Last week, young Canadian beef industry leaders from across Canada gathered for various industry tours and training in southern Alberta. The annual Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Spring Forum event ran May 31 – June 2, 2022 and was hosted by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association’s CYL Mentorship Program for its program participants age 18-35 involved in various areas of the beef supply chain.

This marked the first CYL Spring Forum back in-person after two years, where CYL graduates from 2019 and 2020, who did not get to experience an in-person forum were invited back to participate in the event alongside the current program participants.

This year’s CYL Spring Forum featured speakers on topics such as financial literacy, building your [ … ]

March 15, 2022

Calgary, AB – Mentorships through the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders (CYL) Mentorship Program for the
2021-2022 program year are off to a strong start. Young leaders in the beef industry have been expanding
their skill set through professional and personal development opportunities thanks to the generous support
of this year’s industry-leading program mentors.

The CYL Program is a national initiative of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) established in
2010 that provides young people ages 18-35 with industry specific training and mentorship opportunities.
Each year,16 participants are paired with a hand-picked industry leader in their specific area of interest for a
nine-month mentorship opportunity.

There is an exciting range of mentorship focus areas this year, including sustainable grazing practices,
succession planning, beef cattle nutrition, industry policy, building a successful business plan, direct
marketing, and much more.

To view a full list of the 2021-2022 program year CYL mentorship pairings, click here: 03.15.2022_Industry-leading mentors lend a helping hand to the next generation [ … ]

The Cattlemen’s Young Leaders  (CYL) Mentorship Program is celebrating its 10th Anniversary! Since established in 2010, this flagship mentorship program of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has seen over 120 graduates who have been mentored by an industry leader and have taken advantage of unique networking and travel opportunities for professional and personal growth.

To celebrate this exciting milestone, we’re looking back on the last decade of the program with stories from participants, mentors, sponsors and more. The following video presentation was unveiled at the virtual Canadian Beef Industry Conference on August 11, 2020 during the CYL Program 10th Anniversary Celebration.

Taupo, New Zealand
Ellen Crane

Maori carvings on Lake Taupo captured during the fishing trip.

The International Beef Alliance (IBA) is comprised of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay and the United States, which represents 46% of global beef cattle production and 63% of global beef exports. This year, the organization met in Taupo, New Zealand, this beautiful country provided a picturesque agricultural backdrop for the conference. The conference was kicked off on Sunday with introduction presentations by the eight Young Leaders from Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand and the United States.

Pasture environments created to measure nitrogen output by the production system

On Monday, the Young Leaders met to present their findings on the special topic: How the IBA can connect with ‘Millennials’ to gain support for the Alliance. The team split into the focus groups for animal welfare, sustainability and beef attributes. The group then reconvened to put [ … ]