A local farmer and trusted national leader, Stan Eby has dedicated his entire career to improving the cattle industry across Canada while setting an exemplary example of steadfast leadership for others to follow. Stan successfully led the beef industry—at provincial and national levels—through traumatic and divisive events with his hallmark calm-in-chaos approach.
Born on a mixed farm in Ontario, Stan operates a family beef farm near Kincardine, Ontario and has always seen the bigger picture for agriculture and the potential for collaboration. A humble family man and seasoned leader, Stan has worked diligently to unite the Canadian livestock industry and uphold the reputation of local farming. He’s spent a lifetime advocating for and defending the safety, health and quality of Canadian beef.
In 2000, as president of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association (now Beef Farmers of Ontario), Stan dealt with the Walkerton water crisis. He managed the team on the front line as the face to media and used the opportunity to educate the public. Behind the scenes, he was instrumental in turning the tragedy into an opportunity to develop a framework for the organization to effectively handle future environmental issues.
A few years later, as president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), Stan’s steady hand guided the organization through one of the worst health-related crisis any commodity group had ever experienced in Canada. He led the organization through BSE, reframing the Canadian beef industry internationally, and went on to establish a strategic plan for Canada’s beef cattle industry to get on the road to recovery.
During his presidency at CCA, Stan saw the Verified Beef Program become a national symbol for beef quality and food safety assurance. He represented CCA at the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food on the role of government in agriculture, and lobbied for a cooperative approach to conservation and science-based approach to soil management.
Stan has been recognized with well-deserved honours including a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Alumnus of Honour Award from the University of Guelph and induction in the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame.
With unwavering leadership, Stan demonstrated time and again his ability to foresee and overcome barriers, seek solutions and inspire others to work together. He knows the possibilities are endless when collaboration is in play, and has always viewed Canadian agriculture as one large, interconnected industry and not a collection of individual sectors.
Equal parts gentleman, strategist and visionary, Stan Eby’s lens defaults to the big picture when it comes to uniting the livestock industry and upholding the reputation of Canadian agriculture.
