Tuesday, November 22, 2016

New leaders elected for OFA

Keith Currie of Simcoe County has been elected president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture after serving three terms as first vice-president. He defeated two-term president Don McCabe of Lambton County.


Mark Reusser of Waterloo Region moves up to first vice-chairman.

“OFA has always been an organization that’s represented all farmers and all of agriculture and I feel that’s changing,” said Currie. “There’s a fracturing amongst our industry that’s happening at a time that we can least afford it to happen.”

He earned a diploma in Agriculture Production Management from Ridgetown College before taking over management of an eighth-generation dairy and cash crop farm. He and his wife, Janice, have four children.

Currie has been involved with the OFA for 25 years.

Northern Ontario dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld was re-elected to the executive.

Drew Spoelstra, a dairy and cash crop farmer in Hamilton-Wentworth is the new fourth member of the executive.


Crispin Colvin, a Middlesex County crop and beef farmer who was elected for a three-year term as a director-at-large and Steve Brackenridge who joins the board after winning the Zone 10 election.