CIGI adds board members
Brent Watchorn, executive vice-president of marketing at Richardson International Ltd., and Lawrence Yakielashek, president of Alfred C. Toepfer, were recently named to the Canadian International Grains Institute board.
In June, the board approved a new governance model enabling board membership to expand to include representation from other stakeholders in the grain industry. Before this change, the board comprised members from CIGI’s founding organizations: Agriculture Canada, CWB and the Canadian Grain Commission.
The board now has seven members from a cross section of the industry, including farmers, marketers and exporters: chair Murdoch MacKay, vice-chair Henry Van Ankum, secretary Jim Wilson, Randy Johner, LeRon Torrie, Watchorn and Yakielashek.
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Investing in skills training to boost productivity
The Saskatoon Trades and Skills Centre will use $200,000 in federal funding to deliver safety training for operating industrial equipment.
The centre works with partners and institutions to help people in the Saskatoon community get a job in the trades. The funding will help buy a steel-frame, fabric-covered structure to house new equipment, including a skid steer, jackhammer, impact drill, industrial saws and roof harness rigs. The equipment will be used in training programs.
Students will learn the appropriate safety procedures and operating principles of the equipment in addition to their practical training.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council is contributing $140,000 toward training costs so that urban First Nations youth have greater access to the centre’s programs.
Local employers in the construction industry will contribute an additional $60,000 in the form of wages for on-the-job training.
The centre is contributing $300,000 to adapt its training schedule to better meet industry demand for enhanced skill sets.
Scholarships presented to ag, broadcasting students
Three students pursuing an education in broadcasting or agriculture were recently awarded the Bill Kehler Memorial Scholarships.
Scholarships of $2,500 each were presented to Brianne Harney, Annie Rosia and Caitlyn Best.
Harney is enrolled in the University of Saskatchewan’s Edwards School of Business, where she is focusing her efforts on commerce.
Rosia is pursuing her post secondary education in agriculture and bioresources at the U of S.
Best is studying veterinary medicine at the U of S’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
The scholarships are awarded to up to four recipients each year who are pursuing post-secondary education and who demonstrate an interest in agriculture, rodeo or broadcasting.
Students must submit an essay detailing their future academic and career goals, the course of study, the institution where they will study and the steps they have taken to achieve these goals, including volunteer work, paid positions and other awards received.
The essay must also reflect how the applicant will be a good ambassador for Kehler’s legacy.
Known as the voice of Canadian Finals Rodeo, Spruce Meadows and the Calgary Stampede, Kehler demonstrated a life-long commitment to rodeo, broadcasting and the agriculture industry.
Nominate a flood hero
Albertans have until Dec. 20 to share stories of heroism through Alberta’s Heroes of the Flood initiative.
The program recognizes people who went above and beyond during the June 2013 floods.
More than 400 nominations have been received, recounting stories of help and resiliency.
Anyone involved in the flood emergency, aftermath and recovery, including friends, neighbours, first responders, public service members, and non-profit representatives, can be nominated online.
Nominators should include anything that helps share their story, including pictures, videos, news clippings and web links.
Each nominee will be recognized with a certificate of thanks signed by Alberta premier Alison Redford.
A panel will select exceptional heroes from among the nominees.
Royal fair appoints ag director
Peter Hohenadel has been appointed director of agriculture and food for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Hohenadel will work with fair staff and volunteers to ensure that its agricultural competitions attract the best in Canadian livestock and crops.
He will continue to develop partnerships and exhibits that tell the story of how food is produced and consumed, from farm to table.
An agriculture graduate of the University of Guelph, Hohenadel has worked as a farm journalist and in advertising.
