Thanks for everything Charlie Summer 2024
Charlie Gracey died in Ontario in late May at age 88. He left a vast legacy to Canada’s beef industry. Charlie was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2001. After graduating from the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph in 1959, followed by experience at the Kemptville Agricultural School, Eastern Breeders Inc., and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Charlie went on to work for provincial and national organizations, his citation read. He spent 20 years (1970-1990) as general manager and executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

Catalysts and hurdles Spring 2024
Expedient moves have been made that should benefit the regional beef industry. An Eastern Livestock Price Insurance Program (LPI) plan was preeminent when the Atlantic Ministers of Agriculture met in P.E.I. in late January. They discussed the significance of having a risk-management option for livestock producers that could effectively manage price risk and volatility of markets (page 6).

Something to ruminate on this winter Winter 2023
Days are shorter, temperatures have dropped, and given all the challenges 2023 induced, you’re certainly entitled to a long winter’s nap. But we think you’ll find Atlantic Beef & Sheep is worth perusing before you hit the hay.

A rough summer
September’s sunshine ended what has been an exasperating summer for farmers. Rain was a headache for Tim Livingstone’s Strawberry Hill Farm in Carleton County, N.B. (See Ribs, page 7.) “We’ve had one (harvest) that was barely enough. We’re about two weeks behind. We’d like to be done by mid- to late July. But it’s not going to happen this year,” he said.

Outstanding in the field

Atlantic Beef & Sheep joins the standing ovation for Dr. Yousef Papadopoulos of Truro, N.S., who received the 2022 Canadian Beef Industry Award for Outstanding Research and Innovation. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist is known across North America for his contributions to forage development and ruminant livestock sustainability.

Six impossible things before breakfast
With input prices spiralling out of control, it’s quite logical for farmers to wonder if they’ve fallen down Lewis Carroll’s rabbit hole. That’s what happened to Alice. You will remember she had many adventures in Wonderland with mushrooms, kings, queens, a white rabbit, and a Mad Hatter.

It’s taken 18 years, but in May, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recognized Canada as a negligible risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) says the change in risk status will help facilitate expanded access to foreign markets for various beef products currently limited by BSE-era restrictions.

Latent anxiety continues to creep into farmhouses throughout the region. The Atlantic bubble has popped, and COVID-19 case numbers have multiplied across the country. The pandemic has added another layer of stress on the agricultural industry – one more economic obstacle farmers can’t control.

2020 has thrown another curve ball at the region’s livestock producers. As if the global pandemic and its repercussions weren’t enough. Direct sales and a huge demand for local produce allowed cattlemen to foul off a couple of pitches – including the temporary closure of the country’s largest processing plants.

We live in uncertain times. It’s June. Beef prices in the region are very, very good and Maritime butchers struggle to keep up with the demand. Regulations prescribed to curb the spread of COVID-19 ignited an unprecedented consumer quest for local produce. But some cattlemen are skeptical the pursuit will continue when pandemic restrictions are lifted.

(Clang, clang,) Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please. Introducing first, from the bloody red corner, weighing in at 16 ounces, it’s Prime Canadian Real Beef! Hailing from an Atlantic cattle farm, Real Beef is ranked number one on the barbecue. In the green corner, weighing... weighing... “just patch him together and put him on the damn scales...” is Better Than Meat! The plant-based burger was born, raised, and did his training in a laboratory petri dish.