Price tags on beef have been going up in Saskatchewan following several drought filled summers. The dry land has had a major effect on grass land and feed, making it harder for farmers to beef up their cattle.
Many farmers had to resort to downsizing their herds to afford winter feed. Now, many consumers are seeing the effects of this at the grocery store as there are not enough cows to meet up with demand.
Although weather conditions are getting better for some farmers province-wide, Saskatchewan Cattle Association vice-chair Joleen Shea says she expects prices to remain high for the next 12 to 18 months as farmers restock their herds.
“It takes about two years before you really see an increase in animals once people do start keeping heifers back, by the time those heifers have a calf and that calf grows up to enter the food supply,” Shea said.
Despite prices upwards of 25 per cent, local butcher Andrew Boryski says business has been incredibly busy.
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“People are coming and shopping locally, which is a great change over the last summer. We’ve been very busy,” explained Boryski.
In the coming years, Boryksi said Canada will need more cattle farms in general to keep up with the high demands of the beef industry.
“We are going to require more production here in Canada. In the United States there is one beef facility for every 400,000 people. In Canada, it is one for every 1.6 million people. So, we need more beef production at home.” added Boryski
To save some money when shopping for meals, Boryski shared his favorite tip when buying meat.
“Make sure you know what you are going to use. I have seen more and more people asking, ‘Hey, should I get a side of beef?’ Well, are you going to use a lot of ground beef or are you going to use steaks? Shop around a little bit and grab things when you see them and stuff your freezer or just be sure you are using up what you’ve got in there,” said Boryski.
Shea also shared that her favorite cost-saving tip is to use one cut of meat for several meals over the week instead of buying per meal, adding that the Saskatchewan Cattle Association is a great resource to find recipes to help utilize ones meat.
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