als over time to produce a product that is both a fertil-izer and a soil amendment – compost.

As with any manage-ment practice, there are po-

tential benefits and draw-backs. Whether the benefits outweigh the costs depends on your particular set of circumstances, and external factors like weather. Com-posting benefits include reduced manure volume and associated hauling cost, destruction of weed seeds, parasites and pathogens, improved manure prop-

erties, reduced environ-mental risk and a potential income stream if the end product is of good quality. It is also an excellent source of many essential plant nu-trients. Drawbacks include the requirement for extra time, labour and fuel, suit-able equipment and space, plus the potential for green-house gas emissions and additional loss of nitrogen as ammonia gas if compost-ing conditions are not ideal.

Tips for successThere are four critical

factors to manage for suc-cessful composting, which equate to creating an ideal environment for compost-ing microbes:

Starting Carbon: Ni-trogen ratio: Target C:N ra-tio is 30:1, although a range of 25-35 will still produce good quality compost if properly managed. If there is too much carbon, de-composition will not occur or will be very slow. At low C:N ratios, high nitrogen

levels can trigger overly rapid decomposition result-ing in excess ammonia loss and odour.

Moisture Content (MC): Maintain a MC of 45-60% (optimal 55%) throughout the active com-posting phase, avoiding letting the material dry out or get too wet. Microbial activity will slow or stop if

the material is too dry or too wet. Windrows that are too wet also tend to smell unpleasant because of a lack of oxygen trigger-ing a switch from aerobic to anaerobic decomposi-tion. Grab a handful of material from inside of the windrow and squeeze. The MC is in the right range if it feels moist but liquid isn’t freely draining from your hand.

Particle Size: Wind-rows with a mix of particle sizes (6 to 75mm, 0.25 to 3”) have good structure and airflow, but will not dry out too quickly. Smaller par-ticles allow greater contact between microbes and ma-terials, while larger particles provide structure and im-prove airflow.

Temperature: There are three distinct tempera-ture phases during active composting. The initial hot phase where temperatures remain above 55 C (131 F) destroys pathogens and

weed seeds. The following warm phase where temper-atures are above 40 C (104 F) reduces plant toxic com-pounds which may have been produced during the

hot and early warm phases. Temperatures gradually de-crease to the surrounding air temperature as micro-bial activity slows and the composting process nears completion.

The need for active

windrow management is highest during the hot phase when decomposi-tion is most rapid so that composting microbes are provided with adequate oxygen, moisture and “food” (digestible materi-als). Temperature profiles are the primary indicator of compost doneness - the active composting phase is complete when tempera-tures approach ambient and turning no longer generates a temperature increase. A final curing phase is impor-tant for rebuilding benefi-cial microbial populations, stabilizing carbon forms and releasing previously immobilized nitrogen.Set-up and management

check list:• Use a mixing rate calcu-

lator tool or C:N refer-ence chart to determine the proper mixing ratio for starting materials,

• Thoroughly mix com-post starting materials to achieve moisture and C:N targets,

• Form uniform windrows of medium size to better manage moisture and aeration,

• Regularly monitor and

record temperature and moisture to maintain an ideal environment for composting microbes, turning and/or adding water as needed,

• Move finished windrows into piles for curing.

Is it compost?Composting is more

than reducing the volume of manure. As established by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environ-ment, for organic materials to be considered fully com-posted, the following crite-ria are to be met:• Composting material

temperature exceeds 55 C for at least 15 days with at least five turning events during this pe-riod,

• The material undergoes a final curing phase of at least 21 days,

• Material is free of patho-gens and meets trace ele-ment and foreign matter limits,

• Material meets stabil-ity (doneness) require-ments.

• We recommend sending a sample of the finished material to a reputable laboratory to determine nutrients, salts and other agronomic information. Having these results in hand will aid in decid-ing appropriate uses and application rates for the compost.

Resources for making,

monitoring and using compost

The key to success-ful composting resides in proper set up and ongo-ing monitoring and man-agement to ensure proper moisture, temperature

and aeration conditions throughout the compost-ing process.

The National Centre for Livestock and the En-vironment website pro-vides a number of resourc-es to help you succeed: http://umanitoba.ca/afs/ncle/programs/compost-ing.html

FACTSHEET: BMPs for Composting Manure and Other Organic Mate-rials.FACTSHEET: • BMPs for Using Com-

post for Growing Veg-etables, Composting calculator tool for deter-mining starting material mixing ratios,

• Composting protocol (includes sampling pro-cedures and formulas for calculating moisture content, bulk density and the self-heating test to assess compost stabil-ity),

• Recording sheets for windrow information and monitoring (mois-ture and temperature), and

• Listing of additional composting guides and resources.

Is composting a fit for your operation?

Forming manure windrows for composting using a tractor-mounted turner/aerator


www.mbbeef.ca

THANK YOU TO OUR DISTRICT MEETING SPONSORSManitoba Beef Producers would like to thank all of the individuals and businesses that supported our district

meetings by sponsoring the beef on a bun supper:District 1

Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation; G & B Farms - Gord & Brenda Adams;

Steads Farm Supply Boissevain; Westway Feed Products Canada

District 2 Mazergroup - Killarney

District 3 Little Morden Service; Penner Stock Farms

District 4 Grunthal Auction Mart;

Masterfeeds - Peter Kraynyk;Mazergroup - Corey Plett

District 5 Rosehill Cattle Co. Ltd.

- Harold & Ramona Blyth

District 6 Heartland Livestock Virden;

Wegner Land & Cattle

District 7 Shoal Lake Vet Clinic;

Russell & District Vet Clinic

District 8 Neepawa-Gladstone CO-OP;

John Deere - Neepawa; John Deere - Portage la Prairie;

Tom Teichroeb

District 9 Winnipeg Livestock Sales;

Marquette Consumers Coop; Dianne Riding

District 10Arborg Livestock Supply; Interlake Co-op

District 11 Noventis Credit Union

District 12 Dauphin - Ste. Rose Vet Clinic

District 13 Ste. Rose Auction Mart

District 14 Swan Valley Consumer Co-op - Ag Division

BY ANGELA LOVELL

Gaining the confidence of consumers in the Cana-dian Beef Advantage (BCA) brand is a core theme of Canada’s National Beef Strategy, which aims to estab-lish CBA as the most recognized and loyalty-based beef brand in the world.

As vice-president of marketing for Tim Hortons, Sam Heath understands a thing or two about creating a trusted brand. “When people come to Tim Hortons we are telling them that coming in and getting your coffee here is what makes you Canadian,” he told attendees of the Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) in Cal-gary in August as part of a panel discussion about beef demand. “We know that because we went out and asked Canadians ‘what single word comes to mind when you think of Tim Hortons’. The number one word by far was ‘Canadian’. Marketing is about finding out what your guests want to hear and playing it back to them in a way that draws them into your restaurant, or your industry, or your product.”

Tim Hortons goal is to gain a bigger share of the lunch and dinner market in Canada and Heath said the company wants to work with the Canadian beef indus-try to help it understand what’s important to its custom-ers. “This is where our story and your five-year National Beef Strategy start to intersect,” said Heath. “You need to sell beef sandwiches if you want to be a lunch and dinner place. We have made a commitment to Canadian beef for the last year, one we want to stick to.”

Finding Out the Table Stakes of BeefBut, cautioned Heath, even though Canadian Beef

is a great brand, the industry doesn’t want to stand in the way of what consumers require it to deliver. “It’s hard to tell the difference between what’s a fad and what a long- term trend is, but as we learn we will share that with you,” said Heath, referring to a new research program that Tim Hortons is launching called ‘Trust and Taste’ to find out what its guests want to hear about beef besides it being Canadian, which it intends to share with the beef industry. “We need to figure out what’s really important. What are the must-haves, the table stakes of beef? Cana-dian beef is an incredibly powerful story but you don’t want to be telling people you can have hormone free, or antibiotic free beef, or you have Canadian beef. It’s a fight you don’t want to get into because then you’re fighting against global trends and how younger persons are perceiving food, the questions they’re asking about their food, and you don’t want to try and stand in that light. The world is littered with companies that stood on their own source of strength as that became less and less relevant. So figure out what consumers are demand-ing and layer on top of it the Canadian beef brand and you’ve got an incredibly powerful source of strength.”

Beef demand is one of the four pillars of Canada’s National Beef Strategy, and as part of this pillar the goal is to increase carcass cutout value by 15 percent by 2020.

Build on the ‘Localness’ of BeefAnother beef demand panelist, Randy White, who

is president of Sysco Canada, said Canadian beef is a huge ‘centre of the plate’ component in the food service distribution industry and the Canadian beef industry has a great opportunity to emphasize the localness of its product. “When we have the opportunity to supply ‘cen-tre of the plate’ products like beef to the marketplace we get other consumption around that,” said White. “So of-ten in the food service or retail industries people believe local means neighbourhood or regional. In some cases it does, but when our organization thinks of Canadian beef we think of all of Canada. There is an opportunity being missed to ensure the story of Canadian beef – the localness of it – is brought to those distributing and

marketing the product across Canada.”The final panelist, Mo Jessa, president of Earls Res-

taurants Ltd., says many of the company’s employees are part of the millennialst generation that will drive future demand for beef. “When we want to get into the minds of millennial, they’re the ones talking to and for these consumers,” said Jessa. “These people are constantly on their phone screen, and restaurants have become places where they come to connect and interact with people not only in their social area but with our own employ-ees, who have become facilitators. What they say mat-

ters. They have to believe in the product too and so we have to continue to demonstrate that we’re willing to live by those things that we’ve chosen to stand for. All people look for that kind of a stand. That’s the message that we’re going to have to create for the product, and let people feel confident in beef, if we’re going to deliver that.”

Trade Agreements Crucial to Increase DemandAs more people in developing countries improve

their incomes, they will want to eat more beef, spurring future exports of Canadian beef. International trade agreements are crucial to increase markets worldwide for Canadian beef, as domestic markets are flooded with record production of other lower cost proteins, such as pork and chicken, which are putting pressure on beef consumption at home.

In a separate presentation to CBIC attendees, Cam-eron Bruett, head of corporate affairs and sustainability

for JBS USA emphasized the importance of trade deals lie the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). “The TPP will allow us to put significant pressure on China to be re-sponsible trading partners and actors in the internation-al marketplace,” he said. “As populations grow in devel-oping countries, we must have access to these markets for our industry to grow. Free trade allows us to send products that are of lesser value consumed domestically to international customers who value these products and will pay more for them. It increases the value of each and every animal. It’s really important for our industry.”

Listen to what consumers want to increase beef demand

From left to right: Sam Heath of Tim Hortons, Mo Jessa of Earls and Randy White of Sysco Canada were the panel-ists for a discussion on beef demand at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in August.


www.mbbeef.ca

First sale of 2017 is January 10th

Wishing you and yours a very happy

holiday season!

2016

Win

ter S

ale

Sche

dule

HeartlandLivestock Services

Presorts MUST be booked in advance. Bred cow sales must be pre-booked and in by NOON on Wednesday prior.

Age verification papers must be dropped off with cattle.

DECE

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BY DUNCAN MORRISONExecutive Director Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association

The weather was bright and sunny as 40 or so delegates from the Canadian For-age and Grassland Association (CFGA) enjoyed a late-fall tour of Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) on Nov. 15. Though, according to the attendees, the brightest takeaway from the day was the great potential that the three MBFI research demonstration farms have on a local, re-gional, national and international levels.

“It was an excellent day,” said Ray Rob-ertson, CFGA chair and a custom grazing producer from Markdale, Ontario where he and wife Evelyn farm. “It’s a great facility

and tremendous opportunity for everyone in the beef and forage industry to use MBFI research and extension efforts to better our industry.”

Located at three sites: Brookdale, First Street and Johnson Pasture near Brandon, MBFI is an industry-led centre of agricul-tural innovation engaging in science-based research to benefit valuable ecosystems, improve producer profitability and build social awareness around the beef and for-age industry.

“MBFI is a collaboration between Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Pro-ducers, Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, and Ducks Unlimited Canada with direction from stakeholders collabo-

rating for the advancement of the industry,” said Glenn Friesen, Manitoba Agriculture’s project lead on MBFI. “As a group, we want producers, industry and stakeholders aware of our MBFI programs and poten-tial and the opportunity to broadcast this to Canada’s forage and grassland leaders as part of the CFGA 2016 conference in Win-nipeg was a great opportunity to do so.”

Most of the tour time was spent at Brookdale where the bulk of MBFI re-search is taking place, however there were also stops at the other two sites as well. During the tour stops, researchers from Manitoba Agriculture and the University of Manitoba explained some of the lead-ing edge beef and forage research under-way at MBFI. After hearing from research leads on soil health, leafy spurge, extended grazing, forage quality, watering systems, riparian areas, carbon sequestration and herd health, MBFI’s focus on extension – that is hearing the results of research from researchers in ways that connect with us-ers and stakeholders – struck a chord with Robertson.

“I heard a presentation recently where Canada was ranked number nine in the

world in agricultural extension efforts. Extension has kind of dropped off our na-tional map, yet, in many ways effective ex-tension is what Canada needs to surround our agriculture producers and land manag-ers with so we can get back on that interna-tional stage as the global leaders,” said Rob-ertson. “MBFI is a definite big step in that direction. We need more of this kind of col-laboration and leadership across Canada.”

Longtime CFGA board member Doug Wray hails from Irricana, Alberta where he and wife Linda run a herd of 300 cows on a forage-focused ranch operation. Wray said the enthusiasm of the research-ers and the combination of youth, partner collaboration and strong research is a well-timed recipe for the rest of Canada to watch closely and learn from.

“These are bright and engaged re-searchers looking for solutions that should resonate with all of us that work on the land,” said Wray, who was acknowledged with the 2016 New Holland CFGA Lead-ership Award at the Winnipeg confer-ence. “MBFI is bringing together the part-nerships, the facilities, the researchers. It’s fantastic.”

MBFI shines in CFGA eyesThe Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association held its seventh annual conference in Winnipeg in November. A pre-conference tour saw roughly 40 people tour Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives three research farms near Brandon. Submitted Photo.


www.mbbeef.ca

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BY ANGELA LOVELL

Of the four pillars that make up Canada’s National Beef Strategy, the connectivity goal might be the most challenging, as the industry aims to enhance synergies and connect positively with consumers, the public, government and partner industries.

Connectivity is about connecting the dots through the whole chain of beef production from "the gate to the plate." “We need to improve connectivity within the beef industry itself because the nature of our pro-duction system tends to be somewhat segregated,” says Dr. Tim McAllister, principal research scientist with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, who spoke on the topic at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Cal-gary in August. “There needs to be recognition from within the industry that good practices within the cow/calf sector have benefits for the feedlot sector, and that one sector really can’t continue to operate without the others.”

McAllister also believes there needs to be a better way of connecting with the companies and organiza-tions that can move technology forward to the benefit of the industry. “We are always striving to improve the efficiency of the Canadian beef industry but once you find a technology that looks like it has that potential, there’s really very few organizations in the world that are capable of commercializing it and which have the marketing and distribution arm that can get it out to the industry,” said McAllister in a phone interview. “We need to recognize the role of technology compa-nies that are involved in developing the new tools that help us improve the efficiency of production.”

Balancing the PictureIt’s not easy to dispel negative messaging, badly in-

terpreted science or the bias of interest groups in the media, but if everyone in the beef industry can work together to provide a more balanced view and present alternative perspectives on some of the practices that make it to the headlines.

“When we see what comes out in the popular press it’s usually focusing on the negativity of beef cattle production, such as methane emissions,” said McAl-lister. “When we switch to feed sources like forages and grasses, we increase the amount of methane that’s produced per unit of feed that’s consumed. But under those conditions, cattle are using feed sources that are not suitable as food for humans, a practice that comes with other benefits. We need to recognize that almost every management decision comes with both positive and negative implications for the environment.”

Most people thinking about emissions have feed-lots in mind, and they aren’t considering the positive impacts of rangelands on greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-sions. “The ranch lands and native grasslands that exist

are quite substantial and they are there for a large part because of the cattle industry and their use for produc-tion,” said McAllister. “If you’re looking at the conver-sion of cropland into permanent forage then you have significant carbon sequestration over at least a 25-year time span. But you also have to credit the stores that al-ready exist. Even in fully mature native grasslands that have never been touched, there’s probably a limited amount of carbon that continues to be stored in those mature ecosystems but the amount of carbon there is absolutely huge. On a global perspective, there’s actual-ly more carbon still in the soil, than in the atmosphere, about three times as much. So the last thing we want to do is break that land up and contribute more carbon.”

Emphasizing Best PracticesA much touted figure is that forages and other

crops that are grown to feed cattle account for 90 per-cent of the water footprint of beef, but McAllister ar-gues, it’s not likely eliminating the cattle would cause those lands to be abandoned and not cropped, which still uses water.

Cattle manure has also been vilified as a cause of nutrient loading in waterways and lakes, but when manure is applied to the land it offsets the GHG emis-sions that are used in the production of chemical ni-trogen fertilizers. “When we use chemical fertilizer, we add absolutely no carbon to the soil whatsoever,” said McAllister. “When we add manure, it has organic mat-ter so we’re adding carbon to the soil. The amount of depletion of carbon under cropping systems is much greater than it ever would be under native pasture land, even if that native pasture land was overgrazed it would not lose the same amount of carbon as one which is cropped and cultivated.”

Not everything about beef cattle production is good and some of the points made by groups that are

negative to the industry do have some basis in science, but often they’re looking for where people have made mistakes and then they try to extrapolate that those mistakes are industry wide, and are common practice, which is not the case. “Usually they’re isolated inci-dences,” said McAllister. “That’s why it’s so critical that we limit or eliminate those practices from occurring within the industry, because any time they do occur it

causes major damage to the industry. Although they are rare, the industry should basically have zero toler-ance for those types of practices.”

McAllister has been part of the LEAP (Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance) Partner-ship which is a global initiative of the Food & Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations that has been working on developing some metrics and approaches to define the carbon and water footprint of livestock production systems. “The goal is to get consistency

in terms of the approaches that are used to generate the numbers that are associated with the carbon and water footprint of cattle production,” said McAllister. “These can then flow through groups like the Cana-dian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, and the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and provide people with a way to analyse the sustainability of their pro-duction systems.”

Connecting the dots of beef production

Dr. Tim McAllister

“The ranch lands and native grasslands that exist are quite substantial and they are there for a large part because of the cattle industry and their use for production.”

Dr. Tim McAllister


www.mbbeef.ca

BY JOHN MCGREGORMFGA Extension Support

With the difficult weather this past year, many producers have excess amount of forage, but quality is low.

Under this scenario, estimating for-age usage by cows is going to be an impor-tant part of the task of calculating winter feed needs. Hay intake must be estimated in order to make these calculations. For-age quality will be a determining factor in the amount of forage consumed. Higher quality forages contain larger concentra-tions of important nutrients so animals should be more likely to meet their nutri-ent needs consuming these forages. Also, cows can consume a larger quantity of higher quality forages.

Higher quality forages are fermented more rapidly in the rumen leaving a void that the animal can refill with additional forage. Consequently, forage intake in-creases. For example, low quality forages (below about six per cent crude protein) will be consumed at about 1.5 per cent of body weight (on a dry matter basis) per day. Higher quality grass hays (above 8% crude protein) may be consumed at about two per cent of body weight. Ex-cellent forages, such as good alfalfa, si-lages, or green pasture may be consumed at the rate of 2.5 per cent dry matter of body weight per day. The combination of increased nutrient content and increased forage intake makes high quality forage very valuable to the animal and to the producer. With these intake estimates, producers can calculate the amounts of

hay that need to be available.Using an example of 1,200-pound

pregnant spring-calving cows, let’s as-sume that the grass hay quality is good and tested eight per cent crude protein. Cows will voluntarily consume two per cent of body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 per cent dry matter.

Grass hays will often be sevent to 10 per cent moisture. If we assume that the hay is 92 per cent dry matter or eight per cent moisture, then the cows will con-sume about 26 pounds per day on an “as-fed basis”. Unfortunately we also have to consider hay wastage when feeding big round bales. Hay wastage is difficult to estimate, but generally has been found to be from six to 20 per cent (or more). For this example, let’s assume 15 per cent hay wastage. This means that approximately 30 pounds of grass hay must be hauled to the pasture for each cow each day that hay is expected to be the primary ingredi-ent in the diet.

After calving and during early lacta-tion, the cow may weigh 100 pounds less, but will be able to consume bout 2.6 per cent of her body weight (100 per cent dry matter) in hay. This would translate into 36 pounds of “as-fed” hay per cow per day necessary to be hauled to the pas-ture, assuming 15 per cent hay wastage once again. Accurate knowledge of aver-age cow size in your herd as well as the average weight of your big round bales becomes necessary to predict hay needs and hay feeding strategies.

Where the real concern comes this

year is with the low quality forages that may be on the farm. As mentioned, low protein hay is consumed at 1.5 per cent of body weight. Cows consuming lower quality forages may not be able to physi-cally consume enough forage to meet their nutrient requirements. This can lead to lower body scores, weak calves and lower conception rates next spring.

If you suspect your feed may not be up to its normal standards or you don’t have better quality feeds available to supplement your rations, getting your feed tested and having a ration balanced by your feed representative or Manitoba Agriculture Livestock specialist can help assure that your rations will meet your cows’ requirements.

Consider the following management practices to reduce winter stress on your herd:

1. Develop balanced rations with available feed and supplement when nec-essary.

• Increase ration TDN to meet ad-ditional energy needs during adverse weather events

• Consider supplements to increase energy and protein

• Manage feed resources keeping the best feeds for late gestation and lactation

2. Shelter can be beneficial during severe conditions.

• provide dry bedding areas for cows and bulls

• provide wind breaks that can be ac-cessed by cows during adverse weather

3. Body condition score all cows and monitor monthly to assess their sta-tus and group cows and heifers based on nutritional needs by age and body condi-tion.

How much hay will your cows consume?


www.mbbeef.ca

SAVETHE

DATEMBP’s 38th Annual General Meeting takes place Feb. 2 & 3, 2017 at the Victoria Inn in Brandon, MB. PLAN TO ATTEND!Email [email protected] for details.

Feb 2 & 3

Monty Thomson Cell #: (204) 870-0089

Gladstone, MB www.hatfieldclydesdales.com

Come pick out a brother to heifers like this.

Deep, sound, & quiet.

Do you make time for yourself? Time for you, as in taking care of your body and mind. That’s a question most of us do not like, because the answer is often, "I try to find time, or life is to busy right now, but I will find time soon." There seems to be something ingrained in wives, moms and caregivers that keeps themselves at the bottom of their lists. Let’s make a point of making time for ourselves, schedule yourself in your schedule! Self care is important for our own self awareness and growth; physically, men-tally and emotionally.

Make time for exercise and bettering your health. This can be stretching for 10 minutes at your desk, going for a walk or finding a quiet place to meditate and reflect. Sched-ule time on a weekly basis, this way these activities can be worked into a routine. Get creative with your limited time,

if the kids are at swimming lessons for 60 minutes, check if the centre has an adult fitness class you can do at the same time. If not, use this time to read a book, do some writing or listen to music.

Working on your well being, being self-aware and car-ing for yourself and family does not need to be an obvi-ous and loud transformation. It’s about being mindful of what is truly best for you and your positive well being. On a daily basis this can be as simple as remembering to get enough sleep, staying hydrated and keeping it interesting by adding fruit or herbs into flat or sparkling water. Eat-ing healthy meals, make meals a family affair. If the kid’s favourite is sandwich subs or pizza, pick up whole wheat pitas to transform them into an easy, do it yourself pizzas with toppings of their choice. As a twist for the adults I like to create pizza topping dinner salads. I add all my favourite pizza toppings, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, feta cheese, roasted red peppers over a bed of lettuce. Pick a meal that just makes you smile and create it at home, you will feel so good about what came out of your kitchen.

Every once in a while take the time to focus on activi-ties that make you feel self worth, happiness and satisfied. Here are some ideas: • Buy fresh flowers for your home• Spend quality time with friends• Go on a nature hike• Go on a weekend road trip or a week long vacation

somewhere you love and cannot wait to visit. • Book a spa day for the ultimate relaxation and tranquil

experience• Host a cooking party, try a group gathering in your

home kitchen and make sushi, pizzas or panini grilled sandwiches as an entertaining idea.

Making time to reflect on the importance of self care is something small that can dramatically improve your health. Making time for exercise and to meditate and fully relax can lower blood pressure and even improve cognitive performance. A fun activity that can be experienced with one person or several is fondue. On this season of Great Tastes of Manitoba I demonstrated three great tender cuts of beef that can be used when hosting an evening of fondue. You can find this video on Youtube on GreatTastesTV, fon-due is very simple to prepare ahead of time and can make for a festive holiday dinner party idea. This holiday season

try taking a few moments to yourself to slow down and relax. Enjoy every moment you experience and be mindful on how special it is to share these with friends and family.

Inhale. Exhale. Take some time.

Classic Beef FondueBeef:1 lbs (0.5 kg) beef cuts (tenderloin, top sirloin or fillet) (75 g sliced beef per person)

Fondue:1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil1 garlic clove, crushed1 onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped1 cup (250 mL) red wine2-900mL tetra packs low sodium beef broth1 celery stalk, finely chopped1 tomato, chopped1/2 tsp (2 mL) black pepper1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt1 Bay leaf

Dipping Sauces:Wasabi Cream½ cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt2 tsp (10 mL) prepared wasabi paste1 Tbsp (15 mL) chives or green onion, thinly chopped Peanut Chili Sauce:2 Tbsp (30 mL) peanut butter¼ cup (50 mL) soy sauce1 Tbsp (15 mL) prepared sweet chili sauce

DIRECTIONS:Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onion until

soft; add garlic at the end to soften. Add wine and bring to a quick boil. Add beef broth, vege-tables and spices, lower heat to a simmer. Cover with a heavy lid and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Drain fondue stock through a filter to remove vegetables (optional). When ready to serve re-heat and add beef stock to fondue pot. Roll de-sired raw beef piece on fondue fork and cook to desired doneness.

Sauces: Whisk together all ingredients for each sauce, serve as a dip to cooked meat and vegetables.


www.mbbeef.ca

Documents

Simmental & Angus Bull & Female Sale on the ranch Thursday ... · DECEMBER 2016. Strong . POSTMASTER: PLEASE RETURN UNDELIVERABLE COPIES TO: MBP, UNIT 220, 530 CENTURY STREET, WINNIPEG,