Alberta Beef Producers research dollars receive boost

[loric]

(Calgary, Alberta) Dec. 11, 2009 – Earlier this year, Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), the Alberta Barley Commission (ABC) and the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund (ACIDF) together invested $6.25 million over five years to develop barley and triticale varieties better suited to the feed grain and silage needs of Alberta’s cattle feeding industry. In funding this research from producer check-off dollars -- $1.5 million from ABP and $1.25 million from ABC – growers and feeders of barley are joining forces to mutually improve the long-term competitiveness of both the grain and beef industries.

Alberta Beef Producer's investment followed a series of in-depth reports funded by and prepared for both ABP and the Canadian Cattlemen's Association that highlighted declining and fragmented public funding for agricultural research, the need for additional industry research and development funding, and the importance of reforming regulations that currently inhibit technology commercialization and adoption.
ABP welcomes the Alberta government’s recent decision to contribute an additional $8 million in public funds to livestock feed initiatives through the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency.

“Alberta’s livestock industries need an abundant supply of high quality, competitively priced feed. Between 1980 and 2005, U.S. corn yields increased nearly three times faster than Canadian barley yields,” said Chuck MacLean, ABP Chair. “This has contributed to a cost-of-gain disadvantage for Alberta’s feeders, which has helped fuel lower prices paid for Alberta calves. This long-overdue investment will support ABP's efforts to re-invigorate feed breeding and development research in Alberta.”

Alberta Beef Producers is the democratic organization that represents the collective interests of nearly 28,000 beef producers in this province. Run by producers for the benefit of producers, ABP is dedicated to supporting a truly sustainable, competitive and profitable cattle and beef industry in Alberta.

For more information about ongoing ABP research and development initiatives, visit http://albertabeef.org/producers/research-and-development/.

[coppertop]

Thanks for the info loric. It is nice to
have these updates. I do find the ABP
website a bit difficult to maneuver.

[grassfarmer]

I've always opposed the resolutions to spend levy money on research projects to grow higher yielding barley. Doesn't matter how much we spend on research CDN barley will never out-yield corn grown in the US it's an agronomic and climatic impossibility.
I think it is also symptomatic of the thinking of the "old industry" - that our only opportunity is to be "least cost suppliers" of beef to the US market. We need to undercut their production costs to succeed. This clearly hasn't brought prosperity to Canadian producers so why pursue it? I'm surprised at ALMA spending $8 million on this project.

[coppertop]

grassfarmer ALMA seems to have lots of
money to throw around, I am not sure where
they are getting the funding. I know
originally Alberta Agriculture pensioned
off staff to come up with the 40 million to
start ALMA. I would love to know how much
the various board members get in
honorariums.

[per]

As a barley grower I am not sure it is a great idea either. Drive the price down and get to handle more product. It will certainly make us think of other products to grow so we can dedicate less acres in order to hold the price up. Growing a high volume low price product leaves no room for a poor crop (drought etc) and will not encourage more bushels to be available for the cattle feeder.

Just a note on the barley commission. They are a refundable checkoff democratic organization that most of us barley growers are happy to leave our checkoff money with. I have had more guys ask about the other organizations I belong to and whether they are democratic or not since the ABP has been pounding that point. I always let them know that now that the checkoff will be refundable the ABP will truly become democratic as most other industry organizations already were.

[perfecho]

CT, at this point ALMA will be funded under the "Millions of Dollars the Alberta Gov are giving to "farmers:, which also is admin, marketing, etc.
Just received a reply from Minister Groeneveld on a letter I wrote a while back.
"Also, ALMA approved approximately $29.3 million in funding for a variety of projects this year to support the entire industry in Alberta. Of the approved projects, 87 percent went to research initiatives or producer organizations, while only 12 percent of funds have been directed to the processing industry, and less than 4 per cent for the beef packing industry."
Personally, I believe the "voluntary check off" became an issue so as ALMA could find another source of income down the road. Not that I disagree with the voluntary part.....just that it came about due to ALMA funding.

[shaney]

Grassfarmer. I really have to disagree with this idea we should not be putting money into new variety development. The reason that wheat and barley are in this predicament is because too many people have your attitude and don't believe in innovation. In Canada our cereal breeding programs are underfunded we need to get more money into these programs whether it comes through end use checkoff levies, ALMA, or any other method.

[grassfarmer]

What ever happened to free enterprise to go with the innovation? I thought that was what Alberta was all about? It seems there are plenty that want their snout in the public $$ trough despite boasting their independence and desire to be free of Government involvement. In a true free market economy innovation and need would create the funding for such projects.