Certified producers, those who maintain and update certification and who earn certification before June 30, 2026, are currently eligible for the incentive payment as long as they’ve completed related eligibility requirements, including:

• Agreeing to share information with the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA) for chain of custody purposes.

• Submitting cattle birth dates into the Canadian Livestock Tracking System (CLTS) if they’re a cow-calf operation.

• Submitting move-in events on the CLTS if they’re a backgrounding or feedlot operation.

This incentive program is entirely funded by CRSB and replaces the previous Cargill Recognition Credit.

That credit was a “top up” payment to fill the gap between $400, the maximum for the Recognition Credit, and the amount that the operation earned via Cargill Qualifying Cattle Credits for cattle that qualified for a CRSB Claim processed by Cargill.

The CRSB incentive will provide the full $400 for all eligible producers in 2026, regardless of where cattle are processed.

Payment amounts will shift going forward because they will be calculated based on available funds from beef sold and then evenly distributed to eligible beef producers. CRSB payment dollars are from the three cents per pound contributed from every certified sustainable beef sold.

According to the CRSB website, 1,243 Canadian farms and ranches are currently CRSB certified, which totals 4.8 million acres of grazing land. Approximately 48 per cent of these are cow-calf operations, 10 per cent are feedlots and 42 per cent are combinations of cow-calf, feedlots and backgrounding operations as self-reported by the certified producers. These numbers have stayed steady throughout the years, but hasn’t increased by much.

“Most of the people that are part of CRSB are a little bit disappointed that we haven’t been able to grow that number,” said CRSB chair Ryan Beierbach.

“So I guess part of the hope with this incentive is it will help address some of the producer concerns, to help grow the number of farms and ranches that are certified.”

There’s currently a slight “bottleneck” at the cow-calf level in the CRSB certification chain. Most feedlots and packing plants are certified because if they’re Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) certified, they’re also CRSB, making the cow-calf operations a CRSB priority.

A cattle producer himself, Beierbach certified his 700 head cow-calf operation with CRSB eight years ago. For him, joining the program and being a part of CRSB is a way to show that Canadian beef is environmentally conscious and sustainable.

“Ten years ago, we’d hear people talking about how cattle are bad for the environment,” he said.

“And as ranchers, we knew that it wasn’t true, but there wasn’t really a way for us to tell our story. The CRSB is a way that I can help tell my story and show that in Canada, we do a really good job of raising cattle.”

The new certification incentive is intended to show appreciation to producers for taking the time and effort to become and maintain being certified.

While the payment does provide an incentive, Beierbach said he mainly sees it as a “thank you” and a chance to share the positive actions of farms and ranches.

The certification process is typically only a few months from beginning to end, depending on the availability of the certification body and its auditors.

There is a combination of on-site and off-site verifications, including risk assessments, records audits and operation assessment. Certification criteria is established by the CRSB but carried out by the certification body, either VBP+ or Where Food Comes From.

“The biggest part is when they do the on-farm verification,” Beierbach said.

“Somebody came to my place and probably took maybe four or five hours. They kind of went through and asked me a bunch of questions about what we do.”

The main focus was on animal management, including medication withdrawal times and records, as well as worker safety and environmental practices. The on-site assessment is a pass-fail, with the minimum standard required to continue.

“I passed the first time, so there wasn’t anything that I needed to correct,” he said.

“But the way I understand is, if there’s some things that you don’t meet the minimum standard on, they’ll tell you what you need to correct. Then you do that, and then you can complete the certification once you’ve corrected those things.”

Producers interested in becoming certified must also have at least six months worth of records with which to be assessed, including animal health records, deaths, birth dates and shipping dates.

Once a farm is certified, annual record audits are conducted to maintain certification. An on-site assessment is required every five years.

To reap the biggest reward, animals must maintain certification throughout the entire custody chain until they get to a Cargill processing plant, in which case each handler of the animal from producer to feedlot will receive $20 per head as part of the Cargill animal qualifying payment.

The custody chain doesn’t need to be upheld for a producer to receive the new incentive payment, which is good news for Beierbach, who said he “believes in the auction system.”

“Usually, I sell them on a video sale, and I’ll put on the description that they’re CRSB certified and eligible for that program,” he said.

“And then I just kind of hope that a feedlot will want to buy those cattle because they see value in that.”

He could also go to the VBP+ website to find certified feedlots and sell to them directly.

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“I am thrilled to represent youth in the beef industry on a council that brings together such diverse perspectives from across the sector,” wrote Laura Buss in a Feb. 9 news release.

Last year, the CRSB established its youth councillor position — a non-voting board position geared toward youth participation in the organization.

Laura Buss, who grew up on a cow-calf operation north of Westlock, Alta., was recommended through a nomination process in coordination with the Canadian Cattle Youth Council the CRSB said in a Feb. 9 news release.

“The funding support to travel and meet with CRSB members in-person is particularly exciting, as I’ve learned that these face-to-face collaborations are where the most impactful work happens,” Buss said.

In her role, Buss will:

• Participate in CRSB Council discussions,
• Bring forward youth perspectives,
• Serve as a liaison between the CRSB and the Canadian Cattle Youth Council (CCYC),
• Co-chair at least one CRSB Council meeting per year
• Contribute thought leadership across the Canadian beef industry and in youth networks.

Buss received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Alberta followed by a Master of Science in Animal Biosciences from the University of Guelph. Her graduate studies focused on gut development and antibiotic use in dairy calves.

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The roundtable’s goal is to encourage sustainable beef production in Canada, across the value chain. This goal is rooted in science and involves contributions from all parts of the supply chain and beyond. The roundtable has four main aspects: benchmarking and goals, certification, projects and initiatives, and communications and engagement. Currently, its main challenge is producer certification.

Challenges 

The day before the official start of the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in January 2025, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef held a session in the lobby of the Saskatchewan Inn and Conference Centre in Saskatoon. Board members wanted to hear what the roundtable could do better and answer questions about certification. 

• RELATED: Sustainability in the beef sector is a ‘big picture’ topic

“It seems like at the start everybody was excited, and there was momentum,” says Ryan Beierbach, chair of the roundtable. Now that the organization is a little more mature, it’s about trying to get out where farmers and ranchers are, he adds. 

On the food service side, the opposite is true — there is more demand than the roundtable can meet. More and more retailers and restaurants would like to carry certified beef, and customers have expressed interest, too. 

“So, they’d like to see more producers sign up to help deal with the supply issue. But we haven’t figured out how to get enough supply to meet what the retailers are looking for.”

Funding is less of an issue for the roundtable. Currently, most of their funding comes from their member organizations, such as provincial cattle groups and the Canadian Cattle Association. The roundtable did increase membership fees to 10 per cent this year to keep up with inflation. The organization also receives government funding. 

“We’ve got enough funding right now, but as we move forward, ideally we’d see the certified sustainable volume grow, and that would give us more money so that we can use that,” Beierbach says.

“The idea would be, (producers) see value in it and talk to their friends and say, ‘This program is working well because I’m getting paid and it also tells the good-news story about Canadian beef.’”

At the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference, board members said there is currently no concrete plan for how they will become self-sufficient, but it is a priority.

The audit

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef relies on third parties to conduct audits and certify an operation. The audit ensures the operation meets sustainability standards based upon five principles. These principles include natural resources, people and community, food safety and quality, animal health and welfare, and efficiency and innovation.

Certification is done on a five-year cycle. Using Canada’s RFID traceability system, cattle are traced through the supply chain. Food service distributors, retailers and restaurants can source beef that meets the roundtable’s requirements and market qualifying beef with a “CRSB Certified” logo and claim. 

However, the audit can be a barrier. Hearing an audit is required can give some farmers and ranchers cold feet. Others balk at the cost.

There are programs at the provincial level that will reimburse producers for at least some of their audit costs. 

Producers may run into issues when tracking cattle through the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency, and Beierbach says they should make sure they check the box that allows tracking. Producers can track their cattle through the agency’s website and contact the agency if there’s an issue. 

“In a lot of cases, I talked to producers that are frustrated because they haven’t gotten through the supply chain, and there’s a good chance that that’s because they maybe missed a step or something happened that the information didn’t go through.”

Incentives

The roundtable is working to get more producers involved, with board members going to meetings and events, as well as ensuring producers know how to become certified and what the benefits may be.

There are many incentives available to help sway producers toward becoming certified. 

Farm Credit Canada has a sustainability incentive program for producers who have loans with the organization. Customers who are certified through Verified Beef Production Plus, Ontario Corn Fed Beef or Where Food Comes from Canada can receive up to $2,000. Cargill also has an incentive program. 

The roundtable currently collects three cents a pound on certified beef. Beierbach says they want to put that toward another producer incentive starting in 2026. The roundtable is also planning a marketing campaign to share some of the Canadian beef industry’s success with the Canadian public, he adds. 

Opportunity to connect

With the high demand for certified sustainable beef, Beierbach sees an opportunity to connect with the consumer.

“We’ve got retailers and food service that want to pay for the product and use it to help us tell our story and talk about the good things we’re doing,” he says, adding there’s an opportunity to improve people’s perceptions of beef.

“What I think producers miss a lot of the time is it allows us to kind of push back when somebody or an organization says that beef is damaging the environment, or you need vegetarian diets to help save the planet,” Beierbach says. “This is where we can talk about the good things that the beef industry is doing, and we have organizations from outside of the supply chain that really add credibility.”

But without supply to meet customer demand, it is harder to tell that story. 

Beierbach encourages farmers and ranchers to look into certification. He says there are a lot of benefits for everyone involved.

“It shows that we’re leading on the sustainability side, and the producers are doing good work so consumers can feel good about eating Canadian beef.”

– Melissa Jeffers-Bezan is a field editor for Canadian Cattlemen and a graduate of the University of Regina School of Journalism. She grew up on a commercial cattle farm in western Manitoba, and is now based out of Regina.

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After a significant two-year review of the program, CRSB is confident that working with the CCIA will enable consistent implementation of its chain of custody requirements and improve transparency of live-cattle movement across all CRSB-certified supply chains. CRSB-certified operations with Canadian Livestock Tracking System accounts will now be able to see the “CRSB Certified” status of their cattle’s identification indicators as those cattle move through the supply chain. 

“The CRSB is pleased to work with CCIA, a longtime CRSB member and trusted industry partner, on this program improvement that will provide more clarity of CRSB requirements and allow greater success of the Certified Sustainable Beef Framework,” says Ryan Beierbach, chair of the CRSB. 

“The CCIA is thrilled to have been chosen by the CRSB to support this very important program,” said Anne Brunet-Burgess, general manager of the CCIA. “The CCIA has an enviable track record in livestock data management, including chain of custody tracking, experience that we feel will strongly benefit this initiative.”

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The effort is part of the 2030 Canadian Beef Goals, a series of goals supported by several industry groups that aim to improve everything from greenhouse gas emissions to beef quality and food safety. The health and safety of people is one topic, with a goal of creating a culture of safety across the beef supply chain. The industry also aims to educe serious, fatal and fatigue-related incidents by 1.5 per cent per year by 2030, and support education, awareness and improvements in farm and ranch safety.

“The definition of beef sustainability is a socially responsible, environmentally sound and economically viable product that pri­oritizes planet, people, animals and progress,” says Monica Hadarits, chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), speaking at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in B.C. earlier this year. “It is important that the goals include all aspects of the beef system, including people’s health and safety.”

Hadarits is the group leader of the health and safety 2030 beef industry goals. She says the research and data that they are basing their goals on came from the National Workforce Strategic Plan and the University of Guelph. However, she says they have found important data gaps, which they plan to address.

The working group includes people from the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, Do More Agriculture Foundation and CRSB. CRSB’s website notes that while Canadian beef production ranks as “low-risk for most indicators of working conditions,” areas for improvement include “rights of temporary foreign workers, fatality rates at the supplier level, wages for retail and food-service workers and workload for farmers and ranchers.”

“This group is in the process of developing an action plan to measure and track progress and has identified awareness of the goal as a priority and starting point,” Hadarits says.

“The working group will meet quarterly, and as we head into the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will be coordinating to ensure alignment in research, data, metrics and programming to advance the goals.”

Hadarits says the health and safety working group is facing a few issues.

“Bringing this topic to the forefront for funding is one challenge given the current attention on environmental priorities,” she says. “Some metrics are also difficult because you can’t measure something that was prevented.”

Like many other 2030 beef industry goals, Hadarits says the health and safety goals are long-term goals that require a change in both behaviour and culture.

“There are initiatives in the works to increase the availability of mental health support in rural locations.” 

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The concept is innovative and simple. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) will provide a payment to customers who are CRSB-certified, through its new Sustainability Incentive Program.

How does it work?

“We wanted to acknowledge producers for getting their CRSB-sustainability certification,” says Curtis Grainger, FCC’s director for lending products and sustainability programs. “First of all, we felt it was important to recognize producers for the good work that’s been done. But the real goal here is to increase certification of FCC customers.”

Spurring action

“It’s a clear message back to producers in terms of ‘here’s that incentive for what you do to get audited’,” says Wasko. “Yes, we hear that demand outweighs the supply (of certified sustainable beef). But in order to get the supply up, the producer has to see that value proposition. Here’s a clear ‘check the box’, quick, connected, incentive program. I sure hope this is the start of more in terms of those quick responses.”

While demand for certified sustainable beef is strong, the industry is working to keep up and is making more CRSB beef available.

“Our last reporting year was 7.4 million pounds, and that was certainly up from the previous year,” says Wasko. “We’re now over 17 million pounds produced since 2018. Each year, from a supply perspective, we see growth. Even on the number of producers being audited through one of the certification bodies, each year we see growth there.”

Producer perspective

The farm has been CRSB-certified for just over a year.

“The whole program — it’s not hard to be in. Being certified is everything most producers are already doing. It’s just a matter of doing a little extra paperwork and having some proper record-keeping,” says Kress.

Any hesitation to getting certified quickly dissolved, as the family found itself already aligned with the requirements and had completed the process even before the FCC incentive was announced. But Kress is enthused about the bonus being offered by his long-time lender.

“It’s hard to ask people to do something if it’s not beneficial to them, so there have to be incentives, there have to be benefits for producers to do it,” adds Kress. “I think it’s a win-win. If you put the shoes on the other feet, as a consumer, that’s what consumers want. They want to know where their beef is coming from, and how it’s handled, and that everything is sustainable, and done in a proper manner. That’s just the way of the future, so why not be a step ahead? I truly believe that in time, everybody’s going to have to go this way. Why not be ahead of the game?”

Participating in the FCC Sustainability Incentive Program was easy, and the payment came quickly.

“It was very simple, very user-friendly,” notes Jamie Kress, who does the bulk of the record-keeping for the farm.

That was a priority for the FCC.

“We know there’s some work involved for producers to get certified through the CRSB, so we wanted to ensure the incentive program part was very simple,” says Grainger. “That’s where the five- to 10-minute application process comes into play. Typically, if everything lines up, we’re able to get the incentive payment out within a month of the application.

“The response in the market has been really great. The people we’re capturing now in the program are the people who were already FCC customers, and who already had their certification. Throughout the year is where the rubber hits the road to see if the incentive payment does in fact incent people to get certified.”

Influencer?

“We do hope that it serves as a bit of a catalyst, both from an industry standpoint and a financial institution standpoint,” says Grainger. “We think incenting producers in this regard makes economic sense for everyone involved. Also, we’re working with the beef industry now, but that’s just one of many industries we’re interested in creating programming for. We are hoping to work with other industry partners because we want to help create incentive programming for other industry-led sustainability initiatives.

“Canadian agriculture and food producers are excellent stewards of the land and livestock. As they continue to pursue best practices for their operations, someone needs to be there to support them from a financial perspective. That’s what FCC is here to do,” adds Grainger.

“As we move forward here with these kinds of incentive programs, I would anticipate and expect more coming that will continue to show there is value for working in this CRSB program,” says Wasko, who points out the hard work’s been done, and other companies could support beef sustainability by coming on board with the structure already in place, instead of starting from scratch to create an environmental investment.

As interest rates rise, getting some cash back for doing things right makes all kinds of sense for Kress Livestock.

“You see daily operation benefits to being certified,” says Darren Kress. “You’re just more efficient. And you’re teaching kids working on the family farm a good path to go down, too.”

More information on the FCC Sustainability Incentive Program is available online, as is more information on the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef.

Dianne Finstad brings an extensive background in agricultural and rodeo reporting to a variety of communications projects working from her home in Red Deer County, where she can still see both crops and cattle.

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Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has announced an incentive program for producers who are certified through the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB).

“How it works is if you are an FCC customer, and you are already certified, you’re eligible for the FCC incentive payment,” says Curtis Grainger, director of lending products and sustainability programs with FCC. “And that can be up to $2,000, depending on how much lending you have with us.”

The incentive program has been in the works for a few months, according to Grainger. He says the inspiration for this started when FCC and CRSB saw a need to recognize the good work ranchers are doing for the grasslands.

“We felt it was important to first recognize producers for what they’re already doing for those who are already certified. And then encourage others to join the CRSB certification process as we think there’s value in that recognition in the market,” says Grainger.

Anne Wasko, the chair of the Canadian Roundtable of Sustainable Beef, says certification is important because consumers are asking more questions about where their beef comes from.

“(Certification’s) aim is to recognize sustainability practices in beef production,” Wasko says. “And to help these producers or retailers or more foodservice folks to meet their sustainability commitments. We want to assure Canadian consumers their beef has been raised responsibly.”

There are three certification bodies in Canada where producers can get certified through the CRSB — Verified Beef Production Plus, Where Food Comes From Canada and the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance Program.

Grainger says the amount producers can get is based on their lending with FCC, with a maximum amount of $2,000 per year.

“In an ideal world, this will be around for a really long time,” says Grainger. “But we need to measure success for the program. We want to see how many additional producers get certified while continuing to recognize those who are already certified.”

Currently, there are around 1,300 producers in Canada who are certified with CRSB. Grainger hopes through this program, that number will start increasing.

“That’s really the goal behind the incentive payment, as we know producers work hard, and they put a lot of time and energy into this kind of stuff,” he says. “And we feel like an incentive payment is what’s required to recognize all the work that producers are doing in this space.”

Wasko says the FCC incentive program, the first of its kind, could pave the way for more like it.

“I’m sure excited that the potential is there. We certainly hear a lot of our members and stakeholders talking about how we can get involved and looking for ways. And so I think this is just shining a light on different ways that different parts of our industry can get involved in beef sustainability, even if you aren’t a producer. So I do hope that it lights the fire for the next stage.”

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The Blairs do it for the future of the Canadian beef industry. 

Both farms exemplify the kind of commitment seen all across Canada to raising beef sustainably. Becoming a certified partner in the CRSB gives credit for what’s already being done, and helps share the story of Canadian beef. 

Van Osch Farms is located near Mount Carmel, in the fertile ground of southwestern Ontario, so it’s not surprising the farm’s core principle states land is their most precious resource. The third-generation enterprise now involves five active family members who live the vision, as they produce finished cattle for the market. 

“It is the base of the farming structure,” says Fred Van Osch, one of two brothers now forming the senior generation on the farm. “Without the land base and keeping the soil rich, you can’t build a feedlot. If we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t be here.” 

One of the largest beef operations in Ontario with a feeding capacity of 7,500 head, the operation will expand by another 4,000 when a newly constructed barn is fully operational. Van Osch Farms markets primarily to Cargill’s Guelph, Ont. facility, one of the newest CRSB certified processors. 

Manure management is a top priority, with enough capacity to store the feedlot manure all year long. Spreading can then be limited to the summer, and worked right into the wheat stubble, for maximum nutrient effectiveness. 

Animal care is another pillar of both the family’s approach and the CRSB Certification Standards. While their stock is kept in barns, the setup is unique because within each pen is the freedom to go inside or outside. 

“They have feed and water on both sides,” explains Brendon, Fred’s son. 

“It’s like Club Med — all you can eat and all you can drink!” says his cousin Kurtis, chuckling. 

The innovative design enables more square footage per animal, and makes it easier for pen cleaning. Grooved cement floors also mean less slippage for the animals. 

“We think we get the best gains and feed conversions out of the cattle because our goal is to keep them relaxed and calm, and give them the best care possible. When you’re happy, you eat and sleep more,” says Brendon. 

“Our design cost a bit more to build, but like the manure storage, we feel it’s the right and best thing to do,” he adds. 

With nearly ten thousand acres in crop production (mainly corn, but also winter wheat, soybeans, kidney and white beans), the family bales all their straw, plus purchases extra, to bed pens every ten days. 

“With the air and bedding quality, it goes back around to the circle of the quality animal. We feel it’s the best fit to get the pens cleaned out on a regular basis and have access to fresh straw.” 

Van Osch Farms (vanoschfarms.com) had gone through the certification process with VBP+. When the Ontario Corn Fed Beef Quality Assurance program became recognized by CRSB, they transferred there. Because of the records in place with their consulting firm, Feedlot Health Services, audits are a simple process, with paper- work and information they needed already at their fingertips. 

Sourcing most of their calves from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Van Osches tell their order buyers to look for certified calves. But they’re in short supply. 

“We’d prefer calves raised under the CRSB program so all can get the benefit. We need more cow-calf operators to sign on and to let people know they are certified,” says Brendon. “They need some kind of “WhatsApp” for beef farmers to communicate with one another!” 

Turning rugged, non-arable land into pounds of beef is what Alison and Aaron Blair are doing in central Alberta’s parkland. Surrounded by farmland, the hills their cows graze are where the glaciers stopped, leaving rocks behind. While crops can’t grow there, grass and trees thrive on the pastures southeast of Red Deer, although fencing can be a challenge. 

As Aaron began to take the reins from his father Merv Blair, he was working as a welder and ranching after hours, while he and Alison started their family. Now he’s at home full time, but with three young boys, and 200 head of cows, it’s a busy place. 

“We just worked so hard, because that’s what we wanted in the future, so we just kept moving forward,” says Aaron. “We probably didn’t stop and take enough time to think about what people want.” 

“Ultimately, we’re making food, but I think you get lost in your farm, and it’s very easy to not think about the end goal,” adds Alison. 

With her mom, Deb Wilson, being a council member for CRSB, Alison heard all about the program. Five years ago, Red Deer County hosted a VBP+ certification course. She and Aaron signed up to become VBP+ certified. Much to their relief, the audit process was not so daunting. 

“Once we looked at everything, we were doing a lot of the stuff already. It was just the paperwork that had to be done,” Aaron recalls. 

“Primarily it’s just good practice,” adds Alison. “It covers all bases. It goes over land management, chemical usage, herd management.” 

The Blairs say it wasn’t a hard decision for them to get certified. 

“I think you need to be forward-moving, and forward-thinking. At one of the conferences we were at, someone said ‘You can either get on the bus of change, or you can get hit by it.’ It really stuck with me,” says Alison. 

“People want a label. They want more information. Consumers want more of a story. The more transparency the better.” 

Managing grass is Aaron’s passion as he spends his time listening to podcasts, learning how to improve productivity with techniques such as rotational grazing, swath grazing, growing corn or using straw bunches. Their cattle breeding program is gradually moving towards a more efficient-sized cow. 

The Blairs credit the audit process with helping increase their management awareness. 

“Sustainability sums up a farmer’s whole mode of operation because if we are not sustainable, that’s the end of our farm,” says Alison. “It’s essentially the main goal of most farmers to create a legacy, especially if you have children who seem to want to farm. Also, there’s a love of the land and respect for the land like no other.” 

“I think farmers have been humble and private for so many years, it’s not in their nature to tell their story, so you don’t know how good a job you’re doing.” 

Both Van Osch Family Farm and the Blair Land and Cattle Company have ventured into marketing their beef locally. While it’s a learning curve dealing with consumers, the feedback has been encouraging. 

“Customers tell us, ‘Wow, haven’t had such good quality beef in a very long time,’” says Brendon Van Osch, who also is supplying a nearby high-end restaurant. 

“Blairzy Beef ” is developing a following through Facebook and Kijiji for the Blairs. 

“The gate-to-plate is a neat concept — it’s really cool to have your friends and family, and even people you don’t know, eating your beef and messaging you saying ‘This is the best steak I’ve ever had’,” says Alison. 

“Sustainability is not going away. We have to acknowledge it, and embrace it. It’s an opportunity for us to not become obsolete. If we don’t have a voice, some- one will put words in our mouth,” she says. 

“It’s the way we were raised, the way we believe is right for the land and the environment,” says Brendon. “It takes time, effort and money, but we like to see we’re doing the right thing.” 

To learn more about the certification process, visit the CRSB website or check out any of the approved certification bodies such as verifiedbeef.ca, ontariocornfedbeef.com or wfcfcanada.ca.

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Raised on a beef operation in Alberta, Cameron brings with her a love of agriculture storytelling, coupled with a business degree from Mount Royal University in Calgary. 

Cameron actively helps run the family pedigreed seed, purebred cattle and feedlot businesses, and also started a farm-to-table dining experience throughout Alberta called Season and Supply.

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When it comes to purchasing and consuming Canadian beef, millennials make a major impact.

Through restaurants and takeout, millennial males spend the most money each month on beef, according to research conducted by Canada Beef in 2018. Meanwhile, women between 18 and 55, and millennial females in particular, are most involved in beef shopping and meal planning.

In response to the pandemic, this demographic is engaging with beef at a new level.

“We all, at the end of the day, have to eat,” says Michele McAdoo, executive director of communications with Canada Beef. The COVID-19 pandemic, she explains, has prompted many millennials to cook more frequently at home, increasing their culinary skills and creating a greater appreciation of food.

When marketed strategically to millennials to highlight its nutrition, there’s a great opportunity to extend this appreciation to beef further. For millennials as a whole, nutrition and health tend to be important factors in lifestyle decisions. However, a person can either favour or eschew beef, based on their beliefs about nutrition. A study on consumer behaviour and perception of the Canadian beef industry commissioned by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) in 2020 found that millennials tend to view beef as a healthy, high-quality product.

On the other hand, the study revealed that Canadians in general are choosing to eat more chicken and seafood and less beef and pork. As well, millennials are choosing protein alternatives more regularly, a decision related to cost and perceptions about nutrition and environmental impact.

Consumer insight findings from 2019 by the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef found that although younger Canadians are more likely to prefer plant-based proteins, in general 40 per cent of Canadians prefer animal proteins, 19 per cent prefer plant-based and 37 per cent have equal preference.

The 2020 Nourish Network Trend Report anticipates plant-based proteins becoming mainstream options. However, the report’s authors predict the conversation on “real food” to intersect with this trend.

“Many consumers moved to veganism for health reasons but are now ending up eating a more processed diet,” the report states with regard to these alternatives.

This paradox offers an opportunity to connect with a health-conscious generation. At the start of March 2020, Canada Beef launched a campaign called My Canadian Beef.

“The goal of the campaign is to counter some of the negative stories about beef by emphasizing the positive — that Canadian beef is nutritious, single-ingredient, sustainably raised and delicious,” says McAdoo.

Nutritious options that are also convenient are important to many millennials due to their busy, active lifestyles. A blog post by the delivery app DoorDash reported that “73 per cent of millennials put in more than 40 hours of work per week, and more than 60 per cent of families today have two working parents.” With less time available for meal preparation, this generation is three times more likely than their baby boomer parents to order food delivery.

Understanding this, Canada Beef has worked with Hello Fresh, a meal kit company, as part of its most recent consumer campaigns.

“We know meal kits are something that’s really growing, and you’re seeing more and more companies coming about,” says McAdoo. This, in particular, targets the urban millennial audience, which fits into the organization’s focus on Canada’s larger urban centres.

McAdoo highlighted the two separate groups to consider when marketing to this demographic: millennials with families and younger, single millennials.

“As the single people move into that family world, we can provide them and offer them support because they’re in two different mindsets,” she says. “As the next generation comes through, I think we’re always going to have that discussion on cooking skills.”

Culinary engagement with beef rising

A U.S. survey from the earliest days of the pandemic found that millennial consumers drove the surge in meat purchasing, with 84 per cent of millennials concerned about the future availability of meat, compared to 64 per cent of the general population. As well, this group was storing and freezing more meat, as “millennials tend to have kids at home and ensuring they have enough food to feed their families is paramount.”

This was also true in Canada, and the team at Canada Beef saw this response reflected in their user engagement. Despite an increase in ordering food delivery during the pandemic, millennials used the extra time at home during quarantines to hone their culinary skills.

“We knew consumers stocked up on beef from the grocery store, and while they’re in their kitchens ready to cook, many needed help with recipes, serving suggestions, cooking instructions and storage tips,” says McAdoo.

This led Canada Beef to adapt its two new campaigns launched in early 2020 to meet this demand. They provided new content on how to cook different cuts of beef and on trying new techniques to switch up their meals. Use of the Canada Beef website by consumers aged 25-34 increased by 37 per cent, with users seeking out new recipes and ideas.

“As time went on, we started to recognize they’re getting kind of bored with what they’re doing, that you can only make those basics so many times, and then you’re starting to look for some other ideas,” says Joyce Parslow, Canada Beef’s executive director of consumer marketing. “So we got a little more adventurous as we went along.”

Working with influencers

The challenges of 2020 allowed Canada Beef to try new tactics for online communication with consumers. For the My Canadian Beef campaign, they worked with different online platforms, such as Daily Hive, Narcity and Curiocity, all of which provide recommendations for events, restaurants and activities in cities throughout Canada.

This included polls on Daily Hive and the Weather Channel, “just to see how people reacted to questions around beef and the environment,” says McAdoo. “We were able to take that learning and then be able to create other social posts and articles to support and explain the facts.”

Working with third parties to share Canada Beef’s message has been particularly successful because they’ve found the indirect route is the best way to reach millennial consumers. While working with influencers, they’ve noticed the influencers have a bigger effect on the millennial market than Gen X or baby boomers, says McAdoo.

“They don’t want to hear it from the company or the agency or the organization; they would look to other influencers to offer their opinion and their ideas,” McAdoo adds.

By collaborating with experts who have some distance from the organization, as well as their own audiences, they can share the message in a way that consumers don’t perceive as biased. While a few of the influencers that Canada Beef has partnered with on the My Canadian Beef campaign are beef producers, others are nutritionists, chefs and conservation experts. Those experts bring their own knowledge to the conversation.

Recently, Canada Beef sponsored a webinar-based cooking lesson with chef and home economist Emily Richards, who shared a method for cooking eye of round roast.

Richards showed viewers how “to carve it up so it could be a rolled and stuffed roast as a way for easy holiday entertaining with something that’s very economical from a beef standpoint but is quite a showstopper,” says Parslow. “We provide the recipe, we provide the strategy behind it and the key speaking points, and then they’re the distribution outlet and the spokespeople.”

Another successful partnership was with Olympic hurdler Sage Watson, who was raised on a beef operation in Alberta.

“It was a really great connection to have her background to talk about beef farming and ranching,” says McAdoo. “Then she brought the side of why she ate beef, how it helped her with her sports world, and we also then received a whole new audience, especially on the sporting side.”

The indirect approach has proved to have more of an impact than targeting the consumer directly. “We found that when we go to them directly, sometimes we get some big slap-back, especially if we’re doing things on social (media),” says Parslow. “We did a campaign outreach to talk to young moms about the importance of eating iron-rich foods like beef as one of baby’s first foods.”

While that approach resulted in some negative responses, an indirect campaign with the same message shared by professional curler Rachel Homan and her team yielded an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers.

“It’s another new audience, it’s people involved in the sport of curling, and… when it’s coming from someone they love, they have a harder time tearing your message down. They’re just a friendlier group of people.”

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