CFC unveils new executive committee

Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) recently unveiled its 2022 Executive Committee, which was elected by the CFC board of directors at its annual general meeting this week.

The appointments include:

Chair
Tim Klompmaker, Ontario.
Hailing from Norwood, Ont., Tim Klompmaker 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. Klompmaker 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 2nd Vice-Chair of CFO. Klompmaker was elected to the CFC Board in 2017.

1st Vice-Chair
Nick de Graaf, Nova Scotia
Nick de Graaf 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. De Graaf is also part of Innovative Poultry Group (IPG) and owns Maritime Chicks, a modern hatchery employing the HatchCare system. In addition to poultry, de Graaf also grows wheat, corn, and soybeans, allowing him to process poultry feeds for his own flocks. He is in his 10th 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.

2nd Vice-Chair
Ray Nickel, British Columbia
Ray Nickel 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, B.C., are involved in the production of chicken, commercial table eggs, and turkeys. Nickel 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 B.C. agribusiness for many years and was an instrumental as a key point person and spokesperson for the poultry sector during the B.C. floods.

Executive Member
Luce Bélanger, Quebec
Luce Bélanger 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. Bélanger 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. Bélanger 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, Bélanger 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. Bélanger enjoys serving on various agriculture organizations because she believes in the importance of providing Canadians with food that is grown to the highest standards.