MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Ben Fox President

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

My fellow producers, it was a tremendous honour to serve as your MBP President in 2017. Twelve months have flown by in the blink of an eye, with much work undertaken and still more to do to help ensure a bright and sustainable future for Manitoba’s cattle industry. When I made my first speech as president to the membership at the 38th MBP AGM I touched upon four key words I believe describe our industry very well: strong, committed, vibrant and genuine. These types of attributes serve us well not only as individual farmers and ranchers, but also as your beef industry association. Please allow me to explain. Beef producers are as strong as they come. Our industry is tenacious in the face of adversity. Sure, challenges may come our way, but we are constantly looking for solutions. We also look for opportunities as we know that people value our high quality, nutritious beef. This type of strength and tenacity is very useful when our MBP directors and staff are advocating with governments for changes to policies and programs that will help propel our industry forward, not bog it down. I might add that a strong dose of patience is sometimes needed as some issues are not resolved as quickly as we would like. As an industry and an organization, we are extremely committed to ensuring that beef production in Manitoba is sustainable for generations to come, both from an economic and an environmental perspective. We represent the single largest group of livestock producers on the Manitoba landscape and our sector generates considerable economic benefits, sustaining not only our families, but also our rural communities and the larger provincial economy. We know how precious our natural resources are and as producers we are deeply committed to providing careful stewardship of the land we manage over successive generations. This benefits not only us, but also larger society. It is a message MBP drives home and time again with elected officials, public policy makers and the public alike. We believe producers should receive financial recognition for the broad array of ecosystem services they provide in managing privately-owned and public lands and MBP will continue to pursue this. Beef producers are a vibrant group. During my five years with the MBP board I have never ceased to be impressed by the enthusiasm demonstrated by cow-calf producers, backgrounders and feedlot operators around our province. Whether they are new entrants or seasoned veterans, cattle producers are passionate about what they are doing. As MBP directors and staff, we repeatedly remind decision makers in government of this fact – our members are in it for the long haul and they want and need a sound business climate in which to operate. That could mean having stronger business risk management programs, reduced regulatory burden or programs and services to encourage new entrants to our industry. Finally, beef producers are genuine. We take pride in being open and transparent in the way we conduct our operations. As an association we are sharing with all who will listen the good news about beef production and working to dispel myths that may exist about it. We are frank and respectful in these conversations, working diligently to ensure people understand the importance of our sector and how many benefits and opportunities are associated with it. Throughout our Annual Report you will see updates on some of the issues which we worked on in 2017, although we don’t have room to cover them all. I’d like to touch upon a few key topics I see as affecting the future of our industry. The conversation about growing our herd continues within our sector and with the provincial government. Manitoba is blessed with a wealth

MBP President Ben Fox speaks during the 38th Annual General Meeting in Brandon. of resources that make it well suited to beef production, but we face a number of challenges which require permanent solutions. Some of these relate to our ability to effectively and efficiently use the landscape. MBP continues to advocate for lasting solutions to water-related issues that impede our ability to fully utilize privatelyowned and Crown lands to their full capacity. This will require investments in built and green infrastructure to reduce future flood risks, as well as strategies to provide resiliency against challenges like droughts. MBP spent considerable time in 2017 working on the costly and frustrating issue of predation. No producer wants to see their animals lost to or injured by predators. MBP has made a number of recommendations to the provincial government about how the risks can potentially be reduced. We have had some good conversations, strongly impressing upon the government the need for meaningful, collaborative actions. I am cautiously optimistic that we will make some demonstrable headway in the year ahead, but there is more work to do. The ability to source affordable pasture and forage land also affects our industry’s future potential. MBP has repeatedly driven home to the provincial government the need for sound and transparent agricultural Crown lands policies and these talks will carry on in 2018. MBP also continues to advocate for the preservation of the community pasture system in Manitoba.

In 2017 MBP provided input on issues of national focus that will have an effect on our industry going forward. This included proposed changes to animal transportation rules (particularly around hours in transit), as well as changes in the way producers will access veterinary products starting in late 2018. It is MBP’s position that policies in both these areas must be evidence-based and focused on delivering positive outcomes. We also provided input on changes that will be taking place around traceability and movement reporting. The use of manifests to report group movements is going to be critical going forward and we all need to be filling out the forms. This is a very important business risk management strategy that we as producers need to be successful at implementing for the benefit of our entire industry. If you have not already obtained a premises identification number, get in touch with your Manitoba Agriculture office about that. MBP knows that supporting beef and forage research is very important to our sector. We are proud of our role in Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives where valuable research and knowledge transfer activities are taking place through it. We thank all the partners for their involvement with MBFI, including the many generous sponsors who have seen the value of investing in it. MBP also recognizes that renewal is critical to the future of our industry. We need new entrants. MBP is developing a young producer strategy to give networking opportunities to young cattlemen and women. It is very encouraging to see so many young producers and other new entrants coming to our district meetings and AGM. They see a bright future here. In closing I would like to thank my wife Linda and my four children for their continued support as I spend time working on behalf of Manitoba’s beef producers. It is appreciated more than they realize. I would also thank to thank my fellow MBP directors for their ideas, input and ongoing support. We are heading into a period of transition with five directors wrapping up their time with the MBP board: Dave Koslowsky (District 2), Heinz Reimer (District 4), Ken McKay (District 10), Bill Murray (District 12) and Stan Foster (District 14). It has been a privilege to serve with all of you. Finally, I like to thank our staff for their commitment to creating a stronger cattle industry in our province. Together we have been a very dedicated group who have been working diligently to share the many positive benefits that raising cattle brings to our communities, our province and our country and to ensure a sustainable future for our industry. All the best to you and yours for a successful 2018! Our industry has a bright future ahead of it and by working together we can realize opportunities that will benefit our sector for decades to come.