CBC Calgary: Average Alberta beef farmer making less than $50,000 after costs, says new report

“The fact that the [cost of] sirloin steaks is very high in the grocery store, that’s got a lot to do with the cost of getting the sirloin steak there,” said report author Derek Brewin.

“It’s not really that anybody is taking a real big share.… It’s expensive to get that steak there, just in time, in the right condition for the consumer.”

The report says higher costs for feed and pastureland are putting a strain on ranchers’ pocketbooks. 

Brewin, a professor of agribusiness and agriculture economics at the University of Manitoba, said high feed costs are caused by strong worldwide demand for grains and insufficient supply.

“In Canada, that’s generally good news because there’s more grain farmers than there are beef farmers,” he said.

To read the full story, please visit CBC Calgary.