The short documentary ‘Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate’ will publicly premiere on YouTube on April 24th, 2024, also known as “Stop Food Waste Day.” This film is the third in a series of short documentaries that showcase the environmental benefits of raising beef cattle on the Canadian landscape, following ‘Guardians of the Grasslands’ and ‘Too Close to Home’. Pre-screening events of Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate were held in major urban centres and at universities across Canada in advance of the public launch of the film with media, content creators and producers in attendance.
Combined, the events drew nearly 250 people who watched the film, enjoyed dishes featuring beef, potatoes and beer and listened to an expert panel. Panelists at each event included a feedlot operator, an expert in circular food systems, and a sustainability lead from the potato company Cavendish Farms, which partnered with Public and Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) on this project.
The film Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate highlights the amazing upcycling ability of cattle and their important role in diverting food loss and waste from landfills. Transforming beer byproducts and French fries into beef are two are of the incredible sustainability stories featured in the short documentary, so beef, potatoes and beer were a natural fit for the menu at each event!
Events were held in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Eastbound Brewing Company in Toronto was the location of the successful Toronto event, which took place the same week as the Beef Farmers of Ontario annual general meeting. Panelists here included seventh generation producer Allison de Vos from Brown Farms in Kawartha Lakes, John MacQuarrie, Director of Sustainability with Cavendish Farms and Tara Lee, Head Chef and owner of Eastbound Brewing Company. The panel was moderated by Perth County producer and Director of Communications for the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The panel at Eastbound Brewing Company in Toronto, Ontario.
The second event was held at Howe Sound Brewing in East Vancouver. Here, Ryan Scorgie moderated a panel that included feedlot owner Andrea van Iterson, Jamie White from Loop Resources, which sources and diverts food from grocery stores to local farms, and again, John McQuarrie from Cavendish. One of the content creators in attendance, Tyler Heppell, showcases potato production on his British Columbia farm across his social channels. You can watch his Instagram Reel from the event by visiting @potatoty and TikTok by visiting @heppellspotato.
Calgary was the final leg of the tour of urban centres. The event was held at Last Best Brewing & Distilling, which diverts their spent grains to cattle. Here, the panel was moderated by producer Melissa Downing of Alberta Cattle Feeders Association. In addition to the representative from Cavendish, panelists were Ryan Kasko of Kasko Cattle Co. who is featured in the short documentary, as well as Victoria Ross of aGRO Systems, a waste upcycling and livestock feeding service provider. Content and media from this event are still rolling out.
Campus screenings were held at University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba and Dalhousie, broadening the reach and excitement surrounding the short documentary.
Representatives from DINE magazine were in attendance at the event in Toronto and covered the story online and in their print magazine. Foodism Toronto also covered the short documentary and event in their most recent issue. Other earned media and social content from these events is expected to be released in coming weeks.
Reduce, Reuse, Ruminate was produced by Public and Stakeholder Engagement, a national check-off program jointly delivered by Canadian Cattle Association and Canada Beef. Join us for the online launch event on April 24th and be sure to share the film far and wide after its public release. It will appear on the YouTube channel @RaisingCDNBeef, where you can also see the trailer.