News ReleasesHOME / GOVERNMENT / NEWS RELEASES / Tuesday, October 24, 2006  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Agriculture, Fisheries & Aquaculture MARITIME BEEF INDUSTRY LOOKS TO THE FUTURE CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- Cattle producers in the Maritimes have decided to borrow a page from their counterparts in the hog industry. For the past several years, other commodity groups have held sessions to help bring producers up to date and work strategically together on emerging issues and trends in the industry. The location is rotated among the three provinces. Planning is now in the final stages for the first Maritime Beef Conference October 27 and 28 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Moncton. The P.E.I. ADAPT Council, which administers the Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) Program in the province for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is contributing $5,108 towards the cost of the session. ACAAF is a national funding program designed to help implement innovative projects that will benefit the production and processing sector, bolster the industry’s capacity to address current and emerging issues and position the agriculture and agri-food industry to seize new market opportunities. “We have been working hard to put together what we feel is a first-class program,” said Duncan Fraser of the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture, who chairs the organizing committee. “By pooling our efforts, we have been able to bring in top-quality speakers.” Anne Anderson of Agrinitiatives in Austin, Texas will offer tips on improving value and consumer demand for Maritime beef. Manitoba beef producer Stephen Cook will address the topic of staying competitive in today’s global industry. Bruce Andrews of Atlantic Beef Products Inc. in Albany will bring producers up to date on operations at the plant. A panel of three farmers – Murray Bennett of Havelock, New Brunswick; Bill Withrow of Rawden, N.S. and Jim Evans of Burlington, P.E.I. – will talk about their experiences in marketing directly to consumers. Niche marketing will also be covered in a panel including P.E.I.’s Raymond Loo; Kevin Antworth of Knoxford, N.B; Mike Oulton of Windsor, N.S. and Eric Jensen of Freeport, Maine. Capitalization and production methods will be outlined by Allan Mussell of the George Morris Centre. Duane McCarthy of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe, Alberta will offer tips to lower costs and increase profits. The ministers of agriculture from the three Atlantic Provinces will also address the gathering during the noon luncheon Saturday. For further information contact Fraser at (506) 856-2277 or duncan.fraser@gnb.ca or the P.E.I. Cattlemen’s Association at 368-2229. (This is one of a series of articles prepared by the P.E.I. Agricultural Awareness Committee and funded by the P.E.I. ADAPT Council and other partners to highlight new and innovative developments in the province's farming community.)
For additional information, contact Wayne MacKinnon. | ||||||
