Andrea De Groot will bring both ag business and farm experience to her new position
By Jennifer Jackson
The Ontario Pork Industry Council (OPIC) is welcoming a new member to its team – Andrea De Groot is joining as managing director of the Council.
De Groot graduated from the University of Guelph in 2002 with a bachelor of commerce degree in agricultural business. Since then, she has held positions with Farm Credit Canada and RBC Royal Bank in various locations in Ontario.
On top of her agriculture business experience, De Groot and her husband have a farrow-to-finish operation near Stratford and cash crop operations in Stratford and Belleville. De Groot and her husband live on their farm near Stratford with their two sons and two daughters, all between the ages of nine years and twenty months.
Farms.com interviewed De Groot about her thoughts regarding the hog industry and her new role.
Farms.com (Farms): How has your ag business experience complimented your role in the industry?
Andrea De Groot (ADG): Throughout my agricultural financing career I had the opportunity to work with all sectors of the agricultural industry and commercial agricultural business as well.
My banking career gave me a unique perspective on farming businesses and how the business of farming has changed through the years – it is much faster and more competitive than ever, and with increasing expectations from the consumers!
Farms: What do you like best about working/farming in the pork/ag industry?
ADG: The hog industry has always been a challenging industry. There are so many variables that effect this industry, and that keeps it exciting!
The hog industry has some of the most resilient farmers in the agricultural sector – they are both industrious and yet very humble. I love the diversity that the hog industry has.
This is an industry that has embraced the “farm to fork” concept by understanding the impacts on the farm can be directly impacted by the consumer.
Farms: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges the pork/ag industry faces today and moving forward?
ADG: I would say that the main challenges in the hog industry remain the focus on the high health status. We have done great work in the industry to get to a “healthy” industry and we will need to continue to work hard to maintain that status.
In the general ag industry (and in the hog industry), I think that the regulations that we operate within will be a major challenge in the future. Agriculture is in the midst of a heightened consumer awareness of “how and what” we do to provide food.
However, there are many people telling our story (with false details) and we are seeing that concern come to life by increased regulations. These regulations can greatly increase our cost to do business and provide many challenges with the process of managing our industry.
It’s critical that our industry work together to provide feedback to create “workable” regulations that help our industry move forward and help continuously improve the confidence of our consumers.
Farms: What advice do you have for the next generation of agvocates?
ADG: Firstly, I would say “thank you” to the agvocates for all of the work that they have been doing, and secondly, “keep going!” The agricultural industry is a small but powerful industry, and our agvocates are essential in telling the farm stories to the general public who have little or no ties directly to the farm community.
As a farmer myself, it is hard to tell our farming stories and to put ourselves in front of social media platforms. However, our stories are important.
My advice to the agvocates is to remember that we are not “just farmers” – we are important and we are unique, so let’s show this to the world!
Farms: Can you provide comments on your new role?
ADG: I’m very excited to be working with OPIC. As managing director, I will have the opportunity to work with so many talented people through my connection to the OPIC Board of Directors, the Ontario Pork Congress, London Swine Conference and through our industry partners like Ontario Pork!
In my first few weeks with OPIC, I have been busy with many existing projects (the London Swine Conference is just around the corner), and working through some new research projects as well. OPIC is also focusing on some projects to help farmers with human resource needs, as well as farm training sessions.