Investing in improvements to practices and standards for dairy farmers

St. Albert, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Canada’s dairy sector has a long standing reputation for sustainably and responsibly producing high-quality, safe, and nutritious milk and dairy products for Canadians. The dairy industry contributes $20.9 billion for the Canadian economy.

 

Agriculture and AgriFood Minister Lawrence MacAulay, and Member of Parliament for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Francis Drouin, were at Ferme Geranik announce an investment of up to $2.7 million to support Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) enhance public trust in dairy production through the continuation and implementation of their quality assurance program, proAction, as well as the pursuit of an industry environmental sustainability strategy.

 

Building on progress achieved to date with proAction, this investment will help DFC further develop and implement proAction, pursue stakeholder engagement, initiate an industry environmental sustainability strategy, and implement a plan to communicate with stakeholders, customers, and consumers on DFC’s quality assurance and sustainability activities. 

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.