New DVD Highlights Innovative Beef Value Chain Systems

Jul 12, 2012

Beef System in the UK Examined for Canada

The Value Chain Management Center (VCMC) based in Guelph, Ontario and the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) partnered-up to create a case study DVD to put a spotlight on two innovative value chain systems pertaining to the beef industry in the UK. The two organizations just announced the release of the DVD and it’s available for purchase through the VCMC and the OCA. The OCA is a grassroots organization that provides a voice for Ontario’s beef producers advocating for their needs and the VCMC is Canada’s only organization who is dedicated to researching value chain issues in the agriculture industry.

The DVD project was conducted because the UK beef industry shares a lot of similarities to Canada and the two organizations wanted to demonstrate how UK beef producers were using innovation management techniques to remain completive even during hardships. The DVD offers some insights on how the Canadian industry can capitalize on ideas presented in the UK beef management models and apply it domestically to help beef farmers improve competitiveness.

“I wish that I had seen these initiatives 10 years ago. They illustrate approaches that our beef industry could adopt to improve its competitiveness and profitability” says Dan Darling, President of the OCA.

The DVD highlights a series of factors, including food safety events such as BSC, the evolution of government support programs and industry consolidation are helping shape the UK beef industry throughout the different stages in the food chain system.

The first case study involves Blade Farming and McDonald beef operations, providing unique examples of how to measure the determinants of performance and feeding quality inputs from conception throughout the system to provide a high quality product for consumers to enjoy. The second case study examines two retailers Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC and the Beef Improvement Group.

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.