Bringing Canada to the YCC

After a whirlwind week across the continent, I've made it home from Washington DC feeling more inspired than ever.

I told you how I scored the opportunity of a lifetime here, and gave you a quick update on the trip here, but as promised, I want to tell you exactly what an experience like this means to someone like me.


What is YCC? The individuals I met at the Young Cattlemen's Conference were between the ages of 25 and 50 from all over the United States. It's a pretty prestigious thing to attend YCC- participants were nominated by their state associations and had pay a hefty fee or seek sponsorship to be involved in the tour. The group took in three locations across the US (Denver, Chicago, and DC), taking in feedlots, processing plants, Chicago Board of Trade & OSI, Inc., and a day meeting with congressmen and senators on Capitol Hill. 

The 2011 YCC group. All rights reserved by Beltway Beef

Many of the YCC members were established ag and beef businesspeople, primary producers, and policy professionals. It's more than refreshing to meet people who share my passionate love for cattle and the international business of "farm-to-fork."

The Presentation. On Thursday, Fawn and I had the privilege of speaking at the NCBA Young Cattlemen's Conference about the Canadian beef industry and trade between Canada and the US. What I was expecting was a speaking engagement in which I would have to be over prepared for- knowing how to answer difficult questions and have challenging conversations with young producers. I did. What I wasn't expecting was to make connections around the globe, gain insight to international issues, and become completely inspired all over again by the industry I love. I did that too.

Our presentation gave an overview of Canadian agriculture, our trade relations and history with the United States, and programs of interest like our national traceability and Cattlemen's Young Leaders. Shoot me a comment if you'd like to see the presentation.

Million Dollar Questions. At the end of our presentation, we opened the floor to questions from the YCC members. Traceability was the greatest concern. Traceability is the system of monitoring where a beef animal has been between birth and slaughter, with the ultimate goal of making beef more appealing to export markets and consumers. It means no one can look at a steak and say, "You don't know where that's been."

The questions surprised me. They all wanted to know how Canada's national traceability system came to be, and what America needs to do to work towards one. It was clear that the main concern is opening reluctant markets who are still hesitant to import beef from countries with a history of BSE cases. The Canadian system is mandatory, and Americans want to know if they could ever implement one. This question isn't easy to answer, but the long and short of it is that the American beef industry will need to decide if the costs of a national traceability system (eartags, equipment, setting up a database) would outweigh the benefits of access to more foreign markets.

YCC in DC. We were also able to sit in on a YCC alumni panel of prefessionals working in the food industry, and a Five Nations panel composed of an Embassy representative from Canada, USA, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. One of the highlights for Fawn and I was sitting in a DC sports bar visiting with the Canadian, NZ, and Australian Embassy diplomats discussing their careers and foreign trade. We also took part in the NCBA Political Action Committee fundraiser, a live auction, as the "Vana Whites" for the auction items.

Fawn displaying an auction item

Bottom Line. Looking around the room at a sea of cowboy hats, I feel pretty at home. I also feel honored to associate with such industrious people who will, without a doubt, be on the front lines of the beef industry in just a few years. It makes me excited to be involved in this rapidly growing industry, and even more excited that my specific interest, communicating agriculture, is one of the top issues cattlemen are talking about.

A friend asked me why I would fly across the continent for a twenty minute speech. Well, I didn't. I flew across the continent to share my passion, and to hear from others about what they're doing to move the beef industry forward. I flew across the continent to make invaluable contacts and have insightful conversations about issues that are important to me. I always come away from conferences and events like this one with a strong reminder of why I do what I do, and an excitement to carry what I learned into my current and future involvement in agriculture.

I feel honored to have been asked to represent the Canadian cattle industry, and beyond appreciative of the opportunity. Thanks to the Canadian Embassy, Canadian Cattlemen's Association, and the national Cattlemen's beef Association for making this experience possible for me. I hope to keep in touch with all of the great people I met.

If you were at YCC or are an alumni, please leave a comment! I`d love to hear how the experience impacted you.

Live from DC

Howdy! Things are going great here in the beautiful but very muggy city of Washington, DC. It has been between 30 and 38 degrees Celcuis (85-100 Fahrenheit) every day, and I'm definitely not used to the humidity. But I spend far too much time complaining about cold weather to even think about complaining about the warm, so I'll take it.

Yesterday was a very big day for Fawn and I. We joined the NCBA Young Cattlemen's Conference at the Canadian Embassy for the day, hearing a YCC alumni panel in the morning, presenting on the Canadian cattle industry at lunch, and listening to a 5 Nations panel in the afternoon. We also took part in the YCC banquet that evening.

Big thanks to our coordinator at the Embassy, Pamela, for organizing our stay and making sure the day went smoothly.

Me, JD Alexander(President-Elect, NCBA), Pamela, and Fawn at the banquet

The whole day was a fantastic opportunity for networking. I was able to see old friends and contacts and make new ones. Our presentation was well-received and we had many questions and conversations about Canada-US relations later on in the day. More on that in a later post.

On the balcony of the Canadian Embassy. If you look closely, the
Vancouver Canucks flag is flying under the Canadian one.

Also, note my farmer's tan acquired at the Birchall ranch last weekend.

Everyone needs a cheesy pose picture with the Washington Monument. This is my second.

Today gave us the opportunity to spend some more time at the Canadian Embassy and tour the monuments of DC. More touring to come tomorrow! I promise to post a far more reflective blog post after my trip about some of the great speakers and conversations at YCC. However, my brain will need some unwind time first!

Q & A Saturday: What is COOL?

Country of Origin Labeling: What is it, and what does it mean to the beef industry?


What is it? Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, is a food labeling law that became official in the United States in 2009. Basically, it mandates that food retailers must notify their customers of the country that certain food products, including meats, fruits, vegetables, and nuts, originated from. 

Photo Credit

So what? In theory, this sounds like a great idea, right? Consumers are able to find out where their food comes from. However, in the last two years the costs and disadvantages of COOL have come to far outweigh the benefits.


It requires American meat packers and processors to separate non-American beef, which means lower productivity and higher costs. Alternatively, they can decrease their imports. You can guess which one they were forced to choose. 

Preliminary Ruling. So the rather protectionist policy of COOL, after 2 years of dispute by Canadian and Mexican lobby groups, has come to a preliminary ruling. Last Friday, the World Trade Organization ruled that COOL is in violation of the agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade. This isn't final- it will have a 30 day comment period, followed by an opportunity for the US government to appeal it, followed by a public ruling in September.


Trade. We can't officially say the battle is won yet, but in my opinion this is a great step for the North American and world cattle industry. Trade between Canada and the United States is essential for both parties. Both the NCBA (US) and CCA (Canadian) are publicly opposed to COOL for a good reason. 


Not the answer. We still believe wholeheartedly that consumers deserve to know where there beef comes from, and the beef industry works towards being more transparent every day. Unfortunately, COOL functions as more of a non-tariff trade barrier than an encouragement to traceability. You can rest easy knowing that similarly stringent quality controls exist both in Canada and the USA, and no piece of meat, fruit, or vegetable could ever reach your plate without passing hundreds of quality tests and procedures.

Photo. You can bet your beef has been through some serious testing to make it here.

Good Riddance. COOL, the beef producers of Canada will not be sad to see you go. We're looking forward to a more open market and increased trade with our number 1 partner, and they are too.


I'm expecting this to be a big issue among the NCBA YCC group in Washington DC. What do you think?

For more great articles about the COOL ruling:

Drover's Cattle Network: WTO rules against U.S. COOL program

Canadian Cattlemen: WTO seen putting chill on U.S. COOL

Countdown to DC

In 13 days, I'll be headed south and eastbound to Washington, D.C for the opportunity of a lifetime.

I'm going to speak to the members of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Young Cattlemen's Conference about the Canadian beef industry and trade. The group will be composed of cattlemen and women aged 25-50, with a cross-nation tour of America's beef industry starting in Denver and ending in DC.

My first trip to DC in 2010 for a 4-H conference

So what's a ranch girl from Alberta, Canada doing there? Reaping the rewards of being involved in a great youth organization, that's what! I've told you before about the Cattlemen's Young Leaders program which I graduated from this April. At the wrap-up banquet, I gave a speech on my experiences that was noticed by an NCBA member. She requested that me and Fawn, the current Policy Analyst for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, travel to meet the NCBA YCC group to talk about issues concerning Canadian cattlemen.

And here we are- 2 weeks away. I'll be spending as much time as possible between now and then gearing up for the trip and preparing our presentation. I'll be brushing up on my knowledge of Canada-US trade, traceability, and policies like Country of Origin Labeling. And of course, working on my Masters of Beef Advocacy.

This is where I'll need your help, readers! I'm going to be posting about those issues a lot in the next two weeks, and your feedback is essential. Whether you boast an agricultural education, farm or ranch background, or want to know about these issues as a consumer, you can help me fine-tune my presentation and prepare for any questions that may be asked my the group. So I'm inviting your questions and comments(which I always love) even more than usual!

If you are a Canadian involved in agriculture, what key issues do you think need to be voiced with a group of young to middle-aged American cattlemen?

If you are an American in agriculture, what Canadian beef industry issues would you like to know more about?

YCC Class of 2010

Thanks for the help, friends- stay tuned for my first research post.

Masters of Beef Advocacy

I've been approved to get my Master's!

Okay..so not the kind you're thinking of. But one that will probably be as useful as any formal education as far as my future career goals go. I'm taking my Masters of Beef Advocacy, a National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) program funded by the Beef Checkoff. It's an online program consisting of 6 modules that should take me a few weeks to complete.

Photo credit


I first heard about the MBA Program in Denver, CO in Januray at the International Livestock Congress. I've wanted to find a way to get involved since then, and in April, I did. Cattlemen's Beef Board member Ann Anderson travelled to Edmonton, Alberta to speak to various media and cattle groups, including the Cattlemen's Young Leaders. I attended a presentation by her as a CYL Graduate where she went into detail about the MBA program and how we could get involved. It is an American program, but she opened the applications to the CYL Graduates and current leaders. Last week I sent my application in, and this week I'm beginning my modules!

So what exactly does an MBA Graduate leave the program with? Here's a basic overview of the six online modules:



• Modern Beef Production – Sharing the many benefits of modern, efficient U.S. beef production
• Animal Care – Explaining our commitment to  raising healthy animals
• Beef Safety – Communicating why producing safe food for consumers is a top priority
• Beef Nutrition – Explaining how great-tasting beef strengthens and sustains our bodies
• Environmental Stewardship – Sharing how we’re protecting the environment for future generations
• The Beef Checkoff – Communicating the value of your investment in growing demand for beef



Source: beef.org

Photo credit

This is me doing my part to make sure that I'm as knowledgeable as possible about the industry I'm advocating for. I want to learn the most useful tools and methods to communicate with consumers. I'll make sure to keep you all updated with interesting things I learn and do during my program. If you've completed it, I'd love to hear from you!