Two of Alberta’s largest farm groups have seen an abrupt change in leadership.
It’s reported that three individuals have left the senior leadership team of the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Barley Commission.
General manager Tom Steve, COO Syeda Khurram and cash advance program manager Hasan Kazmi are reported to have left effective April 26, and on April 28 they were removed from the groups’ joint website.
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In a joint statement the board chairs of the two groups said they wouldn’t be commenting on the nature of the departures or confirming their identities, “to protect the privacy of our employees.”
“The Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Barley Commission can confirm a change in direction of its senior leadership team effective April 26, 2023,” the statement read.
“The board of directors and the executive council are working with staff at the Wheat and Barley Commission to ensure a smooth course of business while a thorough search for a replacement is conducted.”
The change comes at a crucial time for the two commissions, which are in the midst of formally merging. They have been sharing office space and administration since 2013, moving to a joint management structure in 2017. Last year farmer members voted in favour of a full amalgamation, which is set to occur August 1, 2023.
Alberta Wheat chair Greg Sears, a farmer from Sexsmith, further clarified the situation when speaking to Alberta Farmer Express. He said the groups are “…actively reaching out to all our key stakeholders between the four members of our executive committee.”
“We have been in touch with Alberta Agricultural Products Marketing Council [the provincial body overseeing farm groups] and they were number one on our list of people to inform,” Sears said.
He added that a email has been sent out to a “…long list of our additional stakeholders…”
In addition to their role of policy advocates and guiding and funding research, there’s an important financial component for farmers. The Alberta Wheat Commission is a significant administrator of the federal Advance Payments Program, offering farmers interest-free and low-interest cash advances through its “FarmCash” program. In recent years that program has expanded to cover cash advances throughout Western Canada.
Sears said the FarmCash program is operating well and there are no known issues with it. It is audited regularly, most recently in the year ending Jan. 1, 2022.
