LEDUC, Alta. -In a year hard hit by BSE, the chair of the Canadian Dairy Congress was worried there would be plenty of open stalls at one of the Alberta’s premier dairy shows.
“There’s less money in the dairy industry and the first thing that gets cut back on is PR,” said Ruysch, a dairy farmer from Rollyview, Alta.
But to the organizers’ surprise, the number of cattle and exhibitors at the Alberta Dairy Congress increased this year.
“We were surprised so many showed up,” said Gezinus Martens, a dairy farmer from Calmar, Alta., who serves as the show’s facilities co-ordinator. Ninety-five cattle made an appearance and 65 were entered in the sale.
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In previous years buyers have come from the United States and across Western Canada to buy the sale’s pre-selected cattle. With the border closed to live cattle trade, Martens expected few people to spend the time and effort to bring their cattle to the event.
Strong prices at a recent Calgary cattle show, where top-quality dairy cattle sold for $3,000 to $5,000, probably swayed some producers to bring their cattle.
“It’s advertising,” Martens said.
Producers cautious
Inside the exhibition hall, salespeople for dairy feed and equipment companies were not run off their feet, a sign that producers are watching their spending.
Roger Masur of Reg Cox Feedmix in Red Deer said sales of the company’s Cattlelac feed mixers have dropped by a third in the past year. Dairy producers are still spending money, but are cautious about their purchases.
Mark Brunelle a financial planner from St. Albert, Alta., said BSE has stopped his registered retirement savings plan customers, but not his life insurance customers.
“The risk of dying is no less because of BSE,” Brunelle said.
Daryl Heit of United Livestock Systems said BSE has dried up sales of the company’s short-line equipment such as feed mixers, manure pumps and balers.
“There’s just no interest,” said Heit, who predicted the company will have a below average year.
Jamie McAllister with Champion Feeds in Stony Plain, Alta., said the company has slowly started to move its focus from the beef industry to dairy. In the beef business, cattle producers are cutting back anything but the absolute necessities.
“We don’t want to abandon the one that fed you for years, yet if it continues we’ll have to go after the supply management business,” he said.
