Erik Nottveit obtained an agricultural business degree from Olds College after which he spent several years working on large farms and ranches throughout B.C. and Alberta. Now, he manages the family ranch alongside his father and brother, overseeing an operation that includes cow-calf, stocker, heifer development and forage enterprises. In addition to this, Nottveit works as an agricultural management consultant for Serecon Inc., where he helps clients navigate the complexities of the agricultural industry by providing objective value-added services to the agriculture and food sectors through management consulting and advisory services. His mentor is Chad Meunier, owner and operator of Meunier Livestock in the Alberta counties of Barrhead and Lac Ste. Anne. With his wife, four young children and diligent staff, they run a large cow-calf operation and finishing feedlot.
Janelle Graham grew up just outside of Olds, Alta., on her parent’s acreage. She attended Lethbridge College where she obtained a criminal justice policing diploma. During COVID-19, she applied for a general labour position at a feedlot, despite having almost no agricultural background. When she first started on the job, her typical work included checking cattle, performing necropsies, processing, welding and driving a feed truck. What was meant to be a short-term arrangement while she postponed college culminated in four years of employment at G. Thompson Livestock, where her work included bunk management and nutrition, generating lot strategies, creating work orders, co-ordinating import arrivals, managing shipments, scheduling cattle processing, documenting operational data, marketing the cattle, etc. Transitioning her attention to the farming side of agriculture, Graham now works for Independent Crop Inputs (ICI) and is based out of Taber, Alta. Her role at ICI focuses on crop protection, crop nutrition, seed and agronomic services. Her mentor is Nichole Neubauer, a passionate agriculture educator and industry advocate. Neubauer runs a mixed farming operation and serves as an agriculture education consultant with Prairie Rose Public Schools in Cypress County, Alta. She has been welcoming teachers and students to her family farm since 2005.
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Beef Farmers of Ontario, DLF and the Ontario Forage Council awarded Abbey Taylor of Dawn Farm in Belmont, Ont., the 2025 DLF Pasture Award at the Beef Farmers of Ontario annual general meeting in Toronto in February. Taylor is a seventh-generation farmer grazing 15 to 20 heifers on 20 acres of rotationally managed pasture. She uses rotational grazing as a method of practicing ecological, regenerative agriculture. Taylor purchases her stock in May, and her grazing season runs from May to late October/early November, with daily moves supported by electric fencing and portable water systems. Taylor considers herself a steward of the land and strives to improve her practices to sequester more carbon, reduce emissions and build soil health.
Heath MacDonald has been named as the new federal agriculture minister. MacDonald stepped into the role at the first post-election cabinet shuffle under Prime Minister Mark Carney in May. Macdonald represents the riding of Malpeque in Prince Edward Island, just west of Cardigan, the riding previously held by former agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay. MacDonald has previously served on the House of Commons agriculture committee.
The Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame announced the names of the agricultural ambassadors who will join the ranks as the organization’s 2025 inductees. John Anderson, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin, Gaétan Desroches, Joe Hudson, Dennis Laycraft and Dr. Peter Sikkema will be formally inducted on Saturday, November 8, at a ceremony in Victoria, B.C. Laycraft is a lifelong champion for Canada’s beef industry who has made an indelible mark on many critical aspects of today’s industry. For more than 40 years, his leadership at the Canadian Cattle Association has been opening and defending markets and building critical capacity as he continually drives Canadian trade and competitiveness interests. As a skilled collaborator, Laycraft has played key roles in many initiatives including the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, Canada Beef and the new Agricultural Market Access Secretariat. He has mentored many to ensure the industry’s export capacity and competitiveness are built on preparation, principles and quick action. Laycraft lives in Calgary, Alta., and was nominated by the Canadian Cattle Association.
Congratulations to Kim Jo Bliss, who has received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her work in agricultural innovation. Bliss is a beef and sheep farmer and serves as the lead technician at the Ontario Crops Research Centre’s Emo site, where she assists with experiments, collects data and analyzes results. Bliss was recognized with the coronation medal for her work driving innovation and offering her knowledge and expertise to researchers working at the centre through northern Ontario’s short growing season. She has been working with the centre since 1988.
Cargill has agreed to purchase all of the issued share capital of Teys Investments from the Teys family shareholders. As a result, Cargill will increase its ownership stake to 100 per cent of Teys Australia and Teys USA (Teys), which are currently jointly owned by Teys and Cargill. Cargill will work with Brad Teys to ensure a smooth handover upon naming a new CEO. Teys has been processing beef in Australia since 1946 and first partnered with Cargill 14 years ago. The companies expect the deal to close by the end of the year, pending regulatory approval.
