Recently, some of Alberta’s ag industry leaders thought of an option to assist two producer groups hard hit by the effects of COVID-19. Taryn Milton, Staff Writer for Farms.com reports.
Recently, some of Alberta’s ag industry leaders thought of an option to assist two producer groups hard hit by the effects of COVID-19.
Many Alberta potato growers have a surplus of their crop as a result of the shutdown of restaurants and other businesses that use large quantities of potatoes. Alberta beef producers faced delays getting their cattle to processing plants because of shutdowns in late April. The situation caused a backlog of over 100,000 animals which producers unexpectedly needed to keep feeding.
So, staff at Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) talked with Terence Hochstein at the Potato Growers of Alberta (PGA) about “making connections between potato growers and cattle producers interested in a feed source,” Karin Schmid said to Farms.com. She is the research and production manager with ABP. The two groups informed their members about the opportunity and “left it to the individual growers and the individual feedlot operators” to sort out, said Terence Hochstein. He is the executive director of the PGA.