(File photo/farmnewsNOW Staff)

By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup

Agriculture Roundup for Monday June 1, 2020

Jun 1, 2020 | 9:43 AM

A former beef plant in Moose Jaw may have a new life.

A British Columbia based company will investigate whether it is feasible to convert the plant into a sow processing facility.

Donald’s Fine Foods operates the Thunder Creek pork plant in Moose Jaw and would operate the old beef plant as an independent facility.

Donald’s Fine Food industry relations manager Neil Ketilson said producers in Western Canada would benefit since most cull sows are shipped to U.S. processors with high transport costs.

The proposal would create 100 jobs. The study is expected to be completed in a couple months.

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It’s business as usual at most ranches, but feedlot operators and cattle producers are worried about the future fallout from the pandemic.

Cremona, Alta. rancher Bruce Bird said his operation has been untouched so far, but he worries about a glut of animals and lower prices when he sends his cattle to market this fall.

He said there will probably be a ripple effect from a backlog of cattle built up when meatpackers either shut down temporarily or reduced work lines at their plants.

Tom Thorlakson operates a feedlot near Airdrie, Alta. And has 14,000 cattle on site that cost him $1 million a month to feed. He said he and other feedlots are not buying any more animals and that puts pressure on cow-calf producers.

Rancher Chelsey Reid said the biggest concern will come this fall when most ranchers send their calves to market and earn a lot of their profits.

Alberta feedlots have been operating at limited capacity due to the pandemic.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF