AMC Connection
Agricultural Manufacturers of Canada
Happy New Year! I hope you are able to start 2017 feeling fresh and ready for what will come. What will AMC do for you in 2017? Engage! Advocate! Support!
As communicated at the annual general meeting, the theme for 2017 is engagement and expansion.
A Stronger Foundation
We have a refreshed website where we post information about our industry and latest events. If you have not yet done so, please set up your member profile so you can manage your contact information but also access industry briefings, meeting reports, and other tools meant to support your business. We established a social media strategy (including Twitter and LinkedIn) to engage with federal and provincial decision makers (politicians and public servants) as well as agriculture equipment manufacturers and suppliers.
As we did in June 2015, we will be employing Nanos Research to do a membership survey in the spring/summer. The results of the survey will identify what areas you value, how AMC is delivering to your needs and what may require further consideration. The results of this survey will allow us to continue evolving our services and programs. The response rate in June 2015 was ~20% and given the discussions I have had with members since, I’m confident we can get a higher response. To be clear, we provide benefits based on your input, so it is not just important, but it is the foundation on which we evaluate and evolve our services and programs.
A Stronger Voice
Another new activity in 2017 is the establishment of advisory committees in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The chairs you will recall are: Geof Gray (Salford Industries), Gary Anderson (founder of AGI), Gavin Semple (Brandt Industries) and Mel Svendsen (formerly of Standens Industries). Each chair is a key leader in our industry and has accepted the role to help grow our overall industry. AMC is being consulted and invited to attend key meetings with the federal and provincial governments – I will be working with the chairs to validate our industry positions but to ensure we are addressing and managing issues proactively.
Preparing For A Great Year
As of April 1, AMC’s office will cease to be at the Stockmen’s Arena. Since coming on board in March 2015, I have evaluated our overhead costs and with the board’s support, AMC will operate virtually as of April 1, 2017. Given the amount of time and physical location of our members, this means that the dollars coming into AMC are being used to provide you value versus paying for office space.
Last but not least, after 13 years of our membership fees remaining the same, we made the decision to increase them in 2017. The increase was done considering the new benefits being offered members and the strategic plan. For those who have paid their 2017 membership fees – thank you.
In closing, there are various ways to engage and expand our industry voice in 2017:
- Join one of the provincial advisory committees by contacting me (leah@a-m-c.ca)
- Keep my team and I informed of how your business is evolving – we appreciate phone calls, emails, invitations to tour your plant, etc.
- Let us know if you are hosting or want to host a meeting with a provincial or federal elected political or public servant.Our membership is very broad so we have a very unique opportunity to be able to show government representatives different aspects of the agriculture and manufacturing industries.
- Help make the 2017 Convention and Trade Show great by being part of the planning committee – contact Ty to get on our planning committee.
- Follow
us on twitter @AMCshortlinecda
Wishing you a productive, happy and prosperous 2017.
Leah
Space Allocation Process:
- Effective post 2018, space that opens up will be offered first to members who are on the waiting list. Should no one on the waiting list be interested in securing the space, it will then be offered to all members currently exhibiting in the AMC space and provided to the first one who indicates they want the space.
- Members will be able to add their name to the waiting list from March 1- March 31 of each year after which a member will be randomly selected by AMC. Those having a 10’x10’ space in the Louisville show will be eligible to be part of the random selection draw.
- Only regular members in Canada will be eligible for the random draw.
- The company will be notified and have 2 weeks to confirm if they want the space. If they do, they will be required to provide a non-reimbursable holding fee of $1000 USD by the end of April with the balance of their payment being made in the fall.
- If the first randomly selected organization does not need the space, another random draw will be done following the process above until the waiting list is exhausted. At that point the space will become available for those members who have been in the exhibit space for at least one year.
- Click here to review the full terms and conditions.
If you wish to be included on the waiting list please send your request to April Jackman at april@a-m-c.ca
We’re part of a vibrant, forward-thinking industry that feeds the world. This is something to be proud of and celebrate. We have the opportunity to do that during Canada’s Agriculture Day on February 16.
Canada’s Agriculture Day is a time to come together as an industry to celebrate the business of agriculture and engage in positive dialogue about agriculture and food. It’s a time to showcase all of the amazing things happening in the industry and help consumers draw a closer connection to where their food comes from and the people who produce it.
The theme of the day is "Let’s celebrate the food we love". And there are many ways to get involved and celebrate the day. Whether you’re interested in participating on social media, taking a personal ag challenge or getting your community involved, there are plenty of ways to share your love of Canadian agriculture and food. You can make it as small or as big as your imagination can make it.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Snap a pic of what you’re doing and share it on social media – include hashtags like #CdnAgDay, #IWorkInAg and #FarmLife.
- Host an employee potluck and encourage your colleagues to use all Canadian ingredients. Tweet about it with #CdnAgDay as well as hashtags to reach a non-ag audience, like #LoveYourFood and #Foodie.
- Visit AgMoreThanEver.ca and take an agvocate challenge.
- Give back to the community by volunteering at your local food bank or soup kitchen.
Resources:
Resources: https://www.agriculturemorethanever.ca/resources/
Event Kits: https://shop.agriculturemorethanever.ca/collections/event-material
Visit AgDay.ca for more ideas to celebrate Canada’s Agriculture Day and downloadable resources to help you out. Be sure to visit the Events page for a list of activities happening in your community – many ag industry associations, businesses and Ag More Than Ever partners are hosting their own Canada’s Agriculture Day events that are open to the public. It's all about celebrating Canadian agriculture and food in engaging, fun and respectful ways.
AMC is proud to support Canada’s Agriculture Day and encourages everyone involved in the industry to get involved and celebrate the day in their own way.
January 9 - 12, 2017
Crop Production Show - Saskatoon, SK
January 17 - 19, 2017
Manitoba Ag Days - Brandon, MB
February 15 - 18, 2017
National Farm Machinery Show - Louisville, KY
February 16, 2017
Canada's Agriculture Day -National
March 8 - 10, 2017
London Farm Show - London, ON
March 14 - 16, 2017
Ottawa Valley Farm Show -Smith Falls, ON
April 5 - 6, 2017
Canadian Dairy Expo - Stratford, ON
June 21 - 23, 2017
Canada's Farm Progress Show - Regina, SK
July 18 - 20, 2017
Ag In Motion - NW of Saskatoon, SK
September 12 - 14, 2017
Canada's Outdoor Farm Show - Woodstock, ON
2017 Board of Directors |
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Executive: Chair – Russ Klassen 1st Vice Chair – Richelle Titemore 2nd Vice Chair – Frank Capasso 3rd Vice Chair – Nigel Jones Treasurer – Linda Turta Past Chair – Geof Gray Director – Bill Baker Director – Cam Cornelsen Director – Cor Lodder Director – Grant Adolph Director – Paul Horst Director - Mark Hildebrand Director - Bob Cochran Associate Member Chair – Robert Ablamowicz |
