AgEx Speaker Spotlight: What's their beef with beef?

A G E X SPEAKER S POTLIGHT:

WHAT'S T HEIR B EEF W ITH B EEF?

E LLEN C RANE, N UFFIELD S CHOLAR

When is the last time you purchased a beef product in a grocery store? For many beef producers purchasing grocery store beef is not a regular activity. The modern consumer has become increasingly conscious about the products they purchase. Is it good for me? Is it good for the environment? These are just two attributes of beef production a consumer may consider when making purchase decisions.

The disconnect between the average consumer and food production becomes increasingly apparent through advertising campaigns. Grocery stores and social media have become opportunities to share an often-misleading message to consumers. For nearly a decade, the conversation about the challenge to feed 9 billion people by the year 2050 has been a topic at agricultural conferences around the world. The answer often resembles the response of improvements in production efficiency and sustainability. Is there an opportunity to think outside the box when it comes to marketing Canadian products both domestically and internationally?

Ellen's Nuffield research revolved around impending trade deals for Canadian products including the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This research led her to learn more about consumer preferences and beef production in Scotland, England, Denmark, Ireland, France, Italy, Hong Kong and Japan. Join Ellen to gain her international insights.

ELLEN CRANE was raised on a cow-calf operation in Lorne Valley, Prince Edward Island. As a youth she was actively involved in the PEI 4-H program and the Canadian Junior Hereford Association. She completed a BSc. at the University of Prince Edward Island and a diploma in Bioscience technology at Holland College prior to completing a MSc. in animal science at the Dalhousie Agriculture Campus. During her MSc., Ellen was the first recipient of the Keith Gilmore Foundation prize for Beef Cattle Innovation. She was a mentee in the 2015 Cattlemen's Young Leader program, a mentorship program overseen by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. It was during her mentorship with John Baker, Director of business development for Ontario Corn-Fed Beef, that she gained interest in the development of international markets for Canadian beef products. Ellen currently works remotely from Truro, Nova Scotia as the Extension Coordinator for the Beef Cattle Research Council.

"To foster agricultural leadership and personal development through international study."

For more information on Nuffield Canada Agricultural Scholarships, please visit: www.nuffield.ca or contact Leona Watson at exec.director@nuffield.ca.

We hope to see you at AgEx!

CULTIVATING RESILIENCE

December 2-4, 2019 | Fredericton Convention Centre

Fredericton, New Brunswick

The Agricultural Excellence Conference is a one-of-a-kind event in Canada that brings diverse industry experts and stakeholders together from across disciplines, regions and production sectors to share and explore beneficial farm management practices and insights with leading farm business thinkers. Build your network of farm management enthusiasts!

Why Attend AgEx?

Focused on practical skills development
Interactive sessions - discuss, debate, direct
Everyone welcome - families and partners encouraged to attend
Build your network of farm management enthusiasts!

Conference Sessions:

Economic Outlook for Canada's Farmers - Farm Credit Canada
Management Tactics for Leading Farmers
Taking Care of Business: You and Your Farm - Facilitated by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Building your Peer Advisory Group - Who and How - Terry Betker, Backswath Management
Bridging the Gap: Family Farm Transition Panel - Moderated by Brent VanParys, BDO
Secrets to Success: Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers - Amy Cronin, Cronin Family Farms
Black Swans - Friend or Foe? - Don Buckingham, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute
What's their Beef with Beef? - Ellen Crane, Beef Cattle Research Council
Making the Case for International Collaboration to Improve Skills Training - Gavin Robertson, Garage d'Or Ciders
Cultivating Innovation through On-Farm Trials - Shelley Spruit, Against the Grain Farms
Getting Highest Value for your Cash Crop - Josh Oulton, TapRoot Farms Inc.
Farm Business Management Resource Showcase
Concurrent Workshops
and more!