McCabe running for OFA's top job

Friday, October 15, 2010

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Lambton cash cropper Don McCabe intends to run against incumbent Bette Jean Crews in a bid for the presidency of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.

"I'll file my papers to run for president at convention,” McCabe said Thursday, referring to the OFA’s annual meeting scheduled for Nov. 22-23.

McCabe has served as an OFA vice president under two presidents, having migrated to the general farm organization after serving for a number of years as a director of the Ontario Corn Producers Association.

McCabe describes the OFA’s job as “making sure the opportunities are there, the barriers are removed and (members) see a profitable, sustainable future for themselves.”

McCabe says he’s up to the job. "I feel I have the skill set and a Rolodex to apply to serve whether local, provincial national or international. I have represented farmers on every scale," says the farmer who describes himself as being involved in “no-till production of corn, soybeans and wheat.”

McCabe says the short, medium and long term issues facing the province’s largest farm organization “all require the same solid upfront involvement and analysis to insure that the opportunities will be there for our members.”

McCabe says in the short term, the OFA must take an “Open for business,” initiative to the provincial government. In the medium term “we need to bring a biomass industry into reality by Dec. 31, 2014 for Lambton and  Nanticoke” (where electricity is current being generated by burning coal which will be banned.) 

He says his long term goal is to implement a national food strategy “to benefit farmers.”

“That won’t be completed in my term as a president. That is reality,” McCabe says. 

“I had an opportunity to be involved in the Green Energy act. “We do not have a perfect Act,” he admits. “There are issues that need to be ironed out. Because the OFA went to work there, we have a better Act than if we weren’t involved.” BF