Checking in with ABP

In Season 3, Episode 12 of The Bovine podcast, brought to you by Alberta Beef Producers, host Kara Mastel sits down with Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Laycraft for a sweeping conversation that covers four decades of industry leadership, innovation, and resilience. This episode isn’t just a history lesson — it’s an inspiring…

One of John Smith’s favourite places is a short walk from the home he grew up in. It’s high enough that you can see neighbouring towns and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains. It’s a place of beauty and philosophy. At night, you can look one direction to see the intensity of light from growing cities, then…

In the December 2024 issue of ABP Magazine, we shared the list of producers acclaimed as delegates following the November nomination deadline. In March, the Board of Directors approved the appointments of three additional producers, including one new and two returning delegates. Jolene McDermott — Northwest Zone Jolene McDermott manages a 100-head cow/calf operation with…

The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) was created to provide a collaborative space for players across the beef value chain to work together on sustainability. The organization works to advance, measure and communicate continual progress in the sustainability of the Canadian Beef value chain. The CRSB Certified program is a voluntary tool to recognize…

When a producer decides to get certified with the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) Program, they go through an on-farm assessment to confirm that they are meeting the requirements of the VBP+ standard. This process can sound intimidating but is really designed to help producers succeed and make the most of their certification. What is…

It might seem strange to still be talking about tariffs, but they have not just been a priority — they’ve been THE priority for government relations at Alberta Beef Producers over the past few months. Tariffs and countermeasures have been a major concern as we’ve worked to support the government’s efforts to protect the country…

Canada’s cattle industry was spared from the United States administration’s reciprocal tariffs on April 2, due to a carve out for products that are Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) compliant such as Canadian live cattle and beef. The reprieve continued for CUSMA compliant goods the following week when the U.S. administration implemented and then paused some of…

The start of my term as president is during an odd combination of events. In Canada, a federal election campaign just wrapped up. While this would traditionally be a quieter time for CCA, my calendar quickly filled up with invitations to attend meetings in Washington, D.C. and with key stakeholders in Canada as we continue…

Since being elected your ABP chair in March, it feels like we’ve jumped in head first! Literally, within the first hour or two after being appointed, we got right into some media scrums. Since the timing of our AGM and the following Alberta Beef Industry Conference coincided with tariffs scheduled to take effect, there were…

In response to the recent wildfires, the County of Grande Prairie is leading an initiative to connect livestock producers in need of feed with those who have surplus. The wildfires have created an urgent demand for feed on several operations. To address this, the County is facilitating connections between producers with available feed and those…