Q: Tell us about your background.

I work for Ducks Unlimited Canada, but I grew up on a beef farm along side a Ducks Unlimited Canada project and spent a great deal of my childhood in that marsh. I have witnessed the symbiotic relationship between cattle and conservation my entire life. I grew up in Manitoba’s north Interlake region. The Interlake can be a difficult area for growing crops as there’s a great deal of natural areas–mainly marshland, rocks and trees. These areas are home to countless wildlife. The land I grew up on is not ideal for growing crops or vegetables (outside my mother’s garden). It is best used for raising cattle and as wildlife habitat because they naturally work together. I often get asked, “couldn’t we just turn all that land into vegetable gardens?” The simple answer is, no, you can’t – you can only grow so much on harsh, rocky land. Not all land is created equal. Much of the land used to raise cattle isn’t good for growing crops or vegetables. So, where I come from has helped me understand the complex relationship between the land where you can grow crops and how cattle can actually benefit a landscape.

Q: Tell us about the symbiotic relationship between cattle and the environment?

Cattle and conservation are naturally connected. At Ducks Unlimited Canada, we are regularly asked: “why do we support and work with cattle farmers?” The answer is as simple as grass and water. Cows need grass and water to survive –so do ducks. We work together to protect these areas. Cows and ducks both need grasslands, they both need wetlands. Those two areas are crucial to our mission and to Canada’s environment.

Q: How do the beef herds contribute to the wellness of grasslands and wetlands?

Without cattle on the land, we risk losing grasslands and wetlands. Land used to raise cattle is the same land that protects these important natural areas. Without cattle, these areas that are homes to wildlife and offer tremendous other benefits are at great risk of being lost to grow crops or to other types of development.

Grasslands and wetlands actually sequester or hold a ton of carbon and help reduce the impacts of climate change while keeping our soil healthy.

That’s something many Canadians don’t realize. These areas also filter our water and protect us from flooding and drought. These are all things that having cattle on the landscape contribute to. Raising cattle in Canada is actually good for our environment.

Q: What is the importance of working with partners to help promote the environmental stewardship of your land?

There’s a statement I use all the time: there is power in partnerships. No one understands that more than we do at Ducks Unlimited Canada. Everything we do is in partnership. We have partnered with thousands of Canadian farmers for over 80 years to protect important natural areas like wetlands and grasslands, and to find win-win solutions for the sustainability of our environment and for the farmers themselves.

Some of the programs we work with farmers on are returning poor cropland back to grasslands or something as simple as fencing – keeping cattle out of sensitive areas, such as rivers and streams where they could possibly erode the banks. By putting up fences and not allowing animals to access these areas, it keeps the land and the cattle healthier.

Canadian farmers use some of the most sustainable practices in the world – making the land, soil and water under their care healthier while improving the landscape for the wildlife that lives there