Grainswest - Fall 2023

Fall 2023 grainswest.com 37 about the industry, and participating in board activities was enlightening and gratifying. “Seeing the change and progress within the organization, seeing research and policy projects that have been started and seeing them carried out and finished is rewarding.” To join a board, members must often step outside their comfort zone. Christi Friesen, region one director for the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, experienced this when she took on her first leadership role. She has previously served as a regional representative for the Alberta Wheat Commission and the Agricultural Service Board Provincial Committee. “My first meeting I was super nervous,” she admitted. “I feel like you need to find where you fit on the board.” Friesen believes boards are stronger when they invite women and younger members to the table. Women, she said, tend to be strong communicators who are nurturing and empathetic and are often closely connected with consumer opinion. She believes boards have difficulty recruiting in general because potential new candidates don’t know what board duties entail. “A lot of it comes down to self-confidence,” she said. “It’s the unknown. Until you see what work is done behind the scenes you just don’t know.” At 36, Friesen has often been the youngest board member at the table. Her goal is to get more young people into board positions. “If we don’t get people from younger generations, we are not going to have a say in what happens in the ag world,” she said. “That is my fear, that is my driver.” Fifth generation beef farmer Brodie Haugan agrees. In his ninth year as an Alberta Beef Producers regional delegate and fifth as a board director, the 33-year-old was elected the organization’s youngest ever chair in 2023. “Change is inevitable, and the agriculture industry is going to look a lot different very quickly as the Baby Boomer generation moves into that retirement phase,” said Haugan. Older farmers have built security into their operations to better mitigate risk, while younger farmers naturally don’t have as much leverage or security, he noted. “It’s important we learn from the past, but at the same time be realistic about what may be coming that is going to keep our industry moving forward.” NEW VOICES, FRESH PERSECTIVES Certain commissions have developed programs to cultivate new leaders. In the Manitoba Egg Farmers director-in- development program, participants study policy making and governance. With a comprehensive understanding of board operations, they are prepared to take on leadership roles. Program participants attend board meetings, engage in all discussions but do not have voting rights. “The program is meant to demystify the board,” said Cory Rybuck, the commission’s general manager. “Participants get a bird’s- eye view of how things work.” To date, four of eight program participants have become full board members. Perhaps the most fruitful succession plan among Canadian ag groups is the leadership programs offered by the provincial canola commission in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Canola Leaders program, hosted by the Alberta Canola Producers Commission was launched in 2016. Each year, 20 Alberta farmers are invited to study governance, policy, advocacy and strategic planning. They also learn how to engage with government and media. To date, 90 farmers have taken the program in Alberta, and some have subsequently served on the Alberta Canola board or with other crop commissions. “The success of the program is reflected in the leadership opportunities our alumni get involved in, regardless of geography, gender or farm size,” said Rick Taillieu, the organization’s director of engagement and analytics. The board itself is evidence of Taillieu’s comment. Five of its 12 current directors are women. As well, its members represent various farm sizes and age groups. “We’ve had times on our board where there’s been more than a 40,000- acre or 40-year age difference between directors,” said Taillieu. “Whenever we have more diversity, it has benefited the board immensely.” Any given agriculture sector is composed of a variety of viewpoints, skillsets and experience. To reflect this diversity at the board level requires work, commitment and a willingness to extend a hand, but the payoff is worth the effort. Certain ag commissions have successfully created programs to demystify board work for potential newmembers.