World class grain system must be maintained

May 31, 2017

Recently there has been a public push by the Western Canadian Wheat Growers to change the Canadian varietal registration and grading system to allow American grown wheat full access into our export system. As usual, their simplistic approach ignores the economic pitfalls that Canadian farmers will face should this occur.

Canada’s grading system is unique in the world, with all of the wheat varieties that are accepted into our system assigned to a specific class that is based upon their characteristics. These characteristics include such things as protein content, and ensure uniformity within the class so that our customers are assured of a product that meets their end needs.

The Americans, however, simply accept any variety that is put forward, and it is up to customers to test each and every shipment to determine if it meets their specifications. As well, it is up to every farmer to decide if a variety meets both their own agronomic needs, and the end-use needs of potential customers.

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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.