The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) is pleased to name Dr. Annie Claessens as the winner of the 2024 CFGA Leadership Award. 
 
Dr. Claessens joined the Quebec Research and Development Centre in Québec City as a research scientist in perennial crop breeding and genetic in 2011. Her work focuses on developing cultivars and germplasm of perennial crops for the beef and dairy industries. Her research is mainly aimed at genetically improving forage legumes and grasses to increase their nutritional value, their tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses and their productivity in order to contribute to the profitability and sustainability of the Canadian farms by increasing the proportion of forage in animal feed. 
 
Dr. Claessens’ research and contribution have been helping to grow and develop the Canadian forage sector since 2001. She has contributed to the Canadian forage industry by co-developing five forage crop cultivars adapted to the cold and humid climate of eastern Canada and numerous new germplasms with improved nutritive quality and adapted to biotic and abiotic stresses. She is author or co-author of 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. 
 
Dr. Claessens is a member of the Plant Breeder’s Committee of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association, the Québec pôle d’ expertise en plantes fourragères, the Québec forage crop expert (CRAAQ), the Quebec Bio-Industrial Crop Network and of the Multistate Research Project NE-1710 (USA-Canada). She was also a board member of the CFGA and of the CQPF for numerous years as well as the coordinator of Quebec forage trials. 
 
She also operates a cheese factory and Phylum Farm, a dairy farm with Jersey and Canadian cows, in Quebec, with her husband Patrick Soucy. 
 
The CFGA presented its 2024 Leadership Award today at a special award dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 during its annual conference. This year marks the 15th annual year for the conference, which is taking place in Guelph, Ontario, Dec. 3 to 6. It is hosted in conjunction with the Ontario Forage Council (OFC). Throughout the event attendees are learning about exciting and cutting-edge happenings in the forage sector and gain valuable information and inspiration for anyone involved in the forage and grassland sectors across the country are focusing on issues the forage sector faces and solutions to these challenges as well as taking a forward look to opportunities for the industry. 
 
About the CFGA Leadership Award 
The CFGA Leadership Award was established in 2012 to recognize and encourage leadership in the forage and grassland sector. It recognizes individuals, groups or organizations who exemplify or enhance the goals of the CFGA and whose leadership has impact of national and/or international significance.