Ruminating

by Martin Unrau

We are now in December and 2008 is almost over. This year will certainly go down in the books as a turbulent one for cattle producers. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Many producers found themselves short of feed this year because of either flood or drought, COOL took an unfavourable turn and then the worldwide financial crisis sent our industry into another tailspin.

As this year comes to a close we will still have many of these issues to deal with in the new year, plus other challenges like trying to develop more markets and the persisting TB hassles here in Manitoba. The discovery of another BSE infected animal keeps that issue in the news.

With all of this going on it seems there is plenty of advice coming from individuals, parts of the government and farm organizations. I don’t want to sound negative, but the reality is that many of the solutions offered are not really solutions at all.

There is no easy answer or “silver bullet” to fix the situation our industry finds itself in right now. The cattle industry is unique in many ways - from the way we raise our livestock down to the means by which we market.

My concern is that cattle producers are being misled by some of these statements, however well-meaning they might be, that a “one size fits all” approach will work for this nation’s cattle industry.

The problem is that there isn’t just one challenge, but many issues that need to be addressed and we are working aggressively towards finding those solutions.

A bit of optimism
On a brighter note, 2008 is nearly over. Every new year brings optimism and while there will still be challenges to face in 2009, there are opportunities as well. This fall we’ve seen the price of oil drop to $50 a barrel in the U.S. and fertilizer prices are also coming down.

In 1983 when we first got married and started our family, interest rates were more than 20 percent and now are between five and six percent.

Cow numbers in both Canada and the U.S. have dropped tremendously, and I don’t think most people realize how many cows have gone to market on both sides of the border. A beef shortage is right around the corner and that means those who choose to stay in the business should see high prices once again.

Even with the amount of cows being culled, there is no back up of beef in the coolers. And by March we should have a better understanding of how we will ultimately be affected by COOL in the long term.
And it appears that the WTO talks may resume shortly and we should know more about that early in the new year.

Decisions
These certainly have been stressful times for us all. To those of you who have stuck it out these last five years and want to be here in the future, my suggestion is to keep focused on that end goal and just keep going.

For those of you who have decided to move on for whatever reason, I hope that you are doing so without regret and that you see the life change as an opportunity. Worrying about all of the “would haves, could haves, should haves,” after the fact, doesn’t do anybody any good.

Annual General Meeting
And of course everyone is welcome to come out to this year’s Annual General Meeting that will be held in Brandon on December 10 & 11 at the Royal Oak Inn.
This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about both the MCPA and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, and the lobbying efforts we are doing on everyone’s behalf. It’s also the chance to get together with other cattle producers and industry supporters, voice your opinions and talk one-on-one with industry leaders. Once the business portion of the day is done, we’d like you to join us for a nice meal, a drink or two and to share a few laughs.

Final thoughts
Since this is my final column for 2008, I’d like to leave you with this thought.
At the end of the day, family is what is most important. Christmas is the perfect time of year to get together with loved ones and friends. Don’t let the stress over what’s happening in the industry get in the way of taking time to relax and enjoy the small pleasures in life.

If I don’t see you before then, have a joyful Christmas season and a safe, prosperous new year.