Ontario Cattlemen's Association now Beef Farmers of Ontario

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

by MATT MCINTOSH

The Ontario Cattlemen’s Association has officially rebranded itself as Beef Farmers of Ontario. It’s a change, the organization says in its Tuesday news release, that will give its members a more distinct and compelling voice.

The board of directors and other staff discussed the proposed name change at county meetings early in the new year, and voted in favour of the new label at the organization’s annual meeting this past February.

“This name change merges Ontario Cattlemen’s and Make it Ontario Beef, our two groups, under one title,” says LeaAnne Wuermli, the organization’s communications manager. “It makes our organization more visible to consumers, the government, and the industry.”

This new label follows a naming trend set by other commodity organizations, such as Grain Farmers of Ontario and Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

Proposals to change the name of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association were raised in 2002 and 2007, says Wuermli.

“Creating a consistent image has been a priority for some time,” she notes.

According to its news release, the organization was originally called the Ontario Beef Improvement Association when it was founded in 1962. That name changed to the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association in 1976, better identifying the organization with its national counterpart, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.

The organization’s website address has also been adjusted to reflect the change: www.ontariobeef.com. Its Twitter handle has been adjusted as well. BF