Ted Menzies Named New CropLife Canada President

Nov 12, 2013

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Ted Menzies will soon be taking the reins as president and CEO of CropLife Canada, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Menzies recently exited public life when he announced last Wednesday, Nov. 6, that he would be resigning his seat as Member of Parliament for the Alberta riding of Macleod. He was first elected in 2004, and held several positions including, Federal Minister of State for Finance, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

Prior to entering federal politics, Menzies was a cash crop farmer and operated a 5,000-acre farm where he grew grain, oilseeds, pules and spices. He was also involved in several farm commodity groups including, the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, Grain Growers of Canada and Western Canadian Growers Association.

“As a farmer, I have always been interested in how technology can improve operators,” Menzies said in a release. Menzies said he is “excited” to start the next chapter of his career. In the new year, he will lead the trade association, which represents the plant science industry in Canada.

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.