A formative experience, Tyler McCann spent almost a decade in the federal government, primarily as an advisor to then Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Gerry Ritz. McCann and his wife Gillian MacDougall grew up on cattle and dairy farms respectively, and upon McCann’s exit from government in 2017, they established a herd of 60 purebred Simmental cattle on 200 acres in western Quebec.

CEO Kurt Kinnear credits the problem-solving spirit of 4-H for the success of the Alberta organization. “Innovation is the root of 4-H, and we need to bring that back to continue the growth of this program to give more Alberta youth the 4-H experience. The future will hold a lot more pilot projects and new ideas.”