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Rural Ontario Institute appoints Acting CEO

GUELPH, ON — The Rural Ontario Institute has implemented a transition plan in the wake of CEO Rob Black’s appointment to the Senate of Canada. Approved by the ROI Board and effective immediately, Norm Ragetlie, Director, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, will be Acting Chief Executive Officer. Rob Black will continue as Transition Adviser to the Board until his departure from the organization on June 30th, 2018.

Norm, who has been with the organization since its formation in 2010, will be appointed ROI Chief Executive Officer in June. In addition to Norm’s responsibilities for directing the Policy and Stakeholder Engagement projects, his new additional responsibilities will include the key functions of a not-for-profit chief executive officer including financial management, personnel management and Board support.

The organization will be creating and recruiting for two new positions, a full-time Leadership Programs Director and a part-time Bookkeeper/Office Administrator.

The Leadership Programs Director will have responsibility for all leadership activities as well as fundraising for all leadership activities, including, but not limited to, the long-running Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program.

“Rob leaves some big shoes to fill as AALP’s program director, however, I am looking forward to working with a well-networked leader from the ag sector to help build and grow both AALP and ROI’s other leadership offerings,” says Ragetlie.

“The Board Directors are confident these changes will ensure ROI continues to be well positioned to deliver on the organization’s strategic goals into the future,” says Suzanne Trivers, ROI Board Chair.

The Rural Ontario Institute is a non-profit organization committed to developing leaders and facilitating collaboration on issues and opportunities facing rural Ontario.

Source : Rural Ontario Institute

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The Investment Opportunities of Industrial Hemp

Video: The Investment Opportunities of Industrial Hemp

The fledgling U.S. hemp industry is decades behind countries like Canada, France and China, but according to impact investor and this week’s podcast guest, Pierre Berard, it could flourish into a $2.2 billion industry by 2030 and create thousands of jobs.

To reach its potential, what the hemp industry needs most right now, Berard said, is capital investment.

Last month, Berard published a report titled “Seeing the U.S. Industrial Hemp Opportunity — A Pioneering Venture for Investors and Corporations Driven by Environmental, Social and Financial Concerns” in which he lays out the case for investment.

It’s as if Berard, with this report, is waving a giant flag, trying to attract the eyes of investors, saying, “Look over here. Look at all this opportunity.”

Berard likens the burgeoning American hemp industry to a developing country.

“There is no capital. People don’t want to finance. This is too risky. And I was like, OK, this sounds like something for me,” he said.

As an impact investor who manages funds specializing in agro-processing companies, Berard now has his sights set on the U.S. hemp industry, which he believes has great economic value as well as social and environmental benefits.

He spent many years developing investment in the agriculture infrastructure of developing countries in Latin America and Africa, and said the hemp industry feels similar.

“It is very nascent and it is a very fragmented sector. You have pioneers and trailblazers inventing or reinventing the field after 80 years of prohibition,” he said. “So I feel very familiar with this context.”

On this week’s hemp podcast, Berard talks about the report and the opportunities available to investors in the feed, fiber and food sectors of the hemp industry.

Building an industry around an agricultural commodity takes time, he said. According to the report, “The soybean industry took about 50 years to become firmly established, from the first USDA imports in 1898 to the U.S. being the top worldwide producer in the 1950s.”

Berard has a plan to accelerate the growth of the hemp industry and sees a four-pillar approach to attract investment.

First, he said, the foundation of the industry is the relationship between farmers and processors at the local level.

Second, he said the industry needs what he calls a “federating body” that will represent it, foster markets and innovations, and reduce risk for its members and investors.

The third pillar is “collaboration with corporations that aim to secure or diversify their supply chains with sustainable products and enhance their ESG credentials. This will be key to funding the industry and creating markets,” he said.

The fourth pillar is investment. Lots of it. Over $1.6 billion over seven years. This money will come from government, corporations, individual investors, and philanthropic donors.

The 75-page report goes into detail about the hemp industry, its environmental and social impact, and the opportunities available to investors.

Read the report here: Seeing the U.S. Industrial Hemp Opportunity

Also on this episode, we check in with hemp and bison farmer Herb Grove from Brush Mountain Bison in Centre County, PA, where he grew 50 acres of hemp grain. We’ll hear about harvest and dry down and crushing the seed for oil and cake.