Food, Fun, and Farming for the Under-Forty Crowd

Jun 14, 2017

Networking opportunities. Information exchange. Social connection. And of course, a bouncy castle.

All these add up to the annual CFFO Farming Under 40 Barbeques. This July, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario will host young farmers and their families at four events across southern Ontario. Open to both members and non-members of the CFFO, the barbeques are a chance to celebrate the hard work and entrepreneurship of young farmers.

“The CFFO believes in the future of Ontario farming,” says President Clarence Nywening, who will host a barbeque at his farm near Thamesville. “We want to encourage young people to get involved and be the next group of leaders.”

During the events, adults can meet fellow farmers and hear a guest speaker from Farm Credit Canada. Children will be busy enjoying provided entertainment, including carnival games, face painting and cotton candy.

Source: Meatbusiness

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.