(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Alberta Grains seeks nominees

Reading Time: < 1 minute The newly christened Alberta Grains, formed from a merger of the Alberta wheat and barley commissions, is seeking nominees for its first board of directors. Farmers from across the province’s six growing regions can be nominated to run for 12 open positions, two per region. Directors are an essential part of leading the organization, Alberta […] Read more

One newcomer on RDAR board

One newcomer on RDAR board

Reading Time: < 1 minute David Chalack has been re-elected to the board of RDAR (Results Driven Agriculture Research) and will continue as chair. Bentley producer Jason Lenz was also re-elected earlier this month to a three-year term. New to the board is Josie Van Lent, dean of agriculture technology and applied research at Lakeland College. Directors are elected by […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

SaskCanola, SaskFlax merge offices, management

Groups will maintain separate governing boards, levies

Sasskatchewan’s canola and flax development commissions are consolidating their management, staff and office space under one roof. SaskCanola and SaskFlax said Wednesday their new “management collaboration” will translate to efficiencies for both commissions with “a full staff complement to support both boards.” Both organizations will now operate out of the current SaskCanola office at Innovation […] Read more

Photo: iStock/Getty Images

One region to see director election for canola board

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Canola’s call for board of director candidates prompted six people to step forward but four of them are in just one region. The candidates in Region 4 (east of Edmonton) are Jeannette Andrashewski of Two Hills, Kyle Tarkowski of Myrnam, Mark Smook of Vegreville and Ralph Tessman of Okotoks (who farms in Region 4). […] Read more


Elanco Animal Health CEO Jeff Simmons speaks during an interview at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Sept. 20, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Second activist investor buys into Elanco

Reuters — Hedge fund Starboard Value LP has taken a stake in Elanco Animal Health and nominated three directors to the animal healthcare company’s board, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The WSJ report did not mention the size of Starboard’s stake in Elanco, which makes treatments for pets […] Read more

Six crop commission directors acclaimed

Some director spots are still open as well as positions for regional reps and delegates

Reading Time: 2 minutes Several directors and reps on Alberta crop commissions have been elected by acclamation. Denis Guindon of Falher (Region 3) and Kevin Serfas from Turin (Region 9) will both serve a second three-year term on the board of directors of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. Wayne Schneider from Nisku was also acclaimed to the board, replacing […] Read more


On board: Gary Stanford, Trent Rude, Jean-Marc Ruest, Harvey Brooks, Kevin Bender (back, l-r), Brent Watchorn, Cigi CEO JoAnne Buth, Drew Baker, Bill Gehl and Jim Smolik (front, l-r). (Photo courtesy Cigi)

Prairie wheat commissions, grain firms to fund Cigi

The technical institute for Canadian field crops will get its core funding from now on through the Prairies’ major grain export firms and its three provincial wheat grower commissions. Cigi, the Canadian International Grains Institute, on Tuesday announced the new funding model, plus a new governance model setting up a new 10-member board of directors […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Ontario redrafts vegetable grower organization governance

Ontario’s Farm Products Marketing Commission (OFPMC) is proposing a new governance structure for the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers, which has been without a board of directors since March. The commission last week released proposed amendments to provincial Regulations 441 and 400, which would set up an eight-member OPVG board with an OFPMC-appointed chair. The amendments […] Read more


(AFSC.ca)

Alberta recruits new board for AFSC

Alberta’s provincial government has named a new board of directors to its farm financing and crop insurance agency, to replace the board it fired last year. Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier on Thursday announced the appointment of a new eight-member board for the provincial Agriculture Financial Services Corp., (AFSC), which has been handled by an interim […] Read more

(Government of Alberta via Flickr)

Alberta sacks AFSC board over top brass’ expenses

Alberta’s government has dismissed the board of its farm financing and crop insurance agency following an internal probe into “expense and procurement practices” for senior executives. Three unnamed senior executives at Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) have also been “relieved from active duty,” the province said in a release Monday. The province on Monday named […] Read more