Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Most people in the beef business are likely asking themselves the above question these days.  Making it in the beef industry has never been easy, but now it’s harder than ever. Steep rises in the Canadian dollar and feed costs have combined to challenge even the best in the business. Those who commit to giving it their best shot of being in the beef business five years from now, will have to draw on every possible advantage and most likely have to change the way they do business as well. Industry standards are changing and are sure to include age verification, a sound herd health protocol, excellent management and predictable genetics. These all work together to provide the market what it needs and will pay for. Everyone along the production system will be looking for ways to reduce cost and add value. So, what can you do as a cow/calf producer?

 

Know your market.
Understand what your buyers are looking for and then sell it to them. For example buyers want age verification and it doesn’t have to be onerous. In fact it is free when you buy tags through Beef Improvement Opportunities (BIO).  Know your herd, every cow beyond her looks and her tag number! You need to keep records on your cows so you can sort out the good, the bad and the ugly. Herd evaluation through BIO can cost as little as $99 per year and gives you very valuable information for culling and selection purposes. The range in productivity for cows on herd evaluation in 2006 (genetic potential alone) was 180 pounds! You can’t afford to be carrying the bottom end!

 

Select the right bull.
Your bull decision today will affect your herd and your bottom line for years. Knowing what your buyer will pay for, what your cows bring to the equation and how you manage your herd let’s you identify what you need in a bull. Bulls that have been through the BIO evaluation program have information on calving ease, growth, maternal, and carcass characteristics. You can look at the results for all of the bulls evaluated by visiting www.biobeef.com (go to Bull Evaluation Program or BEP query). Gone are the days when just looking at the bull was good enough - you need to know what you are buying! Good genetics give a good return on investment.

 

Present the package.
Offer groups of calves that are age-verified, similar in genetics and weight, from a herd health program and are ready to grow. These cattle get a premium price. Healthy calves come from good herd health programs, which involve making an investment, but have a proven return. If you have not yet added in the component of genetics, now is the time to do it. Test your customer satisfaction. Follow up with the buyers of your calves. Did they perform as you expected and as they needed them to? What could you change that would ensure better value for the buyers of your calves? Make changes as needed or you might just lose that buyer to someone who does listen.

 

Join a value chain.
The beef industry simply must catch up to other industries with respect to information flow: what is in demand, what will gain better payment, what do you need to change. This is sure to happen eventually on an industry level but as an individual producer, you can get a jump by being part of a group that shares information forward (like genetics) and backward (like carcass information). A clear signal that a particular carcass trait is valued and paid for can then lead to changes in breeding decisions. BIO is here to help. We are owned by beef producers and in business to work with those producers that want to use information to make better business decisions. We look forward to working with you, should you decide to stay. BIO

Editor’s Note: Mike McMorris is the General Manager of the Beef Improvement Opportunities (BIO) To contact Mike McMorris, e-mail him at: mmcmorris@biobeef.com or call him by phone at:  Ph: (519) 767-2665  ext. 301.

 

This commentary is for informational purposes only.  The opinions and comments expressed herein represent the opinions of the author--they do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Farms.com.  This commentary is not intended to provide individual advice to anyone.  Farms.com will not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information, or for any damages or losses in any way related to this commentary.

Views: 133

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Everyone should plan to attend the Farmer's Matter Event....check out the details in the OntAg Calendar.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Low commodity prices and high input costs a double whammy for Manitoba farmers

Manitoba farmers are facing a perfect storm of low grain prices and soaring fertilizer costs that are threatening profitability for both the current harvest and next year’s crop. Current harvest delivery prices have fallen to $7 per bushel for hard red spring wheat, $13.25 for canola, $11 for soybeans and $4 for oats, representing harvest pricing typically seed at the lows of a pricing cycle. On the cost side, fertilizer costs have climbed significantly from the numbers used in Manitoba Ag’s 2025 crop cost of production guide, which was compiled last November.  Urea has jumped to $850-900 per metric tonne, about 30 per cent higher than the $690 per tonne used in those calculations. Data from Manitoba Ag show a surge in crop production costs in 2022.  Those have stayed elevated and, when combined with current grain prices, the cost pressure is particularly acute.

US wheat finds new markets in Asia

Flour millers in Asia have ramped up imports of U.S. wheat in recent weeks, driven by competitive prices from American suppliers and delays in shipments from the Black Sea. Indonesian importers have finalized deals for around 500,000 tons, while buyers in Bangladesh secured about 250,000 tons and millers in Sri Lanka acquired around 100,000 tons. Millers are taking both U.S. soft white wheat and hard red winter wheat varieties. Apparently, there were some weather issues which delayed cargoes from the Black Sea region, and U.S. prices have been pretty competitive. This is additional demand for U.S. wheat in Asia, complementing purchases by traditional buyers such as Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Agriculture (FPT) Meetings Highlight Farmer Concerns

Industry leaders and government officials kicked off the FPT meetings at a Manitoba farm. Farmers and representatives from the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), CCGA, and provincial commissions shared their concerns directly with Minister MacDonald and Parliamentary Secretary Kody Blois. A key message was clear: farmers cannot borrow their way through these trade disputes, they were not of their making. Farmers are feeling the damage directly in their pockets. With canola selling at a discount between $60-$100/tonne...on an average 20MMT crop, that translates to estimated losses of $1.2–2.0 billion from lost exports to China. Federal Announcements: Some Support, but Gaps Remain The federal government announced $370 million in biofuel funding and additional trade diversification support. While these measures are a step in the right direction, they fall short of addressing the direct impact on canola farmers and exporters in lost bookings. Concerns remain over the lack of timelines for re

The Last Word (For Now) on Rest Stops During Long-Distance Transport

When the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began to muse about requiring that cattle be unloaded and provided with a rest stop after 36 hours of transportation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Canada’s beef industry funded a series of research projects led by Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein’s team at AAFC’s Lethbridge Research Station to determine whether a rest stop would benefit weaned calves. The research began before the regulations were revised, but the regulations were revised before the research could be completed. Three consecutive research trials conducted in 2018, 2019 and 2020 found that providing a rest stop during long haul transportation offered no consistent, measurable benefits for animal welfare. A companion project led by Trevor Alexander at AAFC Lethbridge looked at bacterial populations in the respiratory tract of those same calves. In September 2023, this column described how microbiological testing from the 2018 transportation trial found that rested

Federal Plastics Registry has new compliance requirement

The federal government has created new reporting requirements under its new Federal Plastics Registry. The registry is being phased in over a few years, however phase 1 requires Canadian brand owners to report on plastic packaging placed on the market by September 29, 2025, for the 2024 calendar year.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service