Drought-fuelled hay shortage causing many B.C. ranchers to downsize their herds

KAMLOOPS – Ongoing drought concerns and wildfires have stunted many B.C. hay producers. Many ranchers are finding it more difficult and expensive to feed their livestock and as a result, more calves are being put on the market.

Young cows are being sold for between $3- and $4-per-pound at the B.C. Livestock Auction.

“It’s nice to have them go for a pretty good price… Even though inflation is very high and input costs are really high, it’s nice to be able to at least feel like you’re breaking even and not going into the hole,” Mandi Rogers, owner of Rex Peak Ranch, said after selling 101 calves on Tuesday (Oct. 31).

Concerns around drought and the cost of feed have more and more ranchers looking to downsize their herds or even leave the industry altogether.

“We’re seeing a lot more cows hitting the market this year than what we have in the past. And that’s mainly due to the fact of the dry weather,” Kevin Boon, general manager, B.C. Cattlemen’s Association, told CFJC News. “The drought has really impacted our producers this year. We’re seeing a heavier, earlier calf run and more cows hitting the market, so you’re seeing a pretty big sale up there today.”

Despite the market overflowing with cattle, the price per pound has continued to rise.

“A lot of it is a price correction from what we’ve seen over the past couple, three years where the prices have gone up in the supermarkets quite substantially, but they haven’t kept track and kept pace at the ground level,” Boon said. “We work on what we call the trickle down effect, where the money’s got to get down before we get paid.”

“We anticipate, we’ll remain fairly strong here. We don’t anticipate a big jump at the supermarket. We’ve seen that already.”

According to Boon, the shortage of feed and rising costs is pushing more and more cattle farming to Alberta.

“Especially with this year, with the high price of calves, we’re seeing more of the heifers going to market than normal,” he said. “We’re probably not going to have that retention there to breed next spring, so this could be a two- or three-year deficit of our cow herd.”