COLUMN - Ruminating

By Martin Unrau

It is the first week in November and most of the cows on the cattle ranches are still out on grass and we still haven’t had much snow. The weather this fall has been great.
The federal elections in Canada and the U.S. are finally over. Agriculture wasn’t mentioned very often in our election and this was extremely disappointing. In fact, western Canada almost seemed to be part of another country during the election campaign. Politicians in Ottawa seemed to have forgotten about the importance of the livestock industry, and I’m referring to cattle and the struggling beef sector in particular.

Politicians have a very difficult job trying to balance their responsibilities and I have a great deal of respect for many of them and the efforts they put forward. But I think it is time for some people in this country to check their priority list.

Population wise, Canada is a very small country and almost every person in this country who has the ability to work, either produces, manufactures or grows a product that will be exported. From logging to drilling for oil; mining, growing grain or livestock; building cars and equipment - the list of goods produced here or raw products exported is huge.

If Canada is going to prosper it has to focus on three things - trade, Trade and TRADE with countries around the world and there should be no exceptions.

We need to learn from our competitors and copy what they’ve done. It is much like playing hockey. When you’re out there getting your butt kicked, what’s the first thing you do? You take a look at what the other team is doing and adjust accordingly. And you have to do it right away before it’s too late. Right now, two of our competitors are Australia and Brazil and they have a two goal lead after the second period . . .

Within the cattle industry, we all need to be very clear on our individual responsibilities. The cow-calf producer and feedlot operator needs to produce a product that both the domestic and global consumer wants. Then it’s up to the processor to find the markets. Up to this point, we have been doing our jobs, but without the political clout of the Canadian government, we will continue to fall short. When dealing with other countries, the government and politics plays a vital role in establishing, maintaining and enhancing healthy trade relationships.
Successful trading is not about just selling; it is about bargaining and that responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of our government.

I can think of no better place in the world to grow beef. With our wide open spaces, clean air, abundance of water, sound genetics and knowledge base, no other country can touch us when it comes to producing top quality grain and grass-fed beef.

In fact, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the top two provinces in the country where we can pasture cows in an economical, sustainable fashion because of our favourable, comparatively inexpensive land base. I see a real future here for the producers who can stick it out and get through these tough years.

In defense of both our provincial and federal governments, prior to the border closing in 2003, the beef industry was functioning well as part of a North American industry. But BSE changed all that.

We have entered into a new era of beef production in this country. Producers have been forced to think differently and we need our government to do the same.

It is easy to be a leader when things are going good and you are winning the battle. But no war was ever won by leaders who throw up their hands when the going gets tough.
Now, with huge global economic challenges facing the world, cattle producers can not be expected to do this alone. We need some forward thinking leadership from the capable men and women we elected to run this country.

In order for that to happen, I believe new priorities need to be established. In some cases, attitudes need adjusting to get the job done.