Subject: Many Canadian ranchers now just 'hired hands' - [Exactly what Tyson and Cargill intended.]
Many Canadian ranchers now just 'hired hands'
"We haven't been making any apologies for trying to survive and keep our industry alive,'' he said from Denver at the summer conference of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
"You might see R-CALF knocking on our door begging us to bring (their) cattle up here to kill them because these plants are so efficient,''
Canadian Press
Updated: Sun. Jul. 31 2005 1:58 PM ET
CALGARY - Canadian ranchers survived the mad cow crisis by becoming farm teams for the American beef interests -- a move that's not likely to change now that the border is open.
"There are very few operations that are working for themselves,'' said Mac McLean, whose southern Alberta feedlot operations are about 30 per cent smaller than two years ago.
"It's not that they went broke. It's just that they lost all their equity and have to custom feed for somebody else.''
Despite more than $7 billion in export losses over the last 26 months, the predicted collapse of the industry never came to pass. The federal and provincial governments provided $2 billion in aid programs to keep producers afloat after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in an Alberta cow in May 2003.
Many operations, though, saw decades of equity evaporate while they sold animals at a loss. Most have become largely "hired hands'' by dramatically increasing the number of animals being fed for other interests, primarily Americans who bought cattle speculating they would make a profit when the border reopened.
Ron Axelson of the Alberta Cattle Feeders says few people were forced out by the banks, but he expects some will quietly leave the business soon after rebuilding a bit of equity.
"I think there will be those who chose to leave ... some who have spent 30 or 40 years in the business who'll say it's time to pass this on,'' said Axelson. "The rebuilding of the industry is an onerous task and I think there's some who will say `I'm not up to it'.''
About 8,000 cattle have trickled across the Canada-U.S. border since the ban on live animals was lifted July 14. That's a far cry from the roughly 4,000 a day that moved south before mad cow disease, but cattle broker Steve Primrose says it's a start.
"Every week should get easier as it goes on,'' said the Lethbridge man, who expects to be back at pre-BSE shipping levels within months.
Still, cattlemen don't expect to export the same number of live cattle they once did.
Canada has capacity to process 90,000 head of cattle a week and is on track to increase that by April 2006 to 105,000, a figure generally viewed as allowing the industry to be self-sufficient.
And there is the tantalizing idea that some U.S. producers -- possibly even the protectionist ranchers who kept the border closed -- might have to ship cattle to Canada for processing.
"You might see R-CALF knocking on our door begging us to bring (their) cattle up here to kill them because these plants are so efficient,'' said McLean, referring to the Montana-based group that persuaded a judge to delay the border opening.
Many in the industry are cautiously watching for the latest trade challenge from protectionist interests.
"There's not anybody who thinks our issues with the Americans are over -- far from it,'' said Axelson, adding he expects to see such issues as country of origin labelling and accusations of dumping subsidized meat.
Last week, the National Farmers Union called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that Canadian cattle have been subsidized. But an industry spokesman says that challenge was expected.
"Of course there's been government support in the last two years, but all countries reserve the right to support agriculture producers in times of crisis,'' said John Masswohl, director of international relations with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.
"We haven't been making any apologies for trying to survive and keep our industry alive,'' he said from Denver at the summer conference of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
........................PS Miss Tam is a hired hand
damn lil witch aint worth minimum wage
Many Canadian ranchers now just 'hired hands'
"We haven't been making any apologies for trying to survive and keep our industry alive,'' he said from Denver at the summer conference of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
"You might see R-CALF knocking on our door begging us to bring (their) cattle up here to kill them because these plants are so efficient,''
Canadian Press
Updated: Sun. Jul. 31 2005 1:58 PM ET
CALGARY - Canadian ranchers survived the mad cow crisis by becoming farm teams for the American beef interests -- a move that's not likely to change now that the border is open.
"There are very few operations that are working for themselves,'' said Mac McLean, whose southern Alberta feedlot operations are about 30 per cent smaller than two years ago.
"It's not that they went broke. It's just that they lost all their equity and have to custom feed for somebody else.''
Despite more than $7 billion in export losses over the last 26 months, the predicted collapse of the industry never came to pass. The federal and provincial governments provided $2 billion in aid programs to keep producers afloat after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was detected in an Alberta cow in May 2003.
Many operations, though, saw decades of equity evaporate while they sold animals at a loss. Most have become largely "hired hands'' by dramatically increasing the number of animals being fed for other interests, primarily Americans who bought cattle speculating they would make a profit when the border reopened.
Ron Axelson of the Alberta Cattle Feeders says few people were forced out by the banks, but he expects some will quietly leave the business soon after rebuilding a bit of equity.
"I think there will be those who chose to leave ... some who have spent 30 or 40 years in the business who'll say it's time to pass this on,'' said Axelson. "The rebuilding of the industry is an onerous task and I think there's some who will say `I'm not up to it'.''
About 8,000 cattle have trickled across the Canada-U.S. border since the ban on live animals was lifted July 14. That's a far cry from the roughly 4,000 a day that moved south before mad cow disease, but cattle broker Steve Primrose says it's a start.
"Every week should get easier as it goes on,'' said the Lethbridge man, who expects to be back at pre-BSE shipping levels within months.
Still, cattlemen don't expect to export the same number of live cattle they once did.
Canada has capacity to process 90,000 head of cattle a week and is on track to increase that by April 2006 to 105,000, a figure generally viewed as allowing the industry to be self-sufficient.
And there is the tantalizing idea that some U.S. producers -- possibly even the protectionist ranchers who kept the border closed -- might have to ship cattle to Canada for processing.
"You might see R-CALF knocking on our door begging us to bring (their) cattle up here to kill them because these plants are so efficient,'' said McLean, referring to the Montana-based group that persuaded a judge to delay the border opening.
Many in the industry are cautiously watching for the latest trade challenge from protectionist interests.
"There's not anybody who thinks our issues with the Americans are over -- far from it,'' said Axelson, adding he expects to see such issues as country of origin labelling and accusations of dumping subsidized meat.
Last week, the National Farmers Union called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture, alleging that Canadian cattle have been subsidized. But an industry spokesman says that challenge was expected.
"Of course there's been government support in the last two years, but all countries reserve the right to support agriculture producers in times of crisis,'' said John Masswohl, director of international relations with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.
"We haven't been making any apologies for trying to survive and keep our industry alive,'' he said from Denver at the summer conference of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
........................PS Miss Tam is a hired hand
damn lil witch aint worth minimum wage