Conservation agreement helps Saskatchewan ranch family blaze their own trail

First generation cattle ranchers, Eric and Erin Yewsiuk are a rare breed. Over the past decade they’ve built their east-central Saskatchewan livestock operation, Dual E Cattle Company, from the ground up.

Today, the cost of farmland is a formidable barrier to young families looking to enter ranching; in almost all cases, up-and-comers inherit an existing ranch that’s often been in the family for generations. But this wasn’t an option for the Yewsiuks.

Without the backing of the family farm, they needed to use all available options to acquire the land necessary to grow their herd, and their business. A conservation easement with Ducks Unlimited Canada was a game-changer that helped make that possible.

“We wouldn’t have been able to get started without Ducks,” Erin Yewsiuk says, “Conservation agreements opened doors for us that we might not have opened otherwise. We’re really grateful for that.”

Made possible with funding from the Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program, the Yewsiuks’ easement protects six hectares (15 acres) of wetlands and 20 hectares (50 acres) of tame grassland. It provides valuable habitat for waterfowl and diverse other species, including grassland nesting songbirds like Savannah sparrows.

“On our ranch, we want grass stands that grow healthy calves while also promoting healthy wildlife habitat,” Yewsiuk explains.

Together with additional quarter sections purchased and rented, in part through other DUC programs, the Yewsiuks now have access to the hay and pasture needed to feed—and grow—their herd.

When they first branched out on their own ten years ago, the Yewsiuks started with eight animals. Today, their purebred red Angus cow-calf operation sits at 70 bred cows. Thanks to community and collaboration, it’s still growing.

“Because we believe in managing land holistically, a DUC conservation easement fits well with our approach,” says Yewsiuk. “We’re working together to help achieve each other’s goals.”

The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $440 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than $870 million in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community leading to the protection and conservation of more than 700,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.