March 2019 CATTLE COUNTRY 17
BCRC research updates enlightening BY ANGELA LOVELL Producers at the Manitoba Beef Producers AGM in February were brought up to speed on what’s been happening in the areas of beef research and sustainability by representatives from the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). The BCRC recently completed some long-term research with Dr. Kim Ominski at the University of Manitoba that looked at what the beef industry has done over the last 20 years to change its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), water footprint and its positive contribution to biodiversity and carbon sequestration. “This work has been recognized internationally in terms of what we are doing to try and communicate with facts what our industry is doing to improve, but also where we contribute positively to the environment,” said Andrea Brocklebank, Executive Director of the BCRC. “Just to say that we contribute to biodiversity or carbon sequestration is one thing, but backing that with numbers is really important.” BCRC’s research – which is partly funded by producer check-off dollars – is focusing on priorities for the industry including improving productivity, forage and grasslands, animal welfare and feed and feed efficiency. “We are also allowing researchers to measure how this changes GHG emissions, and we are doing that when we are looking at grazing strategies ultimately to show that grazing actually improves carbon sequestration,” said Brocklebank. On the feedlot side BCRC is also looking at how improved efficiencies contribute to the reduced environmental footprint. That’s providing a good news story for Canadian beef production that all levels of the supply chain from producers to retailers and restaurants can make part of their beef marketing message. Production tools to help producers make better decisions The BCRC is also developing some interactive online tools to help beef producers adopt management practices that contribute to improved production efficiency, such as a Body Conditioning Score (BCS) tool. “Research for a long time has shown there is value in Body Conditioning Scores, but we don’t necessarily see a lot of producers adopting them,” said Brocklebank. “We decided to encourage adoption by showing what the economic impact was.” The online BCS tool allows producers to see the relative impact if the BCS changes on pregnancy rate, weaning weight and survival rate of cows. Producers can customize the calculator by adjusting things such as prices, type and cost of available feed to make it more applicable to their own operations. There are also tools to assess the economics of preconditioning that allows producers to understand the value of preconditioning calves over a 30, 45 or 60 days based on the feed sources available, and a pregnancy check calculator to help a producer decide if adding these practices make sense for his or her operation. Another valuable tool is used to measure the economics of pumped watering systems. “Research shows that herd calves average 18 pounds more gain if they drink clean water,” said Brocklebank. Producers can assess the value (and the time to recap the investment) of installing a watering system based on herd size and the type of potential system they might install. “The idea of these tools is to make simple opportunities for producers to help guide their decisions,” said Brocklebank. The BCRC has many free resources, including fact sheets, infographics, webinars, videos and a regularly updated news blog that producers can sign up for via email that highlights new research and production information. See www.beefresearch.ca for more information. Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef makes a lot of progress The CRSB has made a lot of progress since 2016
when it began benchmarking activities which led to the development of a National Beef Sustainability Strategy. The Strategy’s overarching goal is to build a stronger and more united Canadian beef sustainability community and under that umbrella it identifies various environmental, social and economic goals, key performance indicators and action items that will guide the future work of the CRSB as it develops and implements sustainability projects. The CRSB is a collaborative community of stakeholders devoted to advancing sustainability within the Canadian beef industry and brings together beef producer and processor organizations, food and agribusinesses, NGOs, conservation organisations, banks, processors and retail and food service companies. MBP is a member of the CRSB. “When you bring that many organizations to have a conversation about what sustainable beef means, what you get is something that is robust and works for everyone,” said Kristine Tapley, CRSB Council Director. “It gives us the ability to roll out on a much bigger scale and the global recognition about what we are doing in Canada is based on having so many different voices coming together to be a part of it.” A certification framework for sustainable beef has been established which is currently delivered through two certification bodies – the Verified Beef Production Plus Program (VBP+) or Where Food Comes From. Beef producers and feedlots who comply with the Sustainable Beef Production Standard can apply for certification. There are also separate standards for beef processors who wish to be certified under the program. CRSB has also developed a Certified Sustainable Beef logo that anyone who is certified can use on their products. Currently only Cargill’s High River, Alberta packing plant is a certified sustainable beef facility, but it is hoping to have its Guelph facility also certified soon.
Cargill, in partnership with the CRSB, BIXS, VBP+ and Where Food Comes From, is leading the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot, which is paying a per head incentive to certified sustainable beef producers that move their beef through a certified sustainable chain to the Cargill plant. A big part of the Sustainability Framework, on which the CRSB is currently working hard, is communication. “We are leaning hard on our members [to get our message out] because there’s a huge reach there and we have a lot of power in our members,” said Tapley. The CRSB’s role is providing the tools to properly communicate what certified sustainable beef is, what it means and guidelines for using the logo. Steps for Manitoba producers to sustainable beef certification 1. Review the Sustainable Beef Production Standards available on the CRSB website. 2. Fill out the application for an audit and submit to VBP+. 3. VBP+ completes the audit and certification is received. 4. Communicate that you are certified to auction marts and buyers. To participate in the Cargill Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot 1. Get audited by VBP+ and receive sustainable certification 2. Sign up for BIXS 3. Update your profile in BIXS to allow for sharing of information 4. Age verify your certified sustainable cattle via BIXS or the CLTS 5. Every point in the supply chain that your certified cattle go through must also be certified sustainable in order to receive the per head credit from the pilot partners.
Manitoba Shorthorn Association www.manitobashorthorn.com
Upcoming sale March 30, 2019 at Manitoba Bull Test Station www.mbbeef.ca