Grainswest - Fall 2023

Fall 2023 Grains West 34 FEATURE T ara Sawyer has always been interested in ag politics. Even when her kids were very young, dinner conversations centred around governance and policy. She was keen to join a commodity board, but her priorities were farm and family. During this time, she attended meetings and conferences alongside her husband Matt, who has served on multiple boards. As her children grew more independent, the timing was right, she said. Five years ago, without a word to her family, she put her name forward to serve as an Alberta Barley director- at-large. “I never thought you had the right to complain if you’re not willing to put in the work,” she said. “I felt an obligation to contribute. It’s important for farmers’ voices to be at the table.” In 2019 she was elected the first female chair of Alberta Barley and now serves as Alberta Grains interim chair. While Sawyer was largely self- motivated in her desire to contribute, agricultural boards increasingly work to recruit candidates with a greater diversity of skillsets and experience to fill leadership roles as regional representatives and directors This most notably includes women but goes beyond gender. Variety in the ag leadership context extends to age, farm size and geographic region. A recent Alberta study indicates corporate boards with greater gender diversity are better able to carry out their mandates, while ag board members who spoke to GrainsWest all believe diverse skillsets and experience strengthen governance. A greater array of individual perspectives expands the ability of boards to solve problems. They’re simply better equipped to tackle the complex issues their industries face. Perhaps most importantly, diverse boards are more representative of the very communities they are meant to serve, which means they’re more likely to stand in solidarity in the face of challenge. Though ag boards are less homogenous than in years past, GET ON BOARD AG GROUPS NEED WIDER VARIETY OF LEADERS BY MELANIE EPP I PHOTOS BY PAULA CAMPBELL Experienced ag leaders, Tara Sawyer (left) and Connie Matson serve as members of the Alberta Grains interim board.