CCA and NCFA Optimistic about Rail Strike Developments

Aug 23, 2024

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) and the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA) express appreciation to federal Labour Minister Steven McKinnon for stepping forward to address the work stoppage of Canada’s Class 1 railways.

Through the Minister’s action of enacting Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, the labour dispute will move to final binding arbitration through the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.

“The impacts from this rail strike stand to not only to impact the beef sector but our entire trading relationships. After discussions with our North American beef industry counterparts this week, we are pleased to see this move, to get the economy moving again and continue to the flow of goods with our trading partners,” stated Nathan Phinney, CCA President.  “We continue to call on the government to deem agriculture and agri-food an essential service, so that there are not disruptions in the future.”

“We are grateful Canada’s trains will be moving again soon. The Canadian beef industry relies upon the timely delivery of cattle feed by rail to feed our national herd consisting of millions of animals. Cattle are on a very specific feeding schedule and the wellbeing of animals is at risk if there are even brief delays in feed delivery,” stated Janice Tranberg, NCFA President & CEO.

Canadian National Railway Co. (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (CPKC) locked out 9,300 engineers, conductors and yard workers after negotiations failed late yesterday.

CCA and NCFA encourage all parties involved to get trains moving again as soon as possible.

Click here to see more...

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.