Canadian Beef Industry Conference focuses on tomorrow’s beef industry leaders
Saskatoon, SK
This year’s Canadian Beef Industry Conference (CBIC) will focus on the four pillars of the National Beef Strategy – beef demand, competitiveness, productivity and connectivity – and on youth.
“All four pillars of the National Beef Strategy will be represented with industry leading experts offering practical, take-home information for producers,” says Scott Wright, Chair of the conference.
Youth a strong presence at this year’s conference
Beef industry leaders of the future will be represented throughout the conference from the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program selections and graduation for tomorrow’s producers, to showcasing up and coming beef researchers.
“The grad students posters exhibit is always an opportunity for those young leaders emerging in the industry to be a part of conversations with producers,” Wright says. “It’s a chance for producers to help the students in their journey and influence their future direction, and a chance for the students to show off some of their ideas and innovations.”
Ask Me Anything sessions
The conference is being held for the first time in Saskatchewan, at the Prairieland Park in Saskatoon from August 19 to 22.
This year’s conference introduces a new format for some of the sessions called Ask Me Anything that give producers the chance to ask questions of nutritionists, veterinarians, policy makers, researchers, marketing and succession experts. They will be able to connect with other producers to share their own stories and learn from others.
“This format provides a wide-open dialogue for producers and experts to look at problem solving and creating solutions together,” Wright says.
A full agenda
The agenda is jam packed over the three days, beginning with a pre-conference tour on August 19 that will give attendees the chance to experience Saskatchewan beef production, and which includes a stop at the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence. The day is topped off with the Social Bull event sponsored by Lammle’s Western Wear.
Opening the conference will be keynote speaker Becky McCray of Oklahoma, a rural entrepreneur, cattle rancher and expert on rural communities. McCray is co-founder of rural consulting company SaveYour.Town, and her goal is to deliver practical steps that rural towns and communities can put into action right away to shape their future.
Beef industry organizations will hold their AGMs on the first day of the conference and there will be, of course, updates from beef industry organizations on the beef market and global beef protein outlook. Presentations cover a broad range of topics. Producers will talk about their experiences handling drought, succession, starting an operation from scratch and improving genetics.
After a busy day on Wednesday, attendees can relax and enjoy a plated banquet and discover the winners of the 2024 National TESA (The Environmental Stewardship Award), an initiative of the Canadian Cattle Association.
Winding up, attendees can attend the Boot Camp and rotate through various stations to test their skills on simulators such as roping, tagging, vaccinating and much more.
Registration is now open and more information can be found at https://canadianbeefindustryconference.com/wordpress/2024-event-info/
By: Angela Lovell [first published in the June 2024 edition of Cattle Country]