Goodbye and good riddance — 2022 was not kind to cattle feeders

Jan 18, 2023

The fed cattle sector couldn’t catch a break in 2022 and it wasn’t any one thing that created the problem.

“This has been going on for sure since February/March,” said Jacob Bueckert, who operates Driland Feeders near Warner and is chair of the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association. “I don’t know if we ever fully caught up from the slowdowns we had during COVID-19.

“We got close to catching up, and then we ended up getting more cattle in feed yards. There’s been problem after problem facing the feeding industry. It’s a tough go for sure.”

Market analyst Anne Wasko of Gateway Livestock Services has the same take, saying the initial problem was packing plant shutdowns and slowdowns during the height of the pandemic.

“One thing leads to another – you can’t hang it on any one thing,” she said. “We came into 2022 not completely cleaned up from the COVID backlog. We were reasonably cleaned up, but there were record numbers on feed in Western Canada to start 2022.”

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Video: Assessing Welfare Resources During Late Finish - Dr. Anna Johnson & Emma Coursey

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anna Johnson from Iowa State University and Emma Coursey from the University of Illinois discuss research evaluating welfare resources during the late finishing stage on commercial swine farms. They explain how feeder management, water use, space allocation, and pig health influence welfare outcomes and practical on-farm management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Small resource issues can become larger welfare problems when multiple stressors interact across finishing barns."

Meet the guests: Dr. Anna Johnson / anna-johnson-05028a14 is the Morrill Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at Iowa State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Texas Tech University and completed her master's degree in Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on practical solutions that improve farm animal welfare, including sow productive lifetime, animal-human interaction, environmental enrichment, and Precision Livestock Farming.

Emma Coursey / emma-coursey-183810241 is pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine after earning a bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University. Her academic interests include swine health, production, and animal welfare, with research experience evaluating welfare resources in commercial finishing pigs.