Events

Special Seminar: Role of cattle in preserving carbon stocks and biodiversity

Presented by Dr. Tim McAllister, Principal Research Scientist, Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Principal Research Scientist, University of Calgary, Chair, Livestock Environmental Partnership, United Nations

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2023
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Join in person at 252 Agriculture Building – 66 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man.

or via MS Teams (register by noon CDT, Aug. 16 to receive a link)

Carbon capture and storage is central to Canada’s goal of achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. Of the known carbon capture and storage technologies, none are more efficient than the carbon that is naturally captured and stored through photosynthesis. North America’s cattle producers are the stewards of almost 30 million acres of grasslands and in Canada these regions store as much as 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon. In addition to their importance as a carbon store, these regions are home to 60 of Canada’s species at risk and provide a rich habitat for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. Beef cattle essentially replace the role of bison as the keystone species which evolved in this ecosystem over millennia. In the last decade, conversion of grasslands to cultivated land has been the major contributor to Canada’s increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. Although crop production practices can be undertaken to restore carbon loss, none appear to be able to restore it to pre-disturbance levels. Dr. McAllister will outline how beef cattle play a key role in promoting the conservation of grasslands and the biodiversity they contain, while still enabling these lands to contribute to meeting the protein food security needs of humanity.