Fertilizer Canada appoints Karen Proud as President and Chief Executive Officer

Ottawa, ON – Fertilizer Canada’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Proud as President and Chief Executive Officer.

 

Proud brings extensive senior-level management and leadership experience in the development, implementation and enforcement of regulatory and legislative policy. “Fertilizer Canada has a well-earned reputation in both programming and advocacy initiatives,” said Proud. “Having worked for a number of manufacturing and retail sectors I am excited to take on this new role aimed at advancing the safe, secure, and sustainable production and use of fertilizer in Canada and around the world.”

 

Prior to joining Fertilizer Canada, Proud was the Chief Operating Officer of Food Health and Consumer Products of Canada; a newly created association formed through a joint venture she spearheaded between Consumer Health Products Canada, where she had been President for seven years, and Food and Consumer Products of Canada.  

 

“Karen’s experience in association management and regulatory negotiation will ensure a continued focus on our industry’s priorities, including achieving Federal recognition for 4R Nutrient Stewardship as the National Standard for nutrient management and the industry’s Codes of Practice as the standard in product safety, as outlined in our Strategic Plan 2025,” said Brian Mark and Chair of Fertilizer Canada’s Board of Directors. “As a proven leader and relationship-builder, in combination with her extensive background and knowledge of government decision making, Karen will further develop and build upon Fertilizer Canada’s foundation of achieving fair, competitive and science-based policies.”

 

Proud assumes leadership from Garth Whyte, who has served as President since 2015. Whyte announced his retirement in the summer of 2020. The Board of Directors sincerely thanks Garth for his leadership, and his efforts to build and evolve the association.

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.