Federal Agriculture Critic Lianne Rood Is Ready For Her New Role

Sep 09, 2020

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole unveiled his shadow cabinet this week.

O'Toole promoting Lianne Rood to the role of Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Rood grew up on a vegetable farm in Ontario and has served as the Deputy Shadow Minister since her election in 2019.

"My experience goes beyond just growing up on a farm and being involved in Agriculture. I had the pleasure of working with David Anderson for several years working with him on the Canadian Wheat Board file under Minister Gerry Ritz under Stephen Harpers government."

She says our farm families and producers are a critical pillar of our rural economy.

"You know Agriculture is a key foundation of our country. So moving forward I think we need to make sure that our producers and our farmers have the tools and the support they need to order to be successful and so we can ensure our food security moving forward."

Rood says she'll continue to hold the Liberal government to account and fight on behalf of farmers and producersacross the country.

She replaces Alberta Foothills MP John Barlow as the party's agriculture critic.

Barlow had supported Peter McKay in the Conservative's Leadership race.

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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.