“I love this industry, it’s fantastic,” said Leblond, adding he’s honoured by the trust and confidence the board has in him. “We’re super lucky (with this board.) My ambition is to do what the industry and producers are telling us to do. It’s that simple.”

Why it matters: There’s been unprecidented growth in beef prices, meaning a need for leadership in the sector.

The first-generation Powassan producer is a certified engineering technologist and operates a 35-head grass-fed cow-calf operation with his family.

Leblond is committed to bringing his Northern Ontario perspective, municipal government experience and positive yet determined solutions-based attitude to address any issues presented to the board.

Alongside Leblond, the board welcomed newly elected vice-president Don Badour of Perth. Two new directors also joined: Grey County’s Lisa Pallister for the feedlot sector and Don Scott from Grenville County, who replaces outgoing president Craig McLaughlin for the eastern region.

“His leadership, dedication, steady presence and sense of humour have made him a valued part of this team,” said Leblond of the outgoing president. “He made a genuine effort to include directors and staff in the decision-making part of that process; he gave everyone time and space to share their perspectives. He led thoughtfully, respectfully and with appreciation for the team around him.”

The two men worked closely together this year on the provincial beef association working group to develop a unified path for the Canadian Cattle Association’s future.

Leblond’s top priorities are advancing traceability, streamlining the Beef Cattle Marketing Act and securing a provincial guarantee under the Beef Breeder Loan Program.

“When you look around this room and see all these young producers, that’s who it’s going to help,” he said. “That program I’d love to see get across the finish line.”

McLaughlin’s confident that Leblond will step handily into the role and help accomplish whatever the board sets out to do.

“When people just sit down and roll up their sleeves, they can find solutions and make the industry better,” said McLaughlin, adding Leblond is a “fixer,” which has and will continue to serve the organization well.

“I’m just estimating, but approximately 20 per cent of our voting delegates are under the age of 35,” said McLaughlin. “We were trying to provide them with opportunities, because sometimes that’s their biggest challenge — getting an opportunity.”

One solution was to establish the Ontario Beef Youth Alliance five years ago, which now has over 300 members. Another was BFO’s BUILD leadership program, revamped and relaunched in 2024 with the Rural Ontario Institute after a seven-year hiatus.

“It currently has over 20 applicants. Sadly, we won’t be able to accept them all this year,” he said.

StrongHER in Beef, a new, sold-out event launching in March, was created to celebrate, connect, and empower women across Ontario’s beef industry, rapidly growing from a seed into a cohesive event within a few years.

“There’s a demand for that (kind of programming),” McLaughlin said. “We have realized, just like on your farm, what you invest in BFO will come to fruition years down the road.”

Along with the newly elected directors, several were re-elected or acclaimed for another term. Don Hargrave secured a third term representing cow-calf operators. Jairus Maus will serve a second term as feedlot director, and Joost van der Heiden will serve a second term as background director. Emily Bromley will complete her term as the BFO youth representative this year.

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“CCA has launched an online traceability feedback survey to ensure that producers have an opportunity to share their feedback,” the organization said on social media.

It includes 15 questions, including the importance of traceability to the Canadian beef industry, level of support for “enhancing” the current traceability system and the regulations’ importance to producers.

This gathering of information comes nearly one month after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that it was pausing the publication of proposed amendments to Part XV of the Health of Animals Regulations, which that was intended to occur this spring.

The move followed weeks of outcry from beef producers across Canada.

The proposed regulations are aligned with the Cattle Implementation Plan, which was established by all sectors of industry at the National Cattle Traceability Summit in August 2011 and adopted in 2016. A summary of the plan can be found on the CCIA website.

Many worry that the regulations will unnecessarily burdensome for those who raise, move, feed, and purchase animals.

Across social media platforms and at meetings, producers expressed concern with “government overreach” and said they would not comply with the regulations.

Many producers and provincial organizations also said there had been insufficient communication on the part of industry leaders, the CFIA and the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.

“The Canadian Cattle Association has, and will continue, to advocate for traceability systems that work for ranchers and feeders and beef farmers,” CCA president Tyler Fulton said in an X video Jan 9.

“Given the Canadian cattle industry’s reliance on export markets, we need to be prepared and have the tools available to manage animal disease events quickly and efficiently.”

Local cattle associations such as Alberta Beef Producers and the Saskatchewan Cattle Association have scheduled producer meetings, with SCA hosting two traceability information meetings in February, weeks after the annual general meeting where traceability and the CFIA were the hottest topics.

“We encourage Saskatchewan producers to take a few minutes to participate and ensure your experience and concerns are reflected in ongoing discussions around traceability,” said SCA on social media.

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Glacier FarmMedia — The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it will hold off on posting new traceability regulations for now.

The agency issued a statement Jan. 10 after public confusion about whether the amendments to the Health of Animals Regulations, announced in 2023, were actually in force. Some thought they took effect Jan. 1, but they had not yet been introduced in Canada Gazette, Part II, which is a key legislative requirement.

CFIA had expected to publish the regulations, developed along with industry organizations, in the spring. They would have included required premises identification numbers to purchase ID tags, movement reporting when cattle leave their home operations and reporting the arrival of cattle within seven days.

Producers said these regulations would be costly and onerous.

Last week, provincial and national beef organizations issued statements about the issue, noting the regulations weren’t in place but also that producers had concerns. Some asked for CFIA to postpone the introduction until these could be addressed.

On the weekend, CFIA said it was aware of the concerns.

“These amendments are not currently in place and have not been finalized,” it said.

“The CFIA has consulted with industry, associations and governments regarding the proposed amendments and will continue to do so. The CFIA will pause any publication of the regulations until the proposed changes are more widely understood and concerns are heard and taken into consideration.”

Some producers on social media suggested CFIA had “snuck” in the regulations late last year as a way to exert control over them. But the draft regulations were published in Part 1 of the Canada Gazette in 2023 and a 90-day comment period followed. The agency published a What We Heard report in 2024 to summarize what it had heard.

The proposed changes will be phased in once they are published.

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The regulations are not yet in effect and have not been published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. That is expected later in spring.

However, some people believe new movement reporting systems are already in place.

They are supposed to be phased in over time and help the industry respond more quickly to animal disease outbreaks and food safety incidents while maintaining market access.

The Canadian Cattle Association said it is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure the regulations follow the industry-led Cattle Implementation Plan.

“There is significant misinformation being shared on social media regarding CFIA’s proposed traceability regulations,” the organization said.

“No new regulations were implemented on Jan. 1, 2026. CCA will continue to work with provincial members and governments to ensure that any proposed changes work for producers. We are calling for a pause to address the concerns that we are hearing.”

The proposed regulations would require premises identification numbers to be used to purchase identification tags, report movement of cattle and report arrival of cattle within seven days.

An online petition launched Jan. 8 to stop the changes said they threaten cattle operations.

“I believe that these regulations in the long term will lead to total government control, echoing concerns from the European agricultural sectors,” wrote Julia Fairbrother in launching the petition.

She said current tracking systems are effective, but the new regulations don’t consider that some producers don’t have cellular service or the proper technology to keep up.

“I don’t know a single rancher who doesn’t know where his/her cattle are at all times, or whose cattle they neighbour with, so why does the government need to know where everything is at all times?” she wrote.

The petition had 893 verified signatures the morning of Jan. 9.

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“This is vitally important to cattle and beef producers,” said association president Tyler Fulton in an Aug. 5 statement.

“The North American beef industry is highly integrated,” he said. “CUSMA has played a key role in allowing beef producers from the U.S. and Canada to reap the benefits flowing from the economies created by that integration.”

Most agricultural goods, including beef, are exempt from current 35 per cent tariffs under CUSMA.

The Canadian Cattle Association will host the North American Beef Cattle Leaders’ trilateral meeting in September. The trilateral meeting brings together national cattle producer organizations from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

The group will discuss animal health, the competativeness of the North American beef sector and trade, Fulton said.

“CCA will continue to work with the Government of Canada, provincial members, and engage with stakeholders on both sides of the border to advocate for positive outcomes for the North American beef sector in preparation for the 2026 CUSMA review,” he added.

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Yet that is the focus of public policy, even as many producers enter another drought year and could be looking at downsizing.

“As a primary producer, I’m not convinced that more cows equals a better outcome for us,” Jeff Yorga told the organization’s annual meeting.

Instead, profitability, younger producers entering the business and keeping grass from being ripped up for grain land are all measures of a successful, healthy industry, he said.

SSGA calls for permanent tax deferral program

Yorga said the SSGA is working to change the policy mindset.

“We grow grass and the cows turn it into protein, and the only way to save the grass in a drought is you have to be able to move the cows,” he said in an interview.

“So when we think about metrics, having policy that is designed to keep the cows around doesn’t keep the grass around.

“What ends up happening is things get exacerbated because the owner wasn’t able to make a clear decision when drought first happened.”

He pointed to Australia, where if it doesn’t rain by a certain date, producers begin to sell off cattle immediately. If and when it rains, they buy back in.

That’s why he introduced a resolution calling for a permanent, 10-year tax deferral program so producers who have to sell because of drought aren’t forced to buy back in at a higher price. Right now, tax deferral areas are announced by the federal government each year. That resolution was passed.

Yorga also said the high prices and strong demand in the industry right now are positive for those who are still in beef production and for those who want to get out.

“I’m not comfortable saying that we need more cows, given the situation that we’re in right now. Bigger picture, I don’t see the herd growing at all this year,” he said.

Detriments of lower cattle numbers

Saskatchewan agriculture minister Daryl Harrison said he had heard Yorga’s message and would consider it.

“I always keep an open mind,” he said.

Saskatchewan Cattle Association chair Chad Ross also addressed the meeting and pointed out the detrimental effects of lower cattle numbers.

SCA collects the provincial and national beef levies, at $2 and $2.50 per head, respectively. Ross said total collections were down about $406,000 last year and are expected to drop another $600,000 this year.

The provincial portion is set to rise 75 cents as of Aug. 1 after extensive debate about raising it to $1.50.

SCA has already cut staff, research spending and third party funding.

“We want to stay positive, but we’ve got work to do to represent our producers. If we’ve got a million less dollars to do the marketing, to do the research, to do the advocacy, it’s tough,” Ross said.

He said producers are doing well and able to pay down debt due to the strong prices, but a 30 per cent decrease in marketings means that $1.50 is probably going to come back into play in future.

The Canadian Cattle Association gets 53 cents out of the $2 provincial levy, and it also had budgetary concerns. Saskatchewan director Lynn Grant told the meeting the organization has begun using a reserve fund it accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic when travel was curtailed.

“In about four years’ time, it’s going to be crunch time,” he said.

Then, CCA will have to cut back activities or seek a revenue increase. He noted that Canadian producers pay less than one-quarter of one percent in checkoff compared to other commodities that pay more.

Grant also suggested that SCA will need the full 75-cent increase to keep operating.

Yorga said associations may have to look at how they are spending the money they have. SSGA is a voluntary membership organization. The provincial checkoff collected by SCA is refundable, but the national portion is not.

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“The chance to demonstrate our commitment to such an important market is an opportunity that we are very excited about.” said David Typer, chair of the Canadian Meat Advocacy Board, in a Canadian Meat Council news release.

“We will soon begin our search for a China representative. Once the hiring process is complete, operations will be launched.”

The Canadian Meat Advocacy Office is a collaboration between the Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Pork Council and the Canadian Cattle Association.

The group called the office a tangible demonstration that the Canadian pork and beef sectors are eager to have a stronger presence in the Chinese market.

Goals of the office include advancing the interests of Canadian red meat in China, establishing and enhancing the presence of Canadian meat in the Chinese market, addressing market access issues, mitigating potential trade disruption, and building trust with Chinese officials, industry leaders according to a job posting on recruiting website Glassdoor.

Red meat is just one sector that has struggled with fraught relations between Canada and China. In 2019, China blocked shipments of Canadian pork and beef, citing bogus export certificates, as tensions escalated following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. China also stopped purchasing Canadian canola seed, citing pest concerns.

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“Canadian beef has earned a top spot on the world stage because of the commitment to quality and sustainability that our producers hold themselves to,” said agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay in a news release today.

Canada Beef and the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) are receiving up to $5,865,110 and $453,364 respectively for marketing activities such as advertising, trade missions, technical training and educational seminars.

“By continuing to promote Canadian beef in key foreign markets, we can make the sector more competitive, put more money in the pockets of producers and drive demand for our world-class Canadian beef,” MacAulay said.

Expanding and opening new markets requires proactive relationship-building, said Canadian Cattle Association president Nathan Phinney in the release.

“These local, national and international relationships open doors to trade and collaboration and the AgriMarketing program support will help to ensure Canadian beef producers are represented at these global tables.”

“This funding will support initiatives that increase awareness of the value proposition of Canadian beef and veal exports in international markets vital to the success of Canada’s beef industry,” said Eric Bienvenue, president of Canada Beef.

The funding comes via the AgriMarketing Program, an initiative under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (S-CAP). The initiative is intended to increase and diversify exports to international markets and seize domestic market opportunities.

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“It’s something we probably take for granted here in the prairies. But it’s one thing that has been a long time coming for our eastern counterparts,” Fulton said while presenting at the conference.

Previously, Livestock Price Insurance has been available to producers all over Canada, except for in the maritime provinces, leaving them without a risk management program. Fulton says expanding this program has been something CCA has been working on for a long time.

Jodie Griffin, a program coordinator for the Livestock Price Insurance program, says producers should be aware of the official announcement coming on June 12.

“They will be able to buy for sure on Wednesday, maybe even Thursday,” she said in a quick interview.

Griffin presented at the SSGA conference as well, speaking about the importance of Livestock Price Insurance, because it establishes a floor price for cattle producers in a volatile market. While presenting, Griffin says producers should always consider price insurance because volatility remains even in a rising market, and that when potentially catastrophic event occur, like the avian influenza in March 2024 or highly talked about Foot-and-Mouth Disease, price insurance is producers only defence.

“I really think it’s super important for our cow-calf sector,” she said.

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Charles Gracey was born to Edith (née Down) and Garfield Gracey in 1935 and grew up in Curries, Ont. His interest in the livestock industry was sparked in 1947, when his father’s small dairy herd was depopulated during the national bovine TB eradication program.

Gracey graduated from Guelph’s agricultural sciences program in 1959 and started his career at the Kemptville Agricultural School. Later, as the secretary-manager of the Ontario Beef Improvement Association, he pushed for beef cattle performance testing and a cattle marketing check-off. Similar check-offs were adopted by other provinces, which led to funding for a national beef producers’ association.

In 1970, Gracey joined the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), as it was then known. Serving as the association’s executive vice president, he advocated for Canfax, which provided information on cattle prices and future market outlooks. Gracey worked closely with Canfax’s founder, Chris Miller, and developed analytical programs still used within the agency. During his time at the CCA, he also focused on animal health issues, including the eradication of brucellosis in the Canadian herd.

Gracey also helped develop standard dressing procedures at packing plants and spent much of his career creating and refining carcass grading systems. He also helped establish the Canadian Beef Grading Industry, the Beef Information Centre as well as a national cattle identification program for cattle, leading to the creation of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency.

Global trade was another primary concern for Gracey. Upon joining the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, he adjudicated everything from international trade disputes to complaints around government procurement.

Getting good information into the hands of beef farmers and ranchers was always near the top of Gracey’s list. In 1978, he created BeefWatch, a market report produced by Canfax and published in Canadian Cattlemen magazine twice yearly to this day. He helped establish the Beef Information Centre to link the beef industry to the public. He contributed to several farm magazines throughout his career and into retirement, publishing with Canadian Cattlemen as recently as 2022. Asked about invoicing for his work, he responded that he was “careless about being paid” for his “scribblings” and was motivated primarily by his concern for the industry.

In retirement, Gracey still devoted much of his “leisure time” to industry issues, and believed in freely sharing his analysis with the public. On his personal website, Gracey wrote that carcass grade information “should flow freely to producers so that they can use grade information for its intended purpose of improving the product.” A “lack of individual animal ID” once obstructed that flow, he added, but that obstacle was removed years ago. His website includes grading information, articles and analyses, plus a downloadable spreadsheet that demonstrates the cattle cycle’s effects on the national cow herd.

Gracey’s dedication to the industry and thoughtful, frank analysis of the issues inspired the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to nominate him for the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame, and he was inducted in 2001.

Gracey was survived by his wife, Donna (née Luce); his sister, Evelyn O’Leary (Bev); brothers, David (Coline) and Donald (Nancy); his children, Laurel, Patrick (Barbara), Darren (Anna), and Matthew (Jennifer); and grandchildren, Peter, Noah, Catherine (Aaron), Madison, Fiona, and Alec. His family will hold a celebration of life this summer.

The closing lines of his obituary were fitting to those who knew him.

“Though his heart failed him, it never failed us. In lieu of flowers, support your local butcher.”

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