On December 5, 2019, the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) membership and industry stakeholders gathered for the Council’s 24th annual general meeting.
The AAC highlighted its Path to the Future, which will see the organization reinventing itself to meet the needs of the broader agri-food industry. The AAC membership approved a new business model that will be focused on new business opportunities to advance the Ontario and Canadian agri-food industry.
The AAC is made up of 67 member organizations from across the Ontario agri-food industry. The membership annually elects 16 directors, across 8 sector groups, to serve on the board. The newly elected 2019-2020 board includes:
- Agri-business/Retail/Food Processor - Doug Alexander, Kelly Duffy
- General Farm Interest - Peggy Brekveld, Ed Scharringa
- Grains/Seeds/Oilseeds/Specialty Crops - Keith Black
- Horticulture - Ray Duc, Mark Wales
- Livestock - Dennis Fischer, Joe Hill
- Other Industries/Commodity Groups - Chris Hiemstra
- Other Organizations - Ruth Knight
- Supply Management - Cor Kapteyn, Henry Wydeven
- Youth-at-Large - Pam Jackson, Sara Wood
The new board then elected the 2019-2020 executive committee: Chair, Chris Hiemstra; Vice-Chair, Peggy Brekveld; Secretary, Pam Jackson, and Treasurer, Dennis Fischer.
Three retiring directors, Brian Wiley, Mark Huston and Eric Hartemink, were thanked for their dedicated years of services to the AAC and valuable input around the board table.
“I am thankful to our membership and the broader industry for their continued support and interest in the AAC,” says Chris Hiemstra, who is starting his first term as AAC Chair. “Through our new business model and structure, the AAC will be better positioned to be responsive to the needs of the industry. I look forward to new and exciting opportunities for the AAC in the year ahead.”
