CCA Semi-Annual Meeting Sheds Light on Issues

Aug 22, 2014

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association held their Semi-Annual Meeting last week in PEI.

President Dave Solverson says the board was able to see how cattle are raised in that area of the country as well as review policy, legislation and discuss some key issues like COOL.

"We're thinking we're in the home stretch now when the final ruling of the panel at WTO comes down or comes made public we will proceed from there. But things are looking like there's light at the end of the tunnel," said Solverson.

Solverson says news of the WTO ruling could be released next month.

"Indications are that we should be heading into an expansion stage. I think it's important to, if not expand, at least not contract our industry any more because then we are at risk of loss of infrastructure, packing plants and all that. There's a strong global demand for red meats, beef in particular, and I think we have some good years ahead," said Solverson.

He see’s real opportunity for some cash infusion into the cow-calf sector this fall adding they haven’t had much chance to benefit from the strength in the market yet.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz also addressing the group saying it was time for the U-S based COOL program to go.

He says if successful at the WTO, Canada will target $1 billion of U.S. exports for retaliatory tariffs.

Source: SteinbachOnline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.