Bruce Christie named 2025 Food & Farming Champion
Bruce Christie of Mississauga Farm & Food Care Ontario’s Food & Farming Champion for 2025.
He was honoured by Farm & Food Care Ontario (FFCO) at its Annual Speakers’ Conference for his decades of efforts in promoting and supporting Ontario agriculture.
Presented annually since 1999, the Food & Farming Champion Award recognizes individuals, organizations, or businesses that have taken the initiative to engage consumers about agriculture in Ontario. Nominees use their skills to educate the public, correct misinformation, and promote the agriculture industry.
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The award was presented during FFCO’s annual conference in Elora, a day-long program featuring speakers and collaboration to grow public trust in food and farming. Christie was nominated by Dave Crossan of Trouw Nutrition with letters of support from long-time industry colleagues William Bearss and Crystal Mackay. He spent 43 years working for Shur-Gain (now Trouw Nutrition), where he served as Marketing Manager and was instrumental in developing innovative livestock, poultry, and pet products. Throughout his career, he played a key role in creating the model farm exhibit at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), helping educate urban Canadians about livestock farming. A familiar presence at the CNE, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and Breakfast on the Farm events, Christie to this day continues to engage consumers in agricultural education.
A champion for the industry, Christie helped establish the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association and the National Farm Animal Care Council. He chaired the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) from 1999 to 2004 and was instrumental in the talks that resulted in OFAC and AGCare merging to form Farm & Food Care Ontario. He later became the inaugural chair of Farm & Food Care Canada, now the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.
Beyond his leadership roles, Christie and his daughter Jennifer climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2014 to raise funds for FFCO. He has mentored young agricultural leaders through the Junior Farmers’ Association of Canada and the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC). As president of the OAC Alumni Association and chair of the OAC Alumni Foundation, he helped raise over $2 million for University of Guelph programs.
“Bruce has been a tireless advocate for Ontario agriculture throughout his career and into retirement,” said Dave Crossan, who nominated Bruce for the award. “His leadership, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to public outreach have helped shape how our industry engages with consumers. Bruce truly embodies what it means to be a Food & Farming Champion.”
In a letter of support, Bearss said, “Through his entire body of work, he has demonstrated a clear vision for the future of agriculture in Ontario and made important contributions to sustaining its legacy of success.”
Mackay described him as “a true diplomat who always raised the bar on professionalism and respect for Farm & Food Care efforts, with a genuine interest in building relationships within the agriculture industry.”
Farm & Food Care Ontario is a coalition of farmers, agriculture and food partners proactively working together to ensure public trust and confidence in food and farming. For more information visit, www.FarmFoodCareON.org.
Source: Farmtario.com