Cattle Producers Disappointed In Federal Response To COVID-19

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) says it's deeply disappointed that Tuesday's federal funding announcement falls well short of the comprehensive approach needed to help Canadian beef farm families manage through the COVID-19 crisis.

 

The portion of the announcement pertinent to the beef industry includes:

 

- $50 million in funding for a set-aside program through AgriRecovery, of which the Federal Government covers 60 per cent of costs and the provinces have the option to fund the remaining 40 per cent

 

- $77.5 million to support business continuity within agriculture processing facilities (including but not limited to beef facilities), including personal protective equipment for workers and other safety related investments

 

- AgriStability interim payment increase from 50 per cent to 75 per cent as well as extending the deadline to July 3, 2020

 

“Addressing the current challenges at packing facilities is fundamental to our long-term success in recovering from this crisis,” said CCA President Bob Lowe. “Investments that will support worker safety and business continuity at processing facilities is essential and we applaud this important investment. But until such capacity can be brought online, Canadian beef producers will continue to carry the financial burden of feeding and caring for animals that should have been harvested already."

 

The CCA notes reductions in processing capacity have resulted in a backlog of 100,000 head of cattle that are ready for market with nowhere to be processed. An additional 6000-9000 head of cattle per day are being added to the current accumulation due to continued reductions at processing facilities. These 100,000 head of cattle alone cost $400,000 a day to feed and care for and the value of a market ready animal has dropped over $500 per head since the start of COVID-19. CCA estimates that left unaddressed the Canadian beef industry will lose half a billion dollars by June on market ready cattle alone.

 

The group recommended a set-aside program which would help producers pay for the unexpected cost of feeding and sheltering cattle beyond their targeted harvest dates. CCA says this week's announcement provided a fraction of already incurred and anticipated expenses.

 

Additional recommendations were for government to share the increasing livestock price insurance premiums and enhance the Advance Payments Program (APP) in addition to broader recommendations for the suite of business risk management (BRM) tools available to Canadian farmers and ranchers.

 

CCA says as currently designed, the AgriStability program does not provide meaningful protection to most Canadian beef producers.

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.