MBFI 2017-18 board roster announced
Winnipeg, MB - The Manitoba Beef and Forages Initiatives Inc. (MBFI) Annual Update Meeting, saw the election of the new and expanded 2017-18 MBFI Board of Directors.
Ramona Blyth of MacGregor will return to the role as MBFI chair for the next two years while Killarney’s Dave Koslowsky will flank Blyth as the MBFI vice-chair over the next year. (The full 2017-18 MBFI board roster is included on page 2 of this media release).
Blyth says the MBFI board is now expanded from five to seven members and provides a vote at the board table for each of three other core partners of the MBFI while maintaining a majority membership of beef producers to help provide a solid governance structure for the rapid acceleration of activities on-farm and off for the three MBFI sites near Brandon. It was something, Blyth says, that the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) board – the group from which a handful of MBP board members had previously formed the MBFI Board from the farm’s original launch until now—immediately recognized as a positive move for the MBFI. The new MBFI Board was confirmed in a motion by MBP's Board of Directors the following day.
“Any great partnership features strong and meaningful dialogues among the core partners,” says Blyth. “When our core partners from Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Forage and Grasslands Association and Ducks Unlimited Canada expressed their hopes to have a stronger voice and voting privileges at the MBFI board level, we immediately saw the benefits to the organization. At the end of the day, this new MBFI board will be excellent for partner relations and guarantee MBFI an even stronger profile for our work on-farm and going forward off-the-farm on critical items like fundraising and the new MBFI learning centre.”
Speaking on behalf of all four partners, Manitoba Beef Producers General Manager Brian Lemon echoed Blyth’s words.
“The fact that we have this board in place represents a lot of effort and goodwill from all the partners, and marks a further maturation of MBFI and I believes sets the corporation up to really begin to deliver even more benefits to Manitoba's beef and forage producers,” says Lemon.
Lemon says he expects a good turnout of the new board at the MBFI’s Pasture Days to be held June 22, 2017 at the First Street Pasture on the outskirts of Brandon. Lemon welcomes all members of the public as well as beef and forage producers and agricultural interests to check out the event and say hello while learning about MBFI research. More info on MBFI Pasture Day 2017 can be found at mbfi.ca.
MBFI BOARD 2017-18
Chair Ramona Blyth, MBP Board member two year term (until 2019)
Vice-Chair Dave Koslowsky, MBP Board member one year term (until 2018)
Secretary & Treasurer Brian Lemon (non-board member)
Director Classification Term
Miles Beaudin Appointee - Mb Agriculture one year term (until 2018)
Kristine Tapley Appointee - Ducks Unlimited Canada one year term (until 2018)
Darren Chapman Appointee - Mb Forage and Grasslands two year term (until 2019)
Lawrence Knockaert Beef/Dairy producer at large two year term (until 2019)
Don McIntyre Beef producer at large one year term (until 2018)
The MBFI Management Committee (formerly referred to as MBFI Steering Committee) is the group that leads the day-to-day management of activities at the farm and is an important and active part of the governance of MBFI. It takes its direction from the Board. It includes a single representative of each of the four core partners, as well as the Committee Chair who also sits at all the MBFI Board meetings as the conduit between the Board and the management of the farm sites. Members of the MBFI Management team are:
* Committee Chair Don Guilford, Producer
* Mb Agriculture Glenn Friesen
* Ducks Unlimited Canada Ken Gross
* Manitoba Beef Producers Brian Lemon
* Mb Forage and Grasslands Duncan Morrison