Last week, we had the chance to meet with Evan Chaffe, Darby Wheeler, and Craig McLaughlin from one of our newest sponsors, Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO).
BFO represents 19,000 beef farmers across Ontario. Since 1962, they’ve acted as the unified voice for Ontario’s beef farmers, advocating in a variety of areas, including environmental sustainability and market development. In our meeting, we learned about the organization’s structure, from the Board of Directors down to the 49 grassroots district associations.
We also discussed some of the biggest issues facing beef farmers in the province today. These include combating antimicrobial resistance, promoting environmentally sustainable practices like pasture rotation and smart water use, increasing processing capacity, and addressing urban sprawl through provincial legislation. A large part of BFO’s work involves collaborating and coordinating with other organizations, including the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.
The final topic we covered in our meeting was diversity, equity, and inclusion. While BFO acknowledges that the beef farming industry has not historically been a diverse one, BFO is tackling this issue head on by improving their recruitment practices, providing inclusion and anti-racism training to members, and taking a closer look at how the industry’s agricultural practices affect Indigenous people. It will be interesting to see what type of progress BFO makes in this area moving forward.
Thanks so much to Evan, Darby, and Craig for taking the time to meet with us and answer our questions, and thank you to BFO for your support of the program. We’re thrilled to have you on board!