MESSAGE FROM
THE GENERAL MANAGER
CARSON CALLUM, MBP GM
Looking back on 2019, I am encouraged by the resilience and optimism of the great producers in this industry. It had been a tough year. Whether it is pressures from weather, regulations, or market challenges, the industry continues to push forward as best it can. The Canadian beef industry is an excellent industry to be a part of, and I am honoured to be representing the Manitoba sector. It is hard to believe I have only been on the MBP team for less than a year, but I have gained so much knowledge and respect for many new areas of the industry that I did not have before. At MBP, our mission is to represent Manitoba beef producers through communication, advocacy, research, education, and leadership within the industry, to governments and the public. This mission drives the organization. As I think about the past few months since I joined the team, there has been a number of areas that MBP has put major efforts towards, driven by our overall mission. Some of these files are covered in more detail further on in the annual report, as well as many other topics MBP has been focused on. In 2019, one of the major challenges producers faced here, and frankly across Canada, were poor production conditions. In Manitoba, this started as an extreme drought throughout most of the growing season, followed by excess moisture during the harvest timeframe. These drought conditions, in back-to-back seasons, greatly diminished forage stands and winter feed reserves. Then the excess moisture in the fall also impacted producers’ ability to get off their annual feed crops, such as corn silage. MBP strongly advocated for multiple avenues of assistance for producers, such as AgriRecovery. It was unfortunate the provincial government did not pursue AgriRecovery, but MBP will continue to work on ways to help producers out in tough production conditions, such as improvements to the current Business Risk Management (BRM) tools. Another key file in 2019 was the changes to the Agricultural Crown Lands (ACL) leasing regulations. For more than a year, MBP had been providing feedback to the Manitoba government during its consultations around the modernization of the ACL program, but we are disappointed these new regulations did not incorporate various aspects of our April 2019 ACL position paper. This topic was a major concern for many of our members, and MBP will continue to advocate our position to the province, and to stress the importance of regulatory amendments to the recently-announced program. Negative livestock-predator interactions are an ongoing concern. MBP continuously raises this issue with the provincial government, and has developed a pilot project that would engage producers in targeted areas where predation losses are most prevalent. Its major goal would be to test the effectiveness of prevention tools and predator removal mitigation actions. A submission has been made to the province for funding towards this pilot project, and MBP will continue to engage with stakeholders to drive this forward. MBP is encouraged by the changes to the new department of Agriculture and Rural Development that may allow for a positive development related to this pilot project as wildlife management now falls under its purview. Another area I feel was of great importance in 2019, and will continue to be moving forward is public trust. I have been a part of
Carson Callum General Manager
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2 019 R E P O R T TO M E M B E R S
Maureen Cousins Policy Analyst
the agriculture industry my whole life. Throughout my career I have seen how much it can impact the industry as a whole. Whether we are talking about pesticide use, GMOs, or concern about livestock’s impact on the environment, public trust can be positive or negative to the agriculture industry. Negative opinions around beef production can impact consumers’ purchasing decisions, as well as government regulations being developed, which can affect the primary producer. The beef industry has made multiple leaps forward in ways that will improve its public trust. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), in conjunction with Verified Beef Production Plus Program (VBP+), is a prime example of an industry-led initiative that can impact the value chain. Another top of mind example is a very important initiative started by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) to assist with public trust efforts – the Public and Stakeholder Engagement group (PSE). Funded from national check off dollars, PSE is tasked with tackling some of these negative opinions and misinformation around beef production. For example, they develop content to demonstrate how beef cattle are important for the environment, based off of excellent research being conducted by groups such as the Beef Cattle Research Council. Keep an eye out on our social media for a video produced by PSE entitled Guardians of the Grasslands. From my perspective, MBP will need to continue to focus on the main areas moving forward that relate to our overall mission: advocacy, research/education, and public trust. In 2019, these areas were a key part of our efforts, and I see them continuing to be important in 2020. Whether it’s advocating to governments for beneficial regulations and programs like BRMs, or ensuring we continue to innovate in the industry through research, our hands will be full at MBP. The public trust effort will be a priority, but we have the tools to tackle it head on. I also encourage all producers to tell their story to the public, as farmers are one of the most trusted members of the food value chain for consumers, and your voice is the best advocate we can have. Before I close, I want to mention that one of the best parts of joining the team this past year are the people with whom I get to work. The staff, which includes Maureen Cousins, David Hultin, Tanya Michalsky, and Deb Walger, are very professional folks who are working hard on our members’ behalf to advance the industry within Manitoba and at a national scale. Also, the board of directors are very caring, progressive producers who work tirelessly for their industry. I truly thank them for giving me this opportunity to represent beef producers across the province. I greatly look forward to the coming year, to work as a team for the betterment of Manitoba’s beef sector. Finally, I just want to take a quick opportunity to thank my wife Britni, son Cohen, and greater family for their love and support over the past few months. It has been a very busy time to say the least, with moving back to Manitoba from Alberta to start my role with MBP. Their encouragement is not overlooked, especially after my wife had just given birth to our son. I am very happy to be back in the area of agriculture industry I enjoy, and look forward to continued work on behalf of producers in Manitoba. Cheers to a new year. Carson
David Hultin
Communications Coordinator
Tanya Michalsky Admin Assistant
Deb Walger Finance
