Milk Supply Not Expected To Be Impacted By COVID-19

Mar 23, 2020

COVID-19 isn't expected to have an big impact on Canada's milk supply.

David Wiens is chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba.

"My understanding is that all the processors in our province continue to operate and that they're continuing with the same output as they had before," he said.

Wiens says dairy farms should be operating as normal.

"As long as there's no disruptions on the farm, for example, so far we have been able to have a supply of the cleaning agents that we use for milking equipment," he commented. "Feed supply continues to come in uninterrupted. Our milk pick-ups, the transportation system, is currently working very well. All the milk is still being tested everyday for quality and components."

Wiens adds having a business continuity plan is vital in these types of situations.

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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.