Representatives from the Global Forum on Farm Policy and Innovation (GFFPI) said they can work together and keep trusted relationships open in this environment. Last year the members produced a report on how to collaborate, and a recent webinar discussed the issue.

Katie McRobert, executive director of the Australian Farm Institute, said political leaders might take certain positions, but people working in agriculture and trade “know that’s not the real state of the world” and continue to maintain supply lines.

“Without trade, food security takes a nosedive very quickly.”

McRobert said it’s unrealistic to expect countries to be food sovereign and efficient. Food security policies are important, but trade can also enable that goal.

For example, she said Australia’s neighbour, Indonesia, has an unrealistic goal of food sovereignty; trade with Australia supports regional food security.

The director general of the Forum for the Future of Agriculture in the European Union, Emmanuelle Mikosz, said sharing best practices and innovation is more important now than in the past.

Shari Rogge-Fidler, chief executive officer of Farm Foundation in the United States, echoed Mikosz’s comments about the value of interconnection.

Global and natural systems move across borders without artificial boundaries, she said.

“There is so much common ground between farmers around the globe, and it’s really our governments that are less aligned,” she said.

The managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute said there are clearly different domestic policies in countries, but the issues are all similar.

“There are challenges with innovation. There are challenges with trade. There are challenges with sustainability,” said Tyler McCann.

“And so we get the kind of different solutions that are put in place. It creates an interesting opportunity to learn from what works and what doesn’t.”

Through the GFFPI, farmers can assess the potential of various solutions. McCann likes the way Australia funds innovation, for example.

McRobert said that’s a true public-private partnership, in which farmers pay levies to research and development funds and the Australian government matches them.

In the U.S., Rogge-Fidler said there is a grand trade policy experiment going on right now. About 80 per cent of American farmers voted for the Trump administration.

Farm Foundation has developed a policy innovation sandbox to bring in former agriculture secretaries and innovative thinkers from across the value chain. They are looking 10 years ahead and exploring new policy approaches.

The first meeting identified eight areas for policy innovation, such as risk management and extension.

McCann said Canada hasn’t seen the same level of innovation and dynamism as in other parts of the world. He suggested the agricultural policy framework could be improved.

“I think Canadians have been very sensitive to the difference on innovation,” he said.

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McLaughlin was elected as the new president during the organization’s 62nd annual general meeting in Toronto last month.

“It’s a big role for me and big shoes to fill following Jack Chaffe,” McLaughlin said.

The Renfrew cow-calf producer and backgrounder previously served as BFO vice-president and Canadian Cattle Association director. He’s the first BFO president from his county since 1998.

“I’m big on marketing. We have a world-class product we need to show the world,” he said. “Through education, we will continue to have a better product, and our farms will be more productive. There’s never an end goal for that; we keep achieving more.”

McLaughlin is also passionate about resource preservation, soil protection and biodiversity through cattle grazing.

Jason Leblond steps in as the new vice-president and northern director. The Powassan producer is a certified engineering technologist and operates a 35-head grass-fed cow-calf operation with his family. He will serve alongside McLaughlin as a CCA director.

Don Badour, cow-calf director, and Ron Stevenson, southern director, are new to the executive.

Chaffe spent nine years on the board of directors in different capacities and will continue to serve as a BFO representative for the CCA with past-president Matt Bowman.

Tom Kroesbergen replaced Chaffe as feedlot director, and Jim Whitley and Ralph Eyre were elected as cow-calf and at-large director, respectively.

Emily Croft, Amy Reinhart and Jason Desrochers are cow-calf committee representatives; Scott Cochrane, Gordon Dibble and David Millsap were acclaimed for the feedlot committee, as was Chris Pletch as backgrounder on the feedlot committee.

McLaughlin said the board lost its “starting lineup” with the departure of Chaffe, Jason Reid and Jordan Miller, who had a combined 24 years of experience.

Miller led the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, creating positive buzz for the industry and highlighting the importance of accepting people for who they are and appreciating what they bring to the table.

“This experience has shaped me in a lot of ways,” said Miller about his six years on the board. “It’s lifted me up in a lot of ways. It’s made me realize that we were here at the BFO; when I’m home on my home farm, we stand on the shoulders of giants.”

Miller said 20 per cent of voting delegates are Ontario Beef Youth Alliance members, which he considers a significant step in the right direction.

Reid’s conviction and values provided leadership in his northern region and at the board, where his perfect attendance, attention to detail and ability to listen made everyone pay attention when he spoke, said McLaughlin.

“Jason is a straight shooter. I always say if you can’t get along with Jason, you can’t get along with anyone. Jason is just a tremendous person inside and out.”

As much as he gave to the industry, Reid said he got as much back through exposure to experiences, leadership and learning.

“The leadership in this industry will take it forward,” said Reid. “I’m very proud to have been part of it and leave it in the amazing and capable hands that are coming behind me.”

Mentorship and skill development from involvement on a cow-calf or feedlot committee provide a strong foundation for future board members, he added.

McLaughlin said additional members are an asset.

“It’s nice to see new blood, but it also provides a whole new challenge for the board. There’s going to be a learning curve for the new people coming in.”

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“My aspiration is taking the Ontario voice to the national voice, taking the issues there and have them be resolved,” said Chaffe, after stepping down as Beef Farmers of Ontario president on Feb. 21.

He said at least five resolutions passed at the BFO annual general meeting will be dealt with in partnership with the CCA.

Chaffe spent nine years on the BFO board and didn’t join the CCA until he was vice-president because he represented Ontario on the national beef check-off committee. He compared joining CCA to his first years as a BFO board member.

“You come in and think you know all the issues, and after a couple of months, you realize you don’t really know anything,” he said. “You’re so focused on your own operation, but it really broadens your view of the whole industry.”

After speaking to politicians and to the standing agriculture committee in Ottawa on the impact of electronic logs, Chaffe said he realized the comfort level needed to effectively represent producers and the industry.

“(That day) I felt that I was being heard. My voice was being heard, and out of the five recommendations we asked for, that committee actually moved them all to the next step in government, which gives you that much more confidence.”

Chaffe is humble and downplays his contributions to organizations, said Craig McLaughlin, BFO’s new president.

“It’s been quite a while since we’ve had an Ontario CCA president, but I will put serious money he will be CCA president someday.”

While Chaffe’s love of cattle may have drawn him into service on the BFO and CCA boards, the love of people in the industry kept him there, said McLaughlin.

He recalled how Chaffe’s ability to find solutions came into play after a 2018 check-off vote was defeated. That affected BFO plans and mandates, prompting potential layoffs of Jennifer Kyle and Jaclyn Horenberg, the most recent hires.

In the meeting after the vote, Chaffe, then a director, asked senior staff to leave and told the executive that they would each take less money for meals, travel, hotels and per diems in order to save those two jobs, said McLaughlin.

“Jack was 100 per cent correct on the new hires. They have made Beef Farmers of Ontario a better organization, and they have improved the Ontario beef industry. That is leadership at its finest.”

Chaffe’s preparedness, knowledge of files and issues, and a whole sector approach allowed him to build strong relationships with auctions, dealers, packers, the cow-calf sector, Ontario cattle feeders and politicians, said Richard Horne, BFO’s executive director.

“What I expected was a business-first leader who was here to get the job done first and foremost. And I think we got that,” he said. “And we got much more. Simply, he’s been a phenomenal leader.”

BFO will continue to reap the benefits of Chaffe’s work over nine years and will assist those around the CCA table into the future, added Horne.

“He really made it work and built bridges, which was to all our benefit. He’s provided tremendous value to the association and became a powerful advocate for Ontario producers.”

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Thompson has been with AAC for 23 of the organization’s 26-year history, first joining in a financial management capacity in 1998 before becoming Executive Director in 2010. In 2020, he was instrumental in the development of Canlead Solutions, an organization formed as a complement to AAC for program delivery. 

DiReto first joined AAC as Finance Administrator in 2006 and has progressed through various finance and administrative management positions. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and played a key role in the establishment of Canlead Solutions in 2020, where she provides accounting and organizational leadership to clients. 

More recently she was essential in the development and launch of the new Canadian Food Innovation Network, where she will continue to serve as Chief Financial Officer.

The post AAC executive role changes appeared first on Farmtario.

“Our new plan sets an ambitious and engaging path forward for the organization,” said John Hemsted, newly elected OSF chair and District 6 director. “We are well-positioned to seize the opportunities and address the challenges we heard directly from our members and industry partners.” 

Those who took part in the year-long Crossroads Challenge throughout the sheep value chain provided insight, direction, areas for potential growth and connection in crafting a new strategic plan for OSF, he said. 

“An updated plan will allow OSF to clearly outline its future direction and goals for industry growth and success,” said Amy Cronin, Ontario Farm Producers Marketing Commission chair. “It asked the difficult questions. Having those difficult conversations is what leads to industry opportunities, growth and progress.”

Crossroads revealed five key goals, starting with the industry’s need to develop greater public trust and more dynamic market relationships. It also challenged the OSF to create a more robust system to identify leadership and support districts while supporting each member more effectively. 

Colleen Alloi, District 11, is first vice-chair and Jay Lewis, District 2, is second vice-chair. Ken Lamb replaced Marc Carere as District 7 director and Art Alblas took over for Ed Post as District 1 director. Keith Todd, District 3, Marusha Kostuk, District 4, Heather Little, District 5, Gary Fox, District 8, Reg Campbell, District 9 and Lee Brien for District 10 round out the board. 

Carere said the strategic plan launch provided the perfect segue to move from a leadership position into a supportive role.

“Often moving the industry forward requires taking bold action and making bold decisions,” Carere said. “And (those initiatives) require a forward-looking board focused on where we want to be in the future. Our board has a history of doing just that.” 

Carere said that’s reflected in the OSF’s move to be the first commodity-specific organization to join Farmers for Climate Solutions, a group active on the climate frontier. 

He said there’s more to the Ontario sheep industry than producing lambs. It plays a vital part in a complex environment that requires members to be nimble and monitor the activities of processors, retailers and other commodity organizations. 

“Our ability to build collaborative working relationships with government and other industry organizations has established the sustainable sheep industry we have today,” said Carere. 

Reflecting on his board tenure, Carere observed that attitude is everything. 

“A good dose of humility and willingness to learn is always a good place to start,” he said. “I’ve learned that the ability to come to the table with an open mind and learn from your fellow producers is what makes being a part of a group like the OSF board so meaningful.”

He encouraged the incoming board to remain curious. 

“Allowing your beliefs and ideas to be challenged while listening to and respecting people who see things differently and focussing on the objectives are essential to growth and change,” Carere said. “I know that my time on the board has changed me dramatically.”

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