All for the Beef — An update from ABP’s General Manager

Season’s Greetings

It’s hard to believe another year has passed. 2022 has been a busy and challenging year, and from my perspective, I don’t see our industry nor global issues letting off the gas pedal any time soon.

This holiday season, and as we come into the New Year at ABP, what we wish for most is engagement from producers across the province. Your input helps guide our efforts, whether it’s with government, consumers, education, or environment, and in 2023 there will be ample opportunity for you to do so.

Producer meetings are just around the corner in January and February, and these meetings provide the opportunity to bring forward resolutions for consideration at the ABP AGM in March 2023. It is important to note that resolutions can be submitted all year round through our website at albertabeef.org. If you have a resolution that you would like to bring forward and would like support to do so, please contact us. We are here to help.

We are also planning to create engagement sessions in 2023 to talk about the structure of ABP and anything that producers want to talk about – everything is on the table. We are seeking your feedback as we approach our plan review in 2025. This is an important opportunity for you as a producer to bring change to our organization and make adjustments to our regulations that best suits the needs, challenges, and opportunities at ABP. The working group has been struck, and we need your input about the fundamental workings of ABP and the direction of your commission. We know you work hard for each and every dollar, and we want to ensure we are using your commission in a way that you expect and to the best of our ability.

At ABP we are your representative, but we need you to give us the direction to ensure that we continue to evolve and grow as an organization and, ultimately, in our pursuit to continue to support producers in delivering the world-class beef that we are known for, in an environment that is sustainable for beef producers. 

We know many producers are interested in the results coming out of the Beef Competitiveness Study, which we have been engaged on with partners, Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, Canadian Cattle Association, Canfax, Canadian Meat Council, and the Government of Alberta. Draft reports have been submitted, and the partners are reviewing to provide comment at the time of writing this article. We plan to release the findings in early 2023. 

On behalf of all of us at ABP, we wish you, your family, friends, and community a wonderful holiday season. I look forward to hearing from you in the New Year.

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This article was first published in Volume 2 Issue 5 of ABP Magazine (December 2022). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.