Prairie Conservation Action Plan, Saskatchewan Forage Council, Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association and Saskatchewan Stockgrowers Association are pleased to present a screening of "Guardians of the Grasslands", a 12-minute film focusing on the peril of the temperate grasslands as one of the most imperiled biomes in the world, and the value of the grasslands in terms of wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration.
We are pleased to be working with our partners Ducks Unlimited Canada, The Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association and Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
The movie will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Clinton Monchuk, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, and panelists:
Les Kroeger, President, Rosendal Bison
As owner of Rosedale Bison, Les has been raising bison since 1989. Today he and his wife Kathy run a herd of 150 animals on their 650-acre farm near Hanley, Sask. Rosedale Bison's herd is free from antibiotics, growth hormones, or stimulants of any kind and is raised on organic, native prairie grasses. They are advocates of low-stress handling procedures and animal welfare, the Kroegers handle the bison as little as possible.
John Bennett
John farms near Biggar, Saskatchewan and is the past-president of the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SSCA) and is a past director of the Soil Conservation Council of Canada, the Saskatchewan Research Council, the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, and Soy Canada. John was the Industry Co-Chair of the Pulse Round Table and Industry Co-Chair of the Provincial Offsets Working Group. Currently, He is a member of the sustainability working group and the Chair of the SSCA Carbon Advisory Group. John has a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta (1976). He was one of Country Guide’s 12 most Influential Farmers in 2012.
Jeremy Brown
Jeremy is an Agrologist with Ducks Unlimited Canada, based in North Battleford. This involves working with ranchers and farmers to promote healthy grasslands as nesting habitat for waterfowl. What enhances the sustainability of grasslands benefits the agriculture industry, the landscape, and wildlife.He received a degree in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan. Jeremy was raised on a grain and cattle farm near Cut Knife, SK. He lives on the family homestead with his wife, Marla, and their two children. They operate a custom grazing business.
Ross McDonald
98 Ranch Inc. is owned and operated by Ross and his wife and located in Southern Saskatchewan. It is a cow/calf/yearling operation built on a foundation of rangeland health and low input cattle selection.
There are a herd of registered Herefords and a commercial Hereford x Angus herd that are managed together and are selected to thrive under a variety of grazing situations and limited supplemental feed. The focus is designed to allow these cattle to generate profit through grazing and converting forages into beef.