Husky Ethanol Switching to Corn

[wmoebis]

Let's see. USA owned cattle, in USA owned feedlots being fed USA corn. Slaughtered in USA owned plants. Meat shipped back to USA for sale. What does Canada get cheap calf market,cheap barley market, cheap job market and expensive meat.

[northfarmer]

ok...so the US strategy works best for them, not us.......we built our Candian cattle feeding/finnishing and export program around the presumption of low cost feed sources(stranded production may be a better term)....no longer the case given current global coarse grain demand and new US driven demand for ethanol from corn.....they have the corn ddgs...they get the feedlot cattle...if we harmonized our biofuel policy there would not be this arbritrage against us, but the primary difference is we are net exporter of carbon fuels there are large net importer.....they will take care of their politcal and economic needs before ours, this I expect...there rising grain demands drive up crop values, this has significantly improved the financial health of my grain operation........this more than compensates for lower returns on my cattle operation....

[northfarmer]

you see...I see????...my grass backgrounded cattle owned by me being finnished in US feedlot on corn DDGS and sold to US packer...my cattle will get finnished where the market determines, not where the 49th parralell is .....maybe some day they will be finnished on nothing but forage and grass

..i see the best barley prices in my 20 years of farming, even with the borg screwing up the market.....

i do not know about cheap jobs in my market, I have never seen people getting paid as well as they are now in my 25 adult years of existence in my neck of the woods.... the average wage increase has more than kept up with inflation...

and my meat is cheap...cull cow extra lean hamburger and dry aged beef, grass finnished hormone free steaks and roasts....no you will not get this deal at Safeway, but your cattle ranching neighbor would probably make you a deal..........

[furrowtickler]

I remember 'Red Williams' preaching at the U.of S. about the abundant cheap feed grains and the potential for the hog/poultry/cattle industry to expand dramatically in Sask. The problem I argued with him was that we as grain producers will not grow $1.5 - $2/bus feed barley forever. Livestock returns will improve again, they will have to - peolpe are eating more meat globaly. Grain producers have been taking it on the chin for a very long time - it is our turn. I just hope that the livestock producers can weather the storm and get more out of the system. The money is there to pay for $4/bus feed barley - just go to the super market. The same problem applies to all ag products - too many middle men - end of story.