2020 Marks Beginning Of 'Peak Decade'

With the World Economic Forum taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland, one of the topics discussed was the idea of the 'Peak Decade'.

 

Neil Townsend with FarmLink Marketing Solutions discussed the issue this week at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon.

 

"In 2020 to 2029, we're going to reach the most ever of a lot of things," he said. "One of the big things is the most cars ever, and then from now on less and less cars are going to be driving. The one that really captured my attention is the fact that this is the first time where there's more people in world above 65 than below 18. Population is still growing, but we're reaching the point where it's going to peak and moreover the distribution of that population is going to be increasingly older and not younger and that has big implications in terms of how much people eat, how much people consume."

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.