It’s not every day you get to hear insights on the future of agriculture and food from the Chairman and CEO of the largest private company in the world, but that’s just what happened on April 5 when 250+ agri-food leaders gathered at the Calgary Stampede.

Cargill’s Greg Page provided his views on key issues at a moderated session hosted by Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA).  He spoke articulately on a wide range of questions including food safety, our ability to feed 9 billion people by 2050, the food/ethanol issue, and the impact of factors influencing the global food industry including nuclear meltdowns, wars and earthquakes.

ALMA invited Greg Page to spend the day with the Alberta agri-food industry.  He and his senior vice president, Bill Buckner, spent the morning with the ALMA Board where issues specific to the livestock and meat industry were discussed.  ALMA devoted the afternoon for a discussion with a larger Alberta agri-food industry audience.  AdFarm’s Kim McConnell, also an ALMA director, was selected to moderate the afternoon session.  “It was an honour to be asked to moderate this industry event and lead the discussion with one of our industry’s most respected global executives,” said McConnell.

When asked about Canada’s future, Page was quick to point out that Canada has a great opportunity to be a global leader in the agriculture and food industry.  He noted that Canada is a well respected source of quality products but conveyed that he thought Canadian agriculture underestimate the importance of  the ‘reliability’ it provides. “Reliability is a very important ingredient for domestic and international customers and I think you could leverage that a bit more effectively.”

McConnell was very enthusiastic about the afternoon session. “Events like this that provide direct access to industry leaders are important for our agriculture and food industry.”  He added, “AdFarm has hosted a number of similar type events in the past with great success and based on the response ALMA received, I suspect we will do more of them in the future.”

Kim McConnell and Greg Page

Were you there that day?

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the event and what Greg Page had to say. Or if you missed it, check out what was discussed at www.alma.alberta.ca and weigh in on the discussions.

Melissa Sawatzky is always eager to share and explore ideas with others. Contact her directly at Melissa.Sawatzky@adfarmonline.com