Canada Can Now Export Beef and Pork to Nicaragua

Jan 02, 2013

Canadian pork and beef producers can now export their products to Nicaragua. This is good news for cattle producers who haven’t gained full access to the Central American country since the 2003 BSE. For pork producers, this is the first signal for establishing market conditions for Canadian pork products.

"Our government understands that opening new markets to increase exports of our world-class beef and pork creates jobs and economic growth," said Canadian Agriculture Minister, Gerry Ritz. "Every international market opened means more dollars returning to the farm gate and another great opportunity for our livestock producers."

Gaining market access to Nicaragua signals a bigger vision for trade expansion efforts in Central America.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.