Recent Rain May Not Be Enough to Halt the Shrinking of Canada’s Cattle Herd

Smoke billows above cattle on a farm as wildfire burn in Alberta in May 2023. Courtesy of Grant Taillieu/Facebook

Anxious Alberta ranchers praying for rain got their wish this week, but it may not be enough to stop the ongoing decline in Canadian cattle production.

The moisture that fell on parts of drought-parched Alberta came as a welcome reprieve to the hundreds of cattle farmers who have seen their pastures wither and their water supplies dry up this June.