We’ve had a successful year full of events and opportunities for our Chicken Champs, with over fifteen activations since its start in March 2024! We always try and match a Chicken Champ with the location of the event taking place, to ensure minimal disruption to schedules. Here is what our Champs have been up to since April 2024:  

• May, 2024: Ivy Rachkewich took part in a Canadian Poultry Magazine farmer feature interview. 

• May, 2024: Wendy Lantz participated in a panel discussion at an event at Red Tape Brewery in Toronto.  

• May, 2024: Tara deVries participated in the Culinary Federation Conference in Edmonton. 

• June, 2024: Tara deVries participated in the Federation of Municipalities Conference in Edmonton, where she was one of the representatives at the tradeshow booth. 

• June, 2024: Riley Duimering and his wife Erin took part in the filming of a commercial for CFC in Toronto, for our “Raised Canadian, Raised Right” campaign and to film “Ask a Farmer” content for CFC’s Instagram. 

• July, 2024: Byron Ference participated in an interview in the Young Canadians for Resources podcast. 

• July, 2024: Taylen Van Den Driessche welcomed the 2024-2025 Young Farmers Program cohort to his farm in Manitoba while we were in Winnipeg for the CFC Summer Meeting.  

• October, 2024: Rachel Sheffield attended the Skate Canada International skate competition in Halifax. 

• October, 2024: CFC Director Luce Belanger, CFC Alternate Scott Buchan, and Ivy Rachkewich from Saskatchewan came to Ottawa to attend the Bill C-282 committee hearing and the rally in support of the Bill on Parliament Hill.   

• November, 2024: Rachel Sheffield moderated a Fireside chat with Swimming Canada’s Olympian Sophie Angus. 

• November, 2024: Amy VanderHeide participated in a panel discussion at the Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference in Niagara.   

• November, 2024: Amy VanderHeide spoke in a webinar for Parliamentarians on the importance of passing Bill C-282.  

 

 

Picture: Online Fireside Chat with Olympian Sophie Angus 

 

Our Young Farmers 2024-2025 cohort was extremely active within the sector this year as well, with each of them taking part in bonus events throughout the year:  

• Callie Haverkamp hosted her MP to her farm and also attended the Swimming Canada Olympic/Paralympic Trials in Markham, Ontario in May.   

• Caleb Westeringh also met with his MP, Mark Strahl in June in his riding to discuss important issues facing the industry.   

• Jessica Szmiett hosted Trennt Michaud, a competitive pairs skater to her farm in September 

• Frédérick Cloutier and his sister, Virginie, hosted CFC to their farm to film the Day in the Life series in August  

Overall, the inaugural year of our Chicken Champs program has been incredibly successful, with such keen participants from across the country! We look forward to more opportunities with our farmers to display all they do for Canadians in ensuring a safe, nutritious and constant supply of Canada’s number one meat protein – chicken!   

  

 

Picture: Taylen gives farm tour to CFC Young Farmers Program participants