February 13, 2008

GUELPH, ON – The Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) held its 12th Annual Meeting on February 5, 2008. Over 170 stakeholders attended the event, held at the Holiday Inn, Guelph.

The AAC’s 71 member organizations elected 16 individuals to comprise the AAC Board of Directors. The AAC Board consists of 16 voting members and two non-voting ex-officio representatives from the federal and provincial governments. The AAC Board of Directors represent various agricultural sectors in Ontario. All funding decisions are made by the 16 voting members.

Since the AAC’s inception, the Council has been responsible for approving over 2,100 projects, allocating more than $165 million in funding. Projects supported by the AAC have increased profitability, improved product quality, developed new technologies and new products and markets for Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector, as well as enhanced the economic viability of the province’s rural communities.

Elections for executive positions were also held on February 5, 2008. The new executive for the AAC Board is as follows:

• Chair: Kim Turnbull, Grains, Oil Seeds and Specialty Crops
• Vice-Chair: Jim Rickard, Horticulture
• Treasurer: Fred Wagner, Grains, Oil Seeds and Specialty Crops
• Secretary: Kristin Ego MacPhail, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

The AAC is a non-profit grassroots coalition of 71 agricultural, agri business and rural organizations dedicated to providing financial resources to assist Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry remain profitable and to grow and maintain its economic strength.


Agricultural Adaptation Council
Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE:
Chair: Kim Turnbull, Grains, Oil Seeds and Specialty Crops
Vice-Chair: Jim Rickard, Horticulture
Treasurer: Fred Wagner, Grains, Oil Seeds and Specialty Crops
Secretary: Kristin Ego MacPhail, Ontario Federation of Agricultural


BOARD MEMBERS:
Garry Claassen, Other Commodity
Bette Jean Crews, Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Ed Dehooghe, Horticulture
Alain Delorme, Rural Life
Michael Ecker, Agri Food Retail
Bob Gordanier, Red Meats
John Kikkert, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario
George Molson, Red Meats
Tom Posthuma, Poultry
Tom Smyth, Agri Food Processor
Gord Surgeoner, Agri-Business
Lloyd Wicks, Dairy Farmers of Ontario


EX- OFFICIO MEMBERS:
Ezio Di Emanuele (ex-officio), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Hugh Berges (ex-officio), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs


Executive Biographies

Elected as Chair is Kim Turnbull, who is one of two representatives for the Grains, Oilseeds and Specialty Crops sector. Kim has been a member of the AAC Board for the past eight years, and has served on the Executive Committee since 2004. He has been the Chair on the ACC Farmers Financial and is currently on their Board of Directors. Kim has also been the District 6 (Haldimand, Norfolk and Niagara counties) Director of the Ontario Soybean Growers since 1998. Kim has been actively involved in many local organizations holding executive positions including: past Chair of the Haldimand Jr. Farmers, Haldimand Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Haldimand Marketing Club and the Haldimand 4-H Association. Turnbull Farms currently operates approximately 1,200 acres, growing barley, oats, soybeans, corn and wheat.


Elected as Vice-Chair is Jim Rickard, who joined the AAC Board of Directors in 2006 as a Horticulture sector representative. Jim is presently the Chair of the Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, past Chair of the Ontario Apple Growers Marketing Board and has been on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association for the past 3 years. Jim and his brother operate Ceresmore Farms Ltd, a 400 acre operation of seed cereals and beans, 600 acres of corn, and 35 acres of apples.

Re-elected as Treasurer for the AAC Board of Directors is Fred Wagner. Fred joined the AAC Board of Directors as a Grains, Oilseeds and Specialty Crops sector representative in 2003. Fred is an active board member of the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture since 1989, and Ontario Corn Producers Association (OCPA) Region 5 Director since 1996. Fred represented the United Co-operatives of Ontario, the Waterloo Federation of Agriculture and the OCPA on the Ontario Federation of Agriculture Board. He is currently chair of the Agricultural Commodity Corporation (ACC – Farmers Financial) and operates a 1,500 acre cash crop farm near Kitchener.

Elected as Secretary for the AAC Board of Directors is Kristin Ego MacPhail. In 2005, Kristin was elected to the Agricultural Adaptation Council’s Board of Directors, representing the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, as the Youth Representative. Kristin is Vice-President of the Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture and a Regional Director on the Board of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Ontario Young Farmers’ Forum and is representing Ontario to the Canadian Young Farmers’ Forum for 2008. . Kristin and her husband own Ego’s Nurseries Ltd. near Orillia, where they operate a nursery, greenhouse and farm market.

For more information contact:
Nadine Armstrong, Communications Manager
Agricultural Adaptation Council:
Phone: (519) 822-7554 Fax: (519) 822-6248
E-mail: narmstrong@adaptcouncil.org Website: www.adaptcouncil.org