Ag Industry Coalition Submitting Recommendations To CTA Review Panel

Feb 26, 2015

A coalition of Canadian agricultural groups has banded together to submit recommendations to the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) review.

This group, which represents the vast majority of shippers of bulk and processed grains and a broad cross-section of grower funded organizations, believes that the current rail system is not meeting the needs of producers and exporters.

One of the coalition's recommendations is to improve transparency with regards to the capacity and operation of the rail freight system by improving the CTA's access to information.

The coalition is also asking that a permanent advisory board composed of stakeholders representing all primary rail user groups assist in the establishment of the new monitor's operating terms of reference and to guide its activities on an on-going basis.

Source: PortageOnline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.