On October 16, 2007 the Agriculture Minister Groeneveld called 5 industry groups to a meeting at the McDougall Center in Calgary. The Minister charged these groups with developing a forward looking strategy for the Alberta beef industry. As a result, the Canada Gold Beef concept has taken shape. This encompasses an innovative new beef value chain which will produce and sell a family of branded beef products with environmental, animal husbandry, and strict food safety requirements to meet the demands of local and international customers. A formal announcement of the program took place at the Alberta Beef Industry Conference on February 21 in Red Deer.

A cornerstone of the program is a collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship amongst the cow-calf, feedlot and processing sectors of the beef industry. Cattle feeder spokesman, Rick Paskal says, "The program will capture value for attributes such as age and source verification, traceability, and good production practices for all cattle in the program." While it will be voluntary, Paskal and the group have seen interest from a large number of producers, and initial discussions with meat packers have been extremely encouraging. The groups involved in the discussions of this initiative have included representatives from the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association, the Beef Initiative Group, the Feeders Association of Alberta, and the Western Stock Growers' Association. According to rancher Russ Pickett, of the Western Stock Growers Association, "it is time to take a new approach to conducting business for cow/calf producers, feedlot operators and meat packers."

Industry and government will be working together to ensure that a value-added beef industry is on a competitive footing to grow the business here and abroad. Reg Schmidt of the Feeders Association of Alberta notes that, "we are setting up a corporate structure for Canada Gold Beef, have secured the name and will be seeking a trade mark for the company."

"We are very excited about this endeavor," says Cam Ostercamp of the Beef Initiative Group. Producers are encouraged to watch for further information on how to participate in Canada Gold Beef.

For details on the conference go to www.abiconference.ca or call Jennifer Brunette at the Alberta Cattle Feeders' Association, 403-250-2509 ext 22.