U-of-C Gets $5 Million Gift

Feb 11, 2020

The University of Calgary's School of Public Policy has announced the creation of the Simpson Centre for Agricultural and Food Innovation and Public Education.

It was made possible through a $5-million gift from Calgary rancher and businessman John Simpson.

The new centre will move research around public policies forward that strengthen and support the growth and sustainability of agri-food and agri-business, particularly in western Canada.

The School of Public Policy will look at four areas that impact decision-making in the agricultural sector.

Those four fields are trade policy, environment and climate change, agriculture as a major resource sector, and food and agriculture technology.

It's hoped the school of Public Policy and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine as well as other programs at the U-of-C can drive evidence-based agri-food policy.

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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.