About Us

 

Dear “Prospective Member”:

 

 Become an Alberta Forage Industry Network Member!

 ( printable pdf Form )

 

 

    The Alberta Forage Industry Network (AFIN) is a relatively new organization, which was formed in 2010 to represent the Forage Industry in Alberta.  In the interim, the eight volunteer Directors who represent the various facets of the Alberta forage industry, and who hail from various locations across the province, have worked diligently and somewhat behind the scenes to establish this new organization.

 

    This message has been created to encourage you, or your company to become a member of the Alberta Forage Industry Network.  Accordingly please find a membership application/invoice for your use.

 

    As an incentive to encourage new members, the AFIN Board of Directors recently decided to extend the 2012 term membership fee, to include the 2013 fiscal year.  Therefore, payment of a membership fee at this time, will mean that your membership dues will be paid up until December 2013.

 

    Until now we have basically been in a start-up role ensuring that the formation of this association is up to date, accurate, and smoothly functioning. Attracting new membership is now our foremost priority.     

    Currently membership fees are our main source of funding to operate, and the Board has been challenged to “prove ourselves” while having a limited amount of funding available.

 

    We believe that we are now in a position to say that our initial “behind the scenes” work, and the activities that we have planned; have had, and will have, value for the future of the Alberta forage industry.    However, in order to move forward, while at the same time having credibility as the Alberta forage industry representative, we need your membership. (See attached summary of AFIN’s Past, Current and Future Planned Activities).

 

 

 

    Therefore, we ask for your support in our future endeavors, on behalf of both yourself and the rest of the Alberta Forage Industry, by becoming a member of AFIN. If you have any questions please email us at info@albertaforages.ca

or call me at 403-502-6778.

 

 

Yours truly      

 

 

 

Don McLennan, Board Chairman

 

Alberta Forage Industry Network    

 

 

Background

The forage industry is significant in Alberta. According to the most recent census of Agriculture (Statistics Canada) there are 28.8 million acres of forage land in Alberta.

 

Up until 2002 the the Alberta Forage Council represented the interests of the forage industry in Alberta. However, in 2002, the Council merged with applied research associations to become the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta (ARECA). ARECA has evovled to become a a broader umbrella organization representing the whole agriculture industry in Alberta. Several consultations were held with all facets of the Alberta forage industry between the years 2007 and 2010 to see if there was an interest/need to to have an organization representing the forages in Alberta. This resulted in the formation of the Alberta Forage Industry Network Society or "AFIN" in 2010.

 

The objectives of AFIN include:

  • To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among producers and other stakeholders in the forage industry
  • To champion research, education and extension for the management and use of forages
  • To foster communication between the forage industry, governments and the public
  • To represent the Alberta forage industry nationally and internationally
  • To manage, sell, lease, mortgage, dispose of, or otherwise deal with the property of the Society

 

AFIN is directed and managed by an eight member board of directors along with an advisor from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and an advisor from the

Agri-environment Services Branch of AAFC. The board Members are located across the province. For more information and contact information about the AFIN board of directors please referred to the "Contact Us" section of the AFIN Website.