10% of the Cows, Half the Beef Exported: How Canada Punches Above Its Weight

With just under 3.5 million beef cows and a fed kill shy of 3 million head, Canada raises a fraction of North America’s cattle — but exports roughly half of what it produces as live cattle or beef.

Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) General Manager Ryder Lee says Alberta–Saskatchewan cow country, Ontario and Alberta feeding hubs, and U.S. packing plants in Washington, Utah and Pennsylvania are tightly interlinked, making border access and science‑based trade rules non‑negotiable for producers on both sides.

Lee was the featured guest in Episode 22 of “The Future of Beef Show.”

Raised on a commercial cow-calf operation in southern Saskatchewan — just 20 miles north of Montana — Lee grew up in what he describes as “cattle country.” After earning an animal science degree, he spent six years in agricultural sales with Dow AgroSciences before stumbling into cattle industry association work. He spent a decade in Ottawa doing policy lobbying, then served seven years as CEO of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association before joining CCA as General Manager three years ago.

The Canadian beef industry follows a geographic logic. The majority of cows are concentrated in Alberta and Saskatchewan, while two distinct feeding regions have emerged: southern Alberta, with its dry cold and strong irrigation infrastructure, and southern Ontario, where Great Lakes moisture requires enclosed, undercover feeding operations.

“There’s more cows in Texas than in Canada,” Lee explains. “Nebraska processes more cattle than Canada does.”

He was quick to dismiss any notion of Canadian supply overwhelming U.S. markets but stresses that Canada is a critical, complementary trading partner rather than a competitive threat.

“The idea that there’s a wall of cattle or anything from Canada going to impact the U.S. market is not something,” he explains. “It’s a very complementary piece here and there.”

Seven key takeaways from the podcast include:

1. Roughly half of Canadian beef production is exported, making trade access fundamental to the industry’s survival and prosperity.
2. Cross-border cattle trade is deeply integrated, with some U.S. packing plants in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere reliant on Canadian-fed cattle for operational viability.
3. Canadian herd numbers have declined to 1980s levels, driven by drought and the loss of small-scale mixed grain-and-cattle operations that are unlikely to return.
4. Mandatory RFID traceability was built in response to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and now serves as both a biosecurity tool and a market access credential for premium global customers.
5. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef has positioned Canada as a global leader in science-backed sustainability, combining defensive advocacy with genuine innovation on emissions, land stewardship, and biodiversity.
6. Relationship-building with U.S. industry groups is a deliberate CCA strategy — being present at state and national meetings ensures Canadian perspectives inform U.S. policy before it is set, not after.
7. The long-term outlook is positive. Global protein demand, nutritional awareness and North America’s agricultural infrastructure gives Canadian producers a strong competitive foundation heading into the next decade.

Lee is optimistic about the long-term outlook. Global protein demand, nutritional awareness and North America’s agricultural infrastructure, he says, will give Canadian producers a strong competitive foundation heading into the next decade.