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Beef Cattle Research Council names new chair

Gleise M. Silva has been named as the first Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) Hays Chair in Beef Production Systems at the University of Alberta.

Silva, a native of Recife, Brazil, Silva will be moving to the Prairies for the first time – on Canada Day – to work with beef producers, translating her and colleagues’ research on cow-calf production into practical advice. The position is funded by the BCRC and the Hays family with additional support by McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada and Cargill. The position is guaranteed for 10 years with responsibilities in teaching, research and extension and will be housed in the U of A’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences.

Her work will focus on research that helps producers save money, maintain forage lands and ensures an overall advancement of the Canadian beef industry, particularly in the area of sustainable production. She will explore ways to responsibly produce the best beef cattle and protect grasslands, with a goal of advancing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the industry. For example, she will focus on reducing the cost of feeding beef cattle during Canadian winters.

“[Producers] are the ones working hard for us from Monday to Sunday,” said Silva in a statement. “I want to help them get the most out of their production systems… I want my research to actually reach the people who need it the most.”

Silva’s PhD focuses on environmental and diet-induced stress in cattle, and on potential solutions to make cattle healthier and more efficient for the producer.