Beef Facts You’ve Been Dying to Know

(Grain News)

Canadian beef customers
In comparing figures for 2002 and 2007,the U.S. is still Canada’s largest customer for beef (who knows what 2009 will look like). The U.S. imported 266,000 metric tonnes of beef from Canada in 2002 and that increased to 298,000 metric tonnes in 2007. Mexico is No. 2 importing about 27,000 metric tonnes in 2002, with a big increase to 40,000 metric tonnes in 2007. Japan was the third largest importer in 2002 importing about 8,000 metric tonnes, but by 2007 Canada’s third largest beef customer was Hong Kong and Macau importing about 15,000 tonnes. Japan is gone.

Beef production in Canada
Western Canada dominates beef production in this country. In 2002, about 40 percent of the beef herd was in Alberta, 25 percent in Saskatchewan, 12 percent in Manitoba, nine percent in Ontario, and six percent

In B.C. In 2007, Alberta still had about 40 percent, but Saskatchewan had increased to 30 percent. On the feeding side, 71 percent of Canadian cattle are fed in Alberta, with nine percent in B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and 18 percent in Ontario. Read more here.