Canada: Beef sector presents stewardship award this week

Nominee ranchers from across Canada are up for the Canadian Cattle Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award for going above industry standards for protecting land, water and wildlife while raising cattle.

The six nominees from the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia are vying for the award.

It is expected to presented Aug. 17 at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Penticton, B.C.

The nominees, with the exception of Alberta’s Ribbon Creek Ranch, gave short presentations of their respective operations during a webinar hosted by the Canadian Cattle Association.

Cedric MacLeod of Local Valley Beef, and representing the Maritimes nomination, said his farm is a first-generation operation which has a focus on soil health.

When he bought the land for his farm near Fredericton, N.B., it had been heavily grazed with cultivated land used for potatoes with little rotation.

“Our work over the last couple of years has been to bring (soils) into shape and provide productivity not only for us but we’re taking that longer term approach to make sure the soils are left in better shape than what we found them,” he said. “Environmental management just seemed like the way to go. When we try to push against nature, it never seemed to turn out very well for us.”

Quebec’s Stéphane Guay, who runs Ferme Guayclair located in the southwestern portion of the province, said he switched from dairy production to beef four years ago with a focus on regenerative farming.

“Why? Just to bail out the soil. To bring back the biology of the soil,” he said. “We decided to put cover crops on our cash crop operation.”

Guay said his farm plants beets, corn and soybeans, followed by cover crops such as oats, clovers and peas and then puts the cattle back on the land to graze.

He also incorporates fruit trees on his operation for food production and for windbreaks.

Mike Swidersky, representing the Grey-Dufferin Community Pasture in Ontario, said his operation has operated for more than 40 years and has been focused on rotational grazing.

In combination with good water management practices, Swidersky said, “production has increased from a mere 150 cattle at the start of the pasture to now where we’ve got over 600 head here on the 700 acres.”

The pasture uses municipal compost instead of commercial fertilizers, which Swidersky said, “has not only been good for us as a pasture for grass production but good for the environment and the community.”

Windy Ridge Ranching run by Patti and Gerald Anhorn, is Saskatchewan’s nomination for the stewardship award.

Patti said the west-central Saskatchewan ranch is home to numerous species, including some endangered birds, with the dry weather being a particular challenge for the operation.

But the focus of the ranch is preservation of native rangeland by deferring grazing to late August while preventing re-grazing.

“This allows wildlife habitat to be undisturbed during critical periods in time,” said Gerald, adding the ranch has seeded 2,200 acres back to perennial forage, incorporates rotational grazing and has invested heavily in water management to help disburse grazing.

Bar 7 Ranch, owned by Erika Fossen, is B.C.’s nominee and is located near Osoyoos in the far south-central portion of the province.

Fossen said the rugged terrain along south facing slopes has required her operation to be adaptive which has focused on water management.

“Our irrigation is now done with labour-saving centre pivots that have cut our power use by half, reduced our labour and doubled our production,” she said. “Applying minimal fertilizer with our centre pivots has also reduced fertilizer and fuel use.”

Zero till seeding, rotational grazing and manure management have also proved to be beneficial to soil management as well as weed control she added.

The Environmental Stewardship Award will be handed out at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference being held later this month in Penticton, B.C.

Tags: Beef, cattle, ranchers, Canadian Cattle Association, Canada