Crash go the feeders

[kato]

The cattle numbers on our farm aren't going to go up, because we won't keep heifers. They will be sold. We are only going to replace a cow if she's open, or to old to carry on. If she loses a calf, and is otherwise healthy, she stays. We usually have enough twins to keep the cow/calf ration close. It just means some cows work a little harder than others. ;-)

When the market returns, then we will cull as usual. However, from now on, longevity will become a higher priority when selecting heifers. Those old girls who can still do the job into the teens have the genetics that will help keep you in business.

[kato]

Oops...That's cow/calf ratio.

[cowman]

Canada will calve out a record calf crop this spring. These calves will have to find a home this fall...somewhere! If the cull cow problem isn't solved this year we will record an even bigger calf crop next year. We are creating a surplus although I do agree with rsomer that it could be reversed tommorrow if the border was to open.
If we had taken those 600,000 cows last year out of the meat system we would be current or in a sustainable holding pattern, instead we are in an expansion mode when we definitely shouldn't be!
Of course an unjustified expansion can't go on forever. Sooner or later it starts to unravel and then it gets real ugly! Our governments decided to roll the dice on the border opening and I hope they are right! If not we are in some serious trouble?

[frustrated1]

the longer the borders are closed, the more the word "cull" means shoot. actually we've adopted that meaning already. maybe several liner loads of older cows turned loose on parliment hill or even our provincial govts grounds would be an idea. if we did this once a month on a regular basis we could rid our supply and make a point. it won't be a great loss to any of us as i think the new reality is that we're married to the cows that are on our farms at present and once they're old enough to vote they might as well head to the government buildings.

[ianben]

Still not sure your optimism over border opening is true.
All those cattle that should have been sold in last 9 months are getting bigger and bigger.
US will have found new suppliers or changed habits, 9/12 months is along time people will have moved on.
The French fought the lifting of the ban on British beef but even now it is gone little or no UK beef is exported.
NO customers!!
What is the situation now US export markets closed also.
Just how big will demand be and how many cattle do you have backed up in the system?????

Cull mean kill!!!! Dig a big hole and do yourselves a favor.

All agree to kill some cows and the poorest calves
10% 20% what ever it takes.

Then make some real money if and when the border opens.

[bombay_43]

I like frustrateds idea about turning culled cows loose at the parliment buildings! It would save us having to feed them, and maybe would prompt the government into making pet food plants so that we don't have to import it from the US! Either that or the SPCA would be busy finding homes for them!

I guess I have been coming around to Ianbens way of thinking with regards to the border opening. I am just not certain that it will make a difference to us in the long run. With the US having made this trade agreement with Australia to accept unlimited amounts of their beef within 3 years, it certainly looks like the US is showing us just what they think of us and our "Alberta Beef".

Maybe our powers that be, should have been looking at picking up markets else where, and catering to other markets as opposed to the US. I feel like they play,and we dance! We should have agreed to test all beef supplies to Japan, and picked up a huge market there. But once again, what the United States says, goes!

Why was our beef to the US cut off, except what they need or desire, yet USA poultry continues to flow across our border after countless other countries have banned it?

It may be time to stand up and look after ourselves, and not count on the US border opening being our salvation. I think over the past year, the anamosity that the US feels toward Canada (for some obvious, and some not so obvious reasons) is shining through, and we cattle producers just happen to be the first in a long line of "Payback"!

[kato]

Daily Update for February 13, 2004

February 13, 2004
Canadian Cattlemen's Association

Macau has become the most recent market to reopen to Canadian beef exports. The agreement allows for meat products from all classes of cattle (both over and under 30 months of age) to be exported. While Macau is a relatively small market, it is still significant in that it is a Special Administrative Region of China (similar to Hong Kong) and is setting precedent for reopening the greater-China market. Another significant element of this announcement is it opens another market for offals and products from cattle over 30 months of age which have been typically excluded from the approved product lists of countries currently accepting Canadian beef. In 2002 the greater-China market purchased over 3,000 tonnes of Canadian beef products. Cattle processing volumes have been running above pre-BSE levels in Canada and new capacity is expected in March to increase this volume by approximately 6,500 cattle per week. Much of the new capacity will be directed towards cows and bulls. Consumer research in both Canada and the United States indicates that domestic demand and consumer confidence have held firm since the Washington State BSE-positive cow was discovered. The United States has completed their investigation into the Washington State BSE case and there are strong indications that the rule making process that deals with live cattle and bone-in beef products that was stalled in January will re-open very shortly for a short comment period and will proceed to final rule completion. The rule could establish the template that many countries will use to re-open to both Canada and the United States. The National BSE Round Table that reports to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada is working on various scenarios that look at different dates for the re-opening the U.S. border to live cattle and the transition measures that would be necessary to deal with the various possibilities. In addition, it will look at where the industry wants to be positioned in the future when full market access is restored to reduce its vulnerability to the type of risk the industry is currently experiencing. Unless there are major new developments the next update will be on Tuesday, February 17, 2004. This update has been brought to you by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and DuPont Canada.

Don't give up yet, guys.

[cowman]

Bombay: I thought Canada had supply management in chickens and we didn't need to import chickens from other countries? In fact if we get chicken flu we don't really need to worry about any borders closing because we don't export chickens, right? I mean we can just keep feeding Canadians our old sick chickens anyway, and what can they do? They can't bring in healthy chickens?
Kato: I notice your post says at the very bottom "Brought to you by the CCA and Dupont"? Does this mean Dupont and the CCA are in a joint business venture or something? Maybe Dupont owns the CCA? Or is "Dupont" just a front for Cargill or IBP? Maybe Monsanto could get in on this merger also?

[bombay_43]

Just for you Cowman! I looked up our poultry exports and imports, and was able to find up to and including the year 2000. I have no idea what has happened since. However, you may find this interesting. I did!

In the year 2000, Canada exported just over 80,000 tonnes of chicken. Our chicken exports represent 0.8% of the previous years production.

In the same year, Canada imported almost 150,000 tonnes of chicken. Let me just paste something here:

Canadian Chicken Imports¡The United States is the sole supplier of Canadian chicken imports. Under the FTA/NAFTA, U.S. access to Canada’s chicken market is based on 7.5% of the previous year’s Canadian production of chicken. ¡Imports represent 11% of domestic consumption.

Do you still think if we shut out their poultry, there would be no additional call for our beef within our own country? Obviously we don't even grow enough poultry for our own supply, even if we take what was exported!

In all fairness, I have no idea what the chart looks like for imports after 2000, but it steadily increased every year prior to 2000!

[cakadu]

I know that some of the chicken we import is things like the wings - apparently we are far more fanatical than even our U.S. neighbors when it comes to eating "buffalo wings". In some states they know what you are talking about when you ask for wings, but in the majority of them, they don't have a clue.

I also asked about wings in Australia and was met with a resounding laugh and was told we ship them to you guys because we find them a waste.

Doesn't hurt my feelings - I love eating wings.

[cakadu]

I forgot to mention that if you go and look at the price of chicken wings in the store, the price has steadily risen over the years and you actually pay an awful lot of money for what you are getting - especially if they don't take that tip off.

[kato]

Cowman..I think DuPont sponsors their website. Don't know how much farther it goes, but it is something to think about.

www.cattle.ca