Out and about with Alberta Beef Producers

Spring has sprung in Alberta, and with folks coming out of winter hibernation and the weather starts warming up, you can bet we are gearing up for event season.

We began our spring auction mart tour in Beaverlodge, Alberta. This quarter we focused our messaging towards cow-calf producers by providing detailed calving sheets that producers could add to their records. In my travels, I was fortunate to have many conversations with producers as well as consumers who were genuinely curious about the beef industry and what role ABP plays.

When speaking with producers, there were some common themes that played on everyone’s minds, which ABP is currently engaged in. With the change in legislation behind the Transfer of Care (TOC) documents, there seemed to be a large amount of concern around the increase of responsibility being put on the transporters and auction markets. ABP has been actively involved with government and research committees to ensure that TOC regulations will be in the best interests for all of those involved.

Our marketing team headed to the Calgary Stampede grounds to participate in their annual Aggie Days. We had the pleasure of combining forces with Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) and Canada Beef to create a presentation that gave students an opportunity to experience a part of the beef production story. Students in grades 4-6 in the Calgary area were challenged in the Guardians of the Grassland game where they learned about the impact of rotational grazing and wildlife interactions that cattle may have. Based of their decisions on rotational days/ soil health and wildlife interactions they would receive points accordingly. Students were also walked through the Hi-Hog squeeze, demonstrating its operation and purpose in cattle production.

The education didn’t stop there as each student would also be provided with a take-home informational pamphlet on nutrition, greenhouse gases, hormones and antibiotics in beef production, a beef by-products scavenger hunt, and other miscellaneous items to continue their education on beef in their own home.

Our consumer education journey will continue as we will be participating in the Mountain View Aggie Days in June and Calgary Stampede’s Cattle Trail in July. Along with our participation in other events during Calgary Stampede we will also be preparing for the 2023 Canadian Beef Industry Conference in the upcoming months. We hope to see you at some of these amazing events this summer.

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This article was first published in Volume 3 Issue 2 of ABP Magazine (June 2023). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.