Alberta seminars to address beef cattle market outlooks

Oct 25, 2017

Cow-Calfenomics events scheduled for November and January

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

Alberta beef producers can gain insights into the cattle market during upcoming seminars.

The 7^th Cow-Calfenomics events, which begin in mid-November and run periodically until the end of January 2018, provides beef producers with opportunities to learn from, and network with, peers and industry experts.

“This series has brought a lot of ideas and opportunities for producers to add to their management toolkit to make better choices based on better information,” Rick Dehod, a farm financial specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, told Call of the Land on Thursday.

The seminars will cover business structures for new entrants into the beef industry, the value of having a mentor, and a farmer’s guide to agricultural credit.

And Anne Wasko, a marketing analyst with Gateway Livestock Exchange, will discuss the current beef cattle market and its potential in 2018.

The presentation will touch on Canadian, U.S. and international beef issues, she said.

“I’ll talk about supply, which – in Canada – hasn’t seen a big change when you consider the U.S. has aggressively rebuilt its beef herd,” she told Farms.com today. “I’ll discuss pricing impacts and how the Canadian dollar and basis (the difference between the Canadian price and the U.S. price) … can impact price.”

Anne Wasko

Currently, the Canadian beef market is performing favourably, Wasko says. Canadian beef exports to the U.S., Japan, Mexico, South Korea, China and Hong Kong are all up compared to last year.

“The entire beef sector has had a pretty good year from a margin perspective on average,” she said. “It’s a good barometer because, if one sector is doing well, (the success) is passed onto the next sector.”

The first Cow-Calfenomics seminar is scheduled for Nov. 14 at the Heritage Inn Hotel and Convention Centre in Brooks, Alta.

Producers must register to attend. The registration deadline for November meetings is Nov. 7 and the deadline for January meetings is Jan. 16.

Cow-Calfenomics Seminars
All seminars run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Date	Location
Nov. 14	Heritage Inn Hotel and Convention Centre 1217 2 Street West Brooks, Alta.
Nov. 15	Country Kitchen Catering (in the lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge, Alta.
Nov. 16	Pomeroy Inn & Suites at Olds College 4601 46 Ave. Olds, Alta.
Jan. 23, 2018	Vermilion Regional Centre 5702 College Dr. Vermilion, Alta.
Jan. 24	Westlock Inn & Conference Centre 10411 100 St. Westlock, Alta.
Jan. 25	Stettler Agricultural Society 4516 52 St. Stettler, Alta.

Video: What Really Drives Meat Quality in Pork? - Dr. Yan Huang

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Yan Huang from University of Arkansas explores how genetics, nutrition, and stress management shape pork quality. He explains how molecular pathways influence fat deposition, muscle growth, and meat flavor while balancing production efficiency. Listen now on all major platforms!

"The most important driver of pork quality. Feed plays a very important role in the meat quality."

Meet the guest: Dr. Yan Huang / yan-huang-77829421 is an Associate Professor in Nutritional Skeletal Muscle Biology at the University of Arkansas. With academic experience across China, South Korea, and the United States, his work focuses on the genetic and molecular regulation of muscle growth and fat deposition in swine. His research connects genetics, nutrition, and pork quality to improve production efficiency and consumer satisfaction.