Alberta Pork’s 50th annual general meeting (AGM) and anniversary banquet took place on November 21, 2019 in Calgary, featuring more than 200 guests for the all-day event. Coming together for the betterment of the entire pork industry was a major theme that took shape throughout the day.
“We need to have a unified front if we’re going to continue finding success as an industry,” said Darcy Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Alberta Pork. “We’ve been looking for a more collaborative approach between producers and packers. It’s time to take a different direction together to find true success.”
The morning business meeting featured much-anticipated updates from the Alberta Pork staff and board of directors, along with the release of Alberta Pork’s 2019 annual report.
“This year has been particularly challenging due to certain conditions within the pork industry and within the geopolitical landscape that has a way of determining our fate,” said Brent Moen, Chair, Alberta Pork. “These challenges include producer compensation for CPE, the Canadian pork pricing project, the impact of the ongoing U.S.-China trade war and the ban on Canadian exports to China.”
In the afternoon, presentations were delivered by:
- Vincent Cloutier, Director, Economic Affairs, Les Éleveurs de Porcs du Québec (Montreal)
- Steve Dziver, President, Commodity Professional Inc. (Winnipeg)
- Brett Stuart, President, Global AgriTrends (Idaho)
- Manfred Kern, Managing Director, agriExcellence (Germany)
Following the meeting and presentations, producers, partners and distinguished guests from Alberta Pork’s past were invited to attend a special evening banquet, which included a four-course meal, celebratory video, speeches and a great deal of lively conversation.
See the video below.
Podium speeches were delivered by:
- Darcy Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Alberta Pork
- Brent Moen, Chair, Alberta Pork
- Jim Haggins, Past Chair, Alberta Pork
- Jurgen Preugschas, Past Chair, Alberta Pork & Canadian Pork Council
- Martin Waldner, Director, Alberta Pork
- George Foxcroft, Professor Emeritus, Agricultural Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta
- Andy Vanessen, Past Director, Alberta Pork
- Andre Corbould, Deputy Minister, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
Also in attendance were Glenn van Dijken, MLA, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock, whose constituency is home to more than 70 registered Alberta pork producers, along with John Barlow, MP, Foothills and Earl Dreeshen, MP, Red Deer-Mountain View, who together represent more than 100 producers.
Alberta Pork would like to thank everyone who helped celebrate this special occasion, and we look forward to what the next 50 years will bring!
Look for an extended version of this article in the upcoming issue of the Canadian Hog Journal, set for publication in January 2020. For your free subscription to the Canadian Hog Journal, contact Charlotte Shipp by email at charlotte.shipp@albertapork.com or by phone at 780-491-3528.