Source: Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation (CCF) presented a gift of $150,000 to launch a new national youth program delivered from W.A. Ranches at the University of Calgary. This program will offer both urban and rural youth across the country the opportunity to enhance their understanding of how food is produced.
Bob Lowe, CCF Chair, is eager to see youth who participate in this program gain awareness of how their food is produced. As Lowe explained “cattle play an important role in conserving Canada’s grasslands. They transform grasses into a high value product for humans while helping maintain the integrity of the landscape and its ecosystem.”
Dr. Ed Pajor, PhD, Director of W.A. Ranches and Anderson-Chisholm Chair in Animal Care and Welfare, notes the importance of sharing this positive story to the original vision of the W.A. Ranches donors. “This is an exciting opportunity to encourage urban and rural youth who are interested in the ag sector – from elementary through university, attracting and encouraging a new generation to the beef industry,” Pajor said.
The new youth program will offer a mixture of hands-on and virtual experiences to connect youth to agriculture. Pajor’s first order of business is hiring a new program coordinator to assist in developing specific programming with the University of Calgary focused on a variety of relevant topics.
While some programming will take place in the form of individual sessions, Pajor also envisions longer and more in-depth visits to the ranch to achieve true appreciation for the complexities of beef production and animal care. CCF looks forward to seeing young people offer their talents to the industry using their learning from this program.
To view the news release from the University of Calgary regarding this program, click here.
About Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Foundation was established as a charity in 2014 to support sustainability and innovation within Canada’s beef industry, through a network of 55,000 beef farms, ranches, industry related partners and donors. We work in partnership with donors and stakeholders to support next generation leadership development and sustainability initiatives for the Canadian beef industry.
