George Morris Center to Disband, Transfer Assets Back to U of G

Jun 20, 2014

Canada’s only independent agricultural think-tank, the George Morris Centre (GMC), based in Guelph, Ont., announced that it will be moving to dissolve the organization within the year, and transfer its net assets as a gift to the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC), which is part of the University of Guelph.

Prior to 1998, GMC operated as a stand-alone unit at the University of Guelph for about 10 years. The centre began with the late George Fletcher Morris, a beef and cash crop farmer from Merlin, Ontario. Morris was a highly respected leader in the agricultural industry. He played a pivotal role in working with the University of Guelph to create an organization that would focus on supporting agriculture policy analyses and research.

The 15-year think-tank encouraged research and policy discussion on agri-food issues. GMC would regularly publish research and market reports. Its research focused primarily on five key research areas: agribusiness intelligence, economics of agri-food policy, economics of food, health and sustainability, market analysis and value chain management.

"We are proud of the reputation and the provocative discussion that has been created over the years by a succession of dedicated GMC team members,” Bob Funk, board chair of GMC said in a release.

GMC operated under the direction of a board of directors (nine members) from across the country, representing the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

According to GMC, a transition team is in place to oversee the changeover back to the OAC at the University of Guelph.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.