Abstracts

Presented by Brenna Grant - Email: grantb@canfax.ca

"The beef industry has been in the hot seat with regard to public perception on global environmental impacts in recent years. However, often these criticisms ignore the unique context and characteristics of Canada and other Prairie regions. Specifically, the Canadian beef industry provides an economic incentive to preserve critical grassland and wetland habitat needed for at risk species. Land-use change away from the livestock industry will further drive the loss of this valuable habitat. The Canadian beef industry has made great strides and continues to strive for continuous improvement for beef and grassland sustainability. Brenna will describe the beef industry’s future goals for sustainability and what the Prairie landscape could look like if beef producers are successful in achieving these objectives. She will bring ideas for how collaboration with conservation interests can advance the work of the beef industry to achieve mutual benefits on the landscape. Brenna will delve into improving industry standards, a world-class sustainability framework, a vision for the future of our agricultural landscape and how these things are inherently tied to forces like markets, prairie conservation and public trust.