Beef Farmers of Ontario has new leadership

Mar 03, 2022

Jack Chaffe to lead Beef Farmers of Ontario as new President.

After the Beef Farmers of Ontario’s (BFO) 60th Annual General Meeting on February 28, 2022, Jack Chaffe has been chosen to lead the association as President.

Craig McLaughlin will serve as its Vice President.

Rob Lipsett, the previous President, steps down, but will remain on the Board of Directors to finish his final term as Background Director.

Now in his eighth year on the Board of Directors, Chaffe has previous served the past seven years as the Feedlot Director. A fifth-generation farmer, Chaffe and his family farm near Mitchell, Ontario, and market 2,500+ head of cattle annually through the Ontario Corn Fed Beef program.

“As president, I look forward to mapping a road to recovery as we begin to emerge from the shadow of the pandemic and its many effects on our sector and members,” stated Chaffe. “I look forward to working with my fellow directors in the year ahead to address pressing issues that were raised during our resolutions debate this week, such as processing capacity and skilled labour, enforcement of inspection processes and regulations, transparency in beef labelling and the effectiveness of the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act to name a few.”

McLaughlin is from Renfrew County and enters his sixth year on the Board of Directors as the Eastern Director. He has a cow-calf and backgrounding operation.

Three directors were re-elected to the BFO Board of Directors by voting delegates. Returning to the board in 2022 are Don Badour as Cow-calf Director, Joe Dickenson as Feedlot Director and Kim Jo Bliss as At-large Director. Ron Stevenson was acclaimed to his position and returns as Southern Director.

BFO's Board of Directors consists of 12 elected officials: three from the cow-calf sector, three from the feedlot sector, one from the backgrounder sector, one each representing the southern, northern and eastern regions of Ontario, and two elected at-large. Directors are elected for a three-year term on a rotating basis.

The BFO advocates in the areas of sustainability, animal health and care, environment, food safety, and domestic and export market development. It seeks to foster a sustainable and profitable beef industry, and to continue have Ontario beef recognized as an outstanding product by consumers.

For information on the Beef Farmers of Ontario, visit https://www.ontariobeef.com.

Video: Trade Uncertainty and Pork Growth - Cam Dahl

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Cam Dahl, General Manager of Manitoba Pork Council, discusses how trade uncertainty affects growth across Canadian pork production. He explains why CUSMA, market diversification, non-tariff barriers, access to capital, labor needs, and producer advocacy all matter as the industry plans for investment, exports, and long-term competitiveness. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Trade uncertainty makes access to capital difficult when producers and processors are ready to invest and grow."

Meet the guest: Cam Dahl / cam-dahl-58115832 is the General Manager of Manitoba Pork Council. He has extensive leadership experience across Canadian agriculture, including Cereals Canada, the Canada Grains Council, Manitoba Beef Producers, and the Canadian Grain Commission. His work focuses on policy, advocacy, trade, business development, and strengthening market opportunities for Canadian producers. Learn more from Cam Dahl on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.