Cattle producers look to the future
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- Published on Monday, November 20, 2017
Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner & Press
With the cows now home and the bales stacked, beef producers across Manitoba have begun to look to the future. This fall, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) have been holding their annual district meetings to discuss issues of importance to producers and the future of the industry.
Local MBP director and Langruth area producer Tom Teichroeb said that while members across the province have different concerns, three major topics were on the agenda at each meeting. The first is concerns over losses due to predators. Teichroeb explained that MBP has been working with the provincial government’s Sustainable Development department on this file for a number of years. While historically producers have been concerned with the loss of animals to wolves and other larger predators, this year, producers have stepped forward with concerns over losses in other areas, such as blackbirds in corn for use as animal feed. While the issue isn’t resolved, Teichroeb said they have been seeing some progress in meetings with the minister and deputy minister.
Another province-wide agenda item is the pending increase in check off, which is the refundable fee paid by producers when cattle are sold or slaughtered. This was previously approved by the association’s members and was to come into effect this year, however, the associations in Saskatchewan and Alberta asked to delay the implementation in order to bring forward some bigger issues. The increase is expected to come into effect early in the new year.
The other major agenda item is how to grow the province’s cattle herd. In the summer of 2016, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler set the target of increasing the province’s beef herd by 70 per cent in the next 10 years. Teichroeb said that they will be listening to feedback from members about how this can be achieved.
The issue of Bovine TB remains important to producers in the Riding Mountain National Park area in particular. Teichroeb said that there have been no positive diagnoses of the disease in the domestic herd and monitoring of wildlife is ongoing. He explained that MBP is continuing to push for a TB clear status for the province. “We’re so close, if we can regain [the clear status], it would be advantageous,” he said.
Upcoming changes
Cattle producers operate as part of a larger regulatory environment and these outside forces will have an impact on producers’ operations. One such issue is antibiotic resistance, something the World Health Organization is extremely worried about. Upcoming changes will require producers to obtain a veterinarian’s prescription in order to purchase antibiotics, some of which can currently be purchased over the counter at farm supply stores. “Not that I like regulation any more than the next guy,” said Teichroeb, “but this is a necessary change, resistance is an important topic.”
Teichroeb explains that while many producers are concerned about the added cost due to less competition, he still thinks that there will be enough competition, especially when many drugs can be ordered. “You’ll have to have one really good relationship with a vet, which I think most producers have,” he said. Teichroeb sees taking a proactive approach to prevent resistance, rather than having to react after the fact, to be important for the industry.
The other change aims to increase traceability. In order to better handle disease outbreaks and subsequent quarantine requirements, Manitoba producers will have to comply with increased traceability requirements. Teichroeb explains that in the near future, producers will have to prepare livestock manifests whenever animals are transported. This documentation has been required in both Saskatchewan and Alberta for a number of years, but wasn’t previously mandatory in Manitoba. The manifests are printed by the Manitoba government and can be purchased at Manitoba Agriculture offices. A free version, without a unique identifier code, can be printed from Manitoba Agriculture’s website for transport within Manitoba. Producers will also be required to have a premise ID number, which must be recorded on the manifests.
Teichroeb explained that this change has been driven much more by the Canadian Food In-spection Agency (CFIA) than the industry, but that this move represents a compromise from the more thorough recording proposed by CFIA, which would have required animals to have their CCIA tags scanned in and out at every move. He explains that preparing and completing manifests is a relatively simple process and won’t result in additional stress on animals or infrastructure requirements.
Looking to the future
Like any industry, MBP is concerned about getting young producers not only involved in the industry, but also in governance. New for this year was a partnership with 4-H Manitoba to hold Emerging Beef Leaders forums at three locations. These meetings preceded the district meetings in Districts 3, 5 and 11 and Teichroeb said they went well, with some participants staying for the district meeting.
Getting younger producers involved at the board level is important to the future of both the industry and MBP, explains Teichroeb. The lobbying and research work undertaken by MBP plays a key role in helping producers of all ages and ensuring the industry’s viability. But including young producers in the organization has other benefits, “We learn from them… It’s a great opportunity to mentor and learn from each other,” said Teichroeb.
