Research will be an important part of an efficient, carbon neutral beef operation.
A young western Quebec couple is not only working to achieve efficient production of pasture finished beef for a select consumer market, but they are also involved in on-farm research geared toward sustainable beef production practices that benefit the environment.
Frédérique Lavallée and Simon Lafontaine launched their company, Ecoboeuf in 2019 with a win/win objective. They are developing an efficient, high quality, beef production system, while applying farming practices that encourage biodiversity, protects water quality, improves soil health, and minimizes negative impacts on the environment such as a reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Their farming operation, which in many respects is a living laboratory, includes plans to share their knowledge with other beef producers. Their commitment to sustainable beef production practices earned Ecoboeuf recognition as the Quebec Cattle Producers' winner of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) for 2024.
Frederique and Simon met while studying for their bachelor's degrees in agronomy at Laval University in Quebec City. Simon is the fourth generation on the family farm, Lafontaine-Noël located at Dupuy, in Abitibi-Ouest, while Frederique had no farming background. Simon has a PhD in animal sciences and recently started working as a researcher at University of Quebec in Abitibi- Témiscamingue while, Frédérique is studying soil sciences and agroforestry (silvopastoralism) for her doctorate at the University of Quebec in Abitibi- Témiscamingue.
"We both were passionate about the environment, and I became interested in agriculture," says Frederique. "So, we decided to create Ecoboeuf to find ways to adapt to climate change while improving agricultural practices."
Ecoboeuf finishes between 50 and 60 steers per year, with most of the meat marketed in Montreal. "It is a large market, and we have clientele that appreciate the value and quality of beef produced under sustainable production practices as they are finished on grass," says Simon.
The beef operation has a close working relationship with the family farm, Lafontaine-Noël, which is owned and operated by Simon's parents and sister. Lafontaine-Noel farm is a 350 head cow-calf and backgrounding operation. Ecoboeuf buys the yearling steers and rents about 200 acres from the family farm.
Beyond the grass-finished beef production, Ecoboeuf is also keenly interested in learning how beef production, particularly in a more northern growing area, impacts the environment. Their goal is to learn what practices or technology could be applied to minimize the environmental impact of livestock production.
"We know there are benefits to producing pasture-raised cattle but there hasn't been a lot of research, particularly in the northern growing areas, to properly measure these benefits," says Simon. "One of the main objectives of Ecoboeuf is to conduct properly designed research and use that data to determine which practices optimize the benefits. Our plan is to make Ecoboeuf an eco-responsible, carbon-neutral, and profitable model for grass finished beef and to share that knowledge with other beef producers."
Ecoboeuf buys its yearling steers from Lafontaine-Noel farm in May. The cattle are pastured in an intensive rotational grazing system, which sees them moved through a network of paddocks, two to three times a day over the May to November grazing season. As part of their measures to minimize the environmental impact, Ecoboeuf equipped itself with an electric side-by-side ATV to carry out pasture moves, thus eliminating direct fossil fuels use for this part of the production cycle.
"It would be great if we could pasture cattle 365 days of the year but that's not possible currently in our conditions" says Simon. "We extend the grazing season as long as possible. The steers generally remain on pasture from May to November while the cows-calf pairs on my parent's farm are usually on pasture from April and until mid-December. Once winter arrives our steers are moved into a feed yard and fed a combination of hay and silage."
Simon says the best way to manage manure is to have cattle deposit it naturally on pasture, but with about a five-month winter feeding period in a feed yard the cattle do produce a stockpile of manure. One of the newer research projects started in 2023 is a look at biomethanization — this technology involves collecting harmful gases produced by manure and using them as fuel source. While they have done some work in the lab, Simon is looking to build a small scale anerobic biodigester to collect greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide released by manure and hopefully channel those gases into energy production.
"There are systems out there that have been adapted for the dairy and hog industries," he says. "But we want to see if this technology can be used for beef producers. This technique could eventually be an integral part of the carbon-neutral agricultural business model that Ecoboeuf is developing. "
As the main focus of her PhD studies, Frederique is hoping to make Ecoboeuf a leader in agroforestry. Since 2020, she has planted trees on the farm for several different applications, to see which varieties are most suited to the area and to measure carbon sequestration.
The first trees planted were hybrid poplars, red maples and white spruces which are well suited for shelter belts and windbreaks. In 2021, an arboretum containing around 30 species of trees and shrubs was established on four different sites. And in the summer of 2022, they focused on planting fruit species such as sea buckthorn and Saskatoon berries.
She says the trees play several different roles — providing shade and windbreak, increasing the biodiversity of the farm, serving to capture and sequester carbon, and with the fruit trees for example, the fruit someday might provide an extra source of income.
In addition to carbon capture through agroforestry, the company attempts to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions at source. Cattle are exclusively grass-fed, which eliminates the need to produce or haul in grains. This reduces the need for fossil fuels used by machinery. "With a high percentage of legumes such as clovers and trefoil in our pasture stands, our goal with grazing management is to achieve good weight gain on cattle while working in harmony with nature as much as possible," says Simon.
Ecoboeuf uses no inorganic fertilizer to improve forage production, relying on the distribution of manure through intensive grazing, and the use of legumes to improve soil fertility. And in areas where the soil pH is too acidic, rather than using lime, which releases carbon dioxide as it dissolves into the ground, the farm applies ash from nearby forestry operations. Ash, which is readily available, contains calcium like lime, but without the greenhouse gas emissions.
Ecoboeuf is also doing research into sustainable pasture renovation techniques. It is a common practice to use tillage to work up old forage stands before being reseeded. "We have set up an on-farm research project looking at alternatives for renovating pasture and hayfields," says Simon. One treatment, for example, is looking at frost seeding — spreading forage seeds on frozen ground and relying on the hoof action of cattle to work seeds into the ground, while another treatment involves using a no-till drill for sod seeding — directly seeding grass and legume seeds into pasture and hayfields without tillage.
"We will monitor the different treatments to measure forage production and share the results with other producers," he says. "Hopefully we can increase forage production without tillage, as well as increase plant diversity and benefit soil health."
Ecoboeuf uses riparian area buffer zones to protect ponds and natural wetlands on the farm. As part of that, they have observed the presence of a snapping turtle, which would make it the most northerly sighting of the species in Quebec. And to increase biodiversity Ecoboeuf has installed several raptor perches to attract predatory birds to help control voles and other rodents that like to feed on the bark of young trees. And they have also installed bat houses to attract and protect that pest control species.
"Increasing biodiversity which includes year-round forest and plant cover on the farm provides several benefits," says Frederique. It helps capture and store carbon in the soil, reduces the risk of erosion, improves soil organic matter, and provides habitat for a wide range of wild species. Our research is just getting started but we are hoping the results will show which practices are producing the most benefit." She hopes to publish a report on some of her early research later this year.
And Simon says ongoing research will lead to more efficient beef production as well. "As we fine tune our grazing management and increase forage production, I believe we have opportunity to increase beef production as well," he says. "We need to determine what is the optimal carrying capacity of the farm, under variable growing conditions over the long term, while at the same time applying practices that offset any harmful emissions linked to the production and marketing of beef. How do we minimize that environmental footprint and become carbon neutral?"