Nova Scotia beef farmers highlight the importance of local grassland ecosystems during International Year
HALIFAX, NS, Sept. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- Farmers, government, influencers, media, conservation organizations, and industry leaders gathered last week to celebrate the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP). The group toured two Nova Scotia beef cattle farms, highlighting the critical role Canadian beef cattle farmers play in food security and environmental stewardship.
Hosted by Public and Stakeholder Engagement, a division of the Canadian Cattle Association, in partnership with Maritime Beef Council, the event brought participants onto the landscape to see firsthand how farmers are stewarding lands that support food production, wildlife habitat, biodiversity and rural communities. The Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association and Ducks Unlimited Canada provided sponsorship for the event.
The tour introduced participants to Dean and Catherine Manning of Manning Family Farm as well as Quentin and Tanya Davison of Fair Acres Farm, both located in Falmouth. Participants learned about both families' thoughtful and multi-generational stewardship of the land in their care as modern day pastoralists in Nova Scotia's grassland and dyke land ecosystems.
According to the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef's 2024 National Beef Sustainability Assessment, when considering all of Canada's crop and pastureland, land used for beef production contributes the majority of critical habitat that wildlife need for reproduction (74%) and feeding (55%). The study also revealed that land used for beef production, of which 84% is pasture, is estimated to hold 1.9 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon – this is nearly equivalent to the annual emissions from over two billion cars. By stewarding these important landscapes, beef cattle farmers in the Maritimes and across the country play a critical role in climate resilience and biodiversity.
Dean and Catherine Manning were the national recipients of the Environmental Stewardship Award in 2021 and are an outstanding example of strategic management for the waterways and riparian areas on their farmlands. By fencing off the riverbanks from cattle, native plants and trees have flourished providing important habitat to species at risk. The family participates in the Living Labs research program which is currently surveying the variety of insects, plants, and wildlife on their farm.
"We are custodians of the land, water and air," explained Dean Manning. "Cattle complement and live in harmony with the wildlife in this ecosystem."
Quentin and Tanya Davison are proud to be the sixth generation on Fair Acres Farm which grows field crops and operates a beef cattle herd. Their farm also protects waterways, pumping water out to separate troughs for cattle. As well, rotational grazing is used both in their pastures but also in the forest, a practice known as silvopasture. Grass can be a volatile fuel for fires, so grazing acts as an important mitigation technique.
"We believe it's important to keep nature as it was intended," said Quentin. "We enjoy raising beef cattle and we want to do that in the most ecologically friendly way. Farmers across Nova Scotia are doing everything they can to be the best stewards and protect the land under their care."
The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists was declared by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the economic, environmental, and social importance of rangelands and the people who steward them. In Canada, the initiative serves as a platform to educate the public, celebrate stewardship successes and advance policies that support both ranchers and the landscapes they manage.
About the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) to increase awareness of the value of rangelands and the people who steward them. Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth's land surface and provide essential benefits including food production, wildlife habitat, biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, water regulation and support for rural livelihoods.
SOURCE Canadian Cattle Association
Media Contact: Amie Peck, Public and Stakeholder Engagement, 403-615-9432, [email protected]
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