Grass Routes

ABP out and about

It’s that time of year again when ABP wants to encourage producers to get involved. More information and nomination forms are available from your zone’s current delegates, the ABP office, or online at www.albertabeef.org/about/becoming-a-delegate/. If you or someone you know would like to become an ABP delegate please have nomination forms in by August 31, 2010.

Lori Loree, Communications Manager, attended a Special Editorial Advisory Committee meeting in Edmonton this week. Along with Alberta Milk, Alberta Canola, Alberta Pork, ALMA and Alberta Agriculture, the group brainstormed with editors from the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal. An ALMA grant allows us to place weekly stories about our commodities into the papers. The meetings are also a perfect way to liaison with editors on industry issues and events.

ABP parade schedule
Promotion committee delegate, Chuck Groeneveld, will be visiting several parade routes this summer. The new Alberta Beef Producer trailer has already hit the roads for a few parades, and hopefully with summer-like weather finally here, many more beef consumers will view the colourful float. If you are in the area, make sure to check out these parades:

August 21st – Pincher Creek
August 24th – Lethbridge
September 6th – Cochrane

CAP Zone Coordinators
We are currently recruiting coordinators in Lethbridge, Crowsnest Pass, and Edmonton.

The Classroom Agriculture Program (CAP) is a non-profit, multi-commodity initiative that teaches elementary students the importance of agriculture in their daily lives. Since inception in 1985, over 550,000 students across Alberta have taken part in CAP.

CAP is a multi-commodity initiative supported by Alberta Barley Commission, Alberta Beef Producers, Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Chicken Producers, Alberta Egg Producers, Alberta Pulse Growers Commission, Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Wheat Board, Eastern Irrigation District, Olds College, and Potato Growers of Alberta.

This is a unique program in that it is presented by volunteers involved in the agri-food industry. Volunteers are encouraged to personalize the CAP material with their own props and stories. The dynamic one-hour presentation promotes as much interaction as possible while teaching students about agriculture.

The role of the Zone Coordinator is to organize the volunteers in their specific zone with the schools who have registered. Zone Coordinators also offer presentation ideas and guidance to volunteers.

If you are interested in being a Zone Coordinator, please contact Karen Spelay, CAP Coordinator at 403-710-1959 or at capcoordinator@albertabeef.org.

The International Livestock Congress (ILC)

Calgary is holding the Beef 2010: Raising Optimism - Global Strategies conference on August 11, 2010. The conference is an opportunity for livestock producers to join beef industry leaders and hear industry experts discuss current issues. Registration cost for the conference is $175 plus GST for primary producers and $370 plus GST for industry members. For further information, contact Iris Mech or Carol Huculak at 403-686-8407 or e-mail ilcreg@imcievents.ca. A full agenda, list of speakers and registration form are available on the ILC website at www.ilccalgary.com.

The importance of the beef industry to Alberta

The beef business continues to bring challenges from year to year. For 2010, the beef cow herd decreased by 6.5 per cent and breeding heifers decreased by 4.8 per cent compared with the year before.

Production statistics
According to Alberta Agriculture statistics, 37 per cent (26,385) of Alberta farms had beef cattle in January 2010.

For cattle and calf inventories Alberta leads the nation in with 5.15 million head or 39 per cent of the national total (13 million head). Alberta has 1.93 million breeding beef cows and heifers (39 per cent of Canadian total). Alberta feeds over 2.18 million cattle each year with total annual beef production of over 773 thousand tonnes.

Alberta averages 189 beef cattle per farm. Alberta has 52,127,857 acres of farmland 31 per cent of all Alberta farmland is natural land for pasture. 11.8 per cent of all Alberta farmland is tame or seeded pasture land. Alberta federal and provincial inspected plants processed 2.39 million head of cattle or roughly 72 per cent of Canadian total in 2009.

Contribution to the economy
Beef cattle production is Alberta’s largest agricultural sector providing $3.1 billion in farm cash receipts annually or 35 per cent of Alberta farm production income.

Alberta’s cattle industry has an economic multiplier effect of 4:1, meaning an overall benefit of over $12.4 billion to the economy.

Trade statistics
Of Alberta’s estimated 2008 beef production, 16 per cent was sold within the province, 46 per cent to other provinces, 31 per cent to the United States and 6.6 per cent to other countries. Annual exports of Alberta beef and cattle (interprovincial and international) in 2009 were valued at approximately $1.39 billion. This compares with wheat exports at $2 billion and Canola seed at $1.33 billion.

Alberta beef shipments to the U.S. during 2009 totaled 236,000 tonnes up 29 per cent from 2003. The total value of Alberta beef shipments to the U.S. during 2009 was $932 million. Alberta exported 48,822 feeder cattle and 346,210 slaughter cattle to the U.S. in 2009. Total live cattle exports were valued at $465 million.

Beef production and exports are important contributors to Alberta’s gross domestic product. Retaining and growing the industry helps in the overall success in the provincial economy.