The Canadian beef industry is at a crossroads; we know we have the capability in Canada to produce the highest quality of beef products due to our abundance of open land, clean water and fresh air but our national cow herd continues to decline.  For years, profit margins have been tight and producers have been getting older, now prices are climbing and an enthusiastic, passionate, younger generation is taking the lead in the industry.  But will the cow numbers continue to decrease or will we begin to rebuild and will this turn around happen in time?  

Canada is a beef exporting nation.  50% of our cattle and beef production is exported according to Canada Beef Inc.   While historically our main trading partner has been the United States, and will hopefully remain so, things are changing and there are vast opportunities available in other regions of the world.  Our current government has encouraged free trade and continues to take down trade barriers with other nations and regions.  Still the number one factor in meeting the demand of feeding the world is that we must exceed the customer's needs, whether they are in downtown Toronto or rural China.  Consumers are smart and savvy regardless of where they live, and they want to know more information about where and how their food is produced.  China has an enormous expanding middle class who are looking for high end food products but who also want authentic stories and facts to back them up (Andrew Wu from ALMA’s "A Discussion with Andrew Wu", August 2012, Calgary).  In Canada we have a fantastic story to tell, about how we produce the highest quality and safest beef in the world.  

Is it enough?  Can we give consumers the information they want in a format they can use?  Are we meeting our customer's expectations with our current systems?  Our cattle traceability system is world renowned but there is always room to improve.  Other countries are doing different things and what can we learn from them, we can use to strengthen our industry.  We should not only learn from other beef producing countries but share our experiences and ways of doing things so that we can teach.  As we continue to push into Asian markets, can we meet expectations there?  Consumers will have different needs and standards than our Canadian consumers have.  The Canadian beef industry needs to think globally.  The world seems smaller today than ever before and by working together we can continue to feed the world in a safe, sustainable manner.  This is what I hope to discover as a Nuffield Scholar.  

Nuffield Canada is an agricultural leadership development program that allows professionals to expand their network worldwide and explore a topic of their choice.  It encourages the sharing of ideas and lifelong learning, as well as the opportunity to travel.  A scholarship is available to anyone between the age of 25- 45 involved in agriculture in any capacity of primary production, industry or governance. It exists in 8 countries including Canada and currently 3 Canadian Scholarships are awarded annually. I have the honour of being one of the 2014 Scholars and will be talking about my travels and findings at every opportunity that I can.  Feel free to contact me to learn more or to give your opinion on traceability in Canada.

Originally published in "Aberdeen Angus World" Winter 2013 edition and parts were used in my Nuffield Application.