Dissatisfaction at the top of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association leadership chain has led the organization to reshuffle its executive positions.
At the end of February, the board of directors ousted president Dennis Fuglerud on a confidence motion, which was followed by the resignation of second vice-president Jack Hextall. Both men remain on the board as past-president and member at large, respectively.
Orin Balas of Ponteix, who has assumed the presidency, said the board believed decisions were being made without full consultation, and members weren’t satisfied with the organization’s direction.
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The new executive also includes Ross Beierbach of Maple Creek as first vice-president and Michael Burgess of Big Beaver as second vice-president.
The executive is typically elected from among board members after the association’s annual meeting in June.
There had been rumblings for years among SSGA members about whether the interests of cow-calf producers were being adequately represented.
The issue came to a head in late February when the executive terminated the employment of the general manager without consulting all board members, as the organization’s labour policy requires.
The manager, Sheila Fishley, has since been reinstated.
Alberta Beef Producers, meanwhile, has parted ways with its general manager, Peggy LeSueur. She had been on the job since July 2005 and had been the organization’s third GM in nine months.
“At the annual meeting of ABP in December, a new board and executive were elected,” said the March 19 issue of ABP’s Grass Routes newsletter.
“There was a difference in management philosophy that prompted the board to end Peggy’s association with the organization.”
Rich Smith, the association’s environmental manager, is acting as interim GM. Lori Creech has signed on as communications manager and Lindsay Metheral has joined ABP as a program assistant.
