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Dec 2, 2022 | 19:19
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In October the Manitoba Government cut a deal with University of Saskatchewan to increase the number of veterinarians from 15 to 20 a year. Have they thought this out carefully? Who are they going to work for?
The number of producers and cattle has and continues to drop substantially.
Chances are they have been reading their own propaganda a little too much and they think there are more cattle producers than there actually are. To add to that there is a harsh reality, call the vet and spend $500 to save a cow that has a current salvage value of $850 dollars. A tough call.
Maybe they are going to expand the poultry industry.
In my opinion it appears to be a situation where their numbers won out over common sense.
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Dec 3, 2022 | 08:35
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This may the best opportunity to expand our cow numbers for quite some time, and several will do just that. Large animal vets are in short supply.
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Dec 3, 2022 | 08:49
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 Originally Posted by DaneG
This may the best opportunity to expand our cow numbers for quite some time, and several will do just that. Large animal vets are in short supply.
Certainly, talking to my Vet, there is a shortage. They are looking to hire another Vet, no luck yet.
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Dec 3, 2022 | 13:59
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Yep, vet shortage and it’s about to get worse when the small towns keep losing the old school guys and gals who are about to retire.
I think there will always be enough livestock guys out there. Some ppl simply don’t get their thrill growing crops. There will always be land that is not suitable to grow crops on, it can’t all be drained and flattened.
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Dec 4, 2022 | 13:43
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The two Vet clinics we have in Maple Creek are always busy , and extra people are always in short supply. Its not an industry for sissies.
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Dec 4, 2022 | 16:44
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With the current reduction in cattle numbers and the dropping number of producers do you see the need in 3 - 5 years for a lot of large animal veterinarians? That's a fairly large life time type gamble for the aspiring professional.
Current prices do not support high cost care, especially emergency type response. I have not seen the kind of increase in income that would support that kind of care.
My opinion.
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Dec 4, 2022 | 16:52
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Something like this comes to mind.
https://discoverwestman.com/articles/higher-number-of-producers-leaving-cattle-industry-this-fall
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Dec 4, 2022 | 17:13
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What I'd like to point out is that there is a discrepancy in what the numbers say compared to what I see in the world around me.
In my observation there are a lot less cattle and a lot fewer producers now compared to even two years ago.
But the statistics are not showing that. So where do these numbers come from?
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Dec 6, 2022 | 16:19
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I think again, anyone farming in marginal areas will always have livestock. There are enormous areas where little else can be produced. But I hear you, in the grainland areas, cattle are disappearing like magic. Along with the cow men. As the generation shifts, and as grain farming has been pretty high return for most, it is a rare youngster indeed who actually wants stock.
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Dec 7, 2022 | 23:52
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Most definitely a vet shortage for us out west too. If we can’t figure it out with internet or YouTube then Winchester may be called to do the final troubleshooting. Our vet doesn’t even do after hours calls let alone something unscheduled. Only see him for semen testing anymore. Daughter is starting 4-h and taking vet sciences since that’s what she’s wanted to be since she was like 4 years old. Loves seeing carcasses hanging in a cooler or blood from surgery and learning about the critters and their inner workings. I see no shortage of work in her future if she picks this as a career. She already says the ultrasound we bought last year is hers😉 
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Dec 9, 2022 | 13:32
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Great picture!
Thanks
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Dec 9, 2022 | 20:12
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Here is something that I was referring to.
Statscan is showing that the number of cattle producers (and cattle) in Manitoba is increasing.
When I look around in my part of the country the number of producers is down and continuing to drop. If the producer is still in the business there is a big reduction in the herd size.
How could there be an increase in the numbers as shown?
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Dec 9, 2022 | 20:20
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Now you can read it.
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Dec 10, 2022 | 19:32
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Vet school teaches all animals, it’s not just focused on large animal.
There is a shortage of vets for demand, because even if cow numbers are low, other animals are up. There’s a greater shortage of large animal vets because that’s a tough job.
Vets have an incredibly high level of burn out and suicide.
Absolutely we need more vets. I went from 3 easy access to 1, and not because there’s no work in the area for them. It’s not as big of a pain for the cattle as it is for the small animals. Now I’m driving an extra 30 minutes!
Last edited by Blaithin; Dec 10, 2022 at 19:36.
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Dec 11, 2022 | 11:14
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I get it. Every one in the cattle business wants / needs access to good affordable vet care.
That said how do you pay for it? 70 cent cows don't pay veterinarian bills. Even the huge dollar a pound cow won't do it. Adding expenses to the cow calf producer cannot be a part of the plan. Taking more money from the producer won't work. Nobody in the cattle business is willing to pay for the cow calf producers cost of production now.
The YouTube, Google, Winchester route has become the current standard.
Cow calf producer and cattle numbers are dropping, expenses are rising dramatically. Where would the money come from to pay these additional / replacement vets?
I don't have the answer... I just see a problem. A part of the problem is the numbers they use to guide the industry show one thing but common sense indicates something else.
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Feb 8, 2023 | 07:46
16
I watched the December 8, 2022 youtube video from Manitoba Ag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joGvSabI7Pg&t=1305s
The first presentation appears to be factual and shows the need for proper nutrition for the cattle.
The second presentation is in my opinion disinformation. I do not use corn silage on my operation. The presentation on cost of production lists corn silage as $45.00 / ton or about two cents a pound. That is about half of what it is actually worth. I thought that corn silage was based on 10 to 12 times corn price. If the price of corn is around $9.00 CDN it should make the price per ton around $90 to $108. Not $45.00!
There are so many other examples of disinformation in the presentation. I don't want to spend the time going over them all.
One of the problems I have with this is that the organization that is presenting this information is also the representative on the National Price / Sustainable Beef group. The disinformation goes right through to the top of the industry.
When will Manitoba Government and the Canadian Cattle Association start to present fact based actual data driven pricing and costs?
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Feb 8, 2023 | 22:32
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Originally Posted by The Don
I watched the December 8, 2022 youtube video from Manitoba Ag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joGvSabI7Pg&t=1305s
The first presentation appears to be factual and shows the need for proper nutrition for the cattle.
The second presentation is in my opinion disinformation. I do not use corn silage on my operation. The presentation on cost of production lists corn silage as $45.00 / ton or about two cents a pound. That is about half of what it is actually worth. I thought that corn silage was based on 10 to 12 times corn price. If the price of corn is around $9.00 CDN it should make the price per ton around $90 to $108. Not $45.00!
There are so many other examples of disinformation in the presentation. I don't want to spend the time going over them all.
One of the problems I have with this is that the organization that is presenting this information is also the representative on the National Price / Sustainable Beef group. The disinformation goes right through to the top of the industry.
When will Manitoba Government and the Canadian Cattle Association start to present fact based actual data driven pricing and costs?
Can't sucker the next generation to sell their soul if you give them factual numbers.
Jokes on the cattle groups. Old guys are quitting/dying, young guys can't afford or don't want to be a slave, and established middle age guys like me, tell the groups that we really don't care if they ceased to exist tomorrow.
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Feb 9, 2023 | 17:47
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$45/t may not be too far off base, seeding, fertilizers, seed, and spray could be done for $400/ac a decent yield of 15t/ac =$26/t leaving $19/t for custom harvest or $285/ac.
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Feb 10, 2023 | 09:54
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I think the $45 a ton number is low. I do not grow corn for silage or grain. The current price of fertilizer would push that number up wouldn't it?
Why would the US universities use 10 to 12 x the price of corn to get a base line number?
Also... by the time I tool up to be able to seed / harvest and feed that would add a bunch more money to the costs. The current price of cattle will not pay for any of those expenses. Turning $9 corn into $2 beef does not make you money.
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Feb 10, 2023 | 13:12
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I went outside, doing chores and thinking over what I had posted. I thought that I shouldn't dismiss what you said with out giving you the opportunity to substantiate the price you had given. Can you show me how to produce corn this year for $45 a ton? Please show all costs...
Thanks
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Feb 18, 2023 | 08:19
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I read an article that stated that the "average" silage would have 7.5 bushel of grain per ton of silage. If corn is worth $9.00 a bushel that would be $67.50 a ton for the grain. What am I not seeing here?
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Feb 18, 2023 | 22:14
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All depends on as fed tons or dry matter tons!
https://www.ruralrootscanada.com/bcrc-silage-cost-of-production/
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Feb 19, 2023 | 08:51
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Can you explain that table and reference to me. I'm not following what you / they are saying.
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Feb 19, 2023 | 13:20
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I read that as they had to add 10 % to the yield of the silage to make it competitive with the hay.
They are using Manitoba Agriculture numbers for a reference. Manitoba Agriculture uses a 175 hp MFW tractor that they bought for $50 k. Where can I buy one of those that isn't 45 years old? And is reliable without costing a pile of cash to rebuild and maintain?
Look hard at the numbers they use. They are all low.
The 7.5 bu per ton number is valid for 65% moisture silage.
A silage crop should yield at least 90 bu / acre . When the grain yield drops below 90 bu the tonnage and quality of the silage drops substantially. Or so I understand.
The numbers that I looked at showed silage corn production at about $830 US / acre. American costs are all lower than Canadian. They are using $440 as a bench mark.
Whose numbers can you trust?
If 15 ton x 7.5 bu = 112.5 bu x $9.00 = $1,012.5 grain Would feeding that to a group of cows result in a higher income? would there be a profit?
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Mar 7, 2023 | 05:39
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Guess what...
It's a miracle!!!
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Mar 22, 2023 | 12:55
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Did anyone notice that the same table is different on different days?
When I posted the table on 9 December 2022 the number posted as, 2022 @ January 1 was 6440.
The same table posted 7 March 2023 showed the number posted as, 2022 @ January 1 as 6420.
Those tables are direct from Statscan.
I wonder what the actual / real number is.
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