Keith Currie replaces Mary Robinson as president, while Todd Lewis of Sask. and Pierre Lampron of Que. become VPs
OTTAWA — Keith Currie, who grows grain, oilseeds, hay and sweet corn on his farm near Collingwood, Ont., is taking over as the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s new president.
He takes over from Mary Robinson, who stepped down at last week’s annual meeting following a four-year term.
Currie has been involved with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture for more than 25 years, including a term as chair.
He said he is aware many westerners believe CFA is an organization of eastern farmers mainly from the supply-managed sectors.
“I hear that all the time,” he said in an interview. “Western Canada feels like they’re being ignored. I really think that rural Canada is being ignored, not just Western Canada.”
Currie said CFA is working with western members and non-members to dispel that impression.
“The Food for Thought campaign that we ran through the pandemic, two of our biggest allies through that were Canadian cattle and Canadian pork and they were right alongside us fully contributing,” he said.
He said having five federal political leaders at the recent meeting demonstrated how well-regarded CFA is as a voice for all farmers.
Climate change and the three-legged stool that is sustainability with environment, economic and social legs will be the key issues going forward, he said, because they are the focus of the current government.
“We know that regulations are a necessary evil, but I look at them like ditches on a road,” Currie said. “If they get too wide, the lane’s too narrow and it’s hard to drive. We want to make sure the regulatory framework is right.”
He said governments and others have to look at farmers as partners when it comes to climate change.
“Yes, we are 10 percent of the problem but they’re not telling the story that we’re 20 percent of the solution,” he said.
He said he intends to continue the CFA’s team approach to distribute the workload and make sure all the sector is heard.
That team includes first vice-president, grain farmer, and former Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan president Todd Lewis of Gray, Sask., and second vice-president Pierre Lampron, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada and operator of an organic dairy in Quebec.
Currie said he understands what the job entails.
“I joke with people that the one thing about COVID that was positive for me was that I got to stay home and go around circles in my fields again,” he said. “I don’t think in the last 10 years, outside of COVID, I’ve put a seed in the ground in the daylight.”
Meanwhile, Robinson is focusing on the crop inputs business she runs as part of the family business that includes her two siblings and three cousins. She also operates a managed woodlot.
She said the organization experienced a lot of wins during her presidency and perhaps those weren’t celebrated well enough.
“It’s kind of second nature when you hit a milestone. You move on to the next issue. It’s super important to take stock because it does get you recognition and credibility within your own community and beyond for how valuable your organization is,” she said.
Robinson also acknowledged the work CFA has done with non-members.
“The most valuable thing is recognizing that when we do all come together, we stop letting governments highlight what we disagree on, and we come together with a united voice, which is pretty darn hard to do but is still worth trying to do.
“I really think we should come together, grab that and say to hell with the five or 10 percent we don’t agree on. Let’s really capture the horsepower of working together.”
