Farming Forward - Secretary
Courtney O’Keefe
Courtney and her partner Ben are in southern AB, east of Rockyford, where they run their commercial cow-calf herd. They both value the importance of their community and are involved in many events/associations throughout the area. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a B.Sc. Ag., and continued to pursue a M.Sc. Ag, majoring in ruminant nutrition. Her research was focused on extensive grazing systems for beef cattle, particularly refining the recommendation for time of harvest for swath grazing cereal crops in western Canada. Courtney is a consulting ruminant nutritionist with Blue Rock Animal Nutrition. Courtney has been working with producers in the ‘Farming Forward’ area for many years now, so this is how she became connected to this association! She travels to the area throughout the seasons, so she is familiar with the challenges producers face in northern AB. She is passionate about the agriculture industry and is excited to be apart of an innovative forage association, like Farming Forward.
What drew you to an Applied Agricultural Research Association like Farming Forward, and why are you interested in serving on this board?
I enjoy networking with forward thinking producers, that are interested in trying to better the industry. This association and board are a prime example of producers that are passionate about all facets in the agriculture industry.
How do we engage more people and grow our organization of like-minded farmers?
I feel that staff and board at Farming Forward have been working hard to engage and grow our association from previous years. Continuing to show up and be present at local events is particularly important show that we are apart of the community throughout the different counties. This allows us to continue to network and make new connections with different businesses and farmers in the respective areas. We have been seeing growth in our membership, so the word is getting out there that Farming Forward is an association worth being apart of.
What do you believe are the key qualities of an effective board member?
I believe one of the most important qualities of an effective board member is the ability to be an open-minded team player. The board comes from a variety of backgrounds and working together and utilizing everyone’s individual skills is key to having a successful board!
