Sustainable practices validated by research are the core of Canada's Verified Beef Production Plus Program

The Verified Beef Production Plus Program - VBP+ for short - is a voluntary, industry-led, market driven initiative. VBP+ validates sustainable beef production practices that are based on research findings from across the country, including the U of M. In this podcast, Betty Green, Manitoba's VBP+ coordinator, describes the program and shares her own personal story as a Manitoba farmer. 

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Jordan Cieciwa 0:00

Welcome to the Manitoba agriculture and food knowledge exchange podcast. I'm your host, Jordan Cieciwa. And today we're talking about the verified beef production plus program. It's one of those programs that I don't think enough consumers know about, and it's something that I really want people to understand, that there is programming out there and there is options out there for consumers to know that your beef products are being produced in the best way possible, but I'm not going to be the one to talk about it as usual. We've got an expert to do just that. We've got the provincial rep for the program, Betty Green and Betty, why don't you tell everybody a little bit about yourself?

Betty Green 0:45

I'm a cattle rancher in the Interlake in here in Manitoba. So we have a cow calf operation and a backgrounding feedlot and a small full-blood simmental herd . So , that's my life story kind of I love ranching.

Jordan Cieciwa 1:04

That's what I like to hear is anytime someone loves their career, you know, that what they're going to be talking about comes from the heart end, and you are passionate about the care and quality of life for your livestock. And that has led into a whole career on... In the verified beef

Betty Green 1:22

That's right. So the verified beef plus program is really a program for producers built by producers with lots of support from scientists, researchers, and so forth. It really is a program that helps producers meet industry standards in the areas of food, safety, animal care, the environment, and biosecurity .

Jordan Cieciwa 1:49

Well, and it's funny because the way that we got connected is I was obviously working with the University of Manitoba, the agriculture..., the faculty of agricultural and food sciences. And they're the ones that said, who you need to talk to is Betty Green . And she'll walk you through biosecurity in detail and talk about this verified beef plus program. So let's talk biosecurity .

Betty Green 2:17

Sure. Well, Canada is , was the very first country in the world to develop a biosecurity standard for the beef industry. And biosecurity was, I would think one of the things that producers kind of put on the back burner. So when I was asked to participate in this, I thought, wow , this is going to be a bit of a challenge, a little bit of a learning curve. But I was absolutely amazed at how they grasp the ideas. And in many ways taught us what we needed to be thinking about.

Jordan Cieciwa 2:55

I was just gonna say, what, when we're talking biosecurity . Cause it sounds, I think it sounds a lot more scary than it really is. So what is biosecurity?

Betty Green 3:07

Biosecurity is the prevention of disease or the containment so that we're able to control the disease within a herd , or within an area.

Jordan Cieciwa 3:22

It's just making sure nothing spreads basically at the end, and the long and the short of it is our researchers at the University of Manitoba and cattle ranchers across Canada, because that's the other part of this is it's not just Manitoba, where we're super proud to live, but it's across Canada. It was just a discussion on how do we make sure we can contain our livestock and anything that happens. So that's, sorry to have interrupted you, but that was just for me to understand the biosecurity .

Betty Green 3:54

Well, and it's economic, right? We want to maintain a healthy herd in Canada, in Manitoba and on our farms . So it really steps through all of those levels and has an influence. Producers were quick to grasp that and partner with their veterinarians. So we really encourage producers, of course, to have that client patient relationships, we call it a VCPR, and producers often lean on their vets to help them develop a biosecurity plan on their farm.

Jordan Cieciwa 4:29

Interesting . So , and this is, I guess the beauty of it, is we've got our producers . So the person producing my food at the end of the day is working closely in relationship with a vet and is looking to produce the best product possible because they want me at the end of the day, happy with what they've produced. Absolutely interesting. Now, how does this kind of continue to grow? How does the verified beef program continue to grow and prosper?

Betty Green 4:59

Well, we start out by training producers on the topics that I outlined. And today we're going to talk about biosecurity in terms of biosecurity . We ask them to assess their farm for risks. So identify the practices that they have on their farm that may introduce a risk of a disease or a noxious weed, or, you know, it's broader than just disease. Uh, once they've taken that kind of risk assessment we asked them to identify the highest risk and start to implement or find ways to mitigate that. So if we talk about animals first, because that's the one that comes to mind first , producers will be very quick to tell us that their first strategy is always prevention. So that may mean good management practices on the farm , you know, lots of straw and making sure that animals are in safe and secure environments. Making sure they're well vaccinated. So that's where they come in with the vet and find out what the prevalent diseases are, what vaccines are most effective and that's their first step.

Jordan Cieciwa 6:19

And I think I want to say something here because I've been, I've had the fortune of working with a lot of amazing researchers now, and when we're talking disease and vaccination and things like that, I think it's important to talk about humans as well. I was vaccinated as a kid, right? Because the prevalent diseases that are still out there, the chicken pox and all this kind of stuff, it's a real risk for humans as well. It's not any different in the animal world. So when I hear experts talking about disease control, you know, I used to have that moment of like, oh, I go a little bug-eyed. And then I had it explained to me was just like, you know, somebody said, are you vaccinated? I'm like, of course I have, I don't want to get a prevalent disease. And it's the same thing. And this is I guess, where the conversation of biosecurity starts.

Betty Green 7:16

Absolutely. It's no different for our cattle when they're newborns. We will vaccinate them right from the outset to offset some of those childhood young animal diseases. And as they follow through life, there's, you know , boosters or new vaccines introduced at certain stages of their life .

Jordan Cieciwa 7:41

And like I say, that to me was I guess an aha moment, as they call it where I, I always... you associate hearing someone talk about disease with it as a bad thing. Versus we've got producers looking to make the best environment for the animals that they care for. All right. So how does that kind of the next step ? So we've got, we've got producers and , looking at risks, then what do they do?

Betty Green 8:15

So once they have a good vaccination program in place, then we ask them to take a look at it from other angles. So where are you introducing your cattle to risk? One of those might be with co-mingling . So that just means where they interact with other cattle. So that may be at a show or a fair , for each event. And so how do you prepare for those activities? How do you minimize the potential of a disease transmission during those times? And again, you make sure their vaccinations are up to speed. You make sure that there's a standard at the fair that you're attending, that other people have to vaccinate as well. You make sure your animal is healthy. You would never introduce an animal that's highly stressed you know, a newly weaned calf or a newborn baby calf.

Jordan Cieciwa 9:16

And so this is, it really is just making sure that the producers are one step ahead. And that's and as a project that the verified beef program has said, think about these things and let us help you make some good decisions.

Betty Green 9:37

Sure. We always say that there's a good, better, best, and don't let the approach of excellence get in the way of doing things. Well, it doesn't have to be perfect. There's no way of preventing all diseases all of the time. There are ways to minimize that. So the best would be to have a closed herd, never introduce new incoming animals , have no animals that are... have nose to nose contact with your cattle, but that's not achievable. There's virtually impossible to achieve that goal. So what's the best practice that you can achieve and still meet your operational needs.

Jordan Cieciwa 10:24

Interesting. And that's what we're seeing a lot of now, what kind of... what is the goal of the verified beef program and what you're up to. Where do you guys look to in the future?

Betty Green 10:35

I think it is to establish those guidelines, those standards for producers in terms of at the farm level, those standards are there. We just want to make sure all producers are aware of them and then be able to convey that through a certification program. So we actually audit farmers to make sure that they are meeting those needs, that to builds on consumer trust. I think our consumers want to know that we're doing the very best we can while we're raising our animals.

Jordan Cieciwa 11:12

Well, and it's funny that you say that, because again, I take this back to... I get to do these podcasts, but I also get educated as I go. And this was something where... when it was first brought to my attention through the faculty, that this was something that this verified beef program, one had a whole bunch of researchers that have contributed to best care and procedures, but two, as a consumer, I love the fact that I know then that there's standard operating procedures, there's audits, there's all of those things going on. If somebody is in the verified beef program.

Betty Green 11:47

That's right. And it really is about continuous improvement. As I said, we asked for our producers to develop a biosecurity plan. Once they've mitigated one risk, then we move on to the next, the lower risk. There's an awful lot of things that producers are really good at vaccinating their cattle, making sure their tools are clean and ready for use that they don't use tools that they've used on a sick animal. And then go ahead and use it on a healthy animal. They don't want to transmit disease themselves. All of those things, you know, they become more aware of, and as the awareness rises, your operation improves in terms of your biosecurity plan.

Jordan Cieciwa 12:36

And so it's funny to me because that sounds just common sense if you've used a tool with a sick animal don't, but on a farm it's, you know, I've got a baby on the way. And those things sounds like as somebody that would be raising a child, but when you're talking about producers and large producers, you're talking about 3, 4, 500 children and a constant movement of animals. So it sounds like, well, that should be, you should just do that, but they're doing so many things that if that operating procedures are in place, that's why it can get forgotten.

Betty Green 13:21

That's right. You know, one of the things that kind of have given some producers an aha moment is when we say always feed or treat your healthy animals first, and then your sick animals, and that's kind of counter-intuitive, isn't it? Do you want to look after your sick ones, but you're increasing your chance of transmission when you're moving from sick animals. So even just transmission on your hands, on your clothes, on your boots , that's increasing the risk.

Jordan Cieciwa 13:55

And those are the kind of... cause that you just say that just wasn't aha moment for me too , of course you would want to do that and less times of contact for the animal, but those, I guess those are the moments to, where you've got somebody that has done something passed down generation to generation and you just, and you have the verified beef program in an audit or whatever can come in and say, have you thought of doing it this way? Here's the research. And here's why we suggested exactly amazing. And this is so, let's talk about you personally, because this is something that not only are you part of the development and promotion of you do this on your own farm. Tell us a little bit about that.

Betty Green 14:42

Well, that's kind of my area of responsibility. My husband loves to feed cattle and loves to , you know, make sure that their daily requirements are, cared for, but if there's a sick one, he usually calls me , so, you know, newborn calves, that's my responsibility. Making sure they're vaccinated, making sure all of the tools are at the ready if we need them, making sure they're clean. So it is something that I do on a daily basis. And I think after a while , when you kind of turn on that switch, you're constantly looking for ways to improve. I can say with all honesty, that in the last decade, and we've been farming for a long time, but even in the last decade, we've learned and improved immensely, our sick animal, you know, the rate of illness in our cattle has gone down. Our prevention is just strong and we're constantly looking for ways to strengthen even further.

Jordan Cieciwa 15:51

Amazing. I love to hear that because for me as somebody that isn't on the farm, I grew up in the country. I missed that with all my heart and I miss being around animals all the time. And it's so enriching to hear and talk with farmers who say, we love what we do. If I'm a producer, how do I get involved with this? How do I find out more information on the verified beef program.

Betty Green 16:18

All you have to do is contact the Manitoba Beef Producers or myself directly, and we can get you on track. The first part or the first step is to attend a webinar. We do them online and go through the four different topics outlining what the requirements are to become a certified verified beef plus producer. Once they've done that, they take a look at their operation, determine whether they're ready and give us a call. And we come out and do an on-farm audit.

Jordan Cieciwa 16:53

Amazing. Now as a consumer , what can I do to help or be a better consumer?

Betty Green 17:03

I think the first thing is to take a look at the program and understand what requirements are standard operating procedures, producers adhere to. I think consumers have a lot of questions and rightfully so. How are we raising that food product that they're ultimately wanting to enjoy and experience. And so , asking the questions again. I welcome people calling me directly to find out about the program. There's lots of information on the Manitoba beef producers connections, and certainly on the verified beef plus website.

Jordan Cieciwa 17:43

Amazing. This is... this conversation is not over just yet. I'm sure we're going to have you back on the podcast quite a few times.