Reading Time: < 1 minute Youth between the ages of eight and 21 who are involved in Beef 4-H, junior cattle shows or beef production can win cash in the Young Guns essay contest. The theme of the contest is what sustainability means to you and what it looks like on your farm or ranch. An entry may be submitted […] Read more
What does farm sustainability mean to you?
Entry deadline for 'Young Guns' contest is midnight, May 30
Tips for winter calving
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers is reminding producers of good practices for winter calving. Shelter from the wind is the most important step, said beef production specialist Karin Schmid. “Bedding is also super important. If you have a good bedding pack it can really help keep the calf’s temperature up, and that way they’ll nurse faster and […] Read more
4-H’s Beef Project website offers e-learning modules
Reading Time: < 1 minute In partnership with the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, 4-H Alberta developed an e-learning curriculum for their Beef Project clubs that reflect the changing needs in next-generation learning. The Beef Project, which has 3,200 members, is designed to identify needs for improved knowledge in the beef industry. It has multiple learning modules on topics ranging […] Read more
Devilish dollar: What’s good for producers may mean more pain for packers
Cargill and JBS plants in Alberta need more cattle, but a low dollar makes it harder to get them and also has some negatives for feedlots
Reading Time: 4 minutes A low dollar means double trouble for Alberta’s big packers — and puts stress on feedlots, too. “In 2015, with smaller cattle numbers and bigger exports, we’re going to see some pressure on our packing plants and feedlots to stay better utilized,” said Brian Perillat, senior analyst and manager with CanFax. Despite its shrinking herd, […] Read more
Alberta producers want cattle checkoff raised
Alberta Beef Producers says its members have endorsed raising the checkoff
Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta producers want to see the checkoff on cattle rise by a third — and be made mandatory. Attendees at Alberta Beef Producers’ meetings earlier this winter were asked if they favoured a higher, mandatory checkoff and the answer was a strong ‘yes,’ said Rich Smith, the organization’s executive director. “The producers who attended those […] Read more
Stewardship is also good business on Bar S Ranch
Reading Time: 2 minutes Good stewardship is also good for the bottom line, says this year’s winner of Alberta Beef Producers’ environmental stewardship award. “Environmental benefits go hand in hand with sustainable management principles,” said Clay Chattaway of Bar S Ranch, located in the Chain Lakes area near Nanton. “If you’re using good management practices, the environment benefits because […] Read more
Beef leaders aim high with new national strategy
Goals include boosting production efficiency by 15 per cent and increasing carcass cut-out value by 15 per cent in just five years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Business gurus call them Big Hairy Audacious Goals — and now Canadian beef leaders have to figure out how to achieve the ones they’ve set for their industry. “You have to pick a place to get to,” said Trevor Atchison, co-chair of the National Beef Strategic Planning Group. “You can’t make every goal in life, […] Read more
When cattle (prices) fly
Five to Remember: The year began with producers wondering if ‘fantastic’ prices could last — they did a lot more than that
Reading Time: 2 minutes At the start of the year, the big question in the cattle sector was, ‘Can prices stay this high all year?’ “The market right now is fantastic,” Herb Lock of Farm$ense Marketing said back in February. “Cow-calf producers right now are in their second world, floating around in the sky compared to other years.” Lock […] Read more
Alberta Beef Producers delegates for 2014-15
Seven zones elect delegates by acclamation
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Beef Producers’ elections have wrapped up. There were elections for delegates in Zones 3 and 5, with the remaining seven zones electing delegates by acclamation. Elections took place during ABP meetings in October and November. Zones 4, 6, 7, and 8 have vacancies. Here are the ABP delegates for the 2014-15 year. (An asterisk […] Read more
EXCLUSIVE: Loblaws jumps on board the sustainable beef initiative
Canada’s largest food retailer has joined McDonald’s, the largest beef buyer, in an undertaking that could reshape the cattle sector
Reading Time: 5 minutes Canada’s largest food retailer has pledged to start selling sustainable beef, joining forces with the country’s largest beef buyer in an initiative that could reshape the industry, Alberta Farmer has learned. Loblaws, which has more than 1,000 stores serving 14 million Canadians weekly, already has a sustainable seafood program and is keen to do the […] Read more
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