Manitoba’s elk producers seem determined to bring their industry out of the doldrums, despite the challenges.
Tom Gilmore, president of the Manitoba Elk Growers Association, admits that he has never made a profit since becoming an elk producer in 1996, but his desire to stay in the industry remains unshaken.
“I’m hoping we’re at the bottom and can look forward to better times,” he said.
It’s hard to imagine how things could get much worse for the 50 or so elk producers in Manitoba.
There was a time when bred elk cows were worth about $7,000 per head. Today, according to Gilmore, prices are more likely to be $500-$600, because there aren’t many people clamouring to becoming elk producers.
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Some in the industry say even the low prices cited by Gilmore are higher than producers can expect.
Meanwhile, demand for antler velvet is far below what it was a few years ago, partly because the outbreak of chronic wasting disease in Saskatchewan’s farmed elk herds prompted South Korea to close its borders to Canadian imports of that product. South Korea accounted for about 80 percent of antler sales, Gilmore said.
Also within the past four years, the provincial NDP government kept its promise to bring in legislation prohibiting hunt farms in Manitoba. That ended a promising possibility for profit from culled bulls.
Further complicating matters are government regulations, specific to the elk industry, that add to the costs of producing elk meat, making it harder to win over consumers. These include a $100 fee to register each new calf.
While the challenges seem daunting, Gilmore does not view them as insurmountable. Elk growers are lobbying government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to push South Korea to reopen its border to Canadian antler velvet.
The Manitoba Elk Growers Association is lobbying the provincial government to change regulations so elk production would be regulated similar to the cattle and bison industries. That would lower the costs of production, allowing consumers to buy cheaper elk meat. Gilmore estimates current regulations add the equivalent of $1 per pound to the cost of elk meat.
“That puts us at a distinct disadvantage.”
There are also attempts in Manitoba to work with some slaughter plants to find ways to make processing more efficient, which would help make meat more affordable.
Gilmore said that if sales of antler velvet and elk meat can be improved, there also could be a resurgence in the demand for elk breeding stock.
However, Chris Switzer, an elk grower at Swan River, Man., sees little hope for the industry. In his opinion, the Manitoba government has sabotaged elk producers, even though less than a decade ago the government was promoting the industry and helped capture elk from the wild to provide stock for farms.
“The government really turned its back on everyone,” he said. “Everywhere you turn, you’re boxed in.”
Switzer makes some profit from elk by hosting hunts on the Saskatchewan side of his farm. Such an activity is legal in that province and each hunt brings in about $3,000.
He said if he had more money, he would keep fighting the Manitoba government on at least some of its regulations and restrictions.
