Highlights from the Chair with Brodie Haugan

This article was first published in Volume 4 Issue 3 of ABP Magazine (September 2024). Watch for more digital content from the magazine on ABP Daily.

As we move into fall, it’s a good time to reflect on some summer highlights for our organization.

I would have to say the third edition of the Alberta Beef Industry Stampede Summit was incredible. We had a very good turnout from the government and all organizations that represent the cattle industry in Alberta. It was an amazing opportunity to have a unified voice in conversation with both provincial and federal government representatives on the ins and outs of the cattle industry.

The last several years during the Summit we’ve been in a severe drought, and conversations centered around the importance of drought program effectiveness with politicians. This year, we were able to spend more time building relationships and being thankful for working together.

I really think we’ve found the perfect place to connect the cattle community with the rest of the population at an event that’s historic and popular. As cattle producers, I know sometimes we don’t like going to the Stampede because we know there’s often hay at home to cut, but we’ve found that perfect touchpoint to show off what we’re doing in the industry featuring the Environmental Stewardship Award as a pillar for the event. More than 60 MLAs attended, and even Premier Danielle Smith was there to watch the award being presented.

Stampede Summit also gave us the chance to talk with government representatives about the Business Risk Management suite of programs, and specifically, the AgriStability pilot project we’ve got in place. As we roll this out, it’s critical to get buy-in from other provinces, and we’ve had plenty of inquiries on the pilot. Our big push at the Stampede Summit was to ensure this made the agenda at the Federal Provincial Territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers meeting the following week. We were successful, and it sounds like there was a good conversation about AgriStability at the FPT meeting. We continue work on the pilot, which we hope will result in some changes to make AgriStability more responsive and relevant.

That links back to a lot of things I’ve been talking about since I’ve been in this position, including having representation from other organizations at our board table to improve communication and collaboration. This is just one of the many things we’ve implemented and it’s starting to pay off.

During Calgary Stampede we also showcased TV advertisements by ABP, with one playing during the rodeo and one during the chuckwagon broadcasts. They were noticed. I had people, both producers and non producers, comment they were very happy to see Alberta beef on the main stage again. These advertisements are part of an ongoing campaign so keep your eyes open for more Alberta Beef commercials soon.

It’s always encouraging to me to see progress on issues brought forward as resolutions at our producer meetings. One such example included the recent announcement by Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister, Todd Loewen, of a grizzly bear management program to deal with problem bears. We’ve had many conversations with provincial government on the issue, all stemming from resolutions at our producer meetings. Seeing these concerns acknowledged is a win, and we’re continuing to work with the Government of Alberta to ensure it is a positive step forward. There is also a lot fo work around predation and ungulates and their impact on ranching. That also ties back to many resolution and conversations we’ve had at producer meetings for years.

Foot and Mouth Disease discussions continue, and we are attending meetings provincially, as well as nationally, and in the U.S. A lot of work is happening there as well.

The recent announcement from Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Minister, RJ Sigurdson, on changes to the AFSC’s young farmer loan programs is also encouraging. We’ve had resolutions on better supporting youth, and it’s been a constant theme at all of our producer meetings. So we were very pleased to see what we feel is positive progress to support youth in agriculture.

We’re gearing up for another round of Producer Meetings in January and February. Watch for information on dates and times. We’re always looking for delegates, so if anyone is considering being involves and has specific expertise or interests, please reach out.

It seems risk-management systems are working better this year. We’ve gotten really positive feedback from producers on the responsiveness of AFSC when it comes to crop damage, or any insurance programming and requirement for action. We’re very thankful for AFSC’s commitment to the industry, as they work closely and efficiently with producers. We are seeing an increased uptake in the Moisture Deficiency Insurance this season, and because of changes made several years ago, it looks like the program is effective, so we’re very happy about that.

During the summer, we saw commitment from both the federal and provincial governments on funding for the Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) Program, so we’re excited to see it launched. It’s a program I’ve always been passionate about because it was developed by producers and is driven and steer by producers. The $1.9 million is a step in the right direction to continue to create value for the program to producers, and it reinforces ABP’s commitment to sustainable practices.

I’m heading into my last six months of being officially involved with ABP. I’ve always said that organizations like ABP are bigger than any one individual. The quality of people in our industry always amazes me. I’ve traveled this entire province now, and look forward to doing it again this winter. The types of people I’ve been able to meet and the operations I’ve been able to experience has been so valuable. That’s why I come back to saying every minute I’ve spent away from my operation has been worth my time. If you’ve ever thought about becoming an ABP delegate, consider it seriously now, it will be valuable to you and your operation, and you won’t regret it.