Alberta Barley welcomes the strategic realignment of the Barley Council of Canada (BCC) which paves the way for greater collaboration throughout the barley value chain resulting in better service for farmers.
Changes will involve collaboration on delivery of service and sharing of resources with Cereals Canada, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (CMBTC) and the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI). These synergies will maximize financial contributions from the barley value chain, including provincial barley commissions.
BCC’s new strategic direction is the result of the national barley roundtable which brought stakeholders together to determine a plan for the value chain to maximize the use of its financial resources while eliminating overlap. The roundtable was formed following the development of Getting to Growth: a western Canadian barley action plan, which was spearheaded by Alberta Barley. The action plan is aimed at encouraging industry wide collaboration and serves as a guide for strategic direction and initiatives to promote growth in the barley sector over the next 10 years.
The Barley Roundtable was initiated by the prairie barley commissions – Alberta Barley, Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission and the Manitoba Wheat and Barley Growers Association.
“The roundtable process resulted in a number of recommendations to make better use of resources while ensuring all stakeholders are working toward a common strategy,” says Dave Bishop, Alberta Barley chair. “BCC’s new strategic direction will support the value chain’s efforts to work toward the actions laid out in Getting to Growth.”
BCC also announced yesterday that Phil de Kemp will be retiring from BCC following four years of service as executive director and president. Following de Kemp’s retirement, Erin Armstrong will be assuming the interim executive director role. Armstrong brings to the role more than 30 years of service in the agriculture industry including 14 years in the malting and brewing sector.
“I would like to thank Phil de Kemp for his leadership and service to the barley sector,” says Brian Sewell, Alberta Barley vice-chair. “Phil has been involved with BCC since it began. We appreciate his on-going dedication to the role and wish him well in his retirement. Looking ahead, we are pleased to welcome Erin Armstrong as interim executive director as she transitions into the role this summer.”
Source: Alberta Barley
