Meet P.E.I.’s Livestock Champion trying to grow province’s cow herd

Ellen Davis is the Livestock Champion of P.E.I. (Source: Government of Prince Edward Island)

Ellen Davis, who was born and raised on a New Brunswick beef farm, has been around cows her entire life.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus and spending a decade in the industry, she saw a job posting in Prince Edward Island that seemed to perfectly suit her.

Last March, Davis became the province’s first Livestock Champion, a new position that seeks to grow the province’s cow herd after years of sagging numbers. The position represents a collaboration between the federal and provincial governments, and the PEI Cattle Producers and Atlantic Beef Products Inc.

“I was hired at a time when prices are high and farmers are optimistic,” Davis said. “My first year has been very successful.”

According to a presentation for P.E.I.’s Standing Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability last month, there were more than 16,000 beef cows in the province 20 years ago, but that number has steadily declined. In the last three years there have been fewer than 8,000 beef cows on the Island.

“Twenty years ago, the entire beef world was shut down basically due to marketability,” Davis said. “It was a perfect storm for producers to decrease (their herd) to maintain profitability.”

In 2025, the province increased its herd by 838 cows.

“We’re up 12 per cent on the cow herd in the first calendar year,” Davis said. “We’re looking to maintain the growth we’re projecting.”

As Livestock Champion, Davis said she talks with farmers across the province.

“I go from east to west and everywhere in between, from Tignish to East Point,” she said. “There’s no such thing as a normal day for farmers.”

Beyond growing the herd, Davis said another goal is increasing the number of young farmers in the province.

The Livestock Champion position has a three-year contract, which Davis hopes to renew to continue her work across the Island.

“What’s surprising to me the most is how optimistic everyone is,” she said. “Producers are willing to learn and grow.

“Farmers are the definition of optimistic.”

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