Man. farmer elected president of Dairy Farmers of Canada

Jul 17, 2023

David Wiens farms with his brother at Grunthal

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A dairy farmer from Grunthal, Man. is the new president of Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC).

David Wiens, who’s been the organization’s vice president since 2011, received the necessary support from his peers during DFC’s annual general meeting in Winnipeg.

Wiens replaces Pierre Lampron, the Quebec farmer who served as president since 2017.

“I would like to thank dairy farmers for electing me to lead our national organization,” Wiens said in a July 12 statement. “Our industry is at a crossroads, we face numerous challenges, but there are also opportunities which we must seize.”

Different organizations congratulated Wiens on his new presidency.

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association, for example, extended its “hearty congrats to Manitoba’s David Wiens on this impressive and important national portfolio,” the organization said on Twitter.

Compass Rose, a bilingual public affairs firm, welcomed Wiens and thanked Lampron for his advocacy.

“We want to congratulate David and wish all the best to Pierre, who’s been an incredible champion of Canadian dairy,” the company said on Twitter on July 13.

The complete DFC board of directors for 2023 is as follows:

President: David Wiens
British Columbia: Sarah Sache
Alberta: Wim van de Brake
Saskatchewan: Matthew Flaman
Manitoba: Stefan Singer
Ontario: Vicky Morrison, Mark Hamel, Don Gordon
Quebec: Daniel Gobeil, Peter Strebel, Marcel Blais
New Brunswick: Gilbert Matheson
Nova Scotia: Greg Archibald
Prince Edward Island: Steve Reeves
Newfoundland and Labrador: TBA
Director, Lactanet: Korb Whale
External Advisor: Michael Barrett

Farms.com has contacted DFC for details on when Newfoundland and Labrador’s representative will be named.

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.