If there was a furrow in Shannon Carvey’s brow during the Manitoba Livestock Expo held in Brandon this month, it was probably due more to concentrating on her work than any worry about the future of the cattle industry.
Carvey, an Angus breeder from Alexander, Man., had her mind fixed on the task of getting a bull ready for the show ring. While clipping and combing hair along the animal’s hindquarters, she gave no hint that the difficulties encountered by Canada’s cattle industry this year have undermined her interest in farming.
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If anything, they strengthened her resolve.
“We need to come back stronger than ever,” she said, pointing to good attendance at the Livestock Expo as an example of the enthusiasm that exists among cattle producers in the province.
There was concern earlier in the year that confirmation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in an Alberta cull cow, and the resulting loss of export markets, would prompt commercial cattle producers in Canada to spend less on purebred breeding stock for their herds.
The effect, so far, has been far less severe than expected, said Carvey. She has seen encouraging interest among commercial producers scouting for purebred stock to work into their herds.
Rather than dwelling on the things she cannot change, she is investing her efforts in shows to promote her livestock.
“The more people that see you here, the more chances you have of selling,” she said.
Many purebred cattle sales are held in late fall, while spring typically sees commercial cattle producers buying bulls for their herds.
Wayne Currah, president of the Manitoba Simmental Association, said in a Nov. 17 interview that recent consignment sales are encouraging. Prices are down from the past couple of years, but not greatly.
“People are a lot more positive, a lot more optimistic than might have been expected three or four months ago.”
That sentiment was shared by Lois McRae, a purebred Simmental and Angus breeder from Brandon, who was among those showing cattle at the Livestock Expo.
“I’m really impressed by the people and their enthusiasm,” she said, standing in a barn filled with the steady bustle of people preparing animals for show.
Part of McRae’s optimism is driven by the general outlook for Canada’s cattle industry. The U.S. border reopened to Canadian boxed beef earlier this fall and there are expectations that exports of live cattle under 30 months could resume this winter. Canadian consumer demand for beef also surged higher this year, helping to compensate for lost markets south of the border.
“I think the good cattle are going to sell,” said McRae, sharing her thoughts about the market prospects for purebred cattle. “It’s going to be a buyer’s market, probably, because there isn’t a lot of cash around.”
