As part of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s tenth-anniversary celebration, the CRSB showcased the work of two graduate students studying sustainability in the Canadian beef industry at its annual general meeting and conference on Sept. 18 in Calgary, Alta. Lucia Sanguinetti is an agricultural engineer raised on a cow-calf and sheep farm in Uruguay. She is currently a second-year graduate student at the University of Calgary. Madeline McLennan is a master’s of science student studying beef nutrition and physiology under the guidance of Dr. Katie Wood in the animal biosciences department at the University of Guelph. Her work focuses on the processing of low-quality forages and their impact on animal performance, feeding behaviour and enteric methane emissions in gestating beef cows. McLennan grew up in Guelph, Ont., and discovered her passion for agriculture and sustainability through her work in the surrounding Wellington County.
The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef announced its 2024-25 council at its annual general meeting. New members include Brodie Haugan with Alberta Beef Producers, Dean Manning with Beef Cattle Research Council, Kristine Tapley with Cargill, Carl Dean with Cactus Restaurants Ltd. and Karli Reimer with Ducks Unlimited Canada. Each of these members was elected for a two-year term. Both the council chair, Ryan Beierbach, and the vice-chair, Clay Holmes, were re-elected for another term. Graeme Finn was re-elected in the member-at-large seat.
Congrats to Dr. Edmund (Ed) Pajor, who was named the recipient of the 2024 Carl Block Award at Animal Health Canada’s awards, which took place in early October during the Animal Health Canada Forum in Ottawa, Ont. This award recognizes Pajor’s contributions to advancing animal health through research, and his commitment to animal welfare and to shaping the next generation of veterinary professionals. Pajor has had a long and distinguished career studying animal behaviour and improving welfare. His research has driven advances in areas, such as pain management during castration, neonatal calf care and cattle transport conditions, ensuring that animal welfare remains a priority in live- stock industries. Pajor is the inaugural chair of the Anderson-Chisholm Chair in Animal Care and Welfare, where he leads and conducts research in animal care and welfare, and engages in the transfer and mobilization of knowledge to and from Alberta farms, ranches and the animal production community. Pajor has mentored countless students and young veterinarians.
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Dr. Murray Gillies, a dedicated bovine veterinarian from New Brunswick, has been honoured with the 2024 Animal Health Canada Emerging Leadership Award at the Animal Health Canada awards. Gillies has made significant contributions to farmed animal health and fosters collaboration between the public and private sectors. As the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System co-ordinator, his expertise and dedication have been instrumental in keeping animal health stakeholders updated on the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cattle in the United States. Gillies is the representative of the Eastern Canadian provinces on the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Board (AABP) and is involved with the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians (CABV), where he served as president from 2017-18. Gillies helped establish the AABP’s genetics and genomics committee and the mental health and well-being committee and currently serves as vice-chair of both. He also spearheaded the mental health and well-being task force within AABP, addressing the unique stresses faced by veterinarians in the field. He served as the lead dairy subject matter expert with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s Stewardship of Antimicrobials by Veterinarians Initiative, which promotes responsible antimicrobial use in animal health. Alongside his leadership roles, Gillies operates a bovine consultancy business focused on progressive cattle management, mentors new graduates in bovine practice, and remains actively involved in his family’s dairy farm. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in animal health management at the Atlantic Veterinary College.
Congrats to Cassie Marchand, who won the Reg Schellenberg Award at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon, Sask., in August. This is the second time this award has been given out, in honour of the late Canadian Cattle Association president, Reg Schellenberg, and honours individuals who embody the spirit of humble leadership, mentorship, collaboration and dedication to the Canadian cattle industry. Marchand grew up on a ranch near Keremeos, B.C., and now ranches with her husband and his family in the north Okanagan. Marchand was a graduate of the Canadian Young Leaders program in 2024, and her mentor was Sarah Wray.
Before the kickoff for Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show, which took place in Woodstock, Ont., in August, the winners of the Innovation in Agriculture Awards were announced, which recognized recent innovations in Canadian agriculture equipment and technology. In the livestock category, BioFerScience won for its ProFlora Cattle Energy Balance Capsule. The capsule has eased the process of medicating cattle by using an encapsulated powdered form of propylene glycol, rather than the typical liquid.
