Many regions throughout the country are preparing for harvest or have already begun, and while some may view this as the end of the current crop season, I view it as the beginning of next year’s crop-planning cycle. 

Similarly, at CAAR, we have transitioned our strategic and operational planning to an 18-month cycle, setting the groundwork for fall, winter and spring activities. During the first phase of our strategic planning process, CAAR’s board of directors and staff reviewed current programming and services and discussed the association’s purpose and value. Supported by feedback gathered through the annual member survey, CAAR has affirmed its focus areas for 2018–19:

• Membership and Member Services
• Regulatory Compliance and Advocacy
• Industry Collaboration
• Marketing and Communications
• Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness

The strength and resolve of CAAR going forward directly correlates to the support of current and new members. Greater membership representation provides stability, access to more value-enhancing resources and the ability to grow our advocacy activities at all levels of government and within the agriculture industry. The ability to leverage partner agriculture associations is critical to expanding CAAR’s capabilities to members at all levels. Opportunities exist to share best practices and resources; strengthening your ability to deliver world-class solutions and products to your farm customers.

Support through membership allows CAAR to grow and provide enhanced representation and solutions, today and in the coming year. If you are already a CAAR member, thank you. If you are considering CAAR membership, I urge you to join your representative association and demonstrate your support of the ag retail industry in Canada.

CAAR is the representative voice of the Canadian ag retail industry. Ensuring sound, consistent business practices are maintained and recognized in the areas of workplace safety, environmental sustainability, transportation and storage of hazardous goods and compliance is the core of our purpose.

A critical part of CAAR’s support for the innovation and evolution of Canadian agriculture production includes anticipating and proactively addressing areas of concern as regulatory and consumer expectations evolve.

CAAR will seek out and present opportunities to collaborate with non-traditional business partners on your behalf to support your business needs in areas like safety and compliance, human resources and sales through agronomy. Through CAAR, new bridges will be built that will lead to opportunities in crop nutrition and protection, equipment, technology, marketing and risk management.

The 2019 CAAR Conference, hosted in Winnipeg, Man. from Feb. 12–14, will capitalize on the success of last year’s event. We have expanded the speaker program to include additional panel discussions and are excited to introduce roundtable networking; facilitating new ways for retailers to share best practices and providing an opportunity for non-traditional networking. More details will be announced on caar.org/caar-conference this fall.

I am excited to be part of a group representing a critical component of Canadian agriculture. Just like retailers evolve to serve the needs of their customers, CAAR continues to evolve to suit the needs of our membership. That’s our team’s commitment to you.

Sincerely,

Mitch Rezansoff
Executive Director, CAAR