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Mark your calendar for the Alberta Beef Industry Conference

The Alberta Beef Industry Conference is less than two months away, taking place at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel from March 12-14, 2019.

The event is one of Canada’s largest beef conferences and trade shows, and provides an opportunity for the industry to come together to learn, to network and to discover the latest products and innovations.

As one of the five hosts of the conference, the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association is delighted to work alongside Alberta Beef Producers, Alberta Auction Markets Association, Alberta Livestock Dealers and Order Buyers Association, and the Western Stock Growers’ Association.

Once again, there is a line-up of speakers who have a wealth of industry or subject expertise to share. We look forward to hearing their insights on the industry’s most pressing issues. Here are some of the highlights:

Brad Wall: Western Canada’s Economy: Risks and Opportunities; Offense and Defense 

Brad will speak about the current political landscape and its impact on Western Canada.

Amber MacArthur and Marty Seymour: If the Future is Different Than the Past, is Your Business Ready?

Learn what your business needs to do to adapt to changing times.

Chief Clarence Louie: Cowboys & Indians – Causing Disruption to Create Economic Prosperity

Hear how he turned a bankrupt band into a multi-faceted corporation that employs hundreds of people.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner: Sustainability in Beef – the Nexus Between Productivity and Environmental Performance

A look at environmental mitigation opportunities, especially in the areas of carbon emission reductions, welfare and health.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois: The Rise of the Conscious Carnivore? The Good, the Bad, and the Awfully Ugly

Advice on dealing with the vegetarian and vegan movements.

Marie-Noelle Desrochers: Trade Agreements That Matter for Canada

An insider’s perspective on governments’ approach to trade matters and the impact it has on the Canadian beef industry.

Brett House: Global Economic Outlook Amidst Rising Uncertainty

What’s ahead for the global economy.

Brett Stuart: Global Beef & Protein Outlook

A view of the global beef landscape, including international trade and health issues.

Brian Perillat: CanFax Market Update

The beef industry’s supply and demand dynamics, and current Canadian price trends.

Art Douglas: 2019-20 Weather Forecast

The upcoming forecast, and a discussion of the impact weather patterns have on the beef industry.

The ever-popular Danny Hooper returns as master of ceremonies, and comedian John Hastings will be entertaining us during the Taste of Alberta dinner on Wednesday evening.

Mark your calendars for another not-to-miss event – you can register here.

Canada’s Food Guide leaves room for beef on the table

With the release of Canada’s updated Food Guide earlier this week, beef producers are happy to see that Health Canada recognizes a place for beef in the healthy diet.

Some of the highlights of the new guide focus on healthy eating habits, such as cooking at home, limiting intake of processed foods, and drinking water rather than sugary drinks.

In its visual plate model, Health Canada suggests a diet consisting of half fruits and vegetables, one-quarter whole grains and one quarter proteins. It recommends choosing plant-based proteins more often, but in combination with other foods such as lean meats. 

Meats and plant-based foods are better together – the nutrient value of both foods increases when consumed as part of a meal. For example, the absorption of iron increases over 150 per cent when meat and legumes are combined on the plate.

Beef and other meats are among the most nutrient-rich sources of complete, quality proteins. To get a comparable amount of protein from plant-based foods would require consuming considerably more calories.

Many Canadians are overfed but undernourished – even though dietary trends show a decrease in meat and dairy consumption, consumption of processed and other nutrient-poor foods is on the rise. Health Canada’s recommendations to make healthier choices are aimed at encouraging Canadians to eat mindfully, and to eat a wide variety of healthy, nourishing foods.

All food production systems come with their own impacts and benefits. To replace Canadian beef with another protein source could, in fact, mean higher caloric and environmental impacts from other foods. Cattle feeders support consumers taking action on food waste reduction through sustainable food choices. Beef is a good example of a sustainable food choice because Canada is an exceptional place to grow beef and has one of the most sustainable agriculture systems in the world.

Real, unprocessed food

Because beef is typically eaten as part of a complete meal, rather than in isolation, it fits nicely with Health Canada’s recommendation to eat a variety of healthy foods and to limit highly processed foods.

When combined with vegetables and whole grains, a delicious portion of lean beef makes a complete, balanced meal. 

Preparing beef for a healthier diet

Beef is an excellent source of many essential nutrients including iron (in the bio-available heme form), zinc, vitamins B6 and B12, riboflavin, niacin and selenium. It also contains good fats such as ruminant trans-fats, which are linked to health benefits.

Health Canada recommends using herbs, spices and seasonings to add flavour, without adding salt or sugar. Check out the delicious recipes to be found at Think Beef and Alberta Beef where you will find inspiration for a healthy, delicious meal that fulfills the recommendations of Health Canada’s Food Guide.

You can learn more about the nutritional benefits of beef in ‘4 reasons you should include beef in your health, balanced diet’

Test your cattle feeders knowledge

Throughout 2018, we have provided you with insights and facts on Alberta’s cattle feeding industry. This holiday, take a few minutes to test how much you have learned from those posts.

The cattle feeders quiz has questions drawn from this year’s blogs. Some of the questions are easy, some a little trickier, and all the answers can be found in blog posts from 2018.

Answers:

1, B; 2, A; 3, B; 4, A; 5, A; 6, B; 7, C; 8, B

How did you do?

If you got all eight questions right, you’re a cattle feeder guru! If you got five to seven questions right, you’ve obviously been paying attention all year. If you got four or fewer, don’t worry — we’ll provide more great cattle feeder information throughout 2019.

Next week, we’ll be reviewing what our industry and our organization has been up to in the past year.

In the meantime, we wish you, and your friends and family a safe and happy holiday.

Beef producers vote to keep refundable check-off

Alberta’s beef producers have voted by a narrow margin to keep the mandatory beef check-off refundable.

A plebiscite on the issue was held between Oct. 19 and Nov. 27. Preliminary results showed that 51.3 per cent of producers voted to keep the refundable check-off. Final results will be shared on Dec. 11, after a two-week period during which members can contest the results.

The check-off is a levy paid to the Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), which is used to fund industry research and marketing. The levy is mandatory, but producers may apply for a full reimbursement.

The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA), and ABP were recommending a return to a non-refundable check-off to fund the New Era Beef Industry. Revenues from the non-refundable check-off would have been shared between ABP, ACFA and a new Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (ABIDF), providing project funding for market development, research, education, consumer advocacy and industry collaboration.

Moving forward

Even though the plebiscite didn’t deliver the hoped-for result, it highlights the value of member-driven organizations that do not stand still. The organizations will now focus on moving forward with securing funding for industry research and marketing projects. ACFA will continue with its efforts in lobbying, advocacy, policy development, industry development, and other activites. As individual organizations and as an industry, the goal is to persist in the pursuit of continuous improvement.

“I want to thank everyone who took the time to engage in the discussion and to vote in the plebiscite,” said Ryan Kasko, ACFA chair. “ACFA will continue to work in a collaborative fashion with ABP, drive operational efficiencies, and work diligently with partners to ensure the health of the industry.” 

Alberta’s beef industry faces remarkable potential and ACFA will continue to take the lead and leverage opportunities for the benefit of its members, the cattle feeding sector, and the industry as a whole.

You can read more about how funds from a non-refundable check-off would have been used in ‘How funding for the new era beef industry will benefit all beef producers’.

Revised NAFTA agreement a relief to Canada’s beef producers

Image Credit: KCL Cattle Company Ltd.

After more than a year of negotiations, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico have reached an agreement on NAFTA. The new, proposed agreement is called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA).

The agreement is good news for Canadian beef producers, as it preserves the duty-free trade in live cattle and beef, which has benefited all three partners under NAFTA. The existing rules of origin and the mechanisms for fair dispute settlement also remain intact.

Brian Innes, president of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) issued a statement on the new agreement: “We welcome an agreement to renew NAFTA. Free and fair trade has made our agri-food exporters globally competitive. We’re very pleased that free and fair trade of North American agri-food products will continue.”

The U.S. is Canada’s largest trade partner for beef and live cattle, and the new agreement ensures that will continue. “USMCA gives the Canadian beef industry critically important ongoing access to our largest markets: U.S. and Mexico,” said Bryan Walton, ACFA’s president and CEO. “This is an integrated industry here in Canada and free trade in North America benefits producers in all three countries.”

Why diversification still matters

The uncertainty over NAFTA has been trying for Canada’s beef producers, and it has highlighted the need for Canada to expand its global reach and forge new trading partnerships.

Trade with Asia recently received a boost with the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Speedy ratification of this deal is of the essence for Canadian producers to ensure Canada is on the ground floor when it comes to securing lower tariffs with other partners. 

Europe is another market that provides export opportunities to Canadian beef producers. The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is designed to encourage free trade between Canada and Europe, although Canada doesn’t currently fill its quota for beef exports because there are not enough Canadian packing plants qualified to send beef to Europe.

“The most important thing that we got out of reaching this USMCA agreement is we’ve removed most of the cloud of uncertainty that was hanging over the Canadian economy and discouraging investors from moving forward,” said John Weekes, former chief negotiator for NAFTA.

The pursuit of an ambitious international trade agenda is one of the key tenets of Canada’s National Beef Strategy, which is designed to ensure that Canada’s beef producers are positioned to weather challenges and take advantage of opportunities. You can read more about that in ‘4 reasons the National Beef Strategy is important to Canada’.

Alberta sunshine provides an environmentally friendly energy source to cattle feeders

Alberta’s cattle feeders work hard to reduce their environmental footprint, and many are turning to solar energy for help.

KCL Cattle Company is one feedlot that’s taking advantage of Alberta government subsidies to install solar panels. Check out this short video in which Les Wall is interviewed about their decision to use solar energy:

Other initiatives to help reduce the environmental footprint of Alberta’s beef industry include ongoing emissions research, environmental impact studies and collaboration with organizations such as the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) Policy Advisory Group and Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta.

Read more about beef production and the environment in ‘The beef industry and sustainability: how are we doing and where could we improve?’.

Myth or fact? 5 beef myths debunked

Have you ever heard people say that eating meat is bad for our environment and our planet? In this latest Myth vs Fact post, we’re exploring some common misconceptions about beef production, so you can eat that next steak with a clear conscience.

#1 Beef cattle are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions

Cattle account for only 2.4 per cent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – compared to 28 per cent for transportation. Cattle in Canada also produce some of the lowest GHGs in the world thanks to best practices developed through ongoing research. 

#2 We don’t need to eat meat – we can simply substitute it with plant proteins

Plant proteins such as beans and lentils are wholesome, nourishing foods. But it is wrong to assume that they can provide the same amount of protein per unit of food as beef. One 75 gram (2.6 ounces) serving of beef contains the same amount of protein as about two cups of beans. The plant-based protein is also not as easily digested and is missing important nutrients such as Vitamin B12 and heme iron – the type of iron most readily absorbed by the body.

Like beef, plant proteins have an important part to play in a balanced diet, but they cannot be compared, portion for portion, as a substitute.

#3 We need to eliminate beef production for the sake of the environment

Eliminating beef production would help reduce our GHG emissions by a small amount, but there are other significant reasons why pastureland is good for the environment:

    • Only 26 per cent of our native rangelands remain intact in Canada, and those would be lost without grazing animals to maintain their health. As an ecosystem, those grasslands support biodiversity and help retain water.
    • Grasslands provide important habitats for migratory birds, species at risk and other wildlife.
    • Grasslands store carbon, which would be released into the atmosphere if they were cultivated.

The relationship between cattle and wildlife is recognized by the World Wildlife Fund in its ‘2017 Annual Plowprint Report’.

#4 Feeding cattle is a waste of resources that should be used to benefit people

Cattle and other grazing animals in Canada are typically raised on land, and fed foods that might otherwise be unusable:

    • Most pastureland is unsuitable for crop production.
    • 86 per cent of all cattle feed in Canada is not fit for human consumption. 
    • Only nine per cent of cropland in Canada is used to grow grain specifically for cattle feed.
    • Food animals also play a huge role in recycling the by-products of human food production. For instance, cattle are fed the leftover grains from the production of beer, whiskey and other alcohols, which would otherwise be considered waste.

#5 Our food production is being taken over by huge, corporate factory farms

Ninety-eight per cent of Canadian farms, both large and small, are owned and operated by families. Some have been in the family for five or more generations. These farmers have been raised on the land, and they care deeply about preserving it for their own children and generations to come. 

They work hard to raise their animals in comfortable, low-stress environments. 

They understand that if animals are unhealthy or stressed they will not grow to their full potential. Even in an intensive livestock setting, healthy, well cared for animals help ensure the health of the operation.

So, next time you’re at the grocery store, wondering what to make for dinner, you won’t do better than a good serving of Canadian beef. It’s good for you, and raised ethically, sustainably and humanely.

For more in our Myth vs Fact posts, check out ‘3 feedlot myths busted’ and ‘Busted! 5 beef myths that don’t stand up to the facts’.

How funding for the New Era Beef Industry will benefit all beef producers

This fall, Alberta’s beef producers will vote in a province-wide plebiscite on the industry’s checkoff program. The issue at hand is whether the refundable payment should become non-refundable.

Why the checkoff is currently refundable

The beef industry checkoff has been around since 1969 as a levy paid to the Alberta Cattle Commission (later to become Alberta Beef Producers, ABP). Funds from the levy were used for industry research and marketing, but it was somewhat contentious from the start. In 2009, the Alberta government passed a bill making the checkoff payment refundable – meaning that producers were able to apply for full reimbursement.  

Why a change to the non-refundable checkoff makes sense

Despite these early challenges, ACFA believes the associations and organizations representing different sectors of the beef industry production chain must join together and work for the benefit of the entire industry.

In 2017, the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association and ABP reached an agreement founded on their shared belief in collaboration and mutual support between different beef production sectors. The New Era Beef Industry (NEBI) is the result of that agreement, and it heralds a return to a mandatory beef cattle checkoff, with revenues to be shared by ABP, ACFA and a new Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (ABIDF).

The ABIDF will provide project funding for market development, research, education, consumer advocacy and industry collaboration, for a stronger, more profitable beef industry. The fund will be governed by a council comprised of three representatives selected by ABP and three selected by ACFA. The six council members will select a chair who is not a member of the board or of either organization.

ABIDF will help compensate for the loss of the Alberta Meat and Livestock Agency, which provided funds for industry development until it was shut down by the government in 2016.

Under the New Era Beef Industry, the total checkoff payment will be $2 per head of cattle. It will be distributed like this:

  • 5 cents to the remitters of the checkoff 
  • $1.30 to ABP 
  • 25 cents to ACFA 
  • 40 cents to the Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund (ABIDF)

If the plebiscite in the fall results in a vote for the refundable checkoff, ABP will continue to collect the mandatory checkoff, and producers can still request a full refund if they wish. If the plebiscite results in a vote for NEBI, it will provide a unique opportunity for crucial industry research and development.

The checkoff was just one of the issues that new ACFA board chair, Ryan Kasko flagged as important to cattle feeders this year. You can read about the other issues in ‘Finances are among cattle feeders’ top issues’. 

Why graded beef is good for producers and consumers

Canadian beef is known across the world for its consistently high quality. Here in Alberta, the factors that contribute to great beef production include not only our high standards of animal care, but also our unique weather and farming conditions.

Thanks to a stringent grading system, it’s not only possible to rely on the quality of Canadian beef, but it’s also possible to quantify it.

The Canadian Beef Grading Agency, (CBGA), assesses and grades beef at federally inspected packing plants, based on standards set by the federal government. The five grading criteria are:

  • Maturity (age), as this affects the tenderness of the meat
  • Gender, as the hormone levels in some bulls affects meat colour and tenderness
  • Muscling
  • Fat, including the amount of fat and colour
  • Meat colour, texture and marbling

A top grade will only be assigned if the carcass meets all five quality attributes. The amount of visible marbling will determine the segmentation within Canada’s top grades – Canada Prime, AAA, AA or A. The CBGA also assesses meat yield using a specialized grading ruler and assigns a yield grade. Canada currently has 3 yield grade classes Canada 1, 2 or 3.

Why grading matters to beef producers

Cindy Delaloye, general manager at CBGA, says more than 99 per cent of the meat coming from federally inspected processing plants is graded, even though grading is voluntary.

“The livestock industry sees the value in having their beef graded because it provides a guarantee to their customers that the product in the box is what it says it is,” she said. “In Canada, we’re barbecue demons, so it’s important for us to have the quality and consistency to know that we’re going to have a good eating experience.”

Feedlot operators pay a portion of the grading fee in conjunction with the processor, and grading provides them with an opportunity to command a premium price for a premium product.

What Canadian beef grading means to consumers

Marty Carpenter, CBGA’s board chair, said consumers have learned to trust the grade because the beef they purchase consistently meets expectations.

“We have an exacting grading standard in Canada, whereby if the product doesn’t reach a particular standard in all criteria it doesn’t make the grade,” he said.

Restaurateurs – and retailers particularly – are buying based on quality and want to have confidence that whenever they buy Canadian beef it will have the attributes they expect.

Marty also explained that different cultures value different aspects of the product. “Hispanic buyers in the U.S., for instance, value the fact that Canadian beef is graded on colour as that is an important indicator of freshness to them. Canadians like red meat and white fat. People buy with their eyes,” he said.

Beef grading and exports

Grading is one more way of helping Canadian beef stand out in the global marketplace , helping cement Canada’s reputation as a producer of world-class beef.

Why our high standards of animal care make Canadian beef the best

Canada’s beef producers are committed to raising their cattle in a comfortable, low-stress environment. Healthy animals under good care produce a better product. Our producers realize that caring for, and respecting, the animals that feed us is the right thing to do.

“We’re proud of our production practices and how we look after the cattle in our care,” said Bryan Walton, ACFA’s president and CEO. “The way we raise our animals is integral to providing premium Alberta beef to the world.”

Here at ACFA, we have championed several initiatives that help our members meet or exceed best practices and regulations:

National Beef Code of Practice

In association with industry partners and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), we helped develop the National Beef Code of Practice. The code, which was developed in conjunction with animal welfare and enforcement representatives, as well as experts in beef cattle behaviour, health and welfare, defines the base standards of animal care.

Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment Program

This fully auditable program, which is certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO), provides cattle feeders with a way to assess their animal care practices and demonstrate their high standards. Consumers increasingly rank animal welfare as an important factor in their buying decisions and this program provides confidence in an integral segment of beef production.

Industry collaboration

We collaborate with important animal care organizations like Alberta Farm Animal Care, and participate in programming such as the Canadian Livestock Transport Certification Program. This is a standardized course offering certification that is recognized throughout Canada and the United States. The program is led by an industry initiative to address the need for increased accountability and improved handling practices in livestock transport. One of the main strengths of Canadian Livestock Transport is that the courses present the current regulations for animal transport in Canada.

The basis for these programs is scientific knowledge about the needs of animals. Through training and experience, and with the guidance of accredited veterinarians and animal nutritionists, our industry members produce healthy, delicious food in an ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible manner.

If you’re still not convinced that Canada’s beef cattle are cared for in the most compassionate, respectful way possible, check out ‘3 feedlot myths busted’.