New $2.35M U of S research chair targets beef industry sustainability
by Amanda ShortDr. Cheryl Waldner will work with the beef industry to address producer priorities, like improving herd health and managing antibiotic use.
With a focus on bolstering the sustainability of Canada’s $17-billion beef industry, a University of Saskatchewan researcher will lead a five-year national program on advancing the health and productivity of cattle.
Dr. Cheryl Waldner was introduced Thursday as the federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) research chair in One Health and Production-Limiting Diseases.
Waldner, a veterinary researcher at the U of S, will work with industry partners and the Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) to increase efficiency around cattle health, including the management of diseases and increasing surveillance and data-gathering around antibiotic use.
A total of $2.35 million in funding was announced at the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in Saskatoon on Thursday, with the U of S awarding $850,000, and both NSERC and BCRC contributing $750,000.
Managing diseases such as Johne’s disease in cow-calf herds and Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) in feedlots is a key priority for beef producers, said BCRC chair Ryan Beierbach.
BRD is the most costly disease of the feedlot industry in North America and the most common reason for injectable antimicrobial use, something the research would look to limit in order to prevent building resistance.
“Good antimicrobial stewardship is using the right drug, at the right time, for the right reasons, in the right animals,” said Waldner, a professor of large animal clinical sciences in the U of S Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).
“There is a critical need for better surveillance data and for tools to support antimicrobial use decisions.”
Along with Waldner, the funding will allow for the hiring of a junior faculty member and provide training for students at the graduate and undergraduate level to contribute to the project.
Doug Freeman, Dean of the WCVM, said the research builds on the school’s strength in agriculture. It will help “advance the beef industry’s contribution to the country, help the quality of Canadian beef and ensure continued consumer confidence in the safety and quality of Canadian beef,” he said.
Canada is one of the largest exporters of red meat in the world; more than 80 per cent of cattle in the country is raised in Western Canada, and 38 per cent of domestic beef is exported.