Manitoba Pork GM Urges Policymakers To Focus On Trade

Oct 07, 2021

With the federal election behind us, the general manager for Manitoba Pork is hoping that policymakers are focusing on securing international access for Manitoba's products.

"Trade policy is critically important to us," commented Cam Dahl. "Ninety per cent of what Manitoba grows is exported, either by on the foot, or in pork products. Of course those pork products are actually processed here in Manitoba. There's a lot of Manitoba jobs that are dependent on pork and international trade."

Dahl notes Canada needs to use the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the dispute processes in agreements like CETA and CPTPP to actively challenge nonscience-based trade barriers.

"We're really in an uncertain period right now where we're not sure what barriers are going to come next," he said. "Some of the trade agreements we signed really aren't working all that well for us. Fixing that, really does need to be a key priority for politicians in the next Parliament."

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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.