Guardians of the Grasslands Tour in Honour of International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists: Stop #4 — Nova Scotia

Public and Stakeholder Engagement hosted the fourth leg of the Guardians of the Grasslands Tour celebrating the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in Falmouth, Nova Scotia. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture, influencers, media, conservation organizations, and industry leaders toured two beef farms, highlighting the critical role Canadian beef cattle farmers play in food security and environmental stewardship.

Hosted in partnership with Maritime Beef Council, the event brought participants onto the landscape to see first hand 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. 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.

Dean and Catherine Manning were the national recipients of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) 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.

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.

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.