Agri-news: 2003 has been a challenging year

Gary Sliworsky
Ag. Rep.

The new year is almost here and once again it is a reminder of how quickly time passes. It is also an opportunity to stop and reflect on what has happened this past year, even though we might prefer to forget it.
For producers, it would be an understatement to say that 2003 has been challenging. We came out of a mild winter and things were looking pretty good heading into spring. Many had managed to bring the herd through on a somewhat tight hay supply and were looking forward to a more ‘normal’ year.
Then that one cow in Alberta tested positive for BSE.
Within hours of the announcement of the test results everything changed for producers with ruminants, in fact it changed for the whole Canadian agriculture industry. Many were suddenly heading into the pasture season stuck with more animals than they had planned on. And those animals that could be sold suddenly brought in substantially fewer dollars.
To make matters worse, at least in our area, yields of first cut hay were down quite a bit. That meant banking on a better than average second cut. Again, things didn’t work out as hoped. We were drier than usual throughout the summer, regrowth was not very good and in many cases second cut yields were not sufficient. Pastures were also not faring too well.
Producers were faced with a dilemma. They were short on feed and pasture and had ‘more mouths’ to feed than usual but cattle prices were very low. Sell for very little money or feed some precious hay?
There was some optimism when the U.S. started accepting our boneless beef, and feeder cattle prices rose to a little more acceptable level. However, cull cattle, and the ‘guaranteed’ fall cash flow they produced, remained in the bottom of the barrel. Everyone has an example where a producer shipped cull animals and after they went through the sales ring the farmer actually owed money.
Our winter has been fairly mild so far and not too sloppy. Hopefully this will continue and help stretch out the supply of hay.
There are some things you have no control over as farmers and this year certainly was an example of that. 2004 is another farming year. Hopefully things will be better than last year.
Wishing you a holiday season and beyond filled with beautiful moments and cherished memories.
Dates to Remember
Jan.13 - RR Soil & Crop Improvement Association Annual Meeting, Morley Municipal Building, 7:00 p.m.
Jan.21 - RR Cattlemen’s Association Annual Meeting, Stratton, 7:00 p.m.