Supporting sector-wide collaboration through Virtual Industry Insight Meeting

BURLINGTON, ON - Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) hosted the semi-annual CFO Industry Insight Meeting through a virtual platform - the virtual setting being one of the many ways that CFO continues to work differently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The online meeting was attended by numerous industry representatives, including primary processors, feed manufacturers, veterinarians, transporters, hatcheries, government, academia, and other allied industry partners.

 

The CFO Industry Insight meeting is an opportunity for stakeholders to collaborate and discuss the latest chicken industry news and algin initiatives. A key topic of the 2020 summer meeting was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry, and how stakeholders continue to adapt to the evolving situation. Other key topics of the meeting included a review of Ontario chicken’s commitment to responsibility, communication and business-led collaboration with farmers and industry to continue to deliver value moving forward, and an overview of CFO’s Strategic Plan 2020-2022 with the goal of accelerating the business to the next level of performance.

 

CFO was pleased to welcome guest-speaker Lt. General (ret’d) the Honourable Andrew Leslie PC, CMM, MSC, MSM, CD, MA, who provided insight on the current national and provincial government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, political outcomes of the pandemic, and support for the Ontario chicken industry.

 

CFO was also joined by William Bearss, the Chair of the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission (OBHECC), who gave his perspective of the pandemic impacts in the hatching egg sector and on how the sector has had to quickly adapt in order to keep the food supply chain strong.

 

“Although we have had to change the way we work together given the current pandemic, it’s more important than ever to support strong collaboration with industry partners,” said Ed Benjamins, Chair, CFO. “Moving to a virtual setting for our 2020 Industry Insight meeting is just one example of how we are adapting in order to continue to build positive, productive relationships with our stakeholders even if we are currently unable to meet in person.”  

 

“The pandemic has brought our industry even closer together as we have had to adapt to meet new challenges,” said Rob Dougans, President and CEO, CFO. “It’s through collaboration that we can manage the risks around COVID-19, while continuing to advance our key priorities to generate long term value for farmer-members and stakeholders.”

 

The CFO Board of Directors would like to thank all participants for their contributions to the meeting. CFO looks forward to hosting another Industry Insight meeting in the fall of 2020.

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.