It’s not black and white: Perspectives of Western Canadian beef farmers on dairy-beef production.

Not all calves are needed as replacements in dairy herds; almost all male calves and any excess females can be termed ‘non-replacements’ (or ‘surplus’ or ‘excess’ calves). Globally, these calves are managed through one of three pathways: early life killing, raised for veal, or raised for beef. Both early-life killing and the issues related to the management of non-replacement dairy calves have drawn pub­lic scrutiny and media attention, challenging the social sustainability of the dairy industry. One way of addressing this issue is through crossing with beef sires: The use of beef genetics in dairy herds to produce dairy-beef crossbred calves has been facilitated by the availability of sexed semen to produce replacement pure-bred female dairy calves from selected cows in the herd, and beef-on-dairy breeding to produce non-replacement calves that are of higher value for the beef market from the remaining cows in the herd. This approach provides an additional source of revenue for dairy farmers and improves the potential of rearing these non-replacement calves for beef. However, whilst this strategy may have benefits for the dairy industry, the question is, how does it impact the beef industry. Therefore, the study cited aimed to investigate the attitudes of Canadian beef producers toward dairy-beef production, with a focus on how beef-on-dairy breeding strategies by dairy may affect the beef industry.    

A semi-structured interview was conducted with 20 beef farmers in Western Canada, exploring their awareness, attitudes, and recommendations for the management of beef-on-dairy calves. Participants (11 males, 9 females) were recruited using snowball sampling and interviewed following a semi-structured interview guide. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis, resulting in three main themes: 1) the dairy and beef relationship, 2) attitudes to beef-on-dairy animals, and 3) a shared future. In the first theme, participants discussed the relationship between the dairy and beef industries, highlighting differences in Canadian market structures (dairy as supply-managed vs. beef as an open market), farming practices (beef as more exten­sive vs. dairy as more intensive) and public perceptions of the two systems. In the second theme, participants showed mixed attitudes toward dairy-beef production and discussed their views about beef-on-dairy calves compared to purebred dairy calves, the management practices used to raise them, and the potential impacts of dairy-beef production on the beef industry. In the third theme, participants reflected on the future of dairy-beef production, discussing who should be involved in shaping the future of this practice.

Participants’ attitudes toward dairy-beef production were mixed, shaped by the connection between the dairy and beef industries and the distinct social, market, and cultural contexts of the two sectors. While participants recognized potential benefits of beef-on-dairy breed­ing, particularly in improving carcass characteristics of calves from dairy farms, they also raised concerns about market competition and threats to traditional beef production practices. Including beef farmers’ perspectives in discussions about the future of dairy-beef production was seen as essential to ensuring that this development benefits both industries. 

Comment: The concerns expressed by the study group in Western Canada should not be an issue in the dairy and beef sectors in South Africa, as the dairy sector is very small compared to the beef sector. Thus, beef-on-dairy breeding should be a viable alternative to increase revenue.