Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) held its 110th Annual General Meeting & Convention June 4-6, 2023 in Moose Jaw, SK.
“We celebrated our event theme ‘Weathering the Storm’ by announcing Brian and Debbie Highsaw of Clearview Angus in Mankota, SK, with The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) and presenting an Honourary Life Membership to Sherri Grant of Val Marie, SK, for more than 30 years of involvement in delivering beef education programming across Saskatchewan,” SSGA’s President Garner Deobald said.
“We had a good response by attendees for focusing the event agenda on global markets, production efficiencies and risk management; providing a progress update on SSGA’s project to test AIRBUS Grassland Production Index (GPI) technology to develop a forage insurance product that is based on satellite data ― it’s a project that was funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriRisk Initiatives,” Deobald confirmed.
“Global Ag Risk Solutions conducted this research, which represents yet another way that we are trying to respond to our industry’s needs in times of extreme weather events. We searched the globe to find solutions that respond to Saskatchewan’s diverse geography,” Deobald stated. “This project is delivering on its intentions by developing scalable and responsive products that cover the ag business risks, like lack of feed or increases in feed costs, better than existing solutions available in Canada.”
In this three-day AGM agenda, SSGA also passed 20 resolutions and prioritized four time-sensitive resolutions in particular: 1) livestock traceability regulation amendments; 2) environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG); 3) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) regulations; and 4) electronic logs.
SSGA’s annual event featured sessions on how climate-related financial disclosures and changing global accounting standards will affect Canadian livestock producers; regional, national and global cattle market updates; the ranch-to-retail market revenue spread; forage efficiencies and canola meal supplementation; managing risk in a bull market; and improving beef cattle heat detection using SenseHub technology. SSGA also announced its new partnership and project with HUB International, which SSGA successfully launched June 6th.
“BenefitHub is a members-only, HUB-hosted online portal that connects SSGA members to insurance products, valuable discounts, exclusive rewards and cost-saving opportunities that may fill a gap or help to manage a financial decision,” Deobald stated. “We’re always looking for ways to add value to SSGA membership. Participation is optional. Exploring the webpage is free and easy. If you’re already an SSGA member, go to ssga.benefithub.com to create an account. If you’re interested in becoming an SSGA member, give the office a call or visit our website.”
This year, SSGA’s executive board remains the same with Garner Deobald as President, 1st Vice-President Jeff Yorga, 2nd Vice-President Kelly Williamson, Past President Kelcy Elford and Finance Chair Chay Anderson.
With a view to the future, Deobald said, “SSGA and its board of directors congratulate Murray Linthicum and Rob Selke for their dedication and service to SSGA’s board and wish them well in their future endeavours. We also welcome the addition of Lance Hockley and Chris Williamson to our board and look forward to working together with these two new directors at large, and our trusted partners within the provincial and federal government to advance SSGA’s advocacy efforts in 2023 and beyond.”
