Cargill has partnered with the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF) to invest in the professional development and long-term resilience of North American cattle producers.
The four-year partnership, which was funded by a $3 million contribution from Cargill’s protein business, includes the establishment of a professional development scholarship programme.
The Rancher Resilience Grant programme will offset expenses for farmers and ranchers to attend state, regional, national and global educational events. It is expected to launch this autumn.
Cargill’s partnership with the NCF aims to provide producers with practical tools which will help them to reduce costs, manage finite natural resource availability and market shifts, as well as to withstand extreme weather events.
To this end, the Grant programme will cover industry conferences, seminars and certifications that address areas including animal health and wellbeing, profitability, natural resources, sustainability, genetics, and reproduction education.
Cargill and the NCF will also work with the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) to support free virtual education platforms for the entire beef value chain.
“The USRSB educational modules provide real-world solutions that can be applied to any operation, no matter size or location,” said Wayne Morgan, USRSB chair.
“We are excited to partner with Cargill and the NCF to develop tools designed to help stakeholders across the industry continuously improve how we raise, process and distribute beef.”
Additional resources will support the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in promoting producer professional development opportunities.
“Our industry continually explores technologies and production practices to support more efficient operations that focus on profitability and consistent high-quality beef,” said NCBA executive director of producer education, Josh White.
“It’s exciting to see industry partners come together through a shared commitment to promote the long-term economic wellbeing of farmers and ranchers across the beef value chain while also improving our product and our care for livestock and natural resources.”
Jon Nash, Cargill Protein – North America business leader, added: “Cargill is invested in the future of ranchers and farmers. This contribution is just one of the ways we are investing what we’ve earned back in agricultural communities. We know we can’t deliver protein to tables without the people on the frontlines of our food system.”
Cargill recently joined forces with The Nature Conservancy and its local supplier C-Weed Corporation to help seaweed farmers adopt better practices to restore coastal ecosystems and improve livelihoods in Tanzania.
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