SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, June 28, 2011 – Two new Directors, Heather Ryan of POS Bio-Sciences and Nial Kuyek of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, were named to the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan (ACS) Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting, which was held on June 16 in Regina at the Western Canada Farm Progress Show.
The ACS Board also elected a new Executive Committee, which includes Chair Allen Kuhlmann of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission, Vice-Chair Dan Prefontaine of the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre and Secretary/Treasurer Jason Dean of the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association. Kirk Flaman of the Saskatchewan Seed Potato Growers Association, Joy Smith, of the Saskatchewan Egg Producers and Tim Wiens of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission remain on the ACS Board of Directors.
The AGM included a tribute to two retiring board members: Neil Ketilson of the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board, who was first elected to the Board in 2006 and served as Chair of the Board of Directors over the past year; and Darrell Schneider of the Saskatchewan Food Processors Association, who served as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Board while sitting on numerous advisory groups and committees since being elected to the Board in 2006.
“The contributions of Neil and Darrell at the Board table and in committees were invaluable,” said ACS Chair Allen Kuhlmann. “They provided guidance as ACS transitioned from ACAAFS to CAAP, brought in programs like Levy Central and created valuable programs like the Value Chain Initiative and the Agriculture Mentorship Initiative. Their leadership allowed ACS to grow and become the industry-led organization that we are today.”
ACS delivers the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) in Saskatchewan on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). At the AGM, ACS Executive Director Laurie Dmytryshyn reported that in 2010-2011, the ACS Board approved 29 projects for a CAAP commitment of $2,030,971. In the first two years of the CAAP program, 54 projects have been funded for a commitment of over $5.72 million. In the 15 years that ACS has been delivering adaptation programming on behalf of AAFC, $41.8 million has been committed to 1269 projects.
Following the AGM, the Industry Forum featured four speakers, including three successful Saskatchewan-based entrepreneurs who have received adaptation funding from ACS. They were followed by featured speaker Dr. David Sparling of the University of Western Ontario, who presented Canada’s Agri-Food Future.
Dr. David Sparling of the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario addresses the crowd at the ACS Annual General Meeting.