“Producer perspectives from across the country help ensure the code reflects the diversity of Canadian beef production systems and remains practical for producers who raise cattle,” Canadian Cattle Association president Tyler Fulton said in a news release.

WHY IT MATTERS: The national code serves as a reference point for provincial animal enforcement officers and courts and sets a basic standard of care for beef cattle in Canada, the Canadian Cattle Association says.

The current code of practice was published in 2013. An update began in 2023 with a 15-person committee that includes representatives from the cattle, processor and transport sectors, veterinary and animal welfare experts, researchers, government representatives and others.

The process involves “respectful dialogue, evidence-based decision-making, and shared accountability,” the news release said.

The draft code of practices includes changes such as:

• Added requirements for monitoring cattle “more frequently” during heat waves and cold weather
• Added requirements for natural or man-made shelter from wind in cold weather
• Expanded guidlines around low-stress handling
• Added requirements around not branding cattle on the face or sensitive areas, and use of pain medication when branding cattle under six months old
• An added section on spaying of female cattle — a practice it says isn’t common in Canada
• Expanded requirements and information around euthanizing cattle, including acceptable methods

Public consultation is open until June 12.

What do I mean by setting calves up for success? In simple terms, it starts with making sure each calf receives colostrum of adequate quantity and quality shortly after birth, ideally within the first six hours.

I want to highlight strategies that improve colostrum production and quality in beef cows, ultimately supporting stronger immunity in newborn calves and better productivity and profitability for producers.

Calves are born with virtually no immune protection because there is no transfer of immunoglobulins across the placenta. Their immunity for the first few months of life depends entirely on the successful transfer of passive immunity through colostrum.

Failure of passive transfer increases the risk of illness in the first month of life by sixfold, increases pre-weaning mortality by fivefold and can reduce weaning weight by roughly 33 pounds.

With today’s calf prices, the economic implications for beef operations are significant.

The Beef Cattle Research Council provides excellent guidance on handling and feeding colostrum, and one of the key concepts producers should remember is that a calf’s ability to absorb immunoglobulins closes by 24 hours of age.

To achieve the best immune protection, producers should ensure calves ingest as much high-quality colostrum as possible in the first three hours of life.

While most of our attention tends to focus on the calf — how quickly it stands and nurses or whether it needs assistance — we often overlook the cow side of the equation. Colostrum quality, particularly the concentration of key antibodies such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), is largely determined by conditions during late gestation.

Colostrum formation begins roughly four to five weeks before calving, which is why late-gestation nutrition is one of the most critical drivers of both colostrum volume and quality.

Research has shown that cows restricted to about 60 per cent of their energy and protein requirements in the final third of gestation, or cows calving in low body condition (below 2.5 on a five‑point scale), produce less colostrum and tend to have lower IgG concentrations than cows calving in adequate body condition (between three and four).

Diets extremely low in protein (below nine per cent crude protein) can also impair the calf’s ability to absorb IgG after birth.

Meeting mineral and vitamin requirements during late gestation is equally important.

Selenium and vitamin E are particularly influential because deficiencies in either nutrient before calving have been shown to reduce both colostrum yield and IgG content.

Ensuring cows are in appropriate body condition and receiving a balanced diet that meets their energy, protein, mineral and vitamin needs during the last trimester will support the production of ample, high-quality colostrum rich in antibodies.

Vaccination is another proven tool for boosting colostrum quality.

Administering scours vaccines to cows three to six weeks before calving increases the concentration of specific antibodies against pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, rotavirus and coronavirus in colostrum.

Work closely with your veterinarian to design a vaccination program tailored to your herd because correct timing is essential, and heifers often require booster doses.

As calf values continue to climb, the importance of optimizing colostrum production and quality becomes even more significant for long-term herd health and profitability.

By focusing on cow nutrition in late gestation, providing adequate mineral and vitamin supplementation, maintaining appropriate body condition and following a well‑timed vaccination program, producers can greatly improve the immunity and survival of their newborn calves.

Investing in the cow now means stronger and healthier calves later and consequently more dollars staying in your pocket at weaning.

“We found a very unified group that all have the same interest at heart and that’s to make a strong national committee or revamp to make it a strong one,” said Kevin Boone, British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association general manager at the Dec. 9 meeting in Toronto.

WHY IT MATTERS: Alberta signalled in August its intention to leave the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), putting the sector’s national representation at risk.

“CCA is a pretty old, established organization, and I think that every now and again, you’ve got to step back and take a look at what you have and how you’re structured,” said Boone.

If the industry and CCA as a whole want to remain at the top of their field, the provincial members need to provide that direction, he added.

“They’re there to steer the ship, but it’s the directors from every province that are there to tell them how much steam to put in it and where and which way to turn.”

Boone said there isn’t any best time to address the potential fracturing of an organization. However, providing a toolbox of directives from members could help them build forward.

Alberta’s concerns extensive

“It started as a withdrawal,” said Doug Roxburgh, ABP chair, of Alberta’s stance with the CCA. “But I think it’s very much become more of a review.

“It’s been amazing to see what other provinces have had for both positives around CCA but also concerns.”

Alberta’s list of concerns is extensive, said Roxburgh; however, commonalities between provinces and an openness to change fostered positive discussions. The group will craft a review framework to present to the CCA, likely in the spring.

“We went into these meetings with a positive mindset, that we’re coming here to improve our organization,” said Chad Ross, Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association chair.

“It’s healthy to look at governance, communication, financial reporting and funding and find solutions that are good for everyone.”

New Brunswick Cattle chair Trevor Welch said CCA’s representation at the federal level is critical. There are no plans to eliminate the organization. Rather, they will explore restructuring options to ensure it remains sustainable, financially responsible and “more palatable for all the provincial organizations to work with.”

He acknowledged that six or seven months ago, the provinces weren’t sure what to do or how to handle the potential fracturing of the CCA. The workshop showed they were aligned on “nitty-gritty” issues and were willing to work together to find a way forward.

Ross agreed, and while hesitant to give specifics, mentioned “a-ha” moments during the day. He highlighted the need to streamline communication to ensure grassroots voices are heard and to contribute to business plans, strategies and collaborations within provinces and national organizations.

“Then there’s funding it, and that’s always the hard question. How do we fund it all the way across Canada? It’s not going to be equal,” Ross said.

“I think there’s got to be some give and take. How do we negotiate that with the different provinces to be in the federal organization, get it funded and get it working?”

Looking for a better balance

Roxburgh said Alberta believes in a strong national organization that is appropriately funded, but “it can’t come on the backs of Alberta being underfunded within our own province.”

He doubted Alberta beef producers would reach 50 per cent representation based on funding, nor does he want to see less representation for other provinces — but he suggested that’s not the main question.

“I think the question is, how do we build this structure that’s the most effective for not just the producers today, but for our industry going forward?” Roxburgh said. “Things are changing all the time. It’s just about trying to figure out a little bit better balance right across the board.”

Beef Farmers of Ontario president Craig McLaughlin said the real challenge lies ahead — namely, in fine-tuning the funding model to ensure CCA’s sustainability without harming the provincial organization’s budgets, and negotiating representation.

“We feel there’s a time for change, and it should happen now when we’re going to get a new executive director at the national level,” said McLaughlin. “(The recommendations) will help them foster better relations across the provinces.”

Roxburgh said Alberta faced criticism for withdrawing so close to the retirement of Dennis Laycraft, CCA executive vice-president for the last 35 years.

Roxburgh said that the new CCA manager could view the current situation as an opportunity to listen, bring new ideas, explore the working group’s framework and recognize that the CCA isn’t “100 per cent where it could be or should be going forward.”

“We’re certainly going to be respectful to whoever that new person is taking that role and look forward to working with them to help shape the future of CCA,” Roxburgh said.

Feedlots are using the animals to bridge gaps in the feeder market., and they’re also providing a robust income stream for dairy producers.

Looking at the trends and the market risks, one analyst suggests that the already intertwined sectors are being pushed even closer together.

Why it Matters: Adding beef genetics into dairy herds has allowed Canadian dairy farms to tap into the same high animal prices that beef producers are enjoying at auction.

The popularity of cross-bred calves has surged in the last 15 years. Estimates suggest they currently make up nine per cent of Canada’s beef supply, up from two per cent in 2010.

The idea is to diversify the dairy herd to get the best of both marketing worlds. Top milk producers in the herd may be bred with sexed semen to produce the next generation of milkers, but most cows are bred to beef. Their calves, endowed with meat-focused genetics, are then raised, sold and finished for the beef stream.

Graeme Crosbie, a senior economist with Farm Credit Canada, has noted how the spread of the practice may shift financial fundamentals of the cattle business, both for dairy and beef. Producers may need a new take on contingency planning.

For one thing, significant ties between the beef and dairy sectors means milk demand will have more impact on beef cattle supply and, therefore, price, he argued in an FCC blog post.

“The rise of beef-on-dairy crossbreeding has provided opportunities for producers, feedlot operators and packers, including a year-round supply of calves. However, if the demand for milk were to increase, it would cause a further short-term beef supply crunch, pushing up already-elevated beef prices,” wrote Crosbie.

The ripples of that kind of demand surge, however, would likely resolve itself over time, he said.

More milk demand would ultimately lead to a larger dairy herd, which would lead to more calves, which would fill in the beef supply crunch created when more cows were needed for milk.

“One thing is clear: this is a trend that is not abating anytime soon, and its growing importance in the supply of Canadian beef is noteworthy,” the economist said.

Self-correcting beef shock

Crosbie posed a hypothetical scenario: say Canada needs a 10 per cent increase in milk supply for 2027. For simplicity’s sake, he disregarded the role of U.S. dairy and beef-on-dairy feeder imports, a burgeoning source of feeder cattle for Canadian feedlots.

In Crosbie’s scenario, the extra demand for milk would require an extra 96,940 cows by 2027 in order to meet the demand for milk. Assuming a nine per cent loss rate on heifers born, that would drive a need to swap out 107,000 beef-on-dairy calves from the beef supply chain with pure dairy replacement heifers.

That would be a 35 per cent reduction of beef-on-dairy calves relative to the base line in 2025, and a three per cent reduction in beef available this year, which is when those heifers would have to be born in order to fulfil their milking duties in 2027.

Crosbie described this as a “one-time shock,” with the long-term impact actually being more animals in the beef supply chain.

“As those heifers become fresh cows in 2027, the total dairy cow inventory increases and, as breeding cycles continue from that point on, more beef-on-dairy calves can theoretically re-enter the supply chain. By 2028, beef-on-dairy contribution to the beef supply chain is 10 per cent above the baseline,” he noted.

However, Crosbie’s scenario is atypical, especially with supply management keeping milk supply on par with demand.

Demand and supply for dairy in Canada is generally stable, although Crosbie pointed to growing consumption of yogurt (up eight per cent), ice cream (6.3 per cent) and butter (4.2 per cent) in 2025.

Veal producers lose out

Crosbie said conventional beef producers are starting to side-eye the additional competition, although official voices for the beef sector have had a different tone.