The Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is once again looking for the cream of the crop when it comes to sustainable beef production.
Nominations are open for TESA (The Environmental Stewardship Award). Producers have until Dec. 4 to complete their 2021 nominations.
The award — presented first at the provincial, and then at the national level — is awarded to a producer who goes, “above and beyond standard industry conservation practices and sets positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public,” according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), which awards TESA at the national level.
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Provincial winners move on to national competition after being named. The national award is typically awarded during the CCA semi-annual meeting at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference, moved online this year due to COVID-19.
TESA winners within Manitoba are announced annually during the Manitoba Beef Producers annual general meeting in February, an event that has also moved online for 2021.
Earlier this year, the honour went to Thomas and Felicity Hagan of Oak Lake, noted for their adaptive grazing plans and previous winners of the National Blue-winged Teal Award in 2017.
The award also yielded Manitoba national laurels in 2018, when the Harper Family of Circle H Farms near Brandon went on to be named the national TESA award.
TESA, “dovetails with ongoing efforts by Manitoba Beef Producers to help raise public awareness of the different kinds of ecological goods and services producers provide,” MBP said in an emailed statement.
In particular, MBP pointed to biodiversity and wildlife habitat supported by management practices in the beef sector.
“TESA recognizes cattle producers whose exemplary stewardship practices contribute to the environment while also enhancing productivity and profitability,” MBP said. “Sharing the stories of TESA winners at both the provincial and national level helps to build public trust and confidence in the beef industry.”
All beef cattle operations are welcome to apply for the award, the CCA has said, and operations can nominate themselves or be nominated by either another individual or by an organization.
Application forms are available on the CCA website.
