The economic impact of Alberta’s cattle feeding industry

With the many issues the cattle industry is currently facing, the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association (ACFA) is shining a light on a positive aspect of the Alberta feedlot sector – the economic impact.

ACFA hired Serecon Inc. to quantify the economic impact of the cattle feeding sector in Alberta. The project was completed in early 2021 using data from the summer of 2020 as the basis. Through the contributions of actual financial information from feedlot operators, it was possible to estimate the contribution made by the feedlot sector to the overall Alberta economy. 

Did you know the total economic output generated by feedlots is 2.9 billion dollars? And that one feedlot animal turns into 9,000 jobs? And this impact extends into many facets of day-to-day life that you don’t even think about. ACFA has put together a video highlighting the economic impact the cattle feeding sector has on Alberta, relating it to our day-to-day lives.

Whether you look at the big numbers or the details, the cattle feeding industry plays a big part in keeping Alberta thriving. Not only do feedlot operators spend money in their local regions, but the jobs created help to keep the local community vibrant and alive. And these farms help to create significant economic spinoffs and employment further up the value chain. With more than 70 per cent of Canada’s federally inspected cattle slaughter capacity located in Alberta, the direct link between cattle feeding and processing drives value throughout the production chain. 

To learn more on how Alberta’s cattle feeding sector contributes to the province, we invite you to watch this short video.  

New ACFA Member Benefit – Feedlot Training Course Library

The Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association is very excited about a new member benefit – the Feedlot Training Course Library. This site, for ACFA members and their staff, provides feedlot producers with easy-to-use, real-time training tools to facilitate the training and retraining of successful feedlot employees and to ensure the production of safe, high-quality beef. 

The site contains a series of short, easy-to-use training videos that will teach the basic core skills to work safely on a feedlot. The videos, made by Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed, are meant to supplement the specialized training provided by herd health veterinarians and nutritionists.

“Without well-trained and competent feedlot processors and pen riders, it is hard to effectively manage animal health and welfare, and ensure good performance of feedlot cattle. I’ve spent years training feedlot staff, and to me training is key to retaining good employees and ensuring they do their job well. We need to support continuous learning to ensure continuous improvement in our businesses. Continuous monitoring of feedlot staff is also important to identify areas for improvement and where additional training or retraining is needed. We can’t manage what we don’t measure and monitor,” said Dr. Van Donkersgoed.

This well-thought-out, comprehensive training program ensures employee safety and the safety of cattle and aims to make jobs on the feedlot more enjoyable for all involved. To become an ACFA member and take advantage of the many benefits of membership, including these feedlot training videos, visit cattlefeeders.ca.

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This article was first published in Volume 2 Issue 5 of ABP Magazine (December 2022). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.