National Barley Council Created

Apr 17, 2013

Barley Council of Canada Incorporates

For the first time in Canada, the barley industry will have a national voice with the creation of Barley Council of Canada (BCC). The group announced on Wednesday, that it will be formally incorporating and will be representing farmers and barley industry members.

"This is the first time in history the entire value chain has been brought together from coast to coast on a Board of Directors." said Brian Otto, BCC chairman. "We are proud to move forward as the national voice for barley."

The BCC says that it will be focusing on five key areas moving forward: innovation and research, crop production practices, market development, increasing market understanding, and communication in the industry.

Federal Agricultural Minister Gerry Ritz took the opportunity to congratulate the BCC on its incorporation and says that he looks forward to working with the group to represent barley farmers.

The newly minted BCC says that it’s eager to implement project initiatives.

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.