Highlights from the Chair | Brodie Haugan

The beef business is facing some incredible opportunities. If you want to be in cattle and want to work, it’s a good place to be. But at the same time, that is also bringing change. As an industry, we need to be okay with that. Everything in this world changes, whether we like it or not. If we just stick our heads in the sand, we’re going to fall far behind. On the landscape, you hear of record prices, but still people are selling off cows or selling out. The average age of producers is around retirement and increasing. So while all these factors create new possibilities, they’re often hard to understand, and very hard to give an outlook on. Both change and opportunity amplify the need for our industry to be unified, fully funded and have the structure and teams in place to do the work for us. We need to ensure we’re all aligned as we enter some of these very difficult conversations that will inevitably continue to come up in the months and years ahead.

Bringing the players together has been a priority of mine, and it’s the thing I’m most proud of as I look back. We’ve taken a major step in the right direction to unify the industry. There is still a lot of work to be done (it’s never ‘done’!), but the fact is that all the different organizations are sitting at our board table now. We have open lines of communication, and the level of conversation we’re having today is amazing. It was the number-one reason I got involved, because it really bothered me that we were so divided. At the end of the day, I think we all realize that in order to achieve long-term sustainability, we have to respect one another and understand we will have differences of opinions. But to achieve the bigger-picture goals, we have to be working together. A lot of what we’ve been doing is just building respect back between the organizations. Ultimately, we’re all accountable back to producers.

As I approach my last Alberta Beef Producers AGM as chair, it’s a bittersweet time of reflection. While I’m wrapping up 10 years with the organization as a delegate, I’m also excited for the future. During my time with ABP, my connections, and understanding of government relations, have grown. I believe these representatives really do want to make a positive impact on our industry and work with us. By aligning within our industry, it really enables us to continue to work with them effectively. The faster we can move and the more support we can give, the better off we all are. In Alberta we’ve had this government for several years now, and we’ve built a tremendous relationship with them, and they continue to push on files that we hope can get across the finish line in 2025.

I’ve also learned big changes take time, but I have been grateful to see adjustments pushed by ABP over the last four years to the moisture deficiency insurance program has resulted in significant payouts to producers. I’d still like to see Agri-Stability work better for the cow-calf sector, but the pilot program run by AFSC last year is now complete and the final report is in the works. So now we’re waiting for further conversations on next steps, but there are some positive findings.

Another area of work we’ve made significant progress on in the last couple of months is our grasslands policy. There is growing pressure when it comes to the native grasslands, or grasslands in general, that we are so dependent on as an industry. Getting producer input has been vital in creating a policy and position for ABP. Trying to get ahead of this, in my opinion, is of utmost importance for the longevity of our industry and the family businesses that own these assets. I’m glad we finally have a policy in place to navigate upcoming issues related to grasslands. We are one of the first beef groups to tackle this, as we’ve been trying to push the conversation across the prairies. It’s not a finished work, but a good start.

My overall experience with ABP, from youth programs all the way to leadership, has been tremendous. I think back to why I first got involved—I’d gotten sick of venting to my dad and neighbours about problems in the industry. Then I realized I was wasting my time and a whole bunch of breath when I could actually get into the room or connect with the right people, and that’s where change can happen. I would really encourage you to try to engage as much as you can too, because there are so many areas that need producer representation across our industry. Even if you can only give a little time, but have a really interesting or unique education or knowledge in a very specific area, it could be hugely important for the continued direction of ABP. Some may worry if you put up a hand and volunteer, it could become nearly a full-time job, but we want to try and find a bridge for that. The first step is to connect with your local delegate, so we know how to tap into your experience.

I want to conclude with some thank you’s. I never realized how much work the staff within ABP does until I got involved. I’m grateful for their dedication and effort—a lot of them are producers themselves, and their hearts are in the right place. They’re amazing people and have made the time I’ve been able to give back to the industry that much more efficient and positive. Lastly, I need to thank my family. I wouldn’t be on the road going to meetings if it wasn’t for my family keeping the business going at home.

I’ve said since day one this industry is bigger than any one individual—it’s all about the team. I couldn’t have done what I’ve been doing without the other delegates, my board and the executive. It has truly been a team effort to do all this. I’ll be finishing my ABP time, but I’m confident the team that’s been built and the systems and structure we’ve worked on will move the beef industry strongly into what I believe will be a bright future.

This article was first published in Volume 5 Issue 1 of ABP Magazine (February 2025). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.