As a researcher and administrator, Sheri Strydhorst knows how to produce results, and in October was hired as research program manager for crops WITH Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR). RDAR is a farmer-led, not-for-profit corporation with a 10-year budget of $370 million. In support of projects across the value chain from farm to store shelf, its central priority is to boost farm productivity, profitability and competitiveness.

Each year, the province’s wheat and barley farmers invest heavily in research and innovation. In fact, the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC) and Alberta Barley reserve the largest part of their respective budgets for this programming area—between $4.5 and $5 million annually combined. And while farmers set the priorities and make funding decisions, the commissions’ research team makes sure they get the maximum return on investment from every dollar.

Dave Chalack has brought his decades of agricultural experience to the position of interim board chair of the newly formed Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR). The organization embodies Alberta’s fresh direction in grant allocation.