2025 Beef Day Presentations
Updates for the 2025 program will be made as they are available.
Beef on Dairy
Presented by: Aaron Keunen, Owner, Mapleview Agri Ltd.
This presentation will explore benefits and drawbacks to raising beef cross calves, focusing on the economic viability as well as performance. Factors such as, growth rates, feed efficiency, and carcass quality will be examined. It will also look at the challenges producers face such as supply of cattle, market fluctuations, and production costs. This discussion should provide considerations for raising dairy cross calves in the beef industry.
Aaron is a part owner of Mapleview Agri Ltd., a business specializing in the manufacturing of milk replacer as well as Keunen Cattle Ltd both based in Palmerston, Ontario. With a passion for agriculture and agribusiness Aaron enjoys working with producers to help find solutions that contribute to the success of their operation. As a farmer and partner in Keunen Cattle Ltd. he also has experience raising approximately 2,500 head of cattle per year.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 8th, 2025 at 9:50 am.
Replacement Heifers: Hiring the Right Employees
Presented by: Dr. Jordan Thomas, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri
It is no secret that calf prices are up, and cow-calf producers have a lot to smile about—at least, until it comes to thinking about the cost of replacement females. How can an operation afford to purchase or develop replacement heifers in these market conditions?
Jordan Thomas is professor in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Dr. Thomas is a Missouri native and University of Missouri alumnus, having earned his Ph.D. in Animal Sciences in 2017. Dr. Thomas maintains an active applied research and teaching appointment focused on the management of forage livestock systems. He coordinates the breeding program for research herds across the University of Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, and he served as the State Cow-Calf Extension Specialist and program advisor to the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program until 2023. The primary research focus of the Thomas lab is reproductive management, with expertise in areas such as heifer selection and development, synchronization of the estrous cycle, timed artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and sex-selection technologies.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 8th, 2025 at 11:00 am.
Presented by: Craig McLaughlin, President, Beef Farmers of Ontario
A presentation from the president of Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO), which will highlight BFO’s efforts in 2024 on behalf of beef farmers from across the province. Craig will touch on lobby and policy work, as well as provide an update on producer and consumer engagement and market development initiatives.
Craig McLaughlin resides in the Whitewater Region of Renfrew County where he operates a cow-calf and backgrounding beef farm. Craig has a strong passion and interest in resource preservation and protecting soils and biodiversity through cattle grazing. Craig also serves in the role of Supervisor for two local feeder finance co-operatives. Additionally, Craig represents BFO as a Director for the Canadian Cattle Association.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 8th, 2025 at 1:15 pm.
Income Tax Update
A tax update including the 2024 Federal budget, changes to the capital gains inclusion rate, changes to the capital gains exemption, new intergenerational business transfer rules, changes to the alternative minimum tax and more!
Presented by: Susan Cruickshank, Tax Partner, BDO Canada LLP
Susan Cruickshank is a Tax Partner with a focus on empowering owner-managed businesses to navigate complex tax landscapes practicing out of Kincardine and Walkerton Ontario. Her expertise lies in crafting tailored strategies for succession planning, business reorganizations, estate, and post-mortem planning. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the agricultural sector, understanding its nuances intricately.
Presented by: Kurt Oelschlagel, Tax Partner, BDO Canada LLP
Kurt is a tax specialist partner with BDO Canada LLP. He is also BDO’s National Agriculture Tax Leader. Kurt served as a member of BDO’s policy board for six years and is a past member of the Ontario ICAO Professional Conduct Committee. He is also past president and treasurer of the Hanover Chamber of Commerce. Kurt’s practice focuses on owner-managed businesses with a particular emphasis on agribusiness. His areas of expertise include federal and provincial income taxation including corporate restructuring, estate planning, transition/succession planning, personal and corporate tax planning. He also provides his services to other CPA firms to assist them with their clients’ tax matters.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 8th, 2025 at 1:45 pm.
Panel: Setting up Calves for Success - building quality along the cow-calf, backgrounding and feedlot continuum
This panel will talk about calf production at each stage of the continuum, how one stage affects the next, and how to maximize profitability at each stage along it.
Panelist: Dr. Jacques van Zyl, Veterinarian, Metzger Veterinary Services
Dr. Jacques was born in South Africa and moved to rural Saskatchewan at a young age. He grew up on a farm surrounded by beef cattle and chickens, while attending rodeos every weekend. After moving to Ontario, his family started farming with Bison near Owen Sound. Jacques completed a degree in Wildlife Biology at the University of Western Ontario before graduating from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2020. Outside of work, Jacques’ main interests are hunting (particularly back home in South Africa), fishing, and camping with his wife.
Panelist: Scott Kuhl, Owner, Keady Livestock
Scott Kuhl is an auctioneer and the co-owner of Keady Livestock. He owns and operates his own cow/calf and backgrounding operations.
Panelist: Bert Tupling, Shareholder, Tupling Farms Ltd.
Tupling Farms is a four generation family farm growing potatoes, corn, wheat, barley, alfalfa. The corporation is owned by Bert, Pat, Andrew and Aaron Tupling.
Panelist: Barry Ostendorff, Owner, Ostendorff Farms
Barry was born and raised on the 8th Concession of Elmwood and that’s where he still is today. His parents gave him his first 2 heifers at the age of 12 and he continued to build his herd from there. His parents ran an equipment dealership on the farm and as they got busier he took on more and more of the role on the family farm. He bought his grandfathers farm at the age of 16 and spent all his free time clearing brush and fencing. He current has a 300 head cow calf herd, and cash crops wheat, beans & corn. He grows all of his own hay and runs about 200 acres of pasture.
Panelist: Megan Van Schaik
Megan has spent the last 7 years as a Beef Cattle Specialist with OMAFA. As part of her work portfolio, Megan endeavoured to investigate the benefits of Special Calf Sales in Ontario. Megan resides in Bruce county with her family and is currently on maternity leave from OMAFA.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 8th, 2025 at 3:00 pm.
And don't forget to take a look at the list of On-Demand presentations which you can watch throughout the conference and for the thirty days following! Use the button on the left to browse full details for those!
Check out the program for other conference days using the buttons below.
