Manitoba beef industry stakeholders will gather in Brandon this week for the 38th Manitoba Beef Producers’ Annual General Meeting.
Scheduled for Feb. 2-3 at Brandon’s Victoria Inn and Convention Centre, this year’s AGM theme is Sharing Our Story. MBP President Heinz Reimer said there is a growing need for producers, and the industry at-large, to tell their story and highlight the great work taking place in areas such as environmental stewardship, sustainability and animal welfare.
“Our industry has a great story to tell and there are many reasons for our producers to be proud of the work they do,” Reimer said. “However, we also recognize our members are humble, hard-working individuals who aren’t seeking attention. Our goal throughout the AGM is to talk about the important role they can play in telling the industry’s story and give them some tools to be part of this ongoing discussion.”
As in past years, the AGM agenda is a full one. Everything kicks off Thursday morning at 9 a.m. with registration and the opening of the sold-out trade show. At 10 a.m. is the Industry Knowledge Session Industry Answers Social License. A cross-section of panelists from the beef, eggs and crops sectors will discuss the challenges each has faced with regards to social license and how they’ve dealt with them.
The business portion of the meeting takes place Thursday afternoon and members will hear reports on MBP’s activities in 2016 and vote on the resolutions brought forward at the fall district meetings. Updates will be provided on the progress of Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives, as well as the ongoing discussion on the steps needed to grow Manitoba’s herd. Capping off the evening is the President’s Banquet where the winner of The Environmental Sustainability Award (TESA) will be announced. The banquet keynote speaker is Dr. Cody Creelman. This Alberta-based veterinarian has become a strong advocate for the beef industry in social media circles and will talk about importance of producers speaking out for their industry and his experiences in this area.
Day 2’s activities begin at 8:30 a.m. with the panel discussion Is the Customer Always Right? The panel will look at the changing trends in the food industry and discuss how responsive the beef industry needs to be to these trends. Tom Lynch-Staunton, Issues Manager for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association will serve as facilitator while Phil Gallagher of the Earls restaurant chain, John Graham of the Food Solutions Group and Dr. Kelly Main with the University of Manitoba will comprise the panel. Following the panel discussion will be reports from our national partners, the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef as well as a 2017 market forecast from CanFax.
The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association will hold their AGM Feb. 3 from 7-8 a.m. in the main meeting room, while a Verified Beef Production Plus Workshop will be held directly after the MBP AGM on Friday afternoon.
Source : Manitoba Beef Producers