“I am thrilled to represent youth in the beef industry on a council that brings together such diverse perspectives from across the sector,” wrote Laura Buss in a Feb. 9 news release.

Last year, the CRSB established its youth councillor position — a non-voting board position geared toward youth participation in the organization.

Laura Buss, who grew up on a cow-calf operation north of Westlock, Alta., was recommended through a nomination process in coordination with the Canadian Cattle Youth Council the CRSB said in a Feb. 9 news release.

“The funding support to travel and meet with CRSB members in-person is particularly exciting, as I’ve learned that these face-to-face collaborations are where the most impactful work happens,” Buss said.

In her role, Buss will:

• Participate in CRSB Council discussions,
• Bring forward youth perspectives,
• Serve as a liaison between the CRSB and the Canadian Cattle Youth Council (CCYC),
• Co-chair at least one CRSB Council meeting per year
• Contribute thought leadership across the Canadian beef industry and in youth networks.

Buss received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Alberta followed by a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences from the University of Guelph. Her graduate studies focused on gut development and antibiotic use in dairy calves.

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“Our needs today are changing rapidly — with the widespread droughts in some places and flooding in others,” Tim Hardman of Fulton Marketing Group said at the recent (virtual) Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

“With all that’s going on now, it’s next to impossible to focus on what future generations will need. But to live up to the expectation, we not only need to meet our needs today, but picture what future generations will look like.”

Hardman has deep roots in the beef sustainability movement.

He was formerly the beef director for the World Wildlife Fund and is a member of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef as well as its global and U.S. sister organizations. He is now the global sustainability director for Fulton Marketing Group, an international beef supply chain management company headquartered in Chicago.

With a growing middle class around the world and the Earth’s population expected to hit nine billion in 2050, there will be more demand for animal protein, he said.

“Estimates show that meat production will need to effectively double to meet that demand by 2050,” Hardman said.

Currently, 30 per cent of global protein and 18 per cent of global calories come from animal sources.

But the increasingly urban population is several generations removed from the farm and so telling the beef sustainability story will be challenging, he said.

“Our industry has to stay relevant to an industry of food experts who have little to no idea of how it ends up in their stores and on their tables,” he said, adding the keys to that are being transparent and engaging with consumers.

“We need to talk about how 80 per cent of livestock feed comes from sources that people can’t eat directly.”

Thirty per cent of agricultural land isn’t suitable for crop production and grazing animals is critical to keeping that land healthy, but the livestock industry also has negative impacts, Hardman said.

“We need to own those impacts and reduce them as much as is possible and feasible. The beef industry has a great history and a great story to tell. We need to share those stories and experiences widely so we can regain the trust of our consumers.

“Part of that trust can be regained by setting goals, and measuring them.”

That’s one reason why Canada is a model for others, he said.

“Among the long list of goals you have set are reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent, sequestering 3.4 million tonnes of carbon every year, and maintaining 35 million native grass acres by 2030.”

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef recently set a very precise goal to reduce the climate impact of beef production: Cutting the net global warming impact of each unit of beef by 30 per cent by 2030. To do this, roundtable members will need to incentivize climate-smart meat processing, production (including improved reproductive and feed efficiency) and trade; increase carbon sequestration; and preserve healthy soils, he said.

“The roundtable’s belief is that sustainable beef production can, and should, have a positive impact on nature,” said Hardman. “Agreeing to and setting these goals was no easy task. It was not one that was taken lightly.

“Achieving these goals is going to be even harder. Partnerships are going to be key.”

Again, Canada has been a leader, said Hardman, citing the beef sector’s alliance with McDonald’s Canada in the verified sustainable beef initiative.

The fast-food giant played a prominent role — first in the effort by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef to develop production standards and the certification process, and then as the largest customer for beef certified by the CRSB.

In the past year, McDonald’s Canada has doubled the amount of certified sustainable beef it buys, the company’s senior manager of strategic supply told conference attendees.

“Sustainability remains a priority for us, and we continue to increase our purchases of CRSB certified beef,” said Nicole Zeni. “This will be a long journey, as we are the single largest purchaser of beef in the Canadian food industry.”

Along with buying certified sustainable beef, McDonald’s has undertaken numerous publicity efforts to showcase the beef sector’s stewardship. The latest is a sponsorship of YouTube video producer Andrew Gunadie, who goes by the name ‘gunnarolla.’ The Ontario native, who says his YouTube videos have been viewed more than 10 million times, recently released a video of his meeting with fourth-generation rancher and feedlot operator Kendra Donnelly in High River. (The video can be found at www.youtube.com by searching for ‘gunnarolla.’)

It’s extremely important for producers to share their stories and talk about how beef is produced, said Hardman.

“Become involved, and talk about your progress, because we can’t sell a secret,” he said.

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“I’d like to see Canada’s beef industry get bigger,” said the Nanton rancher and feedlot operator, who is also president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

“Right now, we’ve got the lowest numbers of cows in the last 20 years. We’ve missed two (profitable) cycles of increasing the herd. Basically, we don’t have enough cattle to really take advantage of our export potential. It would be nice to keep the beef herd growing and keep the trade going.”

But his answer to what is needed to build the national herd is more nuanced.

“To put it bluntly, I’d like to see a profitable beef industry where the population is confident enough in the health factors and environmental footprint of beef — that we see those anti-animal agriculture people go someplace else,” he said. “I’d love it if food production was not questioned all the time.”

Lowe is one of a large number of producers and other beef industry players who have led the effort to show that cattle and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. He’s been heavily involved in the sustainable beef movement through both the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and its global counterpart.

“Canada is so far ahead of the rest of the world,” he said. “There’s just no comparison.”

It’s a view shared by another Alberta rancher who has also served on a host of provincial and national beef organizations.

“I hope within the next 10 years that we will have stronger consumer confidence in the beef production process,” said Doug Sawyer. “I know that’s a tall order… and I know it’s going to take a long time. But I want consumers to feel comfortable that when they choose a beef product, that they know that they aren’t damaging the environment, the welfare is in place, and it’s a healthy choice for them.”

The cow-calf producer from Pine Lake currently co-chairs the trade committee of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and predicts the demand for protein — both animal and plant based — will be very strong in the coming decade.

The Canadian beef sector needs to seize that opportunity, he said.

“I think we can achieve a 20 per cent larger cow herd,” said Sawyer. “That will allow smaller producers to come back into the industry. We’ve lost a lot of 20- or 30-head hobby people. I think seeing the strong demand will allow them a way to come back and enjoy owning cows and contributing to the industry.”

If the Canadian herd does grow, Canada will need to export more beef. But many producers are frustrated that trade deals — particularly with the EU — haven’t lived up to their promise.

“We’ve got a lot of trade barriers there that are taking a lot of time to resolve,” Sawyer acknowledged. “We’ve got unrestricted access into our market. We’ve got tariffs going into their markets. It’s not a true free trade agreement.”

But progress is being made, he said.

“I think, in 10 years, hopefully less, we will see a true free trade agreement with the United Kingdom and the European Union,” he said. “We will see over the next few years, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (trade agreement) work its way in and those kinks will be worked out, which will support stronger protein demand for us here.”

Cow-calf producer and backgrounder Assar Grinde has some other items he’d like to see improved in the coming decade. That list includes things such as better ear tags and improved traceability software along with good internet so ranchers can better leverage those types of innovations. And more small abattoirs would allow more producers to directly market beef.

But the foundation under those sorts of things is having the public view the cattle sector in favourable terms, he said.

“Canada has been a leader in the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” said Grinde, who owns Blindman Beef near Rimbey. “I hope we just keep going down that path — that we’re the leaders in being able to market beef with specific attributes and have that traceability system ahead of everybody else.”

The pieces are in place, it’s a matter of strengthening the individual parts and linking them together, he said.

“In terms of actual production, I think the link between the producer and the consumer should be strengthened. The producer needs to get paid for what the consumer wants and there are programs out there right now. The link just isn’t strong enough to drive producers in that direction and there are so many things that consumers want.”

Thanks to efforts such as the sustainable beef initiative, he said he is hopeful the “kind of bad perception” of beef will be replaced by a positive one in the coming decade.

“I think it’s starting to change already,” said Grinde, one of the younger faces on the board of Alberta Beef Producers.

Coupling that with programs that financially reward producers for raising superior cattle, using verified production methods, and providing ecological goods and services would be a game changer, he said.

“In 10 years, if it’s profitable, we’ll see way more young people on farms,” said Grinde. “I’m pretty optimistic. I think there’s a lot of good things happening in the industry.”

Lowe shares that view.

“People accuse me of seeing rainbows and lollipops,” he said. “We’re going to have our problems, but I think we’re going to have a pretty bright industry. The younger people that I talk to are pretty excited to be part of it. And that’s what will keep it going.”

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However, while the company’s processing plant in Guelph, Ont. has successfully completed certification, it was temporarily shut down on Dec. 17 after more than 80 workers contracted COVID-19.

Once it is back up and running, Cargill said it will award “financial credits” for verified sustainable cattle at both its High River and Guelph facilities.

The move is “an important step in our beef sustainability journey,” said Anne Wasko, chair of the sustainable beef roundtable. “As a beef producer myself, this is a strong signal of the demand for showing the sustainable practices we already have in place,” she said.

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While these goals may seem contentious to some producers, it’s important to show the public that the beef sector is progressive and doing its part when it comes to combatting climate change as well as protecting the environment and caring for animals, said Tyler Bjornson, chair of the Canadian Beef Advisors.

“I think that’s really critical for the industry,” he said. “We’re proactive in setting those goals, and demonstrating that we’re responsible and capable of implementing and acting on these things without either government or consumers stepping in to tell the sector how to do its job.”

Although not a well-known name, the Canadian Beef Advisors is composed of reps from the beef sector’s key players, including the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the National Cattle Feeders’ Association, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the Canadian Meat Council.

But despite its low profile, the group’s existence is representative of a sea change in the sector once famous for its divisions. It issued its first national beef strategy in January 2015 and like the initial one, the updated version put specific numbers on some of its targets.

Along with sequestering an additional 3.4 million tonnes of carbon every year, the new edition of the strategic plan calls for preserving 35 million acres of native grassland. Achieving that goal not only means ranchers must be good stewards of the land but that their efforts be recognized by the public and government, said Bjornson.

“If we want to maintain the 35 million acres of native grassland that is in the care of beef producers, really, we need to ensure the economic viability of the producers to be able to incentivize that conservation,” he said.

This could include participating in programs that governments might put in place as part of their climate change and greenhouse gas reduction strategies.

“I do not believe that producers have been adequately recognized as providing that public good and that stewardship,” said Bjornson. “If it is a public goal to maintain and sequester that native grassland, then I believe there needs to be that recognition built into whatever scheme the federal and provincial governments have put in place.”

The 2020-2024 National Beef Strategy has goals (to be achieved over the next decade) for three areas: Greenhouse gases and carbon sequestration; animal health and welfare; and land use and biodiversity. (Four other sets of goals will be released next year: Water; beef quality and food safety; people, health and safety; and technology.)

Goals in the animal health and welfare area include further reducing the use of antimicrobials (by encouraging best practices and also quantifying “baseline antibiotic use practices in Canadian feedlot production”); attaining 92 per cent reproductive efficiency in beef production (up from 85 per cent in 2018), and adopting “management and breeding choices that support animal welfare” (such as breeding for calving ease and increased use of pain relief).

Along with protecting native grassland, the land use and biodiversity goals include supporting research on how grazing management affects things such as carbon sequestration and water filtration. It also calls for getting a better handle on the amount of grazing land being lost to crops, noting “satellite monitoring would provide greater accuracy than survey results.”

The national strategy demonstrates the increased collaboration between the different organizations in the sector, said Saskatchewan rancher Ryan Beierbach, chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council (which along with Canada Beef Breeds Council and Canada Beef are the other members of the Canadian Beef Advisors).

The organizations are now more aligned, and will work together to make the beef sector more profitable and sustainable, he said.

“When we look at what we’re going to fund in terms of research and projects, this would direct what projects we’re looking at funding,” said Beierbach.

“If we’re lobbying for policy or trying to get rules into place so they work better for producers, this would help guide that type as well.”

The strategy calls the new targets “ambitious stretch goals.”

Some are more targeted than the previous strategy, such as the 92 per cent reproductive efficiency goal, which would boost profitability for producers, said Beierbech, who sat on the producer task force that helped create the goals.

“I think there are things that can be implemented that can help producers meet these goals,” he said. “These are not easy goals (but) in a lot of cases, there are benefits for producers.

“We’re not trying to put goals that are onerous on producers. We’re trying to put goals that are going to move the industry forward to make producers more sustainable and more profitable.”

Boosting reproductive efficiency, using better genetics, and implementing better management practices will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

Sharing best practices will be key to those efforts, he said.

“Some of it’s extension,” he said. “How do we share best practices?… The second part of it is obviously working with our industry partners. That’s the great thing about the National Beef Strategy. We effectively have everyone together, so there’s a stronger information loop through this system.”

The strategy calls for improvements in a number of production areas, including increased vaccination and wider adoption of progressive pasture management strategies, low-stress handling, body condition scoring and feed testing.

Some of those tools might meet with some reluctance at the farm gate, given additional cost and tight profit margins, Laycraft acknowledged. But they pay off in the longer term, he said.

“At the end of the day, the main reason for vaccinating or for all of these practices should be to improve the efficiency and health of your herd and, by doing that, it should improve returns back,” he said. “We’re looking, with all of these things, trying to create the win-win environment.”

And making cattle production more profitable can go hand-in-hand with increasing public trust in the sector, both Beierbach and Bjornson said.

“We recognize that our ability to be successful economically into the future requires that we have the public’s confidence,” said Bjornson. “Building public trust is based on doing the right things for our land, our animals and our environment. That’s precisely what these goals are meant to demonstrate.”

“We want the public to see it too, and say that the beef industry has a plan,” added Beierbach.

“We’re not forcing this on producers. It’s all work that we’re doing to help producers be more successful.”

The national strategy was designed to work in tandem with the new sustainability plan of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which will be released shortly, as well as the 2023-2028 research and extension plan of the Beef Cattle Research Council.

The entire strategy can be found at beefstrategy.com.

– With Glacier FarmMedia files

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The organizations involved in Canada’s National Beef Strategy — the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canada Beef Breeds Council, Beef Cattle Research Council, Canada Beef, The National Cattle Feeders’ Association, Canadian Meat Council and Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef have announced new 2030 goals.

Goals have been announced on three topics so far — greenhouse gas and carbon sequestration; animal health and welfare and land use and biodiversity — with another four topics to come next year.

Strategy organizations have set a goal to “safeguard the existing 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon stored on lands managed with beef cattle,” on top of sequestering an additional 3.4 million tonnes of carbon every year through grazing management and a focus on soil health.

Those gains would reflect the change if all tame pasture and hay acres sequestered carbon at half of the 70-year historical rate, the team developing the goals have said.

The goals would also see the industry’s greenhouse gas emission intensity drop by 33 per cent.

“We looked at what our long-term performance was in a number of areas and said, ‘What if we just continued to do what we have historically?'” said Brenna Grant, Canfax manager and one of the presenters of the goals at their launch on Wednesday (Sept. 16).

“And then we talked about some major breakthroughs — major breakthroughs in terms of technology and innovation or major breakthroughs in terms of adoption rates for certain practices.”

Those breakthrough scenarios are anticipated to create the desired emissions drop.

On animal health, organizations hope to see a 92 per cent reproductive efficiency across the industry (up from 85 per cent reported in 2018), refocus breeding on traits that support animal health such as calving ease and polled genes, encourage management strategies around things like pain relief, and create a national monitoring system to track practices. Other goals would better outline best antimicrobial practices to, “ensure the effectiveness of existing and future antimicrobials is preserved.

Other goals orient around maintaining the native grassland used for beef production and encouraging ecosystems on grazing land. The 2016 census of agriculture noted a 4.4 per cent decline of tame and native pastures from 2011 to 2016 as more producers opted for annual crops.

“We knew that we needed a market mechanism in order to achieve this,” Grant said. “So yes, focusing on economic viability of producers, but also by supporting programs that incentivize conservation and working with other crop groups across Canada to make sure that this happens.”

Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, said the implementation of those goals will depend largely on increasing the efficiency of each operation.

According to documents on the strategy’s website, some of those tools include increased vaccination, the adoption of different pasture management and low-stress handling, increased extension, encouraging feed plans, body condition scoring, and feed testing, pursuing more research on pasture management, and more extension and education, among others.

“They’re ambitious goals,” Laycraft admitted. “But our producer network that we worked with when we set this up really encouraged us to follow ambitious goals. I think Canada will be one of the world leaders and, at the same time, it is our goal to make sure whenever we do this we actually make our industry stronger in the process.”

The organizations expect to launch 2030 goals on water; beef quality and food safety; human health and safety and technology next year.

For more details, keep an eye on upcoming issues of the Manitoba Co-operator.

— Alexis Stockford is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator.

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‘Yes,’ a restaurateur and food distributor said at the virtual Canadian Beef Industry Conference — prompting the two farmers on the panel discussion to call for more co-operation to get the word out on what ranchers are doing for the environment.

The public is definitely interested, said Darren Frey, national merchandising manager for Gordon Food Services, the largest privately held food distributor in North America.

“Five or six years ago, you never had questions from customers about the attributes of beef or of sustainability,” he said.

Now, every consumer that calls has a lot of very specific questions.

“We’re working hard and fast to get our sales teams and product teams up to speed to answer all these questions that come from our customers,” said Frey.

The president of the Chop Steakhouse & Bar has been doing the same with waitstaff since becoming the first sit-down restaurant in the country to offer a menu item (a burger) made from beef certified by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

His servers were dumbfounded when told about cattle’s role in maintaining grasslands and how ranchers care for their land, said Marcel Blais.

“They’re amongst the best stewards we have for the environment, and when our young teams learn it, I can see it in their eyes — and they think, ‘That’s not what I saw on Netflix,’” said Blais.

“We show them the evidence, we show them the support we get from Ducks Unlimited and the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and they’re blown away. It gives them a sense of pride.”

The two producers on the panel said the pandemic has made consumers even more receptive to that message.

“They had to think about the logistics of what brings beef to their plates,” said Karleen Clark, who operates KCL Cattle Company, a mixed cattle, feeding and farming operation in Lethbridge County with her parents, husband and sister’s family.

“We had more people reaching out to ask for beef straight from our farm.”

People felt they could trust producers and go straight to them, which is a shift, she said.

Maryjo Tait said the empty grocery store shelves inspired people to reach out to her family’s cow-calf operation near London, Ont.

“They were going to the grocery store and for the first time, they saw a food shortage and were not able to get that beef,” she said. “It’s been positive to open up that conversation and open their eyes.”

However, that can be difficult, Tait added, noting her farm is registered with Verified Beef Production Plus (one of two CRSB-approved certification bodies), but most people don’t know what that means.

But it’s critical that consumers understand what the beef sector is doing on the sustainability front so that when they see the CRSB logo, it has meaning for them, said Blais.

“There’s value in sustainability to the end consumer,” he said. “If there isn’t value to them, it’s a cost that will have to be cut. We have to do a good job as an industry to make sure we aren’t on that list of expenses that are getting cut. We need more restaurants to jump on board, and we need to continue our story.”

Clark said it is good to have companies like McDonald’s and Chop Steakhouse & Bar telling the beef ranching story.

“Me, sitting here as a feedlot operator, I can’t get my message out in a way that they seem to be able to get it out,” she said. “They’re the storytellers, they’re the people in public, and I think it’s important that the work that the CRSB is doing is so good.

“They’re bringing us together and they’re helping us tell our story that we have had trouble telling in the past.”

Producers need to remember that most people are several generations removed from the farm, added Tait.

“You can’t fault people for what they don’t know,” she said. “We need those excellent partnerships through our distributors, processors and retailers. That’s why the CRSB is so appealing.”

Blais emphasized that a strong message will find an audience.

“Overwhelmingly, people want to know where their food comes from and how it got to the table and their plate,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing.”

But ranchers, packers, distributors, stores and restaurants have to keep talking to each other, he added.

“We have a problem of having too many good angles to take (and) we’re plagued with a history of not talking to each other,” said Blais. “One of the best things the CRSB has done in my opinion is bring together these stakeholder groups.”

Clark agreed and spoke of her family’s “core values” — such as working hard, being efficient and remaining economically viable — and how they have driven the success of KCL Cattle Company (which has bought and expanded two feedlots in Alberta and is part owner of another in Saskatchewan). All the players in the beef value chain need to understand each other’s view of sustainability and how they can work together, she said.

“We all need to come together to say what sustainability means and find out how we can drive forward with our core values together,” said Clark.

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“We have set some very aggressive targets in our own 2020 Sustainability plan, and with a lot of hard work, we have met or exceeded our goals,” said David Colwell, president of JBS Canada. “We now invite retail, food-service and-service entities considering a beef sustainability claim for their products to look to JBS Canada in supporting their sustainable sourcing goals.”

Certification requires meeting specific requirements on animal health and welfare, use of natural resources, efficiencies, and other factors.

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“We are excited to see such strong growth in the certification program over the past year, with a 45 per cent increase in the volume of beef that has been sold through the program, and a 16 per cent increase in certified farms and ranches over the past six months,” said roundtable chair Anne Wasko. “It shows that there is demand for the program.”

McDonald’s Canada was the first to start using certified sustainable beef in its burgers with Harvey’s following suit in June. There are also two CRSB-certified processors: Cargill in Alberta and Atlantic Beef Products Inc. in the East.

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“For us, our main focus is on water and grass. It’s the same focus for cattle producers as well,” Karla Guyn said in an interview.

The relationship between her organization and the cattle industry is one of mutual respect and benefit, said Guyn, who spoke about this relationship in a keynote at the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) meeting at the recent Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

“Ducks Unlimited Canada recognizes that cattle are protecting some of the most threatened wetlands and grasslands,” she said. “Without cattle grazing, these areas could be lost to cultivated agriculture or other uses that negatively affect things like biodiversity and carbon storage and wildlife.”

Ducks Unlimited has a seat on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef board, and it and other conservation groups (including the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the World Wildlife Fund) want to work more closely with the roundtable.

“At our last meeting in April in Ottawa with them, there was agreement from the CRSB and conservation groups to come out with communication messages, and those are being worked on right now,” said Guyn. “CRSB has recognized that they need to have that conservation voice at the table.”

For their part, conservation groups need to speak up about the importance of the beef industry, as the media are speaking more often about eating less meat or choosing plant-based foods, she added.

“I think environmental conservation groups have a role in this. We’re going to help promote the idea of why the cattle industry is important to the conservation of grass and water.”

During her talk at the CRSB meeting, she encouraged the cattle industry to continue to research its impacts on biodiversity, climate change and water quality.

“I still believe that at the end of the day, science will prevail, despite the misinformation,” said Guyn, who grew up in Calgary and trained as a biologist. “If you don’t have scientific fact to back you up, you don’t really have a leg to stand on.”

Since its inception in 1938, Ducks Unlimited has always focused on maintaining habitat of working landscapes, and has not advocated taking them out of production.

There are currently more threats to the beef industry through trade wars, tariffs, and plant-based foods, said Guyn.

“This demonstrates the need to have an environmentally sustainable industry,” she said. “More and more, consumers are requesting that.

“I think that’s where conservation organizations can come in. We’re not part of the beef industry, so some folks think us speaking up can carry some weight. We’re really talking about the role that cattle producers have on the agricultural landscape in Canada.”

A communications specialist is currently working with the CRSB, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and conservation groups to get key messages to the public.

“We all agree that this is very important. Ducks Unlimited Canada sees the push to more plant-based foods as a threat to the conservation of grasslands and wetlands,” she said.

“Using science gives us credibility with government, industry and the public. I believe the CRSB will continue to do that.”

Messages from landowners and cattle producers have a big impact on the public, and landowners should not be afraid to share their stories or to be emotional when they are doing so.

“Ducks Unlimited knows that the beef industry is facing all kinds of challenges right now, and we want to navigate those challenges with them,” she said.

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