Sounds Good!

[15444]

OMAHA (DTN) -- The USDA is about to release the rule regarding reopening the border to some Canadian live cattle. The department was about to file the rule last Friday but the move is now expected this week. Once published in the Federal Register, there will be 60 calendar days for Congress to review the matter.

That means there will be some younger Canadian live cattle and perhaps more eligible Canadian beef coming into the United States in late-February, early March.

That likelihood has weighed on feeder cattle and spring live cattle futures the last few weeks.



http://ilfb.aghost.net/index.cfm?show=4&id=13176

[kato]

This is the place to check it out. If you check every day, click the link to regulations published today. Otherwise, click the link to regulations by topic. There is one for animals under the agriculture section.

www.regulations.gov

[greybeard]

Does this mean sealed trailers to packers or will it include feeders to feedlots?
If meat from OTM cattle is included will our current plants start running them as margins decline on younger cattle?

[farmers_son]

I think this rumour of the rule being published should be taken with some skepticism. Likewise the date mentioned of a February/March opening is pure speculation. Further I checked the U.S. CME feeder futures and they have been trading sideways for the past two months so no indication there.

Once the rule is published it will one more positive step to seeing normalized trade resume with the U.S. But there are a number of very significant hurdles that need to be crossed before that border actually opens. Canadian producers should be cautious about becoming too optimistic this time around. The border will open when the Americans are darn well ready to see it open, not one moment sooner.

It is my belief that if you want to know when the border is going to open watch the talks between Japan and the U.S. on resuming beef trade with that market and you will be pretty accurate on guessing a date when Canada/U.S. trade will resume.

[kato]

Still, it would sure be nice to read the new rule, and see what it contains.

[farmers_son]

Yes it would be good to read the rule when it is published. What do you think it will say?

[grassfarmer]

I severely doubt it will contain any good news on OTM cattle. If by some miracle they decided they wanted OTM beef before the 7 year time frame since our first case it would certainly have to be slaughtered in seperate plants to under 30 month cattle. Either way we need to get new slaughter plants up and running for OTM cattle. Producers realise this as evidenced by the poll published in the Alberta Beef magazine this week showing 97.33% of respondents believing producers should "have the right to vote for a producer owned, funded(levy) and operated packing plant."

[cowman]

I wonder what the numbers might be if everyone who sells cattle and pays the checkoff got a vote? Do you think that might be the fair thing to do if we ever get to that point where we are seriously talking about a producer funded plant?
I wonder how much that levy would be and if it would end once the plant was paid for and solvent?
Do all provinces collect a checkoff like Alberta? Do they all contribute the same amount per head to advertize Cargill/IBPs' products?

[15444]

Ontario does through OCA, just can't remember what the per heard charge is..$2.50? or it could be $3 now. OCA changed a couple of years ago and is now a patsy to Better Beef and its contributing feedlot owners. The entire organization's structure changed and the cow/calf guys didn't have a chance. Now the checkoff money goes to everything geared towards beef promotion, and not sticking up for us cow/calf guys against stuff like nutrient management or actual producer-driven resolutions.

OCA doesn't care for the Northern producers or some of the extreme southern ones (Lambton county) as they are the ones that are the cow/calf guys.
OCA seems to like the Huron, Bruce, Grey and Kent county crowds alot more.

[cowman]

15444: I wonder about this "nutrient management" you mentioned? In Alberta, as of Jan.1/05, if you produce more than 500 tonnes of manure per year you have to have a "nutrient management"plan. This includes keeping records of where and how much manure you spread and I believe a soil test and manure test.
It is causing some of the hog farmers all kinds of problems because it means they are probably going to be hauling slurry a lot further than they might like. It is sort of a joke right now because the "manure police" don't hardly have any employees to check up on the farmers, let alone enforce the new rules! I suppose eventually the government will have to hire a bunch more people, but so far the government hasn't. I think they are hoping all the farmers will be good little citizens and march right out there and comply, even though it will cost them some major dollars!

[cowman]

cowman, I assume by 'manure police' you are referring to the NRCB Inspectors. The NRCB Inspectors does not act as manure police, they investigate complaints and monitor existing conditions on Municipal Development Permits. The requirement for a nutrient management plan is in the AOPA legislation which is administered by the NRCB. The NRCB did not write the legislation, it was written with input from Municipalities, Health Regions, Environmental Groups, AAMD C and AUMA.
As far as the NRCB having sufficient manpower to carry out their duties, your assumption that they do not is completely wrong. They have the required Inspectors, Approval Officers etc., as defined by the Divisonal Directors of the NRCB. The intent of Government has never been to have Manure COPS all over the place, peering through the bushes trying to find someone doing something wrong.
However, there is a need to ensure that the manure spreading activities of industry do not pose an environmental or health risk to any Albertan.
Spreading manure on the same piece of land over and over without soil testing is a very foolish thing to do, even without regulations. Not much sense overloading one piece of ground with nutrients, when it could be best utilized elsewhere.
I would suggest that you read the Agricultural Operations Practices Act, or better yet contact the NRCB office in Red Deer and ask to have copies of the Standard for manure spreading sent to you, it is just plain good common sense.
Everyone in Alberta does not farm nor do they spread manure, the livestock industry has to realize that the way the operate affects others, and the AOPA legislation ensures that no one is adversely affected, and still entrenches the right to farm.