CFA President Looks Back on 2019

Jan 03, 2020

During her year-end interview, Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Mary Robinson says farmers faced a number of challenges in 2019.

"We had cold and wet, we had dry and hot, so I think from coast to coast there were a lot of challenges in regard to getting the crop in, tending to it all season and then getting it harvested successfully. Whether that was for poor conditions or lack of propane that you might need to dry a crop off when you harvest it. So there was a lot of complications along the year for sure."

Robinson says trade with China was also a big focus during the past year.

"We certainly got a quick education on what it means to be shut out from Chinese markets for canola producers. Weathering that storm has been very difficult and we've been pushing throughout the year for some movement on the part of government to be reactive to that."

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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.