Beef Day Presentations
Wednesday January 7th, 2026
Tickets will be available online early December
Ask the Experts: Veterinarian and Nutritionist. Common Issues in Beef Cattle
Sponsored by: Wallenstein Feed & Supply Ltd.
Join our veterinarian and nutritionist panel as they discuss some of the most talked-about topics in beef production over the past year, including Holstein × beef cross management, the use of Experior, and the role of poly- and cover-crop grazing systems. Gain practical insights into nutrition and herd health strategies to improve performance and sustainability in your operation.
Facilitated by: Dr. Lisa Sharko, Lead Veterinarian, Animal Health and Welfare Branch, OMAFA
After graduating vet school in 2014, Lisa spent 11 years in practice in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario before joining the Ministry in April. Lisa worked as a food animal veterinarian primarily working with cow and goat dairy herds and cow-calf herds. She has a passion for preventative medicine and young stock health. In her current role she specializes in small ruminants and beef cattle where she supports industry groups and producers on health/welfare initiatives.
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Presented by: Dr. Van Mitchell, Veterinarian, Metzger Veterinary Services
Dr. Van grew up in the western state of Utah on a farm and ranch. He attended veterinary school at Mississippi State University and has been with Metzger Vet since 2010. Van's career is focused entirely on beef cattle health. Van and his wife have five children and enjoy spending family time exploring the great outdoors.
Presented by: Dr Matthew Walpole, Consulting Nutritionist, BeefSmart
Dr. Matthew Walpole grew up in rural southwestern Ontario, always having an interest in the dairy production industry. He attended the University of Guelph where he attained a BSc ('09) and MSc ('10) from the Department of Animal and Poultry Science. During his time there he represented the University of Guelph at the Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge, and taught introductory dairy nutrition to undergraduate students. He then moved west to the Department of Animal Science at the University of Saskatchewan, where he completed his PhD focusing on protein nutrition in dairy cattle. He enjoys working with producers to maintain profitability while increasing production and environmental efficiencies.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 7th, 2026 at 9:50 am.
Keynote Presentation: Beef Market Outlook
Sponsored by: Metzger Veterinary Services,Trillium Mutual Insurance, Grey County, and Darren Martin Realty Inc.
Presented by: Anne Wasko, Market Analyst, Gateway Livestock
Cattle and beef prices reached record highs in 2025. Anne will look at the state of the beef cow herd in Canada and the U.S. Has heifer retention commenced and what does that mean for prices going forward? Beef demand has also been solid in recent years. What is driving it? Plenty of uncertainty around trade and tariffs dominated in 2025 - what's the status for 2026? How do feed prices and other costs look as we head into 2026?
Anne Wasko has been a market analyst for over 40 years focusing on the Canadian cattle and beef industry. She is the Market Analyst for Gateway Livestock based in Taber, Alberta. Anne operates Cattle Trends Inc, a consulting company for cattle market intelligence. She is a regular contributor to RealAgriculture.com and RealAg Radio on Sirius. Prior to Gateway Livestock, Anne was the Senior Market Analyst with Canfax for 21 years. Anne is the past Chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Anne was previously a Board member on the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, a member of the Canadian Beef Advisors, sat on the Saskatchewan ADF Advisory committee and the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Board. Anne’s volunteer work includes various mentorship programs, both formal and informal, for several individuals and loves keeping up-to-date with them. She also volunteered for 20 years at the Calgary Stampede. Anne and her husband, Barry, operate Bar 4 Bar Land & Cattle Inc in Eastend, SK, a commercial cow-calf operation. It is a popular place, especially in the summer, for their 10 grandchildren to enjoy. Anne enjoys golfing and travel.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 7th, 2026 at 11:00am.
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 7th, 2026 at 1:15 pm.
Maximizing the Benefits from Manure
Presented by: Christine Brown, Field Crop Sustainability Specialist, OMAFA
Manure is a valuable resource for nutrients and building soil health. We will explore how application timing, rate as well as new equipment and technologies can help maximize manure benefits.
Christine Brown is a Field Crop Sustainability Specialist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA). Her work focuses on issues and best management practices around nutrient and soil management using manure and organic amendments. Christine is a certified crop advisor with a 4R Nutrient management specialty. She lives with her family on a small farm outside of London
**Recognized as a Nutrient Management KSE**
Presentation begins Wednesday January 7th, 2026 at 1:45 pm.
Panel - Bullseye: Hitting the Mark in Sire Selection
Sponsored by: B&L Farm Services
This panel brings together producers, veterinarians, feedlot experts, and industry specialists to explore what goes into selecting the “ideal” bull from every angle of the beef sector. Panelists will discuss how they evaluate traits, balance EPDs with visual appraisal, incorporate genomics and reproductive technologies, and make decisions that drive profitability, longevity, and herd improvement. Attendees will gain practical insight into aligning selection priorities across cow–calf, feedlot, and seedstock operations to build stronger, more productive beef herds.
Panelist: Tom Cunningham, Owner, Cunningham Farms
A fourth-generation cow- calf producer on the Bruce Peninsula. Tom and his wife, Amanda, farm on the same land where he was born and raised in Mar, 12km north of Wiarton, Ontario. He is proud to farm alongside his parents, Ron and Nancy Cunningham, running a commercial herd of Simmental and Charolais cross cows. Tom enjoys spending time with his children - Clover 16, Clinton 14, Darcie 9 - and volunteering for various community boards. He is an advocate for young farmers, and is passionate about supporting the next generation.
Panelist: Darrell Saunders, Co-owner, Saunders Charolais
Together with his family Darrell of Saunders Charolais, Markdale ON operates a mixed farming operation consisting of 140 purebred Charolais cows, cash crop and Pioneer Seed Sales. We produce 35-40 bulls each year which are marketed through our annual bull sale which has been held the first Saturday of April for the last 20 years.
Panelist: Dale Pallister, Owner, Pallister Farms Livestock Ltd.
Dale has a feedlot operation in the south end of Grey County, Dundalk. He farms with his wife Lynda, son Chris, daughter Lisa and grandchildren. They produce 13 million lbs of beef per year. They crop about 5000 acres and pasture yearlings on Manitoulin island on land that they own and rent there. The family farm has been in the same name for 151 years and has had 7 generations working on the same homestead.
Panelist: Dr. Van Mitchell, Veterinarian, Metzger Veterinary Services
Dr. Van grew up in the western state of Utah on a farm and ranch. He attended veterinary school at Mississippi State University and has been with Metzger Vet since 2010. Van's career is focused entirely on beef cattle health. Van and his wife have five children and enjoy spending family time exploring the great outdoors.
Panelist: Brad Gilchrist, Semex
Brad Gilchrist is Semex's Global Beef Supply Chain Manager. He began his career with Semex in June 2014 as the Beef Marketing & Product Support Specialist, and in January 2019, he advanced to the role of Beef Marketing Manager. During his tenure overseeing the marketing of the Semex Beef brand, Brad developed and launched several global beef-on-dairy strategies, which ultimately led to his recent promotion to Global Beef Supply Chain Manager. Brad graduated from the University of Guelph with an honours degree in Agriculture and possesses a deep, practical understanding of key topics vital to the beef industry. His expertise spans breed pedigrees, EPDs, genomics, defects, policies, and a customer-focused approach aimed at helping producers raise profitable cattle. Passionate about the beef industry, Brad is particularly dedicated to producing cattle that fit the unique needs of each client. Brad and his wife Kristie reside in Lucknow, Ontario with their daughter Peyton, where they market Angus breeding stock to customers both across Canada and internationally. Brad and Kristie have expanded their business portfolio and beef operation by incorporating The Beefway, a provincially inspected abattoir for processing cattle, pigs, and sheep. This all-encompassing, start-to-finish business venture uniquely positions Brad to support clients in navigating supply chain development and setup in various countries worldwide.
Facilitated by: Dr. Lisa Sharko, Lead Veterinarian, Animal Health and Welfare Branch, OMAFA
After graduating vet school in 2014, Lisa spent 11 years in practice in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario before joining the Ministry in April. Lisa worked as a food animal veterinarian primarily working with cow and goat dairy herds and cow-calf herds. She has a passion for preventative medicine and young stock health. In her current role she specializes in small ruminants and beef cattle where she supports industry groups and producers on health/welfare initiatives.
Presentation begins Wednesday January 7th, 2026 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.
