Alberta Agriculture Statistics Yearbook, 2012
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Alberta Livestock Industry in 2012
Cattle and Calves
As of July 1, 2012 cattle and calves on Alberta farms totalled 5.4 million head, marginally down 0.1 per cent from July 1,
2011.
The overall decline in inventory was mainly due to a drop in dairy replacement heifers, heifers for slaughter and steers
one year and over.
After four consecutive years of declines, Alberta's total beef breeding herd comprised of cows and heifers, rose 0.3 per cent
to 1.9 million head. Beef cows slightly declined, while beef heifers for replacement rose for the third consecutive year,
suggesting that producers are starting to replenish their herds. Improved pasture conditions and relatively strong cattle
prices are among the factors encouraging producers to retain animals. Total beef cows fell marginally by 0.01 per cent to 1.6
million head, while beef heifers for replacement grew 2.4 per cent to 282,000 head. Heifers for slaughter fell 0.7 per cent to
738,400
head, steers (one year plus) declined 1.9 per cent to 864,000 head, while calves increased 0.6 per cent to
1,735,600
head. The provincial dairy herd (cows and heifers) rose 0.4 per cent to 122,400 head. Milk cows were up 0.7 per
cent to 81,100 head, while dairy heifers fell 0.2 per cent to 41,300 head.
Similar to Alberta, the Canadian cattle and calf inventory was also down, falling 0.2 per cent to 13.5 million head. The only
provinces to show increases in inventories were Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Alberta continues to lead the nation in cattle and calf inventories (5.4 million head), followed by Saskatchewan (2.9 million
head), and Ontario (1.8 million head). Currently, Alberta accounts for 52.8 per cent of the total Western Canadian herd
(10.3
million head) and 40.0 per cent nationally.
Nearly three-quarters of Canadian beef processing occurs in Western Canada, with the majority concentrated in Alberta. In
2012,
Western Canadian cattle slaughter (excluding calves) in federally and provincially inspected plants was 2.0 million
head, down 8.8 per cent from 2011. Steers and heifers accounted for the bulk of the slaughter, and together constituted 84.6
per cent of the total. In 2012, cow slaughter was down 14.9 per cent to 292,787 head, while bull slaughter fell 31.6 per cent
to 16,391 head.
In 2012, prices were up for all classes of slaughter cattle compared to 2011. For steers, the average price rose 5.7 per cent
to $111.91 per cwt. and heifers increased 6.6 per cent to $111.99 per cwt. Bull prices climbed to $86.12 per cwt., an 8.4 per
cent jump, while cow prices (D1/D2) grew 6.1 per cent to $74.46 per cwt.
In 2012, total live cattle and calf shipments from Alberta rose 13.8 per cent to 526,515 head from a year earlier. The rise was
largely due to a reduction in domestic slaughter due to the temporary closure of the XL Foods plant (since then the plant has
re-opened under new ownership, JBS Foods Canada), and increased feeder cattle exports to the United States and other
Canadian provinces.
Live feeder cattle and calf shipments to all destinations in 2012 totalled 143,282 head, 28.1 per cent higher than in 2011. Of
this total, 95,835 head were exported to other Canadian provinces, and 47,447 head were shipped to the United States and
other countries.
Total shipments of cattle and calves for slaughter increased 11.6 per cent to 364,387 head compared to a year earlier. Of
this total, 92.3 per cent was shipped to the United States, with the remainder shipped to other Canadian provinces.
Shipments of live replacement cattle and calves declined 22.2 per cent to 18,846 head. The majority (95.0 per cent) of
replacements were shipped to other Canadian provinces, with Saskatchewan and British Columbia accounting for the bulk.
Pigs
Alberta’s total pig herd, estimated at 1.4 million head, was up 0.7 per cent from July 1, 2011. Inventories fell for all classes of
animals, with the exception of selected classes of market hogs. Some of the factors impacting inventories were rising feed
costs and a relatively strong Canadian dollar.
The estimated breeding inventory, comprised of boars, sows and bred gilts was down 0.3 per cent from the previous year to
140,200
head. Sows and bred gilts fell 0.1 per cent to 135,900 head, while boars fell 4.4 per cent to 4,300 head.
The total market hog inventory increased 0.8 per cent to 1.3 million head. Increases in market hogs “50 to 119 pounds” and
“120
to 180 pounds” classes more than offset the decline in markets hogs in “less than or equal to 49 pounds” and “over 180
pounds” classes. Market hogs in “50 to 119 pounds” class increased 1.9 per cent to 229,200 head, while market hogs in the
“120
to 180 pounds” class rose 6.0 per cent to 341,500 head. Hogs in the "less than or equal to 49 pounds" class fell 0.4 per
cent to 483,100 head, while market hogs in the “over 180 pounds” class reduced 4.9 per cent to 216,000 head.