A Southern Alberta rancher took the stage in Chicago last month to represent Canadian cattle producers.

Stephen Hughes, who ranches near Longview, made the trip down to McDonald's International Headquarters for the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) Sustainability Communicators Summit from May 22 to 23, which brings together scientists, beef producers and multi-stakeholder communication experts.

GRSB says the event was an effort to begin the first phase of developing a global narrative for beef sustainability.

Hughes sat on a panel with beef producers from Ireland, Zimbabwe and the United States, where he says one of his main messages for the audience was to engage with consumers in a positive manner.

"Just tell you story," he said. "Tell your story of what you're doing well and never talk down to people. People are smart, and people want to know. Just because someone doesn't understand something, does not mean they're not smart in asking."

At the event, Hughes shared his journey with the Canadian Round Table for Sustainable Beef and starting out with the McDonald's Pilot Project, which now delivers certified sustainably raised Canadian beef to their customers through their Angus Burger lineup.

You may also recognize Hughes from recent McDonald's commercials featuring beef producers sharing how they protect valuable resources on their land, make animal welfare a priority and work to preserve the industry for future generations.

He says even though there are many parts to the supply chain, beef producers have a key role to play in gaining the trust of consumers.

"Producers are the ones with the most social license, the most believability and trust is built up with the consumer in producers, and we're at ground zero so to speak."

He says it was a nerve racking task to present, but he was happy to represent the Canadian industry through his message which was well received.