Cattle Industry Sustainability - Rural Revitalization and Thompson Rivers University

by hans peter meyer

The cattle industry in BC's Interior is, as Nancy Van Wagoner makes clear in the comments that follow, facing some challenges. Dr. John Church is the recently appointed Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability. He says that the industry has contracted by at least a third over the last five years, with the cow herd shrinking from approximately 345,000 to 210,000 head since 2004. Responding to this challenge is a multi-disciplinary task that involves land uses, animal husbandry, industrial practices, and regional economics. "John is talking about a BC-based system...[that] would give us a more regional economy in agriculture," says George Penfold, Chair in Rural Economic Development at Selkirk College, "this would provide a secondary value-added industry centred around beef." An important element in all of this is the health of the ecosystems, animals, and end product. All of it adds up to an innovative academic-industry partnership to address a rural revitalization in BC's Interior grasslands.

Thompson Rivers University (TRU) began the process of creating the BC Regional Innovation Chair (RIC) in Cattle Industry Sustainability in 2005. In the fall of 2008, though the support of the Real Estate Foundation and other funders, TRU recruited Dr. John Church to take the Chair. For background on the Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability, CIT recently interviewed Nancy Van Wagoner. Ms. Van Wagoner is Associate VP for Research and Graduate Studies at TRU, and was instrumental in the hiring of Dr. Church and the development of the Chair at TRU.

CIT: Why was TRU interested in establishing the Chair in Cattle Sustainability?

NVW: TRU is in the heart of BC’s Interior. The grasslands here, the cattle industry, all the ranching industries - they're all very important to this part of the province. Like many agricultural industries, ranching is challenged by many factors. We believed that, given our expertise and our location, TRU was in a good position to make a difference. Not only directly on the industry and ranchers, but on the sustainability of the industry. This includes the use of the land, sustainability of the land, planning, integration with other uses.

There is also the economic aspect of the industry. At TRU we could bring together an inter-disciplinary team to focus on these issues, with leadership provided by the Chair.

You have to realize that to address the issue of cattle industry sustainability is not a one person job. There are so many factors and issues: There is the health side of it, having a healthy animal. The stewardship of the grasslands. And then everything that happens afterward to create the healthy raw meat product, and value-added raw meat products that have a reasonable price and return to the rancher, so that we have an economically sustainable industry.

The expertise of the Chair has been a lever to create a focused team that involves over 30 researchers and research partners. It's also brought in over $1.5 million in new analytical equipment. It's very exciting.

CIT: Who are some of the other partners and programs involved in the Chair’s activities at TRU?

NVW: We have programs in biological sciences, natural resource sciences, chemical sciences, and also in physical geography. We also have a Canada Chair in Community Eco-systems who focuses on grasslands, with a state-of-the-art greenhouse. He works alongside other researchers with expertise in range management, grassland biodiversity, wildlife and they all work together to address the issue of sustainable grassland ecosystems.

We also have a number of collaborative projects with the Grasslands Conservation Council and other environmental NGOs with an interest in grassland ecosystems. And we work with innumerable provincial agencies, as well as Food and Agriculture Canada.

CIT: What region does the Chair address?

NVW: Our focus is on BC, and most of our work so far has in the BC Interior. It's still early days, but Dr. Church has been very well received by the ranching community. He's very grounded in this community. The industry doesn't end at a border, but our focus is on BC's cattle industry, especially here in the Interior. This is important, not only to our chair, but to the people and organizations that made the Chair possible

CIT: You've mentioned that the RIC Chair has had a very positive impact on TRU as a regionally-based institution. Can you elaborate on that?

NVW: In just the short time I've been here at TRU, we've increased our capacity to carry out analytical work. We've brought new people on board. We have analytical facilities that are second to none. Some are the best in the world. This is very, very exciting.

One of the critical factors in our success to date is TRU's roots as a college with trades and technical training, as well as academic programs. This means that we have a culinary arts program and a retail meats program. One of our new pieces of equipment is a state-of-the-art smokehouse. This enables us to develop value-added meat products.

Where else do you have a commercial kitchen capable of developing new food products, some of the best chemists and biologists, a Centre for Bio-products, as well as a world class Cattle Industry Chair? This is a unique combination of resources and expertise. What we've put together here is quite incredible.

CIT: What kinds of issues are facing the cattle industry sustainability, and how is TRU playing a role?

NVW: We're looking at this as a stewardship issue, with a number of perspectives. But the bottom line in terms of industry sustainability is that you've got to have a ranching industry that is economically viable. That's our starting point: How do we make that happen?

This gives us several areas of focus: One is the stewardship of the natural resources. If you mess that up, you don't have an industry for anybody. So we look at the sustainability of the grassland ecosystem. We look at biodiversity. Then we look at the impact of ranching on the natural environment, in terms of the carbon footprint, the green house gas emissions (GHGs) involved in the industry, including production of methane by the animals. Our focus,however, isn't to just identify the problem, but to identify the solution.

There's also the health of the animal. We want BC to be producing the healthiest red meat products on the market, in terms of their nutritional content, their Omega-3 content. Some of the residues that might be a function of ranching practices – hormones, for example – how can we ensure that we are producing the cleanest, healthiest red meat products available to the consumer?

CIT: How does this relate to community and regional economic development?

NVW: One of the reasons that the cattle Chair is so important at this time is the growing interest on local food. The challenge is that there has to be a way to make it profitable for the local producer, or we're going to lose them. Producers need to be able to make a good living providing food for a local market.

So we are analyzing the economics of the "value chain." We need to make sure there is a good return to the producer. New technologies are part of this. And then identifying the market, both for raw meat products and value-added products. In today's marketplace, we refer to the raw meat product as a value-added product if it's cleaner than your traditional red meat product.

This is an important focus for us at TRU: What needs to change in ranching, so that it is seen as a viable, profitable career choice for younger generations.

It’s important to emphasize that we couldn't do this kind work without our partners. The Real Estate Foundation, the Cattle Industry Development Council, the Leading Edge Endowment Fund , and many others – we couldn't do it without their support.


©Real Estate Foundation of BC / 2009
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