A key player in Federal politics announced his retirement today.

Conservative MP Gerry Ritz, who was born and raised on a farm in the Delisle area, is ready to spend more time with his family.

Ritz served as Minister of Agriculture from 2007 to 2015 and was responsible for the overhaul of the Canadian Wheat Board.

"They've got the five anniversary of that at the beginning of the month," he said. "The numbers don't lie, it's been a tremendous success for the farmers, they're doing well and they've risen to the challenge of marketing and logistics, and we don't have the Wheat Board plugging the system anymore like they used to."   

Another key issue that was very contentious that Ritz and his team were able to quash was the U-S Country of Origin Labelling Legislation.

He was instrumental in signing over 3 dozen trade agreements and says he’s disappointed in the way Prime Minister Trudeau is handling NAFTA.