What's in the message?

[Superbad]

Does anyone have a problem with the recent deluge
of ABP/AFAC press releases regarding reminders
for cow-calf producers to properly care for their
animals? The repetition and sheer frequency of
these messages sent out to the general media are
down right worrisome to me. Are we all complete
fools? They paint a picture of ranchers that can't
tend their animals with care and attention without
constant reminding. Have a read of the titles of the
last 13 or so releases:


In light of the late spring snows, AFAC had 2 more
producer information News Lines and one from the
Alberta Beef Producers. They are now posted at
http://www.afac.ab.ca/alps/radio.htm along with
the previous media spots.
ABP



Late Spring Snows and cow/calf concerns

#14



Livestock owners not out of the woods yet, minerals
needed

#13



Recent snow requires producers to pay special
attention to possible sickness in calves and weight
loss in nursing cows





Released Previously

#12



There are many reasons to protect the health and
welfare of animals, says Alberta Equestrian
Federation representative

#11



Segregation in cattle herd especially important this
time of year

# 10



Animal welfare a year round priority, Alberta Pork
says ALERT Line is a valuable resource

#9



RCMP Livestock Investigator says message well-
received

#8



Alberta animal welfare concerns are down but SPCA
official urges livestock owners to continue good
management practices

#7



Producers warned not to cut corners when winter
swath grazing

#6



Horse And All Livestock Owners Warned Not To
Become Complacent

#5



Adequate Livestock Water Supply And Safety Of
Dugouts Require Increased Management During
Winter Months

#4



Veterinarian supports winter grazing

#3



AFAC works with veterinarian & SPCA in the event
of animal distress

#2



Resource team in place across the province

#1



Animal care help line provides valuable service to
Alberta livestock industry



ALERT information and a poster can be accessed by
clicking on the following link.
(http://www.afac.ab.ca/alps/alertline.htm).

Please feel free to use these when writing your
agriculture and rural living stories this winter. We
are most grateful for your help in spreading this
information.

For more information, email info@afac.ab.ca or call
AFAC at 403-932-8050.

[per]

I especially got a kick out of the swath grazing one. My cows think they are in heaven and always gain weight when they enter the swath grazing session. And in case the author of that article reads this, we check the cattle, the remaining feed and water and fences etc. regularly during the summer, fall, spring and winter. Much like every rancher that I know. Oh, and they are supplied with adequate mineral as necessary.

[per]

Superbad, you can only surmise that the highly educated ones at ABP are passing on their knowledge to us ignorant peasant workers to make sure that we take care of our livestock. I'm all for good animal husbandry, in fact it is mandatory, but those of us that make our living at this already know that. Who is the audience then? Maybe the consumer, telling them that there is a gate keeper making sure the idiots raising their food look after the animals. It certainly passes on the perception that ranchers don't always take care of their cattle or other livestock. The few that need the mesage, who get the headlines, are not thinking clearly and won't read the mesage anyway.

[grassfarmer]

I have been unaware of these messages, didn't read or hear them anywhere. If only I'd known to pay special attention to possible sickness in calves and weight
loss in nursing cows due to the late snow...I'd never have guessed LOL.

What I have noticed this winter is that the animal welfare cases that hit the media headlines all concerned horses, and nearly all on acreages or first nations land.

[farmers_son]

I think the reason you have not noticed media attention regarding cattle herds is because AFAC is working to take care of the problems before the SPCA and the media get there.

[loric]

This communication effort was the direct result of the 2006-2007 winter, when there was a record number of serious SPCA investigations and seizures of cattle herds in Alberta. About a quarter of these cases were directly related to inept management of the cow herd in winter. There is nothing wrong with winter grazing if it is done right, as the one reader points out. Ranchers have done this successfully for years, and interest continues to build because of these successes. But as with all things, getting started involves a learning curve, and things can go downhill in a hurry when too many shortcuts are taken. This is particularly relevant for absentee owners (e.g. working off farm; absentee owners were another 31% of SPCA cases) or older producers (another 38% of cases) who may not be checking their cattle every day.



We are well aware that the vast, vast majority of producers are very skilled and care deeply for their animals. It is the tiny minority of producers who aren’t or don’t, for one reason or another, that we are trying to address. At least two of these Alberta cases made the national news, with pictures of cattle starving, dead and being shot, and these stories are still available on the internet for our industry’s critics to feed on. Industry had to respond to this negative story constructively rather than defensively, and that is why we worked with AFAC to develop these messages. This whole effort was aimed at three audiences: consumers (producers care for their cattle, and just because the cattle are not in a barn doesn’t mean they’re being neglected), absentee / older producers (have you checked your cows today?) and people with neighbours who may be elderly, working off farm, or new to winter grazing (do they need some neighbourly advice?). Producers may be reluctant to call the SPCA, because of the stigma that gives the target in a small community. We highlighted the ALERT line (1-800-506-2273) so that people knew that there was an alternative to calling the authorities. AFAC’s ALERT line and on-call veterinarian program allow suspected problems to be investigated, and work with the producer to help fix the problem, rather than having the entire neighbourhood see uniformed officers showing up. Although the tiny minority of producers who don’t care about animal welfare may not pay attention to these messages, we hope that their neighbours will, and either try to speak with them or contact the ALERT line.



Part of the issue is that while there are a lot of information producer magazines / ag. papers about extended grazing, these articles sometimes don’t emphasize that serious problems can develop quickly if too many shortcuts are taken. So we also worked with ARECA (Applied Research and Extension Council of Alberta) on their updated “Year Round Grazing” manual to subtly highlight some of the animal care issues in extended grazing systems.



Your input is welcome. Feel free to contact your ABP delegate (listed at http://www.albertabeef.org/about/delegates-and-directors/) or the ABP office (abpfeedback@albertabeef.org) if there are any particular concerns you see in your zone that you would like us to address in the future.

[Kathy]

I noted this thread started in May of 08. After GG's announcement on June 5- are you starting to get a picture?

There are a large number of people out there that think we need to be trained properly by educated experts, how to raise our cattle. They (CFIA et al) want the ranchers "Licensed". The CFIA does not trust the rancher to do what is best for the industry, or to fully cooperate in the event of a major disease outbreak like FMD.

So adults are treated like children. Citizens like surfs. And perfectly capable ranchers like idiots.

This is just one background reason for the Alberta Government's Livestock and Meat Strategy. This is in no way "industry" lead. I never thought I'd have a ring in my nose... and GG wants me to voluntarily put it in!

If all the ranchers don't comply with their ideas, what will they do?

You will never know what might have been, if you don't stand against their agenda now.