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Ontario Beef to learn from Australia : Traceability – can it be done?

Focussed on beef sector traceability, a new report from the consulting firm Value Chain Management International, suggests that the Ontario beef industry could improve its competitiveness and profitability by learning from the achievements of the Australian national traceability system

The report highlights that an effective chain-length traceability system is built upon the three pillars of premises ID, animal ID and movement reporting,

It suggests that a key challenge facing Ontario’s beef industry is that any traceability system is only as good as the data that is fed into it, and how that data is managed and then acted upon.

The Value Chain Management International report further suggests that “establishing a more effective traceability system would hinge on industry making challenging decisions and addressing issues that have historically undermined the development of a traceability system which could emulate Australia’s National Livestock Information System (NLIS).” 

The report suggests that industry-government partnerships have played a valuable role in Australian sector moving forward.

The report determines that Ontario’s beef industry has considerable opportunity to benefit financially by establishing a more effective beef traceability system than currently exists. This would enable producers and downstream businesses to use traceability as a valuable management tool. It would also enable the industry to capture new and preferred markets — in North America and further afield.

Perhaps most interestingly, the report includes an Appendix C - which provides an interesting read about the ongoing history of beef traceability in Canada. 

Will this report be the latest in a series of reports, studies, projects and initiatives that ‘nudge’ the Traceability ball ?   As Appendix C highlights, this has already been a ‘very long road’ – and while the ball occasionally gets nudged… there seems to be very little positive momentum

The full report is available at VCM-international.com.


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US “Flash Drought” Worst in 133-160 Years + Disease taking a Bite out of US 2025 Corn/Soybean Crops

Video: US “Flash Drought” Worst in 133-160 Years + Disease taking a Bite out of US 2025 Corn/Soybean Crops


A dry August and a “flash drought” in the ECB (Eastern Corn Belt) the driest top 10 to 15 years in 150 to 160 years (Ohio the driest in 133 years) plus disease is taking a bite out of the 2025 U.S. corn and soybean crops.
It's going to be an early harvest. This could be the start of the 89-year drought cycle that may have been delayed until 2026 as La Nina maybe returning.
The USDA September crop report is all about record corn ears and record soybean counts but the October USDA crop report will be about pod and ear weights.
Stats Canada reported higher forecasts for the 2025 Canadian Prairies all wheat and canola crops vs. last year based on satellite imagery but are they overestimating production?
The 2025 Great ON Yield Tour and Quebec crop tours are projecting corn and soybean crops below the 10-year average.
China's Vice Commerce Ministry Li Chenggang visits Washington this week as we continue to connect the dots is a positive sign towards a China/U.S. trade deal. But will U.S. farmers have a winter without China as they buy more soybeans from Uruguay/Argentina? U.S. Northern Plain soybean farmers are seeing red with flat prices at $8.97/bu!
U.S. corn exports on record pace up 99% vs. last year.
Fund short covering continues in corn futures bottom is in!