Ontario Sheep Farmers 2022 Virtual Annual General Meeting Summary

Nov 01, 2022

Guelph, ON – Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) hosted the 2022 virtual Annual General Meeting

Earlier today where they welcomed several new board members to the OSF team. John Hemsted, director for District 6, is returning as Chair of OSF, joined by 1st Vice Art Alblas from District 1 and 2nd Vice Chair Ken Lamb from District 7.

OSF welcomes the following new directors to the board, Jay Lennox from District 2, Ryan Schill from District 5, Karen Davis from District 8 and Jenna Wight from District 11. All new members were elected earlier this year at their district meetings. The remaining board members include Keith Todd, Marusha Kostuk, Reg Campbell and Lee Brien.

“I am very pleased to be serving a second term as chair says returning OSF Chair John Hemsted. “I look forward to the industry coming together and working hard to advance the sector further.”

OSF will continue to build on the strategic plan Building Strength for a Better Future. The Five key deliverables identified in the OSF strategic plan are designed to build greater public trust, more dynamic market relationships, more effective business support, a more robust system to identify leadership and support districts, and a more effective organization to support each member. A copy of the full OSF strategic plan is available at www.ontariosheep.org

OSF was pleased to have the Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs speak to our membership and keynote Speaker Dr. Vaughn Holder from Alltech speak about the role that livestock have in Climate Change and how producers make an impact at the farm level.

In September OSF welcomed our new Executive Director Erin Morgan to the team replacing Jenn MacTavish who left the organization in August. Jenn was thanked by the OSF board and producer members who acknowledged for her years of dedicated service to the Ontario Sheep Sector.

Ontario Sheep Farmers (OSF) is a producer-run organization established in 1985 and represents the province’s 3,000 sheep farmers who contribute over $530 million to Ontario’s economy. Ontario is home to the country’s largest sheep flock and processes over 50% of the sheep and lambs born in Canada. We believe passionately that sheep farming is an agricultural business sector that is profitable, contributes to the well-being of our communities and our province and offers unique opportunities to develop new markets, provide needed environmental benefits and grow both our domestic and international markets.

Source : Ontario Sheep

Video: Independent Seed, National Impact | On The Brink: Episode 9

A survey of 200 independent seed businesses reveals what Canada's seed sector actually contributes — and what it stands to lose.

On the Brink, Justin Funk, a third-generation agri-marketer, shares the findings of a national survey conducted in early 2026. The numbers reframe the conversation: independent seed companies in Canada represent upwards of $1.7 billion in dedicated seed infrastructure, approximately 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs in rural communities, and an estimated $20 million in annual community contributions. And roughly 90% of Canada's cereals, pulses, and other small pollinated crops flow through them.

The survey also asked how dependent these businesses are on public plant breeding to survive. The answer was unambiguous. For policymakers evaluating the future of publicly funded breeding programs, Funk argues the economic case for this sector and the case for public plant breeding are the same argument.

On the Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture.