SASKATOON – Saskatchewan cattle producers have decided to spend more of their check-off money on research.
A resolution at the recent Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA) annual meeting called for the provincial allocation to the Beef Cattle Research Council to increase to 20 cents of each dollar from 10 cents.
Lynn Grant of Val Marie, Sask., who moved the resolution, said Saskatchewan decided several years ago to contribute 10 percent to research. All other provinces except Alberta contribute five percent.
“We probably get a better return from research than market development and promotion,” Grant said.
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Producers attending the recent provincial beef industry conference heard that research is underfunded.
Tim Oleksyn of Prince Albert, Sask., who chairs the Western Beef Development Centre and sits on the Agriculture Development Fund advisory committee, said research funding declined from the mid-1980s to about 10 years ago.
There does have to be a continued push from this industry,” he said.
Wilfred Campbell of Tompkins, Sask., past-chair of the research council, said research investment needs to increase.
“In my view, the industry needs to seriously consider investing up to 15 cents in research,” he told the SCA convention.
Campbell said a report released last year on the economic benefits of the Canadian beef checkoff identified considerable underinvestment in research compared to marketing.
The study also found that research earns $46 in producer benefits for every dollar invested. Marketing delivers an average return of $7.55 in producer benefits.
The research council focuses its work on animal health and welfare, forage and grassland, feed efficiency, specified risk material disposal, food safety and beef quality.
Reynold Bergen, the council’s science director, told the meeting the beef industry is “notoriously slow” to adopt new technology, partly because of a lack of technology transfer. It is developing a long-term strategy to rectify the problem.
He also said the industry has to improve how it communicates its research findings to the public.
For example, livestock are often blamed for increased human resistance to certain drugs. The council began a study in 2006 to find out if that is true.
“So far, there is no evidence the beef industry is a problem,” he said.
Livestock transportation is another issue. Bergen said many urban residents see cattle only on a livestock truck, which produces questions and concerns, particularly from activists.
