Business Tools

Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has announced a new FCC Replacement Heifer Program to help Canadian cattle producers in maintaining or expanding their herds. The Canadian beef cattle inventory was pegged by Statistics Canada at 10.3 million head earlier this year, which is a decline by four per cent since 2017. Sophie Perreault, FCC’s chief operations…

This message was originally posted in Alberta Beef Producers’ 2023 Annual Report. You can find the PDF of the report here. As I look over this past year, and my first seven months as Chair, it’s hard to know where tostart. Writing from the Southeast Zone, I am distinctly aware of the challenges this past…

Livestock dealers licensed by Livestock Identification Services Ltd. (LIS) under the Livestock Identification and Commerce Act are authorized to sell cattle on behalf of producers. When producers deliver cattle to a livestock dealer to sell on their behalf, they “supply” the cattle to the dealer, as opposed to “selling” the cattle to the dealer. Livestock…

It’s no secret that Canada’s farm population is aging. Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Agriculture revealed that over 60 per cent of Canada’s farmers are 55 and older and that many of those farmers have no transition plan for their farms. Which is cause for concern. Decades of hard work and sacrifice could be wiped out when…

Applications open October 30 for the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance program, providing livestock producers with up to $165 million to maintain breeding herds. The governments of Alberta and Canada are partnering on the 2023 Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance program to support livestock producers facing extraordinary costs due to this year’s dry conditions. Funding for…

Welcome to another edition of The Bovine! On this episode, you’ll hear from Annessa Good, business advisor with Farm Credit Canada (FCC), on the five pillars needed for a successful transition plan, as well as tips on how to begin this process and ensure it’s a positive one for your family and business. This episode…

Welcome to another edition of The Bovine! On this episode, you’ll hear from Brenna Grant, executive director of Canfax Research Services, on the recommendations for young producers as informed by the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network. Recorded at the 2023 Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Calgary, Brenna shares her three favourite recommendations from this…

Any new business can benefit from the guidance of those more experienced, and starting a beef operation is no different. In order to share the wisdom of seasoned producers with the next generation, Canfax Research Services asked 180 participants of the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production (COP) Network for their advice on starting a cow-calf…

Beef producers seeking a user-friendly program to balance rations can once again turn to a familiar, trusted software. Now available through the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC), CowBytes ration-balancing software helps producers improve their herd’s nutrition and reduce feed costs by formulating their own rations in a customizable, easy-to-use format. To begin, producers select the…

Farmers and ranchers impacted by drought and wildfires can now enroll in the newly reopened AgriStability program. While enrolment for this year’s AgriStability program previously closed in the spring, the Government of Alberta and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced last week that producers can sign up for late participation until September 29. “Our government has…