Action NewsCanadian Cattlemen’s Association

Volume 3 Issue 2 | July 5, 2010

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is pleased to announce the creation of a national youth initiative called the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Development Program. The CYL program will provide industry-specific training and mentorship opportunities to producers between the ages of 18 and 35, providing them with the expertise and business acumen necessary to sustain the cattle industry into the future.

The CYL program will offer a combination of formal and informal mentorship opportunities to learn from leaders in the beef cattle industry as well as from other youth organizations with a focus on mentorship. The project will set in motion a generation focused on optimizing opportunities for beef cattle producers.

“We are part of an exciting yet very changing and challenging global industry. It’s so important to have young people fully engage with us to secure and grow this lifestyle that has been so good to us in the past,” said John Schooten, co-chair of the CCA Value Creation and Competitiveness Committee. “Leaders of tomorrow need to know today what this industry is all about and with our experience and knowledge, and their ambition and desire and technical knowledge, we can work together to be successful.”

The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) is a major funder of the CYL program through their Industry Development Program.

The CYL program will be rolled out nationally following the completion of a pilot phase in Alberta to launch this year. Six Alberta producers will participate in the CYL pilot, with the Alberta Beef Producers in support of the initiative.

Two types of mentorship opportunities will be available through the CYL program. Under the Industry Leader Mentorship Program, eligible producers can elect to be mentored by beef industry leaders from the CCA, including board members and committee chairs, and participate in CCA committees and conferences. The Professional Mentorship Program will expose participants to direct mentoring with select cattle industry individuals and professionals in a beef-related profession, such as a cattle operator, pharmaceutical representative or veterinarian.

Participants will benefit from exposure to policy, technologies, one-on-one relationships with industry leaders and a greater under-standing of industry issues and career opportunities. Upon successful completion of the mentorships, qualified participants can apply to the International Partnership Program to represent Canada’s beef industry at international forums, such as the Five Nations Beef Alliance held recently in Auckland, New Zealand.

In This Issue...•

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CCA National Youth Initiative Gets Green Light

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CCA National Youth Initiative Gets Green Light

The CCA Spends Canada Day in Shanghai Promoting Canadian Beef

Update: Ottawa Food Bank’s Food Aid Day

CCA Asks Governments to Clear the Way for Seeding Late Crops

Trickle Down Benefits From the Pork Industry

Action NewsCanadian Cattlemen’s Association

Volume 3 Issue 2 | July 5, 2010

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) President Travis Toews spent Canada Day at the Shanghai 2010 Expo, where Chinese citizens enjoyed high-quality Canadian beef for the first time since May 2003.

“Canadian cattle ranchers are committed to producing high quality, safe beef that we are proud to share with consumers in China and around the world,” Toews said.

Toews, Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Gerry Ritz and Governor General Michaëlle Jean celebrated Canada Day at the Canada Pavillion at the Shanghai 2010 Expo, as Expo visitors enjoyed the best beef in the world.

“We take a lot of pride in saying we believe our beef is the best in the world and we look forward to sharing more of it with China as we work toward the restoration of full access under the new beef trade agreement with China,” said Toews.

The Shanghai 2010 Expo presented the first opportunity for Chinese citizens to eat Canadian beef since May 2003. The event came on the heels of the June 24 announcement that China will initiate a process aimed at restoration of full access for Canadian beef. As part of the trade deal, China allowed special shipments of Canadian beef into Shanghai and Beijing for Canada Day celebrations. The agreement marked the first time China has resumed imports of beef from a country that has had a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Once fully realized, the agreement will represent annual exports of $110 million for Canadian cattle producers. The first stage of the agreement sees China resume imports of tallow and boneless beef from cattle under-thirty-months (UTM) of age. Canada could export $40 million per year of tallow and $10 million for boneless UTM beef to China for a total of $50 million in incremental export sales from this first stage.

The commitment of the Canadian cattle and beef industry to ensure the safety of its beef and confidence in Canada’s robust regula-tory controls were key to gaining the China deal. The announcement from Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz and Minister for International Trade Peter Van Loan, followed meetings in Ottawa with the Chinese delegation led by President Hu Jintao. Chinese officials were to be followed-up with a visit to Canadian slaughter facilities. 

Canadian beef has been prohibited from entering the Chinese market since May 2003 due to the discovery of BSE. The CCA views the partial access step with China as an opportunity to export some commercially meaningful quantities of beef and tallow as we continue to seek full access to the Chinese and other global markets. Japan, Korea, Mexico and Taiwan are additional CCA top priorities for removing lingering BSE trade restrictions.

Update: Ottawa Food Bank’s Food Aid DayThe sixth annual Food Aid Day raised $101,765 to support the Ottawa Food Bank’s Food Aid program. As previously noted in Action News, the program uses the funds raised to purchase and process cull cows sourced from Ottawa-area sale barns, with the beef benefitting the Ottawa Food Bank’s clients. The initiative, conceived during the BSE crisis, supports the local cattle industry and provides beef to feed Ottawa’s needy.

Since 2005, the Food Bank has purchased nearly 1,100 cows and another 190 cows were donated directly to the Food Bank by individual cattle producers. More than 575,000 pounds of ground beef have been distributed to Ottawa families, foodbanks and shelters.

The CCA would like to see other food banks adopt the worthwhile program. Peter Tilley, executive director of the Ottawa Food Bank, said he’s brought the idea to other food banks but as far as he knows “we may still be the only food bank in North America, let alone Canada, doing this event.”

The CCA Spends Canada Day in Shanghai Promoting Canadian Beef

Action NewsCanadian Cattlemen’s Association

Volume 3 Issue 2 | July 5, 2010

Staff Contributors: Jill Harvie, Robert Tomaso, Ryder Lee, Reynold BergenWritten, edited and compiled by: Gina Teel and Tracy Herbert

For more information, contact: CCA Communications at ‘feedback@cattle.ca’ or visit our website at www.cattle.ca

CCA Action NewsHead office:Ste. 310, 6715 8th Street NECalgary, AB T2E 7H7Phone: 403.275.8558 Fax: 403.274.5686

Ottawa office:1207, 350 Sparks StreetOttawa, ON K1R 7S8Phone: 613.233.9375 Fax: 613.233.2860

Millions of acres of farmland remain unseeded due to recent wet conditions and flooding throughout much of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which has caused concern that cattle feed supplies will run short this autumn.

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is urging Federal and Provincial governments to ensure crop insurance rules or any other government responses to the current conditions are not dissuading farmers from seeding late feed crops.  Late crops, to be taken off as greenfeed, will provide several benefits, including nutrient usage, moisture usage, weed control, feed for livestock and income for the producer.

CCA Asks Governments to Clear the Way for Seeding Late Crops

University of Manitoba researchers supported by the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) found that hog manure can increase the forage yields, forage quality, and carrying capacity of pastures, with no negative impact on soil or water quality, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Visit http://www.cattle.ca/pdf-download/764_3_30_trickle_down_benefits_from_the_hog_industry.pdf to read more.

Trickle Down Benefits From the Pork Industry