In this issue

COVID-19 update: Producers encouraged to consider WLPIP

Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) Chair Kelly Smith-Fraser participated in the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association producer town hall last week. She gave a presentation outlining the current state of the industry in Alberta, funding commitments made by government, our most recent request for increased funding support and gave an overview of our public and consumer facing initiatives related to COVID-19. Over 300 producers were able to listen live, many from Alberta, and those unable to login Thursday evening have since had a chance to watch the update online. 
 
If you want to hear about the work ABP has been doing on behalf of producers, you can view the recording here.
 
We continue to encourage producers to carefully consider protecting the prices you’ll receive on calves and backgrounded cattle in the fall by purchasing Western Livestock Prices Insurance Program (WLPIP) coverage. Premiums for calf and feeder policies are still high, but the settlement prices are reasonable and market volatility could make WLPIP coverage a good investment even with costly premiums. 
 
ABP has asked the Government of Alberta to provide support for cow calf and backgrounding producers through funding to reduce WLPIP premiums, as the Government of Saskatchewan has already done, but have not received a response to this request and there is no certainty that this funding will be made available.   
 
As we wait for a response, we encourage producers to contact government officials. The producer letter template to contact your MLA has been updated to reflect this request and it is available on the producers homepage of www.albertabeef.org. We also have a letter on our website that consumers can send to their government representatives.
 
There is tremendous uncertainty about the markets this fall and we have no guarantee that producers will receive financial support if the markets drop drastically during the fall run. We are living through unsettling times and one place cow calf and backgrounding producers can have certainty and confidence is through purchasing WLPIP coverage on cattle you will sell this fall.

Temporary exemption allows inter-provincial movement of meat and poultry products

Potato, patato: Consider incorporating this rapidly digestible energy source into feed ration

Alberta Beef Producers (ABP), the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association and Potato Growers of Alberta have been working together to see if we can help dispose of processing potatoes that may need to be cleared out before the next harvest begins. If you are interested in adding potatoes to your ration, you can reach out to ABP or Terence Hochstein at terence@albertapotatoes.ca.
 
If you’re thinking about adding potatoes to your ration, here are some points to consider:

• Potatoes are an excellent source of energy as they are high in rapidly digestible starch. Cattle should be gradually adapted to any ration containing potatoes by starting with a small amount and gradually increasing the amount of potatoes over a two to three week period.
• Up to half of a cattle ration may be potatoes on a dry matter basis.
• Potatoes have high moisture content and therefore need to be fed with a consistent source of forage to ensure proper rumen function.
• Cooked potatoes are less palatable for cattle, so they should be fed or processed raw.
• Adding potatoes to the ration may have impacts on cost of gain, depending on transport, storage, and processing costs.
• Avoid feeding large quantities of green or sprouted potatoes, as they contain high levels of glycoalkaloids that can be toxic to cattle.
• If feeding whole potatoes, there can be a choking risk. If cattle are fed in a trough or bunk where their head is down, this risk is decreased.
• Work with your nutritionist to ensure the potato-containing ration is meeting all animal nutrient requirements (especially minerals and vitamins).

• http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/af_fact_cull.pdf
• https://shaverlab.triforce.cals.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/133/2015/04/FeedingCullPotatoestoDairyandBeefCattle10-24-12.pdf

Canada Beef develops COVID-19 essential training materials for beef and cattle supply chain

As part of ongoing efforts to protect the health and well-being of our Canadian cattle and beef supply chain, Canada Beef has developed a COVID-19 Essentials training resource that provides information on these four topics:

1. Understanding COVID-19
2. Staying Safe at Home
3. Staying Safe at Work
4. Self-Care and Symptom Assessment

The training materials are available for on the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence (CBCE) Learning Management System (LMS) and can be accessed here. The LMS provides the capability to confirm that your personnel have completed the review of the materials through a registration process.

All information included has been reviewed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Always consult with your doctor or government health authorities for any medical questions or concerns.

NRCB guideline for CFO enforcement and compliance response to COVID-19

The Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) has developed this enforcement and compliance guideline in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances facing confined feeding operations (CFOs) in Alberta due to COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a pandemic. Alberta then also declared a public health emergency. The NRCB is issuing this guideline in an attempt to balance the protection of our natural resources against the challenges the livestock industry may experience.

You can review the guideline at
https://www.nrcb.ca/public/download/files/118138