The Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission will hold producer elections this fall to fill three seats on the its board of directors.
Harvey Brooks, general manager at Sask Wheat, said seven Saskatchewan wheat producers filed nominations papers prior to the Oct. 2 deadline.
Candidates in the election will include Dan Danielson of Saskatoon, Scott Hepworth of Assiniboia, Gene Lahey of Lacadena, Rick Lindsay of Arborfield, Laura Reiter of Radisson, Bill Rosher of Kindersley and Scott Sefton of Broadview.
Danielson, Reiter and Rosher are incumbents completing a two-year term at Sask Wheat and will be seeking re-election, this time for a four-year term.
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“We are encouraged by the response we received to the call for nominations this election season,” says board chair Bill Gehl.
“These numbers prove what we have always believed to be true, that Saskatchewan wheat producers take pride and ownership in their industry and want to keep building a long-term future.”
About 23,000 registered wheat growers in the province will receive mail-in ballots in the next few weeks.
Registered voters will have 30 days to return their ballots. All ballots must be received by Dec. 2.
This is the second election held by the commission.
Sask Wheat’s inaugural board members were elected in 2013 and took office in January 2014.
The top four vote-getters in the 2013 election were assigned to four-year terms while the next three highest vote-getters were assigned to two-year terms.
Successful candidates in the 2015 election will be announced in December and will take their positions at the board table in January, during the commission’s annual general meeting in Saskatoon.
Earlier this month, three nominees announced their intention to seek election.
Saskatchewan wheat producers Lahey, Sefton and Hepworth launched a joint campaign under the moniker “Team Wheat.”
A campaign website located at www.teamwheat.ca says the three growers are dedicated to making “wheat check-off dollars work more effectively.”
Among other things, Team Wheat candidates are calling for more investments in agronomic research, increased funding for variety development, the promotion of wheat as a nutritional and healthy food choice and the establishment of performance trials across the province.
Improved performance trials will ensure that the province’s farmers have better access to independent evaluations of new varieties and technologies, the Team Wheat candidates said.
“Wheat producers want and need to see improved research as well as new markets for wheat, at home and abroad,” said Sefton.
“That’s how we’re going to move the wheat sector forward in Saskatchewan.”
The Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission will also fill three vacant board seats this fall.
In that election, Saskatchewan barley producers Zenneth Faye from West Bend, Daryl Fransoo from Galslyn and Larry Spratt from Melfort have also launched a joint campaign known as Team Barley.
Details of that campaign can be viewed online at www.teambarley.ca.
brian.cross@producer.com
