Representing the communities of Willingdon, Derwent, Myrnam, Two Hills and the County of Two Hills, the Highway 45 Regional Development Corridor is an economic development alliance with a mandate to stimulate and facilitate economic development in the region.

Our beef industry in Alberta is at a crossroads. We are faced with important decisions that will determine the future prosperity of our industry. Making the right decisions means we can seize the opportunity to make our industry stronger, more profitable. One of the keys steps to seizing these opportunities is to restructure our industry organizations in a way that better represents the entire beef production chain. A restructuring that enables and encourages all sectors—pedigree and seedstock producers, cow/calf producers, feedlots, auction marts, order buyers and dealers, as well as packers— to work better together. Such a restructuring will allow us to move away from a focus on production of a raw “commodity” and onto a focus where we produce a “product” — a product that more consumers desire, in greater quantities, and for premium prices.

Presented to Banff Conference Agriculture, Food Environment AIA,
March 18, 2009

Beaucoup de choses ont changé dans l’industrie canadienne et internationale de la viande rouge depuis que FAC a effectué son Évaluation du marché nord-américain de la viande rouge en juin 2006. FAC a consulté de nouveau ses partenaires de recherche, Toma&Bouma et leGeorgeMorris Centre, afin de mettre à jour les données de l’étude réalisée en 2006. Cette nouvelle étude examine les développements internationaux et les tendances émergentes qui ont un impact sur les industries de l’élevage et de la viande rouge au Canada, notamment les défis actuels, les tendances internationales enmatière de viande rouge et la place du Canada sur lesmarchés internationaux.

The purpose of the study is to learn from global developments and emerging trends within the livestock and meat industries and to determine how or if these trends can assist the Canadian industry in emerging from its current crisis. To this end, the project analyzes the current challenges facing the Canadian red meat industry and investigates global red meat trends. It also examine Canada’s place in international markets.