Canadian ranchers brace for long, lean winter after droughts, soaring feed costs
![Canadian ranchers brace for long, lean winter Snow-covered cattle stand in a pasture near Didsbury, Alta., Monday, Oct. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/10/27/canadian-ranchers-brace-for-long--lean-winter-1-6619669-1698410676211.jpg)
It could be a long, lean winter in cattle country as drought-ravaged western Canadian ranchers struggle to secure feed to get their livestock through the cold months.
Near the town of Eastend in the southwest corner of Saskatchewan, Jocelyn Wasko and her husband Travis have spent much of the summer and fall preparing. They've worked hard to grow their own forage crops, even taking a few thousand acres of durum wheat that didn't grow well enough to sell and cutting and baling it for feed instead.
Still, after five consecutive years of very little rain on the property that Travis' family has been ranching for more than a century, the parched land can only produce so much. That's why the couple made the tough decision last year to downsize their herd, culling close to 20 per cent of their cows by sending them to slaughter at weaning time.
“We really had no option when we finished out the year last year - all the dugouts were empty and there was no grass,” Wasko said in a recent interview.
“And it's really expensive to truck feed into this area. The freight is just killing us.”
Across large swathes of the country, extreme heat and dry conditions have taken a toll on agricultural production this year.
As of Sept. 30, according to Agriculture Canada's most recent update, 72 per cent of the country and 69 per cent of Canada's agricultural landscape was considered either “abnormally dry” or in “moderate to exceptional drought.”
But drought's effects aren't felt only in the summer. For cattle producers, winter is when the toll can be most severe, as animals' caloric needs are higher and grazing land is frozen or snow-covered.
“Certainly, the impacts are carrying on for people that utilize the resources that were depleted during the summer,” said Trevor Hadwen, a Regina-based agroclimate specialist with Agriculture Canada.
“It's resulted in poor forage and water supply issues for the livestock industry.”
From northern B.C. to central Ontario, farmers have had to cope with dry conditions this year. But southern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan in particular have been what Hadwen calls “hot spots.”
In these regions - home to the bulk of Canada's cattle production - the problem isn't this year's drought alone, but the fact that ranchers have now faced years of back-to-back cumulative droughts.
In fact, Hadwen said there are some areas that have officially been in drought for more than 30 of the last 36 months. As a result, locally grown livestock feed is in short supply and imported feed costs have gone through the roof.
At the same time, the amount of moisture in the soil continues to dwindle each year, and many of the reservoirs and rivers are running extremely low.
Sheila Hillmer, who ranches south of Lethbridge, Alta., near the U.S. border, said “ridiculous high temperatures” this summer meant the grass in her pastures basically stopped growing in June. And while her land does have some irrigation infrastructure, the taps had to be shut off mid-July due to concerns over water shortages.
“It's just been a real challenge, you know, to try to keep cattle through this,” she said,adding she believes many ranches only stay afloat because their owners supplement their operations by taking an off-farm job.
“We're blessed because our kids are the fourth generation on our place, and we've always hoped we'll see five or six more to come,” Hillmer added.
“But that's going to depend on our ability to survive.”
Because many producers over the past several years have had to cull their herds or exit the industry entirely, there are simply less cattle on Canadian ranches in 2023 and less beef being produced.
According to Farm Credit Canada, year-to-date Canadian beef production in 2023 is down six per cent compared to last year. The supply shortage has driven up cattle prices, which are forecasted to average a whopping 33 per cent higher year-over-year in 2023 and 50 per cent higher than the five-year average.
Brodie Haugan, chair of the Alberta Beef Producers organization, said the industry could be about to enter a sustained period of higher prices and strong profitability. But he said that's only a benefit for those ranchers who have still been able to keep their heads above water.
Haugan said he was pleased to see the federal and Alberta governments announce last week they will partner on a $165 million drought livestock relief program for this yearto help get producers through this winter.
But he added ranchers need longer-term supports to shield their operations against future droughts.
“We're hoping to have an honest conversation around what a true risk mitigation program, that actually supports the cattle industry in a timely and confident manner, looks like,” he said.
“Let's hope we can get it implemented for next year so that it builds that confidence back into our industry. Because we're going to see this again. We're going to have bad years again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after doubts were raised about his fitness for office. Soon after, he endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take his place in the November election.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Woman found dead in the water near Sunset Beach: Vancouver police
Investigators were at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach after a woman’s body was found in the water Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case
A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.