#Allforthebeef with Brad Dubeau

This article was first published in Volume 3 Issue 4 of ABP Magazine (December 2023). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.

It’s been a year of real extremes for beef producers in Alberta. We were excited to see the record-high prices for calves and yearlings in the fall run. Although we have seen prices soften in October and November, the prices are still strong. It’s where they need to be for producers, in light of those ever-rising input costs.

Much of the current market strength is due to the shrinking supply, which is also related to the ongoing challenges of drought faced by many producers. It’s something your organization has been spending a lot of time on.

We certainly appreciated the recognition of the difficult circumstances, with the creation of the Canada-Alberta Drought Livestock Assistance Program, which is providing up to $165 million to maintain breeding herds. While we’re thankful, we’re also discouraged by the program design, which utilized a drought map. It’s an approach that drew lines and made producers ineligible for a program they needed as much their as their neighbours in the eligible areas. Because of the rains being so spotty in the central parts of the province, some drought-impacted producers were left out. We had advocated for a Need Feed approach to assist those hit hardest across the province, not one based on boundaries.

We heard from frustrated producers who could not access the assistance, and we asked for reconsideration to expand the drought maps. Unfortunately, our requests were not addressed.

Right from the original announcement of the program, we’ve been pushing to elevate the conversation on business risk management tools that are effective, reactive, and timely on a more sustained basis. We need to move away from AgriRecovery type situations to ensure producers have equal access to tools that work well in times of need, whether it be drought or massive market fluctuations – things that are out of the control of the producer and out of the norm – equal access to dependable tools.

These tools have led us to double down on our efforts to push for changes to AgriStability, or even the introduction of other products that do a better job of supporting the livestock industry as a whole and specifically cow-calf producers for financial sustainability. It can be done. For instance, we’ve heard very positive feedback on the changes that were made to Moisture Deficiency Insurance (MDI). We’re grateful to see the program now reacting and flowing dollars out to producers, allowing them to be able to start securing feed much earlier, based on lack of rainfall earlier in the season. We all realize there’s no such thing as a perfect program. But continuing to work on programs that are BETTER is a main focus of ABP’s government relations.

I would also strongly encourage producers who may not yet have been involved in one of the available programs through AFSC to take a second look at the options and consider using them. Unless there’s a lot of runoff or spring rainfall, the drought effects could carry over into 2024, and it’s prudent ot plan ahead with protection like MDI.

A big thanks to those of you providing valuable feedback during our fall Engagement Sessions in Lethbridge, Red Deer, and Edmonton, with the Medicine Hat (December 15) and Grande Prairie (January 5) sessions still to come. We have been seeking your input on the five main pillars of ABP. We’ve been working hard to reduce administrative costs, and increase our investments in programming, and the resources to make those programs successful. But it’s vital for us to be on the same page with what producers want.

The five pillars driving ABP’s work are:

• Beef production and extension (research)
• Consumer communications and marketing (education)
• Stakeholder communications (including producers)
• Government relations and policy
• Environmental stewardship

Your feedback will inform how we make changes to ABP’s plan review, coming up in 2025. It’s critical we’re accountable and relevant to your business. If you couldn’t attend a session, we still welcome your views.

We’ll be analyzing the information received and taking the highlights to producer meetings for further discussion. Those meetings get underway in January, and you can find all the dates and details here. They are also your opportunity to bring forward any key issues in the form of resolutions, which are properly structured to include background and action requested. We’re doing things a little differently this time. The meetings start earlier, so everyone can come enjoy a beef supper, as well as a social time after the meeting ends. Also, keep in mind the annual general meeting (AGM) for Alberta Beef Producers is coming up February 27, in conjunction with the Alberta Beef Industry Conference in Calgary. We hope to see you there.

It’s been great to see the mild fall, which should help make winter feed go further. As we approach the season, we want to say ‘Merry Christmas’ from our outfit to yours. May the New Year bring green grass, more strong markets, and policy improvements in the cattle world!