Wynne launches industry-led risk management program for the corn-fed beef industry

Mar 26, 2013

Ontario Premier announces $10-million one-time funding risk management program

Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association’s Corn-Fed Beef Program is getting a boost from the provincial government with a one-time investment of $10 million to create an industry-led risk management program.

The industry-led risk management program was announced today at a 2,300-head beef cattle fed-lot operation in Lucan, Ontario by Premier and Agriculture Minister Kathleen Wynne.

“This partnership builds on our introduction of the Local Food Act. Ontario Corn-Fed Beef is a model of the way forward – helping producers market their products based on where or how they are made. It’s yet another reason for consumers to choose Ontario foods,” said Premier Kathleen Wynne in her acting role as Agriculture and Food Minister.

The risk management program fund will be managed by the association, which seeks to help stabilize pricing for participating producers in the Corn-Fed Beef Program, while encouraging growth in the sector.

Wynne said this investment will also support the province’s local food strategy with the introduction of the Local Food Act, announced on Monday [March 25th, 2012]. This program will support the marketing of an Ontario-only branded product from the farm gate to the dinner plate.

“This project marks a new way of thinking about business risk management tools. We appreciate the support of the Province in helping to build a more stable, sustainable market that benefits everyone – producers, processors, retailers and consumers,” said Jim Clark, Executive Director, Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association.

Ontario Corn-Fed Beef products are featured in 241 Loblaw stores and 120 affiliate retail outlets across the province. All cattle in this program are fed and processed in Ontario. The brand was launched by the Ontario Cattle Feeder’s Association in 2001.

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.