Canfax Research Services
Canfax Research Services (CRS) provides market information and economic analysis on issues requested by national and provincial associations. New staff were brought on including: Genet Mengistu, Michael Sydora, Heidi Tymko and Nico Wong.
Canadian Cattle Association:
- Project management of the carbon tax study update with Brandon Schaufele. A final report and fact sheet were available in November 2023.
- The Sustainable Agriculture Strategy Greenhouse Gas Working Group had consultations from May to July 2023 on an agricultural goal for 2030. Discussions have turned to potential for 2040 and 2050 with modeling work underway.
- Collaboration with the Alberta Beef Producers and Alberta Cattle Feeders Association is underway around the recommendations in the 2023 Schultz and Schroeder study.
- Brenna Grant is co-chairing the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) Climate Working Group. The focus for 2023 was a scoping project done to understand member needs for accounting, scope 3, SBTi and other international standards for environmental reporting. A final report was presented in November 2023 with four recommendations.
- The 2021 Farm Management Survey summary for the beef industry is on the website.
- In 2023, the Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network was expanded to over 225 producers contributing to over 60 benchmark farms. Several resources have been developed and are available on the Analysis page. There are fact sheets, case studies, videos and summaries of survey results, including a summary of the 2022 results.
- Canfax Research Services (CRS) is the socio-economic lead for the Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab, with funding for five-years (2022-27).
- The baseline adoption rates survey was in the field from March to June 2023, with over 400 responses and 25% reporting a 4-H Club as part of the Alberta 4-H collaboration.
- The Producer segmentation survey had 115 respondents.
- Baseline cost of production and environmental data has been collected from 19 participants.
- Modeling of five BMPs will be done on the benchmark farms in the COP Network. This work starts with a survey of BMPs costs and benefits going to COP Network and Living Lab participants with 88 respondents.
- Coming out of the CRSB’s update of the National Beef Sustainability Assessment; two publications were submitted on the environmental and social results. A white paper is being developed for CRSB collating what is known and unknown on carbon markets and scope 3 reporting.
- Regular data services and analysis continue to be provided to Canada Beef, BCRC, and the Check-off Agency.