Margins in the feedyard business are tighter than they have ever been in an extremely volatile market. Fuel is expensive, feed is expensive and the Canadian dollar is high. The beef industry is struggling to stay competitive. “Break even” is a term that holds more weight now than it has the industry’s history. With volatility comes opportunity. To maintain any competitive edge we have to take a hard look at the beef industry and find new areas to be competitive and profitable. The US and Canadian industry’s are quite different but at the same time we have much in common.
Bill Helming has spent most of his life examining the beef industry in North America. He runs Bill Helming Consulting Services out of Olathe, Kansas. Bill shared some of his ideas about what he feels needs to change with how we raise cattle to fix our current industry model. I spoke with him at the International Livestock Congress in Calgary, Alberta.
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