BEEF

Beef cattle have been a part of the fabric of agriculture in Nova Scotia since settlement began. Cattle provided; meat, milk and draft animals to clear and work the land. The importance of cattle to the Nova Scotia agriculture sector has been significant and this significance continues today. 

While the beef industry has declined since BSE in 2003, we are starting to see a recovery in the industry. Beef production is well suited to Nova Scotia. There are very few places in the world that support the growth and production of quality forage like the environment in Nova Scotia. This is coupled with the fact that geographically Nova Scotia has large areas of agricultural lands not suited to crop production because of limitations like soil type, slope, stoniness, or drainage.  Growing forages on these lands and feeding them to ruminants like beef cattle, is economically and environmentally responsible.

In Nova Scotia there is a full range of types and sizes of beef production operations, from very small to fulltime commercial beef farms. All of these farms combine to form an integrated industry that is part of our regional and national beef sector. This is supported by a marketing structure that includes: the Atlantic Stockyards Limited, Provincially inspected slaughter plants and the Atlantic Beef Products plant in Prince Edward Island. 

With increasing consumer awareness and interest in food production, the size and nature of the beef industry in Nova Scotia presents unique opportunities for our producers to identify specific market opportunities and target these markets. 

In order to achieve this, producers need to understand the market opportunity and the production requirements needed to meet the requirements of the market place. 

Access to reliable production information is a key to efficient and cost effective production of any product, including beef. The information contained on this web site is one tool that is available to help you as a producer make educated management decisions. With the goal of supporting a sustainable and profitable beef industry in Nova Scotia.