Sustainable beef: Campaign and program recognize producer efforts to producer high-quality beef sustainably
Conversation regarding environmental stewardship, sustainable production practices and climate-smart agriculture will only continue into the future.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), along with the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) both work to recognize producers in their efforts to improve beef production efficiency and conserve the land.
Sustainability campaign
On April 26, the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” brand, managed by NCBA, launched a new beef campaign to highlight real farmers and ranchers. Beef consumers are invited to learn more about how farmers and ranchers utilize sustainable practices to care for the land and produce high-quality beef, according to a news release, which noted only 24 percent of consumers say they are knowledgeable about how cattle are raised for meat consumption.
The news release states, “This sustainability campaign aims to address this by introducing consumers to farmers and ranchers across the country and showcasing the many efforts underway to help sustain and improve the land for generations to come.”
“Beef farmers and ranchers have been caring for the land and environment for generations and will continue to do so,” said 2021 NCBA Federation Division Chair Clay Burtrum. “Consumers want to know more about where their food comes from and as sustainability becomes a focus for consumers, it’s important for us to tell our story as effectively as possible and this campaign does just this.”
Consumers will be introduced to the Environmental Stewardship Award Program and the Beef Quality Assurance Program, which serve as evidence of the commitment of the beef industry to environmentally sound and intuitive beef production practices.
Local stewardship award
Each year, WSGA honors Wyoming cattlemen whose daily practices on their ranch contribute to natural resource conservation through the Environmental Stewardship Program and Award, in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA).
On April 28, Gov. Mark Gordon honored the Keith and Laura Galloway of the Galloway Ranch in Ten Sleep as the 26th recipient of the award. Gordon proclaimed July 14, 2021 as Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Day, which will mark the date of the Environmental Stewardship Tour hosted by WSGA and WDA at the Galloway Ranch.
A news release from WSGA says, “The Galloways are stewards of the land and their livestock. Their focus when they started was to make the ranch sustainable.”
“Working with many partners, including the Washakie County Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, the Galloways were able to implement many stewardship practices to reach this goal,” the release continues.
In addition to the celebration of this prestigious award with Wyoming Environmental Stewardship Day in July, the Galloways will be recognized at the 2021 Wyoming Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Sheridan June 2-4.
Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
