The Alberta Grains Annual General Meeting held today at the CrossRoads Crop Conference became a significant moment for the wheat and barley communities as the commission revealed its inaugural board of directors.
Leading the charge is Tara Sawyer, a seasoned farmer near Acme, who brings a wealth of experience to her role as chair. With a background as the former chair of Alberta Barley and interim chair for Alberta Grains since the formal amalgamation with the Alberta Wheat Commission in August 2023, Sawyer expressed gratitude for the vote of confidence.
“I am honored to serve as chair and look forward to leveraging the industry’s opportunities to ensure wheat and barley maintain their prominence among farmers and end-users. Serving as the inaugural chair for Alberta Grains is a tremendous privilege,” she said.
Scott Jespersen, based near Spruce Grove, assumes the crucial position of first vice-chair. His journey includes serving as a director for Alberta Barley since 2021 and as the second vice-chair on the interim board for Alberta Grains. Devin Hartzler, hailing from Carstairs, transitions from the interim board to become the second vice-chair, bringing with him significant experience as a director with the Alberta Wheat Commission since 2020.
The leadership transition follows regional elections held in November 2023. Alberta Grains proudly introduces the newly elected directors for each region:
- Region 1: Dean Hubbard, David Bishop.
- Region 2: Devin Hartzler, Tara Sawyer.
- Region 3: Stewart Oke, Dick Wymenga.
- Region 4: Shawn Jacula, Brent Christensen.
- Region 5: Scott Jespersen, Marvin Neumann.
- Region 6: Greg Sears, Tasha Alexander.
Alberta Grains Executive Director Michael Flynn expressed enthusiasm for the newly elected board, emphasizing, “I see tremendous opportunity to share the story of Alberta’s 18,000 wheat and barley farmers. Their passion and dedication to enhancing the agriculture sector, not only provincially but also nationally and internationally, are unparalleled.”
Featured photo: Alberta Grains Chair Tara Sawyer speaks at today’s annual general meeting.
