Alberta farmer express

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ENGINEER TURNED EXPERT GRAZIER

WALKING THE SAFETY WALK

Mark Burggren isn’t your average acreage owner, he’s a master at boosting pasture productivity » PG 3

Colony starting workplace safety program for itself and other Hutterite operations » PG 2 Publications Mail Agreement # 40069240

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Grasslands a carbon-capture colossus

The great divide:

Earls controversy has larger implications for beef industry

Do the math: Take Alberta $15-per-tonne carbon tax and then look at how much carbon is stored in grasslands By JENNIFER BLAIR AF staff / Thorsby

A move to woo customers with ‘certified humane’ beef ignited a firestorm — and highlighted the gap between producers and consumers

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f the Alberta government really wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province, it should start with an incentive for farmers to reduce annual cropping, says a rangeland management expert. “There’s a pretty compelling case about why there should be a direct economic incentive for producers to maintain or even increase the amount of perennial coverage that they have,” said Ed Bork,

By ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF

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he decision by Earls Restaurants to stop using Canadian beef and move to American beef labelled “certified humane” is no longer about one restaurant making a decision to change suppliers. The move, which sent waves of displeasure through the beef industry, has highlighted both consumers’ lack of knowledge about beef production and the wide divide between producers and consumers. It’s also raised questions about if the Canadian beef industry is able to keep up with a rapidly changing consumer landscape. It started innocently enough. On April 27, Earls Restaurants tweeted, “This is really big. Earls is the first chain in North America to source beef from Certified Humane farms in all its restaurants.” In a video linked to the tweet, Mo Jessa, president of the Vancouver-based restaurant chain, announced the change and said, “I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to say that.” The backlash was immediate, with

see grasslands } page 7

Adrienne Ivey (left) says Earls’ decision to source Certified Humane beef was all about marketing and while Ben Campbell (right) didn’t like the decision either, he also says beef producers need to “shift our paradigm.”   PHOTOS: SUPPLIED ranchers, beef industry officials, consumers, and some politicians voicing their displeasure with the company’s decision to stop sourcing beef from Canadian ranchers. The hashtag #BoycottEarls was soon trending on Twitter. “When a Canadian-based company like Earls that has been supportive of the

Canadian industry in the past makes a decision like this, it’s just disappointing. Heart wrenching even,” said rancher Adrienne Ivey, who raises cow-calf pairs, backgrounds, and finishes cattle near Ituna, Sask.

see EARLs’ BEEF } page 6

GM alfalfa — ‘Coexistence‘ plan unveileD } PAGE 25 B:10.25” T:10.25”

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