Government Programs for Ranchers
The BCCA is led by a board of 15 directors, all active cattle ranchers, who represent the eight zones of the province. A non-voting junior board member position was added in 2024.
The board is guided by standing and ad hoc committees that research issues of concern to producers and make recommendations to the board.
Both directors and committee members are volunteers who are voted in for two-year terms on a rotating basis. Elections take place every year at our AGM, and any member in good standing can be nominated.
The board of directors and committees meet regularly throughout the year. See our Events section for more details.
Directors act as a conduit between the members in their zone and the board of directors. They share information about BCCA decisions to the regionals and locals in their zone, and they bring forward ideas from their zone to the Board.
I ranch with my wife Jody, oldest daughter Kayla and two young boys in the Shuswap area. Our ranch is second generation, and we have a 200+ cow/calf operation where we background our own calves.
I have been a director of our regional association for about 20 years and have served as a BCCA director for about 10 years. During that time, I served for four years as chair of the BCCA Land Stewardship Committee and for the past two years have served as vice president.
It’s with great admiration and gratitude that I have been able to serve with so many committed producer volunteers and staff dedicated to improving the opportunity for ranchers across BC. Although many of the issues we’ve worked on over the years have common themes, the expectations of society continue to climb while understanding of our industry diminishes. Our advocacy work is done within a government framework that is often challenging, but there is great satisfaction when we can achieve a positive outcome.
Thank you for the opportunity to continue to represent your interests.
My wife, Julie, and I run a cow/calf operation just west of Vanderhoof. We have five adult children who were raised on the farm and continue to assist in the operation to various degrees.
I am committed to supporting the beef producers in our region with the challenges they are facing, including access to wood fibre, forage and water resources, wildlife and pest issues, and continuing changes to regulation that burden producers unnecessarily.
I worked for 10 years as a brand inspector and have a keen interest in brand inspection. I currently sit as one of the BCCA representatives on the board of Ownership Identification Inc (OII).
I have served two terms as a Zone 2 director and am currently serving as the chairperson for the Beef Production and Innovation Committee. I think that I still have something to contribute to the association, and I look forward to the chance to once again represent the cattlemen of our region as a BCCA director.
I’m a third generation rancher in Okanagan Falls. Our cow/calf operation is run by myself, my nephew and a cousin.
I have had the honour of being the president of the BCCA for the last two years and am looking forward to stepping into the roll of Past President. I have been a director for four years and vice president for two years for the BC Cattlemen’s Association as well as a director for the South Okanagan Stockmen’s Association, and a director for the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC.
During the six years on the BCCA board, it has amazed me how many different issues the BCCA deals with and the time and commitment the staff and other directors put in. Most of the time it is an uphill battle, talking to and trying to reason with people who don’t understand the beef industry.
I am a third generation rancher, running a commercial cow/calf operation in Upper Cache Creek that my grandfather started in 1952.
I have served as president of my local cattlemen's association for the last three years and have a strong interest in Crown grazing tenures, particularly in regard to prescribed burns and forage enhancement.
Talon and her husband manage a 300 head commercial and registered cow/calf operation just north of Dawson Creek. They graze on both private and crown range from June to October. In November and December they graze their cows on either swaths, stockpiled grass or fescue. Their ranch, MT Ranch, also manages 2000+ acres of perennial and annual crops.
As a dedicated rancher I have developed a strong understanding of cattle husbandry and sustainable agriculture practices. My passion for regenerative agriculture drives me to seek innovative ways to improve soil health, enhance forage systems and strengthen the resilience of cattle operations.
Over the years I have seen the challenges that ranchers face, from changing weather to land management issues. I've work hard to implement sustainable crop practices and I am always looking for ways to make my operation more efficient and environmentally friendly. Beyond my own ranch, I care deeply about the industry and want to see it thrive in the long run.
I and my wife, Lisa, ranch southeast of Quesnel, along the Quesnel River. We have a cow-calf operation and grow our own feed, with the exception of drought years. We summer our cattle on crown range that is adjacent to our ranch.
Lisa and I share the job of brand inspector for the Quesnel area. In the summer months, I also work as the pasture rider for the Hallis Lake community pasture not far from our ranch.
I was born in Smithers and grew up on a mixed farm. My wife, Val and I operate a 65 head cow/calf operation in the Bulkley Valley. I have served on two different BCCA provincial committees and am currently the President of the Skeena Regional Cattlemen's Association.
I ranch in the 100 Mile House area along with my husband, Ed, and our two sons. We are a third generation ranch family in the Cariboo and hope that we've built something for our family to carry on with.
I have been a BCCA director for the past six years and have participated as the chair for the Public Affairs Committee. I also sit on the Aboriginal Relations committee, the Land Stewardship committee and the LPP Advisory committee. I am also the chair of the Horn Levy committee/fund.
I have been a wildfire liaison during previous fire seasons with the BC Wildfire Service in the Cariboo and North Thompson areas, assisting ranchers in our area to obtain information necessary for decision-making in their operations. I feel that I fairly and accurately reflect to the Board and the management of BCCA the issues facing ranchers in my area.
I have been involved in both ranching and logging since childhood. I’m a fourth generation rancher on my mother’s side and third generation on my father’s side.
Me and my two siblings were raised and worked on the family ranch in Riske Creek while simultaneously being brought up with hands-on experience in the logging industry. My wife, Deborah, and I have raised our four children in the same manner. While living alongside the family, we built and now run a successful full phase logging company.
For 30 plus years, I have been a contractor firefighter with the Cariboo Fire Centre. Having lived through the 2017 wildfires in the province, and fought them on the front lines, I know firsthand what new challenges face the local cattle industry.
Currently as a director in both the Riske Creek Cattlemen’s Association and Cariboo Cattlemen’s Association, I would like to further participate in future development and enhancement of BC’s cattle industry.
My wife Judy and I were both born and raised on cow/calf operations. Both of our families sold the ranches and moved on. It was our plan to work hard and make enough money to retire on a small cow/calf operation of our own.
In 1995, we purchased our first heifers. In 2003, we retired and purchased more property and slowly grew to a 75 head, mainly purebred, operation. We use pivot irrigation, practice rotational gazing and cull hard. I have always been extremely motivated to try the latest and greatest in new technology and farming methods.
I have been a member of the Hereford Association and a past director and past president of KamStock for over 20 years. Currently I am still a member of the Hereford Association, a director of KamStock, a director of the BCCA and the chair of the Agricultural Advisory Committee for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
I manage Nicola Ranch near Merritt and have been with the ranch for 18 years. The ranch is well known for Black Angus cattle and our Quarter Horses.
I was born in Quesnel and grew up in southwest Saskatchewan where my extended family farmed. My wife Bobbi and I have two sons: Duke and Will.
Currently I am serving as president of the Nicola Stockbreeders Association and am also a board member with the BCCA. Hockey, slo pitch and roping are my interests off the ranch.
I was born and raised in the North Okanagan and am currently a partner at Davidson Lawyers LLP in Vernon and also a third generation rancher to come off of my family’s cow calf operation in Lumby.
I practise law in the areas of business law, agricultural law, estate planning, estate administration and probate. When I’m not practising law, I work on the family ranch and woodlot and spend time with my wife and three children.
I am also a director of the BCCA, a participant of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Young Leader program, a director of the North Okanagan Livestock Association and the Vice President of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce.
I am a fourth generation rancher from the East Kootenays where we run a cow/calf and bred heifer rearing operation. My ranching expertise extends beyond traditional practices as I embrace a range of innovative agricultural activities including agro-forestry, canola manufacturing and technology development. I have been active participant in the agriculture industry serving on the Beef Cattle Research Council and the Environment Committee.
I continue to be deeply involved in policy concerns around land use, water management and consultation with First Nations, believing these are critical issues for the future of agriculture in Canada. I am dedicated to enhancing the reputation of Canadian agriculture while ensuring the long term viability of the family ranch and the broader agricultural industry.
Having been ranching cattle for over three decades, in both the Interior and Island country, Brad has a unique perspective on the considerably different needs and obstacles facing cattle ranchers today. Together with his wife and their two lads, they run a 140 head Purebred Red Angus herd, Heart of the Valley Farms, holding their bull sale each spring in Clinton.
Brad has been heavily involved in the original foundation of both the Island Beef Producers marketing group (16 years) and the now four-year-old and rejuvenated Vancouver Island Cattlemen Association, both for which he is the founding and current president.
Brad has sat on both the BCCA board and the Ownership Identification Inc. board for the last two terms and has recently been elected as president of the Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society. Brad has a strong belief that ranching success and longevity come from less regulatory interference, greater efficiency through progressive stock genetics and agri methods, while insisting on stronger economics for the ranchers themselves.
Committees dive more deeply into specific issues and meet as needed to discuss new information. Each committee has a director serving as either the committee chair or a board liaison.
Four standing committees are responsible for staying on top of the issues that matter most to ranchers.
Alex Kulchar
Zone 1 Helen Harris Zone 2 Brian Adams Zone 3 Rene Dieleman Zone 4 Cordy Cox Zone 5 Paul Molnar Zone 6 Nick Bapty Zone 7 Dave Zehnder Zone 8 Patrick Whittaker
Carley Stewart
CCIA Duncan Barnett RCMP Cory Lepine OII Bob Miller
Addresses issues related to the environment and the management of water, wildlife and waste, including associated legislation and regulations
Mike McConnell
Zone 2 Charles Joyal Zone 3 Clint Lambert Zone 4 Cheryl Monical Zone 5 Haley Rutherford Zone 6 Doug Fossen Zone 7 Richard Tegart Zone 8 Graeme Fowler
Andrea Haywood-Farmer Rick Mumford
Werner Stump
Zone 1 Kristina Schweitzer Zone 2 Jennifer Roberts Zone 3 Sharene Larson Zone 4 Davana Stafford Zone 5 Andrea van Iterson Zone 6 Cassie Marchand Zone 7 Vacant Zone 8 Vacant
Alana Palmer
CYC Rylonn Elliot BCYF Jacintha Kulchar
Ad hoc committees are set up when the board decides that a particular issue needs a special focus.
Wayne Schaad
Patrick Whittaker Brad Chappell Graeme Fowler John Lewis
This committee refrains from discussing the treaty negotiation/land selection process.
John Anderson
Zone 1 Judy Madden Zone 3 Jon Solecki Zone 4 Cheryl Monical Zone 6 Brian Thomas Zone 7 Larry Rast
Addresses the Water Sustainability Act regulations, livestock watering and groundwater licensing
Linda Allison
Zone 1 Renee Ardill, Mike McConnell Zone 2 Wayne Ray Zone 3 Bob Storey Zone 4 Duncan Barnett Zone 5 John Anderson Zone 6 Brian Thomas Zone 7 Tyler Morrison
Elaine Stovin
BCACF Joe Heemskerk BCBFA Deborah Montgomery BC Dairy Rick Vandenberg
Ted van der Gulik