PIPESTONE, Man. – Cattle producer Trevor Atchison says neither a closed border, nor a lack of hay, nor low cow prices, nor having to haul straw from 80 kilometres away have made him want to leave the business.
“I haven’t and I don’t think a lot of guys have,” said Atchison, who organized a meeting for local producers who, despite drought this year, are determined to hang on to their herds through the winter.
About 220 producers filled the Pipestone community hall, and rather than recite complaints about the crisis in the local and national cattle industries, they seemed intent on finding out how to stick it out and wait for good times to return.
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“Farmers are a tough bunch and they want to stay farmers,” said Atchison.
The focus of the meeting was on feeding cattle rations of straw and grain, which is often done in short hay years in Saskatchewan and Alberta but almost never in southwestern Manitoba.
Beyond specific feeding strategies, the farmers seemed to want reassurance that their decision to stick with their herds is wise.
Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist John Popp, who also has a large cattle operation near Minnedosa, gave them cautious reassurance.
“Are we toast? I don’t think we are,” he said.
“I don’t think we’re in a state where we should be giving up, and I don’t think anybody here is going to give up.”
Many of the farmers nodded in agreement.
Popp said some farmers have been on the point of throwing in the towel, but others see an opportunity in the despair. Calves and cows can be bought cheaply.
“Wherever there’s negativity, there’s some guys that are pretty positive,” said Popp.
An inexpensive heifer calf can be bred this winter and become a money maker whether it becomes pregnant or not. If the heifer stays open, it can be fattened and slaughtered well before the 30 months of age cutoff. If it becomes pregnant, both the heifer and the calf can be fattened and slaughtered.
And Popp said farmers despairing about cull cow prices possibly being below $200 for a number of years should consider producing different cows and managing them better.
“Sit down with a paper and pencil. Put down a cow value of 200 bucks. Develop your cow to last 12 years as a breeding cow. Make her weigh 1,350-1,250 pounds. And compare that to a high-powered 1,700 lb. cow that’s only going to crank out seven calves, and you’ll have your answer,” said Popp.
Garth Routledge, past-president of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association and the operator of a cow-calf and feedlot operation, said he isn’t going to back away.
“We’re going to be back on the market buying calves this fall. You give your head a shake and do it anyway,” said Routledge.
“We’re going to try to get through this thing the same as everybody else and become better at what we do. A few years will determine whether that was a good decision or a wrong one. That’s where we’re going anyway,” said Routledge.
“The cattle business has treated us damned good in the past and I think it’s going to do the same in the future.”
