Thank you, Fawn.

Our family runs a beef cattle and cropping operation near Kelliher, Saskatchewan, northeast of Regina. We take pride in caring for the environment as part of our role as ranchers. In this country, cattle producers care for 35 million acres of temperate native grasslands, and while it doesn't often make the headlines, this grassland ecosystem is disappearing faster than the Amazon rainforest. Since the 1970s we've seen a staggering loss of nearly 75% of native grasslands through land conversion.

When the grasslands are lost, so too are the species that depend on the grasslands for their habitat. There are currently over 60 species at risk in Canada's grasslands, species that only exist because of continued beef production on native grasslands. Beef farmers and ranchers work closely with conservation partners on grassland habitat and biodiversity maintenance and enhancement to protect the grassland ecosystem. Cattle grazing and the continued presence of livestock on these working landscapes support the conservation of species that depend on native grasslands, like the greater sage-grouse, the burrowing owl and many songbirds.

In the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, 2019, “The State of Canada's Birds” report, it notes that Canada's grassland birds have declined by 57% since 1970, and emphasize that “Beneficial grazing on public and private lands is critical for the creation and maintenance of grassland bird habitat.” As a conservation action, the report recommends supporting sustainable range-fed beef, including beneficial pasture and hay management. Without beef production, these threatened native grasslands are at risk of conversion and these at-risk species suffer the consequences.

Since 2015, our industry has worked through Environment and Climate Change Canada's species-at-risk partnerships on agricultural lands, known as SARPAL. We work directly with beef producers to promote and enhance habitat for a multitude of species at risk. SARPAL has proven to be a great environmental program through collaboration with the beef sector and conservation organizations.

We work closely with our conservation partners, including Ducks Unlimited Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Birds Canada and others to promote and deliver the beneficial management conservation solutions on the ground for our producers. Recently, Ducks Unlimited Canada launched its Beef Belongs website, highlighting the critical role beef cattle play in the health and enhancement of grasslands, wetlands and soil biodiversity in Canada. In its words, “Raising beef in Canada is good for the environment.”

Grazing by livestock is essential for the complex native grasslands to flourish. These grasslands left without grazing are essentially lost by natural progression to habitats with a lower conversion value, for example, brush and tree encroachment. By generating revenue through sustainable grazing practices, ranchers help ensure native grasslands are not converted to other uses.

With respect to climate change, rangelands and wetlands managed by beef producers in Canada are carbon sinks that store, conservatively, about 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon. The Canadian beef industry's greenhouse gas emissions account for only 2.4% of Canadian total greenhouse gas emissions and 0.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Our industry's greenhouse gas footprint is less than half that of the world average and one of the lowest in the world. Today, the beef industry is producing more beef with less greenhouse gas emissions, less land and less water. The reductions in the beef industry's environmental footprint have largely come through genetics, animal health and technologies that improve production efficiencies.

We're very proud of this, but we're not sitting on our laurels. Producers across Canada continue to innovate and look for new ways to be sustainable and help the environment.

In British Columbia, cattle producers are conducting pilot studies on the use of cattle grazing to reduce fuel loads under forest canopies to mitigate the risk of wildfires. The studies are developing virtual fencing technology that will be an innovative game-changer for rotational grazing strategies, wildfire management and the enhancement of species habitat in remote grazing landscapes.

Food loss and waste continues to be a large discussion in Canada’s food system. Cattle are wonderful upcyclers. For example, the by-products of the grains we produce on our farm, such as the stems and stalks after harvesting grain, can be fed to cattle, and so can grains that are headed for food markets but perhaps don’t meet the high standards needed for the grain market because they are spoiled or have been heated.

This example goes much further than within our own farm. Cattle also eat by-products of wine and beer production, wilted produce and by-products of canola production. This last year when COVID hit, there were many potatoes that weren’t going to restaurants and they were able to be fed to cattle instead of going to the landfills.

Last, it's worth noting that in the past year, the Canadian beef industry has set ambitious 2030 goals related to greenhouse gas and carbon sequestration. Among other targets, our industry has committed to safeguarding the existing 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon stored on landscapes. We will also sequester an additional 3.4 million tonnes of carbon every year to reduce primary production greenhouse gas emission intensity by 33% in 2030.

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