| Alberta Grows |
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presented by ATB Financial
Hall F Stage, April 8-10
The focus has shifted out of the kitchen and into the supply, production and marketing of food for this year. Topics include something for everyone for everything from efficient land utilization for small holdings to becoming a farmer’s market vendor to developing an integrated supply chains.
Food Safety - A Public trust Canada is touted as having one of the safest food supplies in the world, yet each year it is estimated that between 10 and 13 million Canadians suffer from foodborne illness - 33 to 38% of the population. Obviously, food safety continues to be a challenge for the Canadian consumers. A safe food supply does not just happen - anyone who handles food needs to take responsibility for the safety of the food they are handling - from the producers to consumers. Although efforts to improve the safety of the food supply have been implemented, we need to understand the hazards involved so that they can be minimized. This can be a challenge but it can be done! What are the microbiological hazards in the food supply? Why do we have such trouble controlling microbiological hazards? What can be done to control these hazards? Can the public trust that our food supply is safe? This presentation will explore why food safety continues to be a challenge and address some of the key topics related to consumer perceptions of food safety. Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) – Accomplishments to date and plans for the future ALMA brings ideas, information and investment to the table, all towards a goal of a sustainable, profitable and internationally respected livestock and meat industry.
In order to help industry begin a transformational change, ALMA has approved close to $27 million in investment for 124 projects. Industry organizations and companies will be able to leverage that investment to the tune of $92 million in total project value.
ALMA funds have spanned all the livestock commodities, with close to $17 million for beef projects, $3.7 million for pork, more than $1 million for poultry, $770,000 for dairy, $120,000 for bison, more than $750,000 for lamb and more than $12,000 for elk. There is also $4.7 million invested in projects that benefit all species.
So far ALMA has been successful on relatively short-term, day-to-day projects, but in the future is going to move into more long-term strategic initiatives.
ALMA will continue to look for strong partnerships and relationships with industry groups and associations to continue working towards a competitive and profitable livestock and meat industry.
Bio: Coming soon
Becoming a Farmer's Market Vendor April 9, 10:30 a.m. Becky Lipton Farmers’ Markets are not just for farmers! Savvy entrepreneurs who sell at markets cut out the middle man, have lower overhead costs and sell top quality product at a premium. With over 100 markets to sell at across the province, being a vendor might be the right step you take to grow your business. Learn about being a vendor and the steps you need to take to expand your business.
Bio: Becky Lipton is a consultant who focuses on strategic planning, industry development, communications, research, and program evaluation and development for sustainable agriculture. She is currently the interim executive director for Going Organic, works extensively with the Alberta Farmers’ Market Association and is the founder and coordinator of the ASAAP apprenticeship program. Becky has a background in small scale farming, rural and farm start-up research, and food security. She believes in working towards a food system that is supportive of a healthy society and that in order to achieve this system it must be based on and will be sustained by innovative and successful farmers.
Small Holdings and Land Utilization
April 9, 3:30 p.m. Barb Hazenvald There are many ways we can utilize land in a small acreage setting. Horses inhabit a lot of productive acreage space at the moment in Alberta. Commonly, owners have extensive lawns. They produce a place to play or walk and little else. If even 1/10th of our lawn space would be converted to food crops, we could reduce our carbon foot-print greatly and increase our own self reliance and health.
There is a great “return” to the country by many former city dwellers. Many hope to make some money from their land, many choose to live in the country for a healthier lifestyle. Both of these things can go hand-in-hand. Growing useful things on your land will increase your own self-reliance and give you a sense of satisfaction.
Permaculture is a system of design that enables us to grow the maximum amount of food in a given area. Permaculture employs techniques that maximize efficiency and promote inter-connectedness between human needs and nature.
Bio: Barb has been teaching and practicing Permaculture for 17 years. After completing her Horticulture diploma from Olds College, she mentored with Bill Mollison in Australia, where she lived for 17 years. She has taught Permaculture and worked in Palestine, China, Nepal, Canada and Australia. From Conception to Consumption – Developing a Integrated Supply Chain Responsibility and accountability are words that keep going over and over in my mind the past year and not just for things like brushing my teeth every day to gain a chance of having them to chew my steak in another 20 years. Or changing oil in my truck so that my chances of seeing the odometer turn over 400,000 km is better. Responsibility goes beyond personal progression or even family progression; beyond community and due to global economic and food trade issues, beyond our province and our country. Somehow, due to the idea of profit and personal abundance issues, we seem to have forgotten about the responsibility that grassroots agricultural producers of this world have as stewards of the land and nutritional healers for an unhealthy world. Of course this statement is more about agriculture in general than beef cattle producers in Alberta, however every person counts, and every person has the same opportunity to initiate the changes we need to "get", or rather "keep" our planet on track.
A number of years back, the cattle producers of this country chose to give up the responsibility we had as nutritional healers and bowed to the almighty dollar while basing our production on that dollar and those who offered it to us. The sad part is that those who offer us that dollar have less concern than we have for anything but profit. Just like any good business, those who offer us that dollar found ways to make even more profit by offering us less and directing us to raise cattle that fir their profit scheme. As complex as things may seem at times, this is my simple explanation for our current state of affairs. Is it “their” fault?.... no. Is it the government’s fault? Is it our fault ?..... no. It is just the way it is and a reminder for all of us to get back to our purpose. I feel that we all simply lost sight of our “purpose” in lieu of profit. And this can be corrected.
Consumers are becoming more health conscious every day, and are more willing and able than any time in recent history to prioritize a healthy diet in their budget. Even through this so called recession that we are witnessing, conscious consumers continue to emerge.
The last words in this little rant are that there is a way for the beef cattle industry to survive and thrive again in this country as long as we take responsibility back and give the consumer what she or he wants rather than what we think is okay for them. A healthy non manipulated, sustainable, beef carcass raised with the health of the animal and the health of those who eat it in mind.
Bio: Randy Is a cattle producer from Ponoka Alberta who raises Registered Welsh Black and Galloway breeding stock and participates in a vertically integrated marketing program called Canadian Celtic Cattle Company. This company owned by a number shareholders including Randy and the founder Paul Froehler from Strome Alberta supply three "Second to None" meat shops in Calgary Alberta as well as a number of high end Calgary restaurants and, as of last year, the company has become the major beef supplier at the Calgary Stampede. The beef for the Canadian Celtic program is produced from carcass animals with Galloway, Welsh Black or Highland parentage and is raised in as natural a way as possible, providing a white fat, barley finished, extremely high quality beef.
The animals in the program are never implanted with hormonal growth stimulants and do not receive antibiotics in their feed or as treatment in the finishing period.
Randy has been taking part in this conscious approach to raising beef for almost ten years. This includes a couple of years prior to the BSE issue raising its ugly head in this country. Randy feels that the best way for beef producers of this country to survive and thrive in the post BSE era is to reach the customer through vertically integrated marketing with every effort made to listen to the consumers’ wants and needs.
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