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CCA Congratulates 2012 TESA (Environmental Stewardship Award): Christoph and Erika Weder of Spir

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    CCA Congratulates 2012 TESA (Environmental Stewardship Award): Christoph and Erika Weder of Spir

    CCA congratulates 2012 TESA recipient, Spirit View Ranch

    August 15, 2012
    Calgary, AB - The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) is pleased to announce Christoph and Erika Weder of Spirit View Ranch as the 2012 recipient of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA).

    TESA is a national award that recognizes excellence in sustainable management and conservation practices that ensure a viable future for Canada’s beef cattle industry. TESA is presented annually to a beef cattle operation that exemplifies the initiatives that producers across the country undertake to preserve and care for their land.

    The Weders have a passion for the environment, and say that they have a responsibility to the next generation to look after the land. Their motto is, 'Think globally but act locally, and communicate those values to other people to make a difference.’
    The Weders’ business plan incorporates a productive grassland on a healthy land base that supports a diverse wildlife population. This, combined with an excellent outreach program that is international in scope, is what impressed the judges, said CCA Environment Committee Chairman Lynn Grant.
    “The quality of the nominees this year was outstanding and made for an especially tough decision, but the Weders’ overall approach to maintaining a healthy eco-system while operating a successful beef program was impressive,” he said.
    The Weders accepted their TESA award today at the International Livestock Congress (ILC) conference in Calgary, held in conjunction with the 2012 CCA Semi-Annual Meeting.
    “It’s a real honour,” said Christoph Weder as he accepted a cheque for $1,000 and silver TESA belt buckle, acknowledgements of an expanded award program made possible by the CCA 2012 TESA Platinum Partner, MNP LLP, a proud sponsor of the TESA program since 2009.

    Located north of Rycroft, AB, Spirit View Ranch is comprised of 2,800 acres of deeded land, 4,200 acres of leased land and 640 acres of rented land. The ranch has acres of aspen boreal parkland forests and natural grasslands, and it is situated between the Spirit and Peace Rivers.

    Operating as a commercial cow-calf grasser operation, Spirit View Ranch is home to 1,000 breeding females and grasser stockers. It’s also home to 150 species of birds, 45 mammals, seven amphibian and one reptile species as a result of the family’s stewardship practices.

    Practices here include strategically placed solar powered watering sites, a rotational grazing system and reliance on legumes to provide sustainable forage production without the need for fertilizers, and utilizing protected forest and shelter belts to reduce infrastructure and yardage costs. The Weders were certified by Food Alliance for their sustainable farming and land use practices.

    Their ranch was one of the first in Alberta to participate in the Ducks Unlimited wildlife and habitat inventory surveys, and they worked with Ducks Unlimited to restore more than 100 wetlands. This effort has helped to preserve biodiversity, retain moisture, provide a great brood habitat for ducks and geese, and increase forage production.

    The CCA congratulates the Weders and all the 2012 TESA nominees.

    #2
    Hear, hear, and bravo. Come on everyone get behind this. It is a good story about good people and good practices. We need all of that we can get. HT

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      #3
      congratulations Christoph and Erica!

      Comment


        #4
        Sorry but I dont think being on welfare deserves reconition, I would like to see how much the Ranching enterprise puts into the operation compared to the almost free rent plus who knows how much resource revenue, we could all cut a wide swath with enough freebees.
        $1.39 per AUM as compared to $30/AUM in the private sector.
        If they deserve an award it should be in riping the citizens of alta out of a decent return on our resources.

        Comment


          #5
          Congratulations!


          (I'm not going to comment on the above.)

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            #6
            Congrats Gaucho, good to see you today. Plenty of good competition for the award.

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              #7
              Congratulations Christoph and Erica!

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks Guys we are very proud.. we just got back home tonight. We were very honored and it was great to see the slate of producers from across Canada and what they were doing.. it was amazing to see and listen to what they were doing. We've worked really hard to get this place working and it was nice to get recognized after all the nay saying during the journey of creating a bit of a natures paradise. To quote Erika's entire speech..."nature is our passion"

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