WESTERN PRODUCER — A University of Calgary focus group said younger people, essential to the future of Canada’s beef industry, need help to overcome barriers preventing them from entering the sector.
“I think the overall takeaway is that there’s certainly some concerns around the longevity and the ability to keep the cattle industry viable in the long term,” said policy analyst Shawn Wiskar of the university’s Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy.
“And that comes down to ensuring that it can remain profitable, but also ensuring that younger people are interested in joining the sector itself. So, that’s probably our key takeaway; how can we work to build out a compelling case for that long-term viability and feasibility of the industry?”
The centre, which is affiliated with the university’s School of Public Policy, brought together about 10 people from across the industry last July to talk about the challenges they face. Participants ranged from beef producers to representatives from the packing sector, with researchers also conducting one-on-one interviews, said Wiskar.
He is the co-author of a briefing paper on the initiative that was released May 26.
“I think by doing it through a focus group, you really are able to open up the conversation and collect some of that data that you wouldn’t necessarily get if you were doing a strict question-and-answer survey, or a more scientifically based approach.”
Besides helping young people, the focus group discussed the need to cut government red tape for the beef industry, said the briefing paper. It recommended provincial governments develop a reduction strategy targeting the expansion of land dedicated to livestock.
The strategy must include lowering the tax burden faced by cattle producers, it said.
“Furthermore, the governments must increase subsidies to help reduce the price of beef for consumer markets.”
The focus group also said the beef industry is being misrepresented in the public eye and in policy decisions, and suggested successes need to be more prominent in the media.
“Environmentalism and sustainability programs and practices have been widely implemented and continually evolve, yet participants believe the public sees them in a negative light. Education and information sharing should show the public the benefits of the industry and its initiatives in capturing greenhouse gas emissions,” the briefing paper said.
The document also recommended the federal and provincial governments work together to increase consultation with the beef industry.
“Several stakeholders have expressed a need for improved sharing of information and data to better inform evidence-based policies for the beef sector. One such solution is a data-sharing platform between various levels of government on the needs of producers, production levels and costs associated with the beef sector.”
Other concerns included keeping the beef industry competitive in national and international markets, and the need for parity, communication and data sharing throughout the supply chain.
“This should be accomplished through a semi-annual analysis of which subsectors are struggling to produce positive profit margins. Governments should then provide financial investment to boost subsectors and ensure high-quality Canadian beef remains affordable for consumers.”
A separate study on removing barriers in Alberta’s beef industry was released March 14 by the provincial government. It recommended a mandatory Canadian comprehensive boxed beef price report. (Related WP story – New study recommends boxed beef price report)
Better price reporting would give producers such as feeders more information to market their cattle. No decisions have been made on the study’s recommendations pending further consultation with stakeholders, which was postponed until after the Alberta election May 29, said general manager Brad Dubeau of Alberta Beef Producers.
Problems such as the need to attract more young people are not unique to the beef industry, he said.
“We’re seeing an aging population in the agricultural industry because it’s challenging to get into all sectors, for the most part,” said Dubeau.
“Just with the capital outlay that’s required to start up a new farm or ranch between the land, animals, machinery, the list goes on and on and it’s expensive, there’s no doubt about it. There’s land in certain areas of either Alberta, Saskatchewan or wherever. It’s out of reach for a lot of people to make it profitable within agriculture, so that’s always a concern.”
Nearly one in four of the points of discussion by the focus group were about the problem.
“Many participants spoke to the high costs associated with the beef sector and the financial infeasibility of farm succession,” said the briefing paper.
“While there is some provincial financial programming in place to aid with industry costs and agriculture educational incentives, many participants felt that this was not enough to keep the industry sustainable and pointed to a lack of large-animal veterinarians and younger generations in the industry.”
The shortage is being caused by barriers such as high start-up costs and low economic returns, said the briefing paper.
“Many participants spoke to creative ways that the company they work for or run is attempting to increase incentives to bridge the gap between those retiring from the sector and those entering.”
They recommended provincial governments boost funding and scholarships for agriculture-focused education. Start-up costs for new producers also need to be reduced to incentivize future generations to work in agriculture and encourage farm succession, said the paper. For more information, click here to view the full report.
