The Manitoba Advantage in Beef Protein

Manitoba’s Beef Industry
- Manitoba is the third largest beef-producing province in Canada with 404,600 beef cows on farms at July 1, 2020.
- As of 2020, the province has about 6,405 farms reporting 1,055,000 head of cattle.
- Seventy-seven per cent of beef cattle are on cow-calf operations, sixteen per cent are on backgrounding operations, and seven per cent are on feedlots.
- Ninety-three per cent of beef animals are on beef farms and seven per cent are on dairy operations.
Beef farm gate receipts for 2020 were $619 million, 26 per cent of the province’s livestock farm cash receipts.
Beef producers market their animals though auction markets and licensed brokers, or by selling directly to other producers, feedlots and processors. While prices were down 2.1 per cent in 2020, the number of head marketed were up by 3.0 per cent.
There was one Federally Inspected processing plant and 16 Provincially Inspected plants for cattle and calves in 2020.
Processors:
- True North Foods (federally licenced)
- Provincially licenced abattoirs
Industry Associations:
- Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP)
- Manitoba Livestock Marketing Association
- Manitoba Angus Association
- Manitoba Charolais Association
- Manitoba Hereford Association
- Manitoba Simmental Association
- Manitoba Shorthorn Association
- Canada Beef Producers
- Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
Market and Consumer Trends
Industry Associations
The University of Manitoba has developed a multidisciplinary research program that focuses on productivity and environmental sustainability.
The Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives (MBFI) centre is an excellent location for innovation in agriculture and research. The goal of the centre is to use science-based research to benefit valuable ecosystems, improve profitability for beef and forage producers, and build public awareness and understanding of the beef industry.
Manitoba Agriculture & Food Knowledge Exchange (MAKE) Podcast Series: