Bruce Christie honored as farm industry leader

Apr 15, 2025
By Farms.com

Bruce Christie wins top farm honor

Bruce Christie of Mississauga has been named the 2025 Food and Farming Champion by Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO). This award recognises individuals who actively promote and support agriculture. Christie has spent over four decades educating consumers and building trust in the farming industry.

He worked for 43 years at Shur-Gain, now known as Trouw Nutrition, and led marketing efforts for livestock, poultry, and pet food products. His dedication extended to public engagement through events like the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and Breakfast on the Farm, where he helped urban audiences understand farming.

Christie played a key role in creating the model farm exhibit at the CNE and held leadership positions in many agricultural organisations. He chaired the Ontario Farm Animal Council and was involved in merging it with AGCare to form FFCO. Later, he became the first chair of Farm & Food Care Canada, now known as the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.

He also mentored young leaders through the Junior Farmers’ Association and the Ontario Agricultural College. As a fundraiser, he and his daughter climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to support FFCO, raising significant funds.

Supporters praised him as a mentor and diplomat, always working with professionalism and respect. His passion continues to inspire those in the agriculture sector.

Photo Credit: Bruce Christie

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.