Canadian beef genetic delegation travels to Kansas

Nov 08, 2024
By Jean-Paul McDonald
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Canadian breeders explore Kansas beef genetics operations and partnerships
A Canadian beef genetics trade team from Saskatchewan and Alberta visited the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) in late October. This trade mission aimed to enhance ties between Canada and Kansas in beef genetics, focusing on knowledge-sharing and exploring trade partnerships in cattle breeding.

The diverse Canadian trade team represented a variety of seedstock operations and cattle breeds, including Black and Red Angus, Charolais, Hereford, and Simmental. The group’s itinerary included visits to some of Kansas’s most notable seedstock operations, such as McCurry Angus Ranch in Burrton, Bar S Ranch in Paradise, and Fink Beef Genetics in Randolph.

The team also attended the American Royal livestock show in Kansas City, where they observed industry-leading practices in livestock handling and breeding.

Shari Leachman, a trade team participant from Saskatchewan, appreciated the Kansas operations' dedication to innovation and quality. “Each family we visited exemplified professionalism, hospitality, and a forward-looking approach in the beef industry,” she noted, emphasizing the impact of these qualities on customer success.

Suzanne Ryan-Numrich, KDA’s international trade director, emphasized the significance of the mission, noting that it built on an earlier KDA trade trip to the Canadian Western Agribition last fall.

“This mission highlights the growing interest in beef genetics and the potential for cross-border partnerships in the beef industry,” Ryan-Numrich stated. Through these exchanges, Kansas producers have been able to broaden their international connections and promote Kansas’s purebred beef cattle.

The trade mission aligns with KDA's goal to support all facets of agriculture, including creating marketing opportunities for Kansas producers both domestically and internationally. This initiative was made possible through KDA’s collaboration with the U.S. Livestock Genetics Export, Inc. (USLGE) and USDA Market Access Program funding, which supports international partnerships and agricultural exports.

As interest in global beef genetics grows, Kansas and Canada stand to benefit from ongoing collaboration, which will foster growth and strengthen the agricultural sector on both sides of the border.

Photo Credit:kansasbeef

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.