Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) Executive Vice President Dennis Laycraft is in Japan as talks to progress the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), aka TPP11, resume. The CPTPP is a massive opportunity for Canada’s beef sector, particularly in the Japanese market, and Laycraft is on hand to support Government of Canada negotiators.

Laycraft and Canadian Meat Council President Chris White attended the CPTPP meetings, touched base with the Canadian negotiators and met with officials at the Embassy.

The CPTPP is viewed by the Canadian agricultural sector as essential to securing access to diverse and dynamic exports markets in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. To view CCA’s statement on the need for the CPTPP, click here (http://www.cattle.ca/assets/Article/CCA-Statement-Now-is-the-time-for-Canada-to-move-forward-on-a-Pacific-trade-deal-01.17.2018.pdf).

CCA in Japan for CPTPP negotiations

CCA EVP Laycraft (L) and CMC President White at the CPTPP meetings.

The CCA is in Montreal this week as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade talks resume. The sixth formal round of discussions commenced on the weekend and are scheduled to run to January 29, 2018. Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, United States (U.S.) Trade Representative, and Ildefonso Guajardo, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, will meet in Montreal on the final day.

CCA in Montreal for NAFTA Round 6

In This Issue...

• CCA in Japan for CPTPP negotiations

• CCA in Montreal for NAFTA Round 6

• CCA Guest Column: Explaining the fuss about the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot

• CYL, YCC participate at the National Western Stock Show

• Responsible management helps shrink Canadian beef industry water footprint

• Save the date: CCA 2018 Annual

Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018

CCA IS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF CANADA’S 68,500 BEEF FARMS

The formal talks resume on the heels of two major agriculture policy conventions in the U.S. in early January. There, an increasingly vocal agricultural producer and rural sector spoke to the benefits of NAFTA and showed support for renegotiation of the trade deal rather than its termination, which U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to do.

CCA leadership attended these meetings to promote common interests in NAFTA and urge progress on regulatory modernization to improve the flow of trade between the two countries. CCA Vice President David Haywood-Farmer and staff John Masswohl attended the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) 2018 convention in Nashville, TN. They attended discussions on the benefits of NAFTA along with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Lawrence MacAulay. The Minister had the honour of being the first Canadian Agriculture Minister to address the AFBF Convention. His address, to a packed room of U.S. farmers, focused on the interdependence of Canada and the U.S. and a commitment to continue working together. He also noted that nine million jobs in U.S. depend on trade with Canada, and that If we grow our trade relationship, we grow our economies. If we grow our trade relationship, we grow our economies. Haywood-Farmer said the audience was receptive to the Minister’s speech.

CCA Executive Vice-President Dennis Laycraft attended the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) 2018 Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit in Kansas City, MO. The ag chairs summit brings together senior U.S. state agriculture legislators, provincial ministers, and elected officials representing agricultural and rural issues. The SARL meeting passed a resolution to “support making targeted improvements to NAFTA that build on the enormously successful North American partnership”.

The CCA’s participation at all rounds of the NAFTA renegotiation process will continue in 2018.

Minister MacAulay addresses a packed audience of U.S. farmers at AFBF (left). This banner, for producers to sign, is part of the growing advocacy efforts underway in the U.S. to renegotiate NAFTA (right).

CCA VP Haywood-Farmer and Minister MacAulay at the AFBF.

Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018

Virgil Lowe, Business Manager, Verified Beef Production Plus.

The CCA Guest Column is a new addition to Action News to highlight important work being done in other areas of the beef industry of value to readers. This month’s contribution is from Virgil Lowe, Business Manager, Verified Beef Production Plus.

The Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot (CBSA) hopes to achieve in one year what many in the industry have been trying to accomplish for years – deliver a certified sustainable supply chain to foodservice and retail customers.

Led by Cargill, Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) (http://www.verifiedbeefproductionplus.ca/) and the Beef InfoXchange System (http://www.bixsco.com/), the CBSA aims to sate demand from foodservice and retail companies for gate to plate tracking that verifies the production practices used in raising an animal as sustainable. What’s more, foodservice companies and retailers are helping facilitate the development of a sustainable supply chain in Canada through providing financial incentives for qualifying cattle.

VBP+ plays an important role in the development of a sustainable supply chain. Eligibility for the CBSA requires that all the places an animal stays throughout their lifetime are VBP+ Registered and that they be processed in an audited packing plant (currently Cargill High River). VBP+, a training and on-farm verification program for Canadian beef producers developed and managed by the CCA, is delivered through various provincial beef organizations across the country.

McDonalds, Loblaws, Swiss Chalet, and Original Joe’s are among the foodservice and retailers that have come forward to provide financial incentives for qualifying cattle. This is significant in terms of timing because they are providing financial incentive before they can make claims back to their customers. In other words, McDonalds, Loblaws, Swiss Chalet, and Original Joe’s are so committed to supporting certified sustainable beef (a program that meets commercial Canadian beef industry standards, unlike most other “certified” programs) they are willing to support the development of supply chains to provide it before they can reap the benefits in their stores. Now it is up to us, as producers, to build those supply chains.

Our role in CBSA as beef producers is simple. Complete the VBP+ verification process (including the audit) to become Registered and then try to ensure you sell your calves (or buy calves if you are a backgrounder or feedlot operator) to other VBP+ Registered producers. To get Registered and have your cattle qualify simply:

1. Be or become a VBP+ Registered Producer;2. Be or become a BIXS member;3. Age verify or move your cattle to the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) database (either directly or through BIXS).

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out directly to me (lowev@cattle.ca) or contact your local VBP+ Provincial Coordinator. Stay tuned for updates.

CCA Guest Column: Explaining the fuss about the Canadian Beef Sustainability Acceleration Pilot

Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018

Once again, the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) and Young Cattlemen’s Council (YCC) trip to Denver, CO. was a huge success. Five CYL’s were joined by one member of the YCC Board of Directors to take in the National Western Stock Show, the CAN-US Young Producer Roundtable and the first official CAN-US Stock Show Barn Tour. Ashley Gaudet, Amanda Brodhagen, Carley Henniger, Racheal Verwey, Kaitlyn Polegi, Lee Creech and Brett McRae had the opportunity to take in the prestigious event this year. The week kicked off with industry tours around the Denver and greater Fort Collins area. CYL and YCC representatives took in the JBS Packing Plant in Greely, Co, Leachman Cattle of Colorado, the Colorado State University Test Farm, and the Budweiser Brewery in the Fort Collin area. Each stop on the tour proved to be educational and interesting.

Joining the Canadian delegation on the tours, the Young Beef Leaders from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). NCBA President, Craig Uden, also joined the group. Having the NCBA President attend proved to be an outstanding opportunity for CYL’s to connect with and learn from industry experts they likely would not have otherwise met outside of the CYL program. As an advocacy effort, the trip formed relationships between future young leaders on both sides of the 49th parallel.

Day two of the event took place at the NCBA headquarters in Denver. CYL’s and Young Beef Leaders were address by leadership from both NCBA and CCA on relevant issues in the cattle industry today. Following the Roundtable, the group made their way down to the stock show, where the first annual CAN-US Barn Tour commenced. The tour brought together young leaders, industry professionals and cattle producers from both Canada and the U.S., while touring the Stock Yards. Stops were made at the stalls of Hamilton Farms, from Cochrane, AB, and Jensen Brothers from Courtland, KS. Producers from both operations spoke on Canadian/U.S. relationships, and the string of show cattle they brought with them to Denver. The Barn Tour was a huge success and was well attended. CYL and YCC both look forward to participating in the tour in the future. Overall, the trip was a huge success. For those interested in applying for the CYL program, applications are now open at www.cattlemensyoungleaders.com to March 31, 2018.

CYL, YCC participate at the National Western Stock Show

Water is a precious resource, and no one understands that better than Canadian beef producers. Responsible water use, along with land management and animal care, are foundational to Canadian beef production systems.

Canada is already recognized as one of the most water-efficient countries in the world when it comes to water use in beef production. With producers and industry committed to further improvement, this trend is expected to continue.

Responsible management helps shrink Canadian beef industry water footprint

Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018

A recent study found that the amount of water required to produce one kilogram of Canadian beef decreased 17 per cent from 1981 to 2011. While this is a significant decrease, the reduction was even greater when only blue water (surface and ground water) was looked at, resulting in a total decline of 20 per cent over the 30-year period.

The study, the most comprehensive to date in assessing the water footprint of Canadian beef production, examined water use intensity for “blue” water and “green” water (precipitation or rain water). Conducted by researchers at the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge, the study found that drinking water consumed by cattle accounted for less than one per cent of total water used in beef production, while water required (including precipitation) to grow pasture, crops or produce by-product feeds accounted for 99 per cent of total water use related to beef production. By-product feeds are usable feedstuffs leftover from other types of agri-processing, representing a valuable way to recycle these materials within agriculture.

University of Manitoba researcher Dr. Getahun Legesse Gizaw, one of the lead investigators of the study, cited several factors as driving this progress. “The improvements related to feed production were due primarily to improvements in crop productivity, with feed crops yielding higher with less water use,” he said. “Additional improvements were due to beef production advances, in areas including increases in carcass weight, reproductive efficiency, and average daily gain. There has also been substantial investment in southern Alberta to improve the efficiency of irrigation infrastructure and lower evaporative water losses in an area where most of Canada’s feedlot cattle are finished.”

Bryan Thiessen, Manager of Namaka Farms near Strathmore, AB and Chair of the Beef Cattle Research Council, said knowledge is crucial to producers and industry driving further improvements in responsible water management. “Studies like this one are helping to build a comprehensive understanding of the full scope of industry’s environmental footprint, which in turn enables us to continue to operate efficiently and responsibly and continue to contribute globally as leaders in sustainable beef production.”

The study is part of a larger project entitled “Defining the Environmental Footprint of Canadian Beef Production (http://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/producing-beef-with-lower-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-using-fewer-resources/),” which previously found that the Canadian beef industry had reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15 per cent during the same time period.

More information on how researchers calculated the water footprint can be found here (http://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/the-canadian-beef-industrys-water-footprint-is-shrinking/).

Interested parties can now register online (http://www.cattle.ca/news-events/cca-annual-general-meeting/) for the CCA’s 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ottawa March 21-23, 2018. The AGM will take place at the Ottawa Marriott Hotel (100 Kent Street, Ottawa, ON). A full schedule is available here (http://www.cattle.ca/assets/CCA-2018-AGM-Registration-Agenda.pdf). Please direct any questions to Paula Jenkins at jenkinsp@cattle.ca. If you would like to attend the AGM, please note that WestJet is offering the CCA discounts on flights to Ottawa. Click here (http://www.cattle.ca/news-events/cca-annual-general-meeting/) for details.

Save the date: CCA 2018 Annual General Meeting

Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018

CCA Action News

Staff Contributors: John Masswohl, Emily Ritchie, Stacey Domolewski, CanfaxEdited, compiled and/or written by: Gina Teel

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is the national voice for Canada’s beef cattle industry representing 60,000 beef farms and feedlots.

To sign up for CCA’s “Action News:” For more information, contact:

Visit www.cattle.ca and click on “Sign-up for Action News” CCA Communications at feedback@cattle.ca or visit our website at www.cattle.ca

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Volume 19 Issue 05 • January 22, 2018