A Good Influence
Submitted by Amie Peck, Public and Stakeholder Engagement
On a beautiful and crisp summer morning, Dina Battistessi and her family arrived at the historic CL Ranch, just west of Calgary. Dina, the owner of a preschool and an online influencer through her Instagram account, Move Play Mom, was excited to be on a ranch and had brought along a couple important guests. Her father, a butcher from Montreal who has operated a family-owned shop for more than 80 years, was in town and came alongside Dina’s mother and two young sons.
“We are proud to support local and we love our Canadian Beef!” Dina gushes on her post. “As the daughter of a butcher, it was such a wonderful experience to be invited to visit CL Ranch here in Alberta. Their mission is to learn from the lands how to produce food for the future while leaving our environment, our animals, and our families better off with each generation. We left with a deeper understanding of where our food comes from and how well cared for the animals are.”
Dina’s tour is part of a campaign called “Good for you, great for the environment” organized by Public and Stakeholder Engagement, a joint program of the Canadian Cattle Association and Canada Beef. Five different Instagram influencers were sourced for beef farm and ranch visits in six provinces, with the aim to bring our sustainability and animal care story directly into the screens of Canadians. Story Brokers Media House produced video content from each of the farms and ranches, capturing authentic conversations on how beef cattle are raised.
Kicking off the campaign was influencer Zane Caplansky, owner of Caplansky’s restaurant in Toronto’s Pearson Airport and former guest star on the Food Network. Zane met first with Keith Manders of Garnet Valley Ranch in Summerland, British Columbia. Keith has two grazing leases that border important infrastructure in the Okanagan and are part of the targeted grazing pilot projects through the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association. “When you think of beef, think of Keith,” says Zane in his post. “He’s not just a farmer, he’s also a dad, a husband and a steward of this land. And through this project, he’s also a firefighter.”
Zane also met Kristine Tapley and family, who own and operate Old Shore Cattle Company in Manitoba. The land that the farm is built on is a reclaimed gravel pit that now houses a plethora of wildlife species and is a true testament to land stewardship. “Through a shared vision, lots of hard work and passionate commitment they’ve turned a wasteland into pristine grassland cattle pasture and wildlife preserve,” Zane comments.
The campaign is now at the half-way point with the first three videos live on Instagram and YouTube. Online reach has been impressive, with the first three stops garnering over 85,000 views on YouTube alone. Short video ads have also been created with a current reach of more than 300,000. The next three stops include Dibbhurst Farms in Ontario with influencers This Kinda Life, Brylee Farms in Quebec with Chef Antonio Park, and the 2021 TESA recipient, Manning Family Farms in Halifax with CTV personality Michelle Jobin. Stay tuned to Canadian Beef’s Instagram to catch these upcoming videos!
