Melissa Atchison grew up on a purebred operation in the Interlake region of Manitoba. She attended the University of Manitoba where she received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with a focus in Animal Science. Since then, Melissa has worked for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a porcine inspector, and for Manitoba Agriculture as a Livestock Specialist. Melissa spent several years with the Verified Beef Production Plus program both as an auditor and as the Provincial Coordinator.  Currently, Melissa is the Research & Extension Specialist with Manitoba Beef Producers. She also farms with her husband and his family in South West Manitoba where they run a large cow/calf operation.

In this episode, Melissa shares information about her role and duties as a Research and Extension Specialist with Manitoba Beef Producers, as well as her goals in this position. 

She also shares some information about the background of Beef Cattle Research Council and its importance to the beef industry.  Melissa is actively involved with BCRC and discusses her role, how BCRC’s research program selection works and some research projects that might be especially interesting to producers to keep an eye on in the near future. 

We chat about national resources that are being brought to Manitoba, as well as sharing work that is happening right here, in Manitoba, that is gaining national recognition. 

Melissa is also working in collaboration with MBFI in many aspects.  In particular, we discuss the demonstration of using calf growth promotant ear implants in suckling calves, that is currently underway at MBFI.  There will be some preliminary findings released this fall, looking at calf gains and returns on investment of the implants using a comparison of implanted and not implanted calves.  Looking into the future, this project will also be used to determine if there are any negative effects on the use of implants in heifers that are kept as breeding stock.

To contact Melissa for additional information, please email: [email protected]

References and Links mentioned in this episode:

BCRC Website: https://www.beefresearch.ca/

BCRC Year in Review: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/2022-2023-year-in-review/

MBP page with funding information: https://mbbeef.ca/our-news/potential-funding-opportunities-available-for-beef-producers-in-manitoba/

Manitoba Beef Producers: ​​https://mbbeef.ca/

CBIC website: https://canadianbeefindustryconference.com/wordpress/ 

The research programs and daily operations at MBFI would not be possible without the funding from the Province of Manitoba, Government of Canada, and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, as well as the partnership with Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

We encourage you to follow MBFI on social media, or check out the website for more information on project findings and results, upcoming events and more!

Instagram: @MBBeefandForage

Facebook: @MBBeefandForage

Twitter: @MBBeefandForage

Website: www.mbfi.ca 

Email address: [email protected] 

Mary-Jane’s Phone Number: 431-255-0011