Cedric MacLeod
From the executive director's desk
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I'm happy to report that we held a successful annual general meeting (AGM) in July. It was great to see the interest in what the CFGA accomplished in the past year on the many projects we are involved in.
The CFGA saw significant growth during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, including an expanded national team of contractors who work to deliver the many projects we manage. As well as updates on the projects, the meeting gave people an opportunity to meet many of those contractors and our staff whose hard work helps to keep operations running smoothly on a daily basis as well as on the projects.
If you didn't make the AGM, recordings will be available soon. If you wish to have access to the recordings please email info@canadianfga.ca.
As I've mentioned before, we are happy that this year's annual conference is returning to an in-person event. It will take place in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 and we are excited about seeing everyone in person for the many activities we have planned. Registration will be opening soon so be sure to keep an eye on the CFGA newsletter, website and Facebook and Twitter accounts for more information.
As always, if you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to reach out. Until next issue, enjoy the rest of your summer and have a safe harvest season.
- Cedric MacLeod
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CFGA heads to Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. for 14th annual conference |
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This year’s theme is Forage Resilience in a Changing Landscape: Manage risk. Overcome challenges. Discover opportunities. and will explore exciting and cutting-edge forage and grassland happenings taking place across the country.
Frank Mitloehner will once again be a keynote speaker during the conference which will include pre- and post-conference tours, pre-conference workshops; two full days of presentations, a trade show and lots of networking opportunities.
Watch the CFGA conference website, Twitter and Facebook accounts for more details as you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn about issues facing the forage sector, how they overcome these challenges and take a look ahead to the opportunities.
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Ray Robertson to be inducted into Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame |
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The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) congratulates Ray Robertson on his upcoming induction into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in November.
Ray is a recognized and highly regarded champion of forage production in Canada. He has been an integral part of the CFGA since its inception in 2010. He helped create and develop the national forage organization that provides a national voice for all Canadians who produce hay and forage products and for those whose businesses are dependent upon forage and grassland production. He served as an active director in CFGA from its inception, including serving as Chair from 2015 to 2019 and as Past Chair for the organization until 2022. He is always ready to assist the CFGA with its projects in any way he can, providing an optimistic and encouraging voice that has helped the organization to grow.
The main role of the CFGA is to uphold the robust forage industry and realize the potential of the domestic and export forage market. Ray has played a major role assisting in the advancement of the forage export industry on the provincial, national and international levels. He worked closely with the CFGA to secure Agri-Marketing funding and assisted in the coordination of numerous hay market discovery missions to the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to investigate opportunities for Canadian hay producers.
A former dairy farmer and extension specialist, Ray developed Grey Agricultural Services Centre to provide fee-for-service extension programs. He also serves as the general manager for CFGA’s provincial member association, the Ontario Forage Council. He was inducted into the Ontario Hall of Fame on June 11, 2023.
Ray will join Garnet Altwasser, John Bragg, Rory Francis, Marcel Groleau, Ron Helwer and Robert Irving at the 2023 induction ceremony on Nov. 4 in Charlottetown, PEI. The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Association (CAHFA) honours and celebrates Canadians for outstanding contributions to the agriculture and food industry. Portraits are on display in the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame Gallery located at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. The CAHFA also publicizes the importance of inductee achievements to Canada.
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La Boussole fourragère est désormais disponible dans tout le Canada
La Boussole fourragère est un outil interactif gratuit de sélection des espèces fourragères qui aide les agriculteurs et les éleveurs à choisir les fourrages les mieux adaptés à leurs champs, à calculer les taux de semis et à gérer les mauvaises herbes fourragères. Il est maintenant disponible pour les agriculteurs et les éleveurs de tout le Canada, en anglais et en français.
La Boussole fourragère a été lancé en 2020 dans l'Ouest canadien. Le Conseil Québécois des Plantes Fourragères a soutenu l'expansion de l'outil à travers le pays.
« Le Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères (CQPF) est fier du travail et de la collaboration de tous les partenaires de ce projet, tous ont démontré un engagement indéniable. » A déclaré Serge Pageau, agent de développement du Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères. « Le secteur fourrager a maintenant accès à un outil d’aide à la décision précieux. »
La Boussole fourragère est disponible sur le site du Beef Cattle Research Council (Conseil de recherche sur les bovins de boucherie). Lisez le blog du BCRC sur l'outil lancé en 2020 dans l'Ouest canadien. Le Conseil Québécois des Plantes Fourragères a soutenu l'expansion dans l’Est du Canada.
La Boussole fourragère est disponible sur le site du Beef Cattle Research Council (Conseil de recherche sur les bovins de boucherie). Lisez le blog du BCRC sur l'outil ici
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Forage U-Pick tool now available across Canada
The Forage U-Pick is a free interactive forage species selection tool that helps farmers and ranchers choose the forages best suited to their fields, calculate seeding rates and manage forage weeds. It is now available to farmers and ranchers across Canada in both English and French.
The Forage U-Pick tool originally launched in 2020 in Western Canada. The Conseil Québécois des Plantes Fourragères supported the expansion of the tool across the country.
''The Conseil québécois des plantes fourragères (CQPF) is proud of the work and collaboration of all the partners in this project, all of whom have demonstrated an undeniable commitment,” said Serge Pageau, Development Officer of the Quebec Forage Crops Council. “The forage sector now has access to a valuable decision-support tool.''
The Forage U-Pick tool can be found on the Beef Cattle Research Council website. Read The BCRC blog about the tool here.
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NBSCIA Summer 2023 Update
The New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association (NBSCIA) welcomed Gabrielle Schenkels as its new acting coordinator of the Northshore region and Andrea Koch as the new Central region coordinator who started with NBSCIA this spring.
This spring and summer, NBSCIA coordinators have been keeping busy with work on NBSCIA projects partnered with Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP). It also partnered with the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food to provide rainfall, crop heat unit (CHU), growing degree days (GDD) and soil temperature maps to the New Brunswick regions once again this year. As well as these projects, the coordinators at NBSCIA have been busy providing services to local members including generating field maps, environmental farm plans and nutrient management recommendations.
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In partnership with the Farm Resilience Mentorship Program, each regional coordinator with NBSCIA has organized and are continuing to organize educational field days on each of the best management practices nitrogen management, cover cropping and rotational grazing. The purpose of these sessions is to bring together professionals to provide applicable strategies that farmers can apply to their operations that will support the development of farm sustainability and environmental stewardship.
July 28, Rotational Grazing, A Look Beneath the Pasture took place at Coburn Farms in Keswick Ridge In the Central region. A second field day, Opportunities Revealed by Crop Diversity, covering nitrogen management and cover cropping topics, took place on Aug. 9 at Connor Farms in Hawkins Corner.
In the Kings region, Frank and Alex Jopp hosted Improving Your Nitrogen Management Practices on Aug. 8 in Mount Pisgah. Managing Grasses and Soil in a Grazing System took place Aug. 11 at the Knightville Forage Site in Mount Pisgah.
In the Carleton region, a cover cropping and rotational grazing field day is scheduled for Aug. 16th from 1 to 4 p.m. at Katahdin View Farms, 20 Ivey Rd, in Limestone.
In the Northshore region, Nitrogen Management: Tools of the Trade” is scheduled for Aug. 17th from 1 to 4 p.m. at Grants’ Brook Farms, 736 Route 322, in Robertville.
Further information on the dates can be found here. The NBSCIA hopes to see people out to learn and ask questions on the topics presented.
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This is an excellent opportunity to recognize individual producers who do an outstanding job of pasture management. The Mapleseed Pasture Awards are also a way of encouraging producers to implement pasture management strategies that maximize production per acre.
For each category, Mapleseed contributes a cash award of $250 and a 25-kilogram bag of their choice of a Mapleseed forage mix to the winner. The winner of each category may also be invited to share a presentation about their operation at their respective commodity AGM (pending COVID safety protocols).
The deadline to submit applications for the sheep pasture award is Sept. 30, 2023. The deadline to submit applications for the beef pasture award is Oct. 30, 2022.
To submit a nomination for this award, complete the appropriate application form here.
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Commanditaire d'Or de l'AGFC |
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“Seize every opportunity,” says new DFC president David Wiens
Working together with a united voice is essential to dairy farming’s future as the sector faces many challenges on multiple fronts, says David Wiens, the newly elected president of Dairy Farmers of Canada. Formerly vice-president of the board, Wiens farms in Grunthal, Manitoba, where he milks 230 cows and tends 1,600 acres of cropland with his brother, Charles.
“Now is the time to act together. It's essential that we bridge the thousands of kilometres between regions and come together in a concerted way," Wiens said at DFC’s annual general meeting in Winnipeg, on July 12. "This will best position our industry to face challenges and seize every opportunity that becomes available.
“It's important to be realistic and acknowledge that the challenges that we face are many – dairy farming as a way of life in Canada is being attacked on multiple fronts from mislabeled indicators to international products in the dairy aisle to direct on-farm security. So the times are not that simple anymore.”
Wiens replaced Pierre Lampron. In his presidential acceptance speech, Wiens said he is excited to lead dairy farmers with a strong board and DFC staff behind him.
“While it's easy to get hung up on those negative voices that we hear out there, we still enjoy support from tens of millions of Canadians across the country who want to have that wholesome locally sourced and effective product for their tables,” Wiens said. “We need to come together and identify that path forward that moves towards setting up future generations of dairy farmers with the same opportunities we had on our farms, or even ensure that they have something better.”
Wiens thanked the delegates, staff, and board members, saying: “We will continue to count on you as we face ongoing challenges, but also again in seizing those opportunities.”
Chair of Dairy Farmers of Manitoba for 17 years until his election as DFC President, Wiens has also been a director with the DFC board since 2009. In 2011, he was elected to the position of vice-president. During his time on the board, Wiens has been the chair of the Promotion Committee, the proAction committee and the Canadian Dairy Research Council.
David Wiens holds a Bachelor of Theology from the Canadian Mennonite University. He is married to Denise and they have two grown children, Jasmine and Elizabeth.
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Le nouveau président David Wiens des PLC, David Wiens, prêt à « saisir toutes les
occasions »
Le nouveau président David Wiens des PLC, David Wiens, prêt à « saisir toutes les occasions »
Le secteur de la production laitière doit faire front commun pour assurer son avenir et relever les multiples défis qui se dressent devant l’industrie, affirme David Wiens, le président nouvellement élu des Producteurs laitiers du Canada (PLC). Ancien vice-président du conseil d’administration, M. Wiens exploite une ferme avec son frère Charles près de Grunthal, au Manitoba, où ils font la traite de 230 vaches et cultivent 1 600 acres de terres.
« Nous avons tout à gagner en agissant de façon concertée et en franchissant les milliers de kilomètres qui séparent les régions du pays », a déclaré M. Wiens lors de l’assemblée générale annuelle des PLC, tenue à Winnipeg le 12 juillet. « C’est ainsi que notre industrie se positionnera idéalement pour surmonter les défis et saisir toutes les occasions qui se présentent. »
« Il faut être réaliste et reconnaître que les enjeux se sont multipliés. Au Canada, le mode de vie associé à la production laitière est attaqué sur de multiples fronts, qu’il s’agisse d’indicateurs mal étiquetés, de l’arrivée de produits laitiers étrangers à l’épicerie ou de la sécurité à la ferme. L’époque de la simplicité est révolue. »
M. Wiens succède à Pierre Lampron. Dans son discours d’acceptation, M. Wiens a déclaré son enthousiasme à l’idée de diriger les Producteurs laitiers du Canada en tirant parti de la précieuse expertise du conseil d’administration et du personnel.
« Ne laissons pas les voix négatives occuper une place disproportionnée, car notre industrie bénéficie toujours du soutien de dizaines de millions de Canadiens en quête de produits sains et d’origine locale pour leur table », a déclaré M. Wiens, ajoutant que les producteurs devaient être solidaires pour suivre le rythme des changements très rapides dans l’industrie et pour tracer la voie à suivre afin d’offrir à la prochaine génération de producteurs laitiers « les mêmes possibilités que celles que nous avons eues dans nos fermes, ou mieux encore. »
Le nouveau président a offert ses remerciements aux délégués, à l’équipe des PLC et aux membres du conseil d’administration : « Nous continuerons à compter sur vous pour relever les défis actuels, mais aussi pour saisir les opportunités qui se dessinent à l’horizon. »
M. Wiens a été président des Producteurs laitiers du Manitoba pendant 17 ans jusqu’à son élection à la présidence des PLC. Il a siégé au conseil d’administration des PLC depuis 2009 et en a été élu vice-président en 2011. Au cours de son mandat au conseil d’administration des PLC, M. Wiens a été membre actif du Comité de promotion, du Comité proActionMD et du Conseil canadien de recherche laitière.
David Wiens est titulaire d’un baccalauréat en théologie de l’Université mennonite canadienne. Son épouse Denise et lui ont deux filles adultes, Jasmine et Elizabeth.
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Calendar of Events
At the time this newsletter was distributed, all event times and locations were accurate, but please check event websites for the most current information. Some events may have been postponed or cancelled.
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Aug 17: NBSCIA. Nitrogen Management: Tools of the Trade. Sainte-Therese Sud, NB. More info.
Aug 22: CQPF. Écoloveaux, St-Victor et Mathieu Counard St-Ephrem. More info.
Aug 26: CQPF. Paysan Gourmand, St-Félix de Kingsey. More info.
Aug 26: CQPF. 2e Journée champêtre annuelle. Paysan Gourmand, St-Félix de Kingsey. More info.
Aug 30: BCFC. Field day - Tatalrose Ranch Demonstration Site. Grassy Plains, BC. More info.
Sept 28: CQPF. Ferme Simpson, St-Cyrille de Wendover. More info.
Nov. 28-Dec. 1. Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) 14th annual conference. Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. More info.
Dec. 5-7. OFC Forage Focus 2023 FREE Webinar Series. More info.
More event listings:
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