Beef industry could benefit from "RALP"

Jul 27, 2022

The Canadian Cattle Association is pleased to see the increased funding for the next Ag Policy Framework.

The agreement includes $500 million dollars in new funding, $250 million dollars of which, has been earmarked for a Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP).

Tyler Fulton, an Officer with the CCA, says that's a program the cattle industry is well positioned to take advantage of.

"The nature of having cattle on the landscape has really positive ecological benefits. Not just from a habitat conservation standpoint, but also from adding climate resiliency, so far as protecting against floods or fires. And then of course, the whole carbon sequestration thing."

He says the CCA is hoping this could recognize some of the services that the industry to date hasn't really benefited from.

"Just in operating our ranches the way that we do. So, I'm encouraged by it but really, the devil will be in the details of how its administered."

He add they were pleased to see that any environmental outcomes weren't tied to AgriStability or Crop Insurance, adding they'll have to wait and see the government's plans in the connection to Agri-Invest.

Fulton notes the CCA was also pleased to see the increase in the AgriStability compensation rate from 70 per cent to 80 per cent.

"What we've seen over the course of the last five years or so is just an increasing number of cattle producers exit the AgriStability program because it really didn't address their rent on their own operations. It wasn't responsive and with a move from 70 to 80% compensation rate, as well as some of the other changes that they've been suggesting. That would more equitably relate to our type of business operation. I'm generally pretty optimistic that we can see a recovery in the number of people using that program."

Additional reviews of the business risk management suite of programs to increase efficiency and effectiveness were also announced.

CCA President, Reg Schellenberg says the announcement on the new Ag Policy Framework is recognition that the FPT Ag Ministers heard the beef industry's concerns.

"We are partners in the intertwined objectives of sustainability and competitiveness."

The CCA notes the beef sector provides tremendous environmental benefits and the CCA is active in discussions to ensure the sector’s sustainability is recognized.

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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.