Bruce Beattie

Bruce and his wife Valerie have lived on their farm in Bergen for the past 40 years where they operated West Hawk Holsteins. The farm won many milk quality awards and were in the top twenty producing herds on Alberta DHI in 1998. In 2003 they entered a joint venture with partner Svend Nielsen, at Cottonwood Holsteins near Innisfail. West Hawk Farms is now focussed on forage production along with a small purebred Gelbvieh beef herd.  

Bruce was very involved in the governance of the dairy industry. He joined the Board of Alberta Milk Producers in 1986 as a representative from the Red Deer Milk Producers Association. Representing the Red Deer Milk Foundation, he worked to amalgamate the five regional Milk Foundations to form the Dairy Nutrition Council of Alberta in 1988.  He served as chair of the Dairy Nutrition Council of Alberta from 1988 to 1992 and Chair of Alberta Milk Producers from 1992 to 1997 and Vice Chair until 2004. He continued as Director for the Central Region until his step-down requirement was reached in 2008.

He has served producers on many committees including:

Internal Advisory Committees

Research Chair
Animal Health Committee
Cost of Production – chaired the committee during the updating of the fluid milk pricing formula
Marketing, Nutrition and Education Committee
New Product Development and Innovation Working Group
Chair – CLA Network

External Committees

Dairy Research and Technology Centre Advisory Committee.  Proposed and worked with the University and Alberta Milk to establish the Alberta Dairy Research Endowment Fund at the University of Alberta.

Bruce was elected as the Chairman  of the Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture Council (AESA) at its inception in 1997 until stepping down in 2002. He  remained on the Executive as Past Chair until August of 2007.  Worked with Senator Elaine McCoy and former Environment Minister Guy Boutelier toward the establishment of C3 in 2000, and continues as a Board member of that organization.

Alberta Dairy Industry Governance Working Group – which managed the formation of Alberta Milk through the merging of The Alberta Milk Producers and the Dairy Control Board of Alberta.  (Premiers Award of Excellence)

Regional Committee

Western Milk Pool Coordinating Committee –Bruce was part of the negotiation team that lead to the successful formation of the Western Milk Pool

National Organizations and Committees

Dairy Industry Strategic Planning Committee (DISPC)
Alberta Director to Dairy Farmers of Canada
Chair of the DFC Research Committee - Production Research (PESAC)
Canadian Bovine Research Network Scientific Advisory Committee (CBRN)
Board Member Canadian Agricultural Research Council (CARC)
Premium Milk Innovation – Advisory Committee
Canadian Milk Supply Management Committee – Represented Alberta from 1992 to 2004.  

Current Involvement:

He is a Delegate to Agrifoods International Co-op, and serves as the Secretary to the Alberta Regional Advisory Committee.

Farmer member of the Alberta Farm Products Marketing Council

Board member of C3

Elected to Mountain View County Council, Division 4, in October of 2010, presently serving as Deputy Reeve and Vice Chair Mountain View Seniors Housing Authority.

Bruce completed the Canadian Agriculture Lifetime Leadership Program in 1999.  Internationally he worked on a CIDA sponsored dairy project in Cuba.