New Executive Committee at Chicken Farmers of Canada 

OTTAWA, March 23, 2022 – Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) is proud to announce the election of its 2022 Executive Committee.

Elected by the CFC Board of Directors at its Annual General Meeting yesterday, the CFC Executive Committee is a dynamic team, whose passion and dedication to Canadian agriculture has helped grow a sustainable and responsible chicken industry.

Congratulations to:

Chair

Tim Klompmaker, Ontario.

Hailing from Norwood, Ontario, Tim started farming in 1984, along with his wife Annette and their three sons. He is a third-generation chicken farmer with the fourth generation already in place and running chicken farms of their own. Tim served as a District Committee Representative for Chicken Farmers of Ontario (CFO) before being elected to the Ontario Board in 2010. He was CFC’s Ontario Alternate from 2012-2013, acted as liaison with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), and served as 2^nd Vice-Chair of CFO. Tim was elected to the Chicken Farmers of Canada Board in 2017.

1^st Vice-Chair 

Nick de Graaf, Nova Scotia

Nick is a third-generation poultry farmer in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, operating the farm founded by his Dutch grandfather in the early 1960’s. Today, the farm produces both chickens and turkeys. Nick is also part of Innovative Poultry Group (IPG) and owns Maritime Chicks, a modern hatchery employing the HatchCare system. In addition to poultry, Nick alsogrows wheat, corn, and soybeans, allowing him to process poultry feeds for his own flocks. Nick is in his 10^th year as a Director with Chicken Farmers of Nova Scotia. He was previously Chair of the CFC Production Committee and collaborated with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC). Nick and his wife, Trudy, have three children and three grandchildren.

2^nd Vice-Chair

Ray Nickel, British Columbia

Ray is another third-generation farmer and is a graduate from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Ag Science. His farms in the Fraser Valley, BC are involved in the production of chicken, commercial table eggs, and turkeys.

Ray previously served as the president of the B.C. Poultry Association, and was also the turkey growers’ association director and president. He has been passionately involved in BC agribusiness for many years and was an instrumental as a key point person and spokesperson for the poultry sector during the BC floods.

Executive Member

Luce Bélanger, Quebec

Luce is a chicken farmer from the Jacques-Cartier area, near Quebec City, Quebec. She holds a degree in animal science from McGill University (1994) and an MBA in agribusiness (2004) from Laval University. Luce took over her family farm in 1999 and, in addition to the chicken trade, her kids are learning agriculture business firsthand through farm gate vegetable sales. Luce has been a Director on the Board of Les Éleveurs de volailles du Quebec since 2017 and has been Quebec’s Alternate Director at Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) since 2018. In 2021, Luce became CFC’s representative at Animal Health Canada. She is also a member of CFC’s Production Committee and a dedicated supporter of CFC’s Animal Care Program and On-Farm Food Safety Program. Luce enjoys serving on various agriculture organizations because she believes in the importance of providing Canadians with food that is grown to the highest standards.

The Board looks forward to continuing its work together, ensuring that Canada’s chicken industry continues to deliver on consumer expectations for excellence. The vision for the organization is that Canadian chicken be consumers’ preferred and trusted protein.

CFC’s mission is to lead and grow a sustainable Canadian chicken industry, while strengthening trust and enhancing value for Canadians.

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For more information, please contact:

Lisa Bishop-Spencer