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I am very excited about our 2007 Annual General
Meeting (AGM). As you are aware, there will be a provincial
election this fall, and so we invited the leaders from all
parties to talk to you at this convention. There is also the
possibility of a federal election, and Directors and staff
have just returned from lobbying your MPs in Ottawa.
The future is now, and now is the time to make sure that
our point of view is communicated to help us shape our
industry’s future.
In 2005, OCA renewed our strategic plan, and in the
process adopted as our mission statement, “OCA will
provide leadership in responding to producer needs.”
During the past year, Directors and staff at OCA have
been highly focused on delivering programs and services
which you, as producers, had identified as being important
to you. In 2006, OCA began or continued with several
major initiatives, a few of which I will highlight for you
in my report.
Market Access Program
This is a simple program aimed at encouraging producers
in Ontario to age-verify their calf crop, in exchange for a
three dollar per-head credit. Age verification is important
for profitability and market access reasons. Year Two of
the program will require attendance at a Verified Beef
Production workshop, and certification of a vaccination
protocol mutually agreeable to you and your vet.
Originally, the program was pretty bulky. Piloted in Ontario,
Saskatchewan and Alberta, the feedback has continually led
to a less cumbersome and now a more streamlined
approach. Workshops are only 2 hours, the manual is less
than 30 pages and program requirements have been
reduced. I encourage you all to attend a session.
Regional Marketing Initiative
OCA began this project in response to the request from
producers for support in marketing their products locally,
and Mallot Creek Group Inc. was contracted as the program
delivery agent. This program accepts the philosophy that
there are two distinct channels in Ontario for product
flow: commodity beef through large federally-inspected
plants; and locally produced beef, processed at local
abattoirs and sold to local customers. This project is
aimed at creating a number of small, local value chains.
For those to whom this makes sense, there should be
increased market access, more market stability, and
improved prospects for profitability down the road. This
aligns well with the province’s plan to promote healthful,
local products.
I’m pleased to say that the feedback that both OCA and
Mallot Creek are receiving from producers is that this
program is quite helpful and would be recommended to
other producers
These are just some of the projects which we have undertaken
at your request. We are also involved with: delivery
of futures and options hedging seminars; discovering the
real economic importance of the beef production industry
to the province of Ontario; a carcass improvement project;
preparing for input to the next round of agricultural
policy framework consultations; and continuing work on
our emergency management plan, to name a few.
Lobbying
Staff and Directors, in response to your request, allocated
more time and effort on lobbying this year. It has been a
very good year, and we had a number of successes on
your behalf. We were successful in convincing the federal
government to announce support for retroactive
implementation of P1P2 inventory coverage under the
Canadian Agricultural Income Stablization (CAIS) program,
and in convincing the provincial Government to match
this program. Based on OMAFRA estimates, we expect
this change to put about $90 million into the Ontario
beef industry.
Other Successes Include:
-
Increasing feeder finance splits, and raising
the
limit to $250,000
-
Administering the federal Cash Advance Program
for
beef through the Feeder Finance program
-
Achieving a workable solution in the issue of
emergency slaughter
-
Elimination of supplementary import permits
Slowly but surely our messages are getting across and we’re
doing it in a professional, collaborative and respectful manner
that sets our approach apart from that of some other
agricultural organizations. Both federal and provincial MPs
and MPPs continue to receive our government relations
newsletter, The Ontario Steakholder, four times per year.
It features lobbying requests, photos of OCA meetings with
government, a beef recipe, and other beef industry news
that helps to keep elected representatives up to date.
Response to Resolutions
I am particularly proud of our staff for the effort which was
expended in researching and responding to your resolutions
this year. I believe it was the best work OCA has ever done
on resolutions, and I have received many positive comments
from counties on the extensive feedback to the county
organizations.
10-Year Vision
At this year’s AGM we will be releasing preliminary results
from our ten-year visioning project. The purpose of this is
to give a longer timeframe look at our industry in Ontario,
decide on the future we want, and map out actions to get
us there. Jack Dixon said, “If you focus on results, you will
never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.”
The results from this project, if accepted, will form the basis
for developing our future programs.
Staffing
This year, Jen Snively accepted the challenge of being OCA’s
Policy Advisor. Jen had previously been Policy Assistant,
working on a contract position to develop an Emergency
Management Plan (EMP). Laura Hamilton has joined OCA
to complete the EMP.
Cheryl Russwurm has also joined this year as Feeder Finance
Supervisor. The Board decided to expand this position, and
has included assisting breeder co-ops as part of Cheryl’s
responsibilities.
Andy Millar, whom many of you knew as an Advisory
Councillor, has accepted the position of Checkoff Inspector.
And recently, Ron Wooddisse has taken a one-year contract
to deliver the Verified Beef Production program to producers
west of Highway 400.
These fine people, along with all of the other OCA staff and
Directors, dedicate all of their energy to serving your needs.
Alexander Graham Bell said, “Concentrate all your thoughts
upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until
brought to a focus.” You have my commitment that as we
move through this year and those beyond, OCA will continue
to focus on your future, and the future of our industry.
Dave Stewart
Executive Director
Ontario Cattlemen’s Association |
