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Executive team returns to Alberta Grains

Following Alberta Grains’ Annual General Meeting held last week in Banff, Alta. during the Prairie Cereals Summit, the commission is pleased to announce its board of directors and executive team.

Tara Sawyer, who farms near Acme, continues as board chair. Spruce Grove area farmer Scott Jespersen is first vice-chair, and Devin Hartzler who farms near Carstairs is the second vice-chair.

She served as the inaugural chair starting in January 2024.

“I’m incredibly grateful to continue to serve as the chair for Alberta Grains,” she said. “We have an incredibly passionate group on our board who bring an extensive range of diverse skills and backgrounds, all with the same goal of advancing grain production and awareness in Alberta and across Canada.”

After a series of regional meetings in October and November to conduct elections, Alberta Grains introduces the newly elected directors:

• Region 1: Dean Hubbard, David Bishop

• Region 2: Devin Hartzler, Tara Sawyer

• Region 3: Stewart Oke, Dick Wymenga

• Region 4: Shawn Jacula

• Region 5: Scott Jespersen, Harvey Hagman

• Region 6: Greg Sears, Tasha Alexander

Alberta Grains Executive Director Mike Flynn said every decision made at the board table is based on how to best benefit Alberta farmers.

“With solid governance, varied perspectives and thoughtful discussions, I’m proud of the board that we’ve formed and eager to work with them to meet our goals at every step. I’m excited to see how this committed group of farmers will continue driving our industry forward,” Flynn said.


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Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.