Saskatchewan cattle producers aren’t stepping up to take leadership positions in their industry, and that concerns the chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association.
The SCA annual fall district meetings began earlier this week, and elections were scheduled in six of the 11 districts.
In three of those, just one candidate stepped forward. In three others, no one came forward before the nomination deadline. At a meeting last week, the board appointed the incumbents in two of those districts after they agreed to stay on. The remaining district will be filled at a later date.
Read Also
Canfax Cattle Market Report – July 17, 2025
The western Canadian fed market pulled back slightly during the week ending July 11, but prices are still within $5 per hundredweight of June’s record highs.
“It’s certainly a concern to me,” said Mark Elford, who completes his term in January and did not let his name stand again in District 3A.
He said most cattle producers are stretched to the limit. The lack of profitability in the sector the last few years has forced them to cut personnel.
“So you have good people that have stepped forward that are saying, ‘I can’t commit this much time anymore,’ and then you’ve got people who just say ‘there’s no way. I can’t commit to that’,” Elford said.
“How to fix it, I don’t know.”
The SCA was formed in 2009 as a development commission to administer the beef checkoff. It is also supposed to provide a unified voice for all beef producers.
The organization is governed by 11 regional directors as well as two directors appointed by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association and another two by the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association.
The directors acclaimed or appointed this year take office at the SCA annual general meeting in Saskatoon during the January beef industry conference.
They will be: District 1, Ryan Beierbach, Whitewood, incumbent; District 3A, Laurie Disney, Rockglen, acclaimed; District 4, Rick Toney, Gull Lake, incumbent; District 6, vacant; District 8, Michael Spratt, Melfort, incumbent; and District 9B, Dean Moore, Paradise Hill, incumbent.
