AGM Academic Competition Winners Announced

As part of the CRSB’s 10th Anniversary Celebration, the CRSB is providing its first Academic Opportunity to showcase two graduate students currently studying sustainability in the Canadian beef industry during our Annual General Meeting & Conference on September 18th in Calgary, AB. The successful candidates will present their research, have posters on display in the trade show area, and be given the opportunity to network with our members during the meeting.

Thanks to sponsorship from Merck Animal Health & Nature Conservancy of Canada, the students’ registration, accommodations, and a portion of their travel expenses will be covered to make it more accessible for them to attend the event. We are proud to announce the two successful candidates:

• Lucia Sanguinetti from the University of Calgary, and
• Madeline McLennan from the University of Guelph.   

Lucia Sanguinetti – M.Sc. Candidate, University of Calgary
Lucia is an agricultural engineer with a strong rural background; she was raised on a cow-calf and sheep farm in Uruguay, South America. She is currently a second-year graduate student at the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Guillaume Lhermie. Her thesis focuses on sustainable grazing practices; a scoping review on rotational grazing in cow-calf pairs while compiling data on different productivity parameters.  A true cost accounting study will uncover the hidden costs and benefits of beef production in Alberta. Lucia also works as a research assistant at the U of C’s Simpson Centre at the School of Public Policy. 

Project Summary: Her review is directly related to sustainability in the Canadian beef industry as it compiles evidence on rotational grazing, a practice promoted within Canada’s Sustainable Agriculture Strategy. By evaluating its impact on soil health, greenhouse gas emissions, plant diversity, and productivity this work aims to assess the effectiveness of this best management practice.

Madeline McLennan – M.Sc. Candidate, University of Guelph
Madeline is a M.Sc. Student studying Beef Nutrition and Physiology under the guidance of Dr. Katie Wood in the Animal Biosciences Department at the University of Guelph. Her work focuses on the processing of low-quality forages and its impact on animal performance, feeding behaviour, and enteric methane emissions in gestating beef cows. She received her BSc. in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph in December 2022 and began her Master’s work in January 2023. Madeline grew up in Guelph, ON and discovered her passion for agriculture and sustainability through her work in the surrounding Wellington County. 

Project Summary: Feeding crop residues to beef cows may lower feed costs, but low palatability and digestibility may be a concern; however, forage processing may help overcome some of these challenges. Her work provides support for the improvement of these challenges through the processing of low-quality forage. The evidence of improved performance and palatability may encourage the use of more sustainable feed ingredients.