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NCLE Newsletters As part of our outreach program, we provide periodic updates on NCLE research, education, outreach and other activities in the form of a Newsletter. These updates are posted on our website and emailed to our subscribers. An archive of past updates is also available. If you would like to be on our email list, please email Christine Rawluk, NCLE Research Development Coordinator. March - June 2011 Newsletter view as a pdf Research Feature Contemplating the role for animal agriculture in environmentally sustainable food production 
Recently, NCLE hosted a special seminar “Environmentally sustainable food production: What is the role for animal agriculture?” During this session, key presenter Henry Janzen, a senior scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge, Alberta, encouraged the audience to seriously contemplate the long term sustainability of the millennia-old practice of raising animals for food. He stimulated reflection on the ways in which animal agriculture both stresses and benefits our environment, and how the balance shifts between the two, depending on your perspective. He proposed the road to truly long term sustainable livestock production, where the benefits were maximized and the negatives minimized, could perhaps start by imagining what raising animals for food could look like in the future, from the vantage of “land, broadly defined” and viewed through the lenses of ‘systems’, ‘place’, ‘time’ and ‘community’. This multi-lense approach emphasizing improved benefits resonates with the NCLE approach to research, where multi-disciplinary teams focus on whole livestock production systems across a multitude of scales in place, time and scope to improve our understanding of multiple components within a variety of systems. Imagining these future livestock systems begins with learning more about existing farming practices to answer which practices and production systems generate the most benefit, how these systems might be improved further, and how we can apply this knowledge towards developing even more beneficial livestock-land systems. To this end, we’re studying long term carbon and nutrient cycling in various land and land-animal management scenarios; we’re comparing benefits and negative impacts of different cattle overwintering systems to identify the most sustainable practices; we’re assessing processing and treatment options as tools to add value and end-use diversity to agricultural by-products; we’re quantifying greenhouse gas emissions from a wide variety of land-animal management scenarios for multiple livestock production systems to better account for actual contributions; and we’re identifying opportunities to improve on-farm nutrient balances for a cross section of diversely managed dairy farms. These are a few examples, with more projects in place and being developed continually. Both Janzen and the farmer/community leader response panel (Owen McAuley, Allan Preston and Gwen Donohoe) encouraged dialogue to communicate benefits and to better link all people in our ‘community’ to the land. By discussing animal agriculture and environmentally sustainable production of food with all stakeholders, from primary producers through to the general population, we all stand to benefit. Dialogue that includes researchers can help direct future studies to capture synergies and benefits, so that over time we will not only better tune existing systems, but potentially identify new livestock systems that benefit our earth and its resources. Over the past few years, along with building our research program, NCLE has also been building relationships, exchanging ideas and information with industry, government and research stakeholders. In fact, many of our research projects are the result of this two-way communication – it is this dialogue that often illuminates research needs to advance our livestock industry. Our research in sustainable manure management and in identifying practices for sustainable cattle overwintering arose from the NCLE team’s engagement within the Achieving Manure Phosphorus Balance and the Extensive Cattle Overwintering Systems workshops, as well as numerous one-on-one conversations. This seminar now available online: http://media.cc.umanitoba.ca:8080/ramgen/faculties/agriculture/livestock&enviro2011.rm (Requires RealPlayer - Free download available at http://www.real.com/realplayer) For a complete list of NCLE research projects visit http://www.umanitoba.ca/afs/ncle/ResearchProjects.html Instant Update  NCLE researcher Denis Krause receives award for Technical Innovation in Enhancing Production of Safe and Affordable Food from the Canadian Society of Animal Science NCLE researchers share NCLE approach to research, education and extension at recent Canadian Society of Animal Science meeting NCLE Researcher Don Flaten featured on CBC’s The Nature of Things episode “Save My Lake” Widespread interest in recent NCLE Special Session – recording now available online All aboard! Our graduate students are on the move Research Update New Project: Utilization of processed hog manure separation products in Manitoba Project funding: Thesis defense: We want to hear from you … whether your interest lies in NCLE research, teaching or our extension activities, please direct your inquiries to Christine Rawluk, the NCLE Research Development Coordinator (Christine_Rawluk@umanitoba.ca) or (204) 474-8127 Help spread the news! Please share this newsletter with others who may be interested. Send an email to Christine_Rawluk@umanitoba.ca to sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter.
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The sustainability of animal agriculture comes down to strengthening connections; between livestock and land as an ecosystem; between farmers and consumers yearning for a closer connection to the land and the source of their food; between the broader populace and the facts on environmental benefits/stressors that are a necessary part of providing food for a growing global appetite from a finite resource base. We all have a role to play.