Producers learn about future of Ontario beef

Local producers gathered at the Devlin Hall last Tuesday (Oct. 2) to participate in the “Quality Starts Here” workshop and “Vision for the Ontario Beef Industry” meeting put on by the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.
Ken McKinnon, president of the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association, noted the session was both informative and educational.
“A lot of it had to do with age verification of animals, the procedures,” he explained. “What they are trying to do is get the message to the cattlemen that there is a lot involved.”
McKinnon noted the management practices are very detailed—from pest control to vaccination programs.
“The Ontario Cattlemen and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association are trying to get the Canadian producers at the top of the list as far as livestock management practices are concerned,” he indicated.
“In order to compete in the world market, and since BSE has hit, we’re starting to realize the importance that we just have to do a better job of managing our livestock, so that we have the healthiest livestock herds,” he remarked.
McKinnon said to have healthy animals, documentation is necessary.
“You need the paper trail. You have to document things,” he stressed. “You can see that if we do things better, we could add value to our products.”
Local cattle farmer Kim Jo Bliss, who helped organize last week’s presentations, noted the speakers indicated the producers need to start to communicate with the packers.
“We need to find out more about our products. We should be requesting that we get the grades and find out what we’re doing right and fix what we’re doing wrong,” she added, noting the producers were instructed to gather more information so they can continue to work forward.
In addition, they were updated on the West Hawk Lake Zoning Initiative—a project aimed to protect part of the country’s access to market in case of an outbreak.
Its location near the Manitoba/Ontario border allows monitoring of livestock traffic between eastern and western Canada.
“It will split Canada in half,” Bliss explained. “So if there was a major outbreak in the west, they could close the border at West Hawk Lake, or vice-versa, and there would be no movement.”
The district producers were informed that they have been tracking the loads going through and collecting data.
“If there was a big scare, they’d be able to tell when that truck went across,” Bliss remarked.
She stressed it is a good plan, though not for producers in Rainy River District.
“For us, the majority of our markets are the west, so if they shut West Hawk Lake off where we are, it’s not good because that’s where we go,” she noted, adding they first heard of this plan about five years ago.
“We were trying to push to have Nipigon be the boundary. That way, we could still be a part of the west as we have been,” Bliss noted, although admitting it doesn’t seem like it will work out that way.
Both McKinnon and Bliss said there was a good turnout at the meeting.
The local producers also were invited to enjoy dinner between the presentations hosted by the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association.