On Thursday October 26th PIC had its hybrid AGM, where the in-person gathering was hosted at the Grandway Events Centre in Elora. Following the AGM was a Board of Director’s meeting. After reviewing the past year of educational programming, some leadership changes were elected around the board table.
Caroline Gonano will continue as the Chair of the board. Currently, the Associate Manager – Technical Affairs, Science & Regulation for Turkey Farmers of Canada she has been with the PIC board for a number of years. Showing her commitment to the board and staff she has supported this group in smooth operations during our time of transition.
Newly elected Vice Chair Dr. Kayla Price is taking over for previous Vice Chair Greg Lansink. Kayla is the Canadian Technical Manager at Alltech. She completed her doctorate degree focused on coccidiosis in chickens and she carries a broad interest in poultry intestinal health. In her role with Alltech she covers many different areas across all agriculture and companion animal species with a strength in poultry. Specifically, she works with nutritionists, veterinarians and producers as well as acts as a liaison for regulatory needs in Canada. She is currently an active member and leader on several different agriculture industry boards. Kayla brings with her a passion for innovation and creating links between all facets of the industry.
Cathy Lennon is the General Manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, she continues her dedication to serve as Treasurer. She has previous experience working for the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers Association, Farm Credit Canada and Agricorp. Cathy brings with her a strong background in financial management and agricultural leadership. She previously served on the PIC board for a 3-year term.
Congratulations to Cathy Lennon, Dr . Kayla Price and Dr. Babek Sanei for being re-elected to serve on the board for another 3-year term.
The remainder of the board is being served by:
Doug Duimering – Chicken Farmers of Ontario
Greg Lansink – Turkey Farmers of Ontario
Samantha Haverkamp- Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission
Sally Van Straaten – Egg Farmers of Ontario
Laura Bowers – Burnbrae Farms
Marg Pritchard – Maple Lodge Farms
Mike Terpstra – Association of Ontario Chicken Processors
Ed Verkley – Verkley Enterprises
“This past fiscal year saw HPAI persist as a concern for the industry, but PIC was able to play a role in keeping the industry informed and better prepared to meet the threat” says Chair Caroline. “With this, we saw the return of the National Poultry Show with great attendance, events and webinars that had strong support, and strategic projects targeted to alleviate education gaps in the sector.”
2022-2023 was a year of reintroducing in-person events. PIC hosted a total of 19 educational events and 12 industry leading webinars ranging from topics on industry needs and concerns. Supporting industry and producers with the learning opportunities that make an impact to their operations. PIC also underwent a strategic planning process which was insightful and revealed where our members and directors were connecting with the PIC mandate, and where we have opportunities to grow and best serve our audiences in areas of better knowledge sharing, focused learning opportunities, and community building.
Looking forward to our 2023-2024 year PIC is excited to deliver our cornerstone events focusing on Poultry Health, Research Impacts and Producer Updates to name a few. New on the docket this year we will support our industry by way of educating the small flock owners to improve their biosecurity practices while supporting them with any disease issues which could potentially impact the industry operations.
“PIC is poised for success, and I am proud to be Chair of an organization that is open to new ideas and ready to grow.” – Caroline Gonano
For a complete listing of PIC’s directors. please visit: www.poultryindustrycouncil.ca
