British Columbia cattle producers have the choice of two end dates for the national calf set-aside program.
Producers who choose to keep their 2004-born calves off the market until Jan. 1, 2006, will get $200 per head from the federal and provincial government, the same as producers in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
If they choose to keep the calves only until Oct. 1, the same end date as Alberta, they will be paid $176 to set aside their calves.
“I was pleased to see we have the choice,” said Mark Nairn, president of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association.
“If we had to take the Jan. 1 date, we would have had very little buy-in.”
Nairn expects 70,000 calves, about one-quarter of the province’s calf crop, will be set aside under the program.
“We wanted the same date as Alberta. We felt quite strongly about that.”
Producers also must choose if they are going to set aside 30 percent or 40 percent of their calf herd.
