From Saskatchewan Agriculture's Farm and Food Report for the Week of August 27, 2007

There's a new kind of "country club" popping up in rural Saskatchewan, and this one doesn't involve golf or tennis. In fact, these clubs are more about t-bones than tee times.

Beef clubs are an excellent way for cattle producers to discuss common issues, develop ideas, solve problems and share resources.

Adrienne Hanson, a Livestock Development Specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, says clubs are generally started by a group of people with similar interests. "In beef clubs, the mutual interest is cattle production and the common issues that go hand-in-hand with running a beef operation," she stated.

Beef clubs can be formal entities with membership dues, or something as simple as a regular coffee row gathering, a winter card game or a trip to the curling rink. "The key is some co-ordinated activity that brings the people in the group together," Hanson said.

"Any opportunity for producers to gather together to share ideas and information is a valuable opportunity."

Hanson feels there are many benefits to forming these sort of producer groups. Members can help each other with common challenges and opportunities. They may bring different perspectives, areas of expertise and helpful contacts to the club. Producers in the group can learn from one another, and improve their knowledge base and networking capabilities. As the group grows and members become more comfortable with each another, business opportunities may arise that could see members of the club working together on larger-scale ventures.

Hanson says the topics that might be discussed in beef clubs are really unlimited, but some issues she has seen raised include electric fencing trial and error, early calving success and pitfalls, sale of excess forage or grain, and rotational and extended grazing.

Producers in the group might decide to market their calves together, thereby providing a more uniform package to an area feedlot, and potentially receiving a premium. "They could develop a strategy for group-marketing or hay buying," she said.

Group members might also discuss some of the better places in the area to purchase good quality equipment, or where the best-priced supplies can be found.

"Part of the appeal of beef clubs is the ability to share with and learn from your colleagues' experiences," Hanson said. "There's no sense trying to re-invent the wheel if you can, instead, hear how somebody else approached a problem and avoid the same growing pains they encountered coming to the same conclusion."

A diverse selection of members can make beef clubs even more beneficial, she suggested. For example, grain producers who want to save money by limiting fertilizer input could partner with a cattle rancher to improve soil fertility. The two producers might agree to work together and seed some grain land to perennial forage, thereby providing a new stand for the cattle rancher. The hay land would be improved by controlling weeds and limiting underground pests. In return, the cattle rancher would take some perennial forage out of production, and the grain farmer would benefit from the nitrogen that was fixed in the soil by alfalfa.

"By working together in a beef club, producers can really achieve a lot of advantages and collectively improve their operations in many ways," Hanson stated.

For more information, contact:

Adrienne Hanson, Livestock Development Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Phone: (306) 848-2380