Dr. Ron Hanson, an agri-business professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a leading speaker on farm succession planning, says he didn’t come to Canada to make friends. The goal of Hanson’s presentation at the Beef Industry Convention was to help save farms and, more importantly, save families. Unfortunately, both are often lost when the farm succession process goes terribly wrong.
The panel at the 2010 Beef Industry Convention produced a lively and fascinating discussion on many national and international issues that affect farmers. This year’s panel was moderated by Globe & Mail political columnist John Ibbitson (centre) and featured University of Nebraska-Lincoln agri-business professor Dr. Ron Hanson (left) and Alex Avery (right), director of research and education for the Virginia-based Center for Global Food Issues.
The Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association fears that a sharp rise in U.S. imports will continue to weigh heavily on the province’s beef producers in the coming year. OCFA President Bob Brander (pictured left) and OCFA Executive Director Jim Clark (right) expressed concerns about the issue during their presentations at the 12th Annual Beef Industry Convention in London.
A new survey confirms that consumers care about their food and the people who produce it. The results, however, also reveal that consumers cannot easily identify food that is grown and produced in Ontario.
The study was done by Ontario’s traceability organization, OnTrace Agri-food Traceability (OnTrace), in collaboration with Toronto research firm, The Strategic Counsel. OnTrace CEO Brian Sterling says the data collected from the research clearly shows that consumers have a real passion for Ontario and they want to buy it whenever they can. He says the result is positive news for a product like Ontario Corn Fed Beef.
Globe and Mail political reporter and columnist John Ibbitson is coming back to the Beef Industry Convention. Sought out for his analysis of relevant news events to the industry, Ibbitson has been a popular speaker at the convention in the past.
In September 2009, Ibbitson returned to Canada to become the Ottawa bureau chief for the Globe, capping a career of covering, analyzing and commenting on Canadian and American politics unmatched by any journalist in North America or beyond. Prior to his return, he was paper’s Washington bureau chief.
Is the economy in recovery mode? What can beef producers expect in the next few years?
A featured speaker at the 12th Annual Beef Industry Convention has several reasons to believe that there is a good news story developing for Canada’s economy. The Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association is pleased to have Michael Levy of Border Gold Corp on the agenda for the upcoming event – January 7-9 in London, at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre.
Levy tells the News Feed that much of the recovery in Canada will depend on what happens in the United States. “My emphasis is on the U.S. because they are the key to everything that is going on world wide. And as they recover, there will be an impact on Canada.”
The 12th Annual Beef Industry Convention, hosted by the Ontario Cattle Feeders’ Association, features another strong line-up of engaging speakers. The 2010 event will be held January 7-9 at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn in London.
One keynote speaker will cover crucial farm management topics that don’t always receive the attention they deserve. Dr. Ron Hanson (pictured left), an Agri-business professor at the University Nebraska-Lincoln, has an entertaining and motivating way of looking at the business and personal relationships that are involved in a family farm operation.
The Beef Information Centre (BIC) showcased “Breakfast” Beef – a new product from Ontario Corn Fed Beef – at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association Show. The new product is excellent for a breakfast item, and an alternative to pea meal bacon. BIC hosted a booth at the Show – March 2-4 at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto – to discuss how Canadian beef makes sense for restaurant and food service businesses.
The 2009 Beef Quality Carcass Competition at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show proved to be a close contest as the judges were impressed with the high quality of the entries.
“This year’s cattle were the best group since the competition began,” commented Dave Murray, Production Manager with Ontario Corn Fed Beef, who has been involved with the carcass competition since its inception.