Dr. Flavia van Cleef Joins the U of S as Beef Industry Integrated Forage Management and Utilization Chair

By Hannah Polk, Communications Consultant, Regina

A boost in beef industry research has begun at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) with the arrival of Dr. Flavia van Cleef, the recently appointed Beef Industry Integrated Forage Management and Utilization Chair.

Dr. van Cleef joined USask in March 2025, days after relocating from Brazil. With a career rooted in research and a passion for sustainable agriculture, she brings a fresh perspective to forage management in the Canadian prairies.

Originally from Brazil, Dr. van Cleef earned her Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Her postdoctoral work took her back to Brazil, where she focused on grazing systems and forages adapted to arid and semi-arid environments.

“I have worked with a lot of different systems—silvopastoral, feedlot and forage-based systems,” she explains.

“I’ve conducted trials to understand how different forages perform under various grazing systems and how animals interact with those forages, especially in terms of ruminal fermentation and animal productivity.”

Her extensive experience includes everything from teaching to leading field trials and working directly with producers.

“I have conducted several on-farm trials, dealing directly with producers, trying to understand what their needs are and driving our research questions towards their questions as well,” she says. “So, trying to apply whatever we are developing in the research lab or in grazing trial experiments in real-world farms.”

Dr. van Cleef's approach is deeply rooted in collaboration, something she sees as essential to meaningful, long-term change in the beef sector. “Collaboration is the main point of solving technical research problems,” she emphasizes.

“I know I have some skills, but by myself, I can only do so much.”

She plans to work closely with fellow researchers at USask, the Ministry of Agriculture, and industry organizations such as the Beef Cattle Research Council and the Saskatchewan Cattle Association. “They’re very important. Not only because they are funding my position, but because they have expertise, they have the knowledge, and they have contact with producers,” she says. “They know exactly what they are looking for and what they are expecting from me as a researcher.”

Dr. van Cleef also made it clear she’s eager to engage directly with producers across the province.

“I want them to feel confident and comfortable in reaching out if they need anything,” she says. “And I’ll probably be reaching out to them, too, to look for collaborations and also to get to know their areas, their people and their hopes for their systems.”

In her new role, Dr. van Cleef will be exploring how different forage management strategies impact productivity, forage quality, animal performance and greenhouse gas emissions—an increasingly critical area of concern. The goal is to evaluate how different forage management strategies impact forage productivity, animal performance, the quality of the forage, as well as greenhouse gases, she says. “Nowadays, that’s a really big concern—for both society and agricultural producers.”

Her research will be shaped by the unique environmental and climatic conditions of the Canadian Prairies.

“We have a particular focus on the Saskatchewan region, the prairies and the dry conditions we have here,” she adds. “It’s a very different context than what we see in tropical soils or systems.”

Dr. van Cleef hopes her work will lead to practical solutions that producers can implement to make their operations more resilient and efficient. “In the long term, we’re looking to increase the productivity of the system, regardless of where that system is located,” she points out. “There’s no single recipe for success but understanding each situation and developing strategies to mitigate specific problems is the main goal.”

A central pillar of Dr. van Cleef’s research is integrated forage management—a holistic, systems-based approach to optimizing livestock production while maintaining environmental sustainability.

“It’s about how you use different strategies to manage your forage-based system,” she explains. “That could mean rotational stocking, using different forage species at the same time, or even integrating trees, forage and animals in the same area.” She stresses the importance of looking beyond single variables and examining how various components—soil, plants and animals—interact as part of an interconnected system.

“There’s an interface among animals, plants and the soil,” she says. “How they interact with each other is the main reason we’re trying to understand how productivity responds to simple management strategies. It’s very important to understand the whole system, not just the animals, the forage, or the soil in isolation.”

As Dr. van Cleef settles into her new role, she brings with her a strong sense of purpose, curiosity, and commitment to building lasting partnerships. “I’m really happy to be here, to join the University and am looking forward to visiting producers,” she says.

“This is a great opportunity to apply everything I’ve learned and to help make beef production in Saskatchewan more sustainable, efficient and resilient.”