KAP and APAS welcome new members of Canadian Grain Commission

Feb 07, 2017

New appointments become official on Feb. 13

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Farm organizations from Manitoba and Saskatchewan say they’re looking forward to working with the newest members of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to collaborate on issues facing the country’s grain industry.

“The current and future challenges the Grain Commission faces need to be viewed from many perspectives,” Todd Lewis, president of Agricultural Producers of Saskatchewan (APAS), said in a release. “User fees need to be reduced and reviewed more frequently as increasingly larger grain volumes are exported every year.

“…We need to find a practical, long-term, cost-effective method to provide maximum benefit to all grain producers.”

Effective Feb. 13, Patti Miller, the former president of the Canola Council of Canada, will become the chief commissioner of the CGC. Lonny McKague, a founder of one of Saskatchewan’s first rail shortlines, will become commissioner. Doug Chorney, former president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), will become assistant chief commissioner.

KAP’s current president said having such talent in the CGC can only help Canada’s grain farmers in the future.

“This is exceptional news for the grain and oilseeds industry because all three appointees have extensive experience in advancing our industry,” Dan Mazier said in a release. “KAP looks forward to working with them on modernizing the CGC’s flawed producer payment security system.”

Todd Lewis, APAS president, echoed Mazier’s sentiments.

“Patti has worked on many files in AAFC and as President of the Canola Council and she understands many of the ag and trade issues. Doug and Lonny are farmers, have led organizations at the provincial and national levels, understand shortlines, and know the issues they and other farmers face on the prairies. I believe the three Commissioners complement each other very well and can be very effective,” Lewis said.

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.