Local farm food advocate named to council for Ag research

A local advocate for farm and food education has been named to a provincial government council on directing Alberta’s agricultural research agenda.

Nichole Neubauer has welcomed thousands of school children to her grain and cattle operation near Medicine Hat and Irvine over the years.

On Monday she was one of 11 new directors and executives named by Alberta Agriculture to “Results

Driven Agriculture

Research,” a new body that will give direction to the ministry’s $37-million research budget.

“I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to serve the agriculture sector in this capacity,” she told the News a statement.

This winter the ministry conducted a survey and held public sessions to determine a strategic change in research with the obvious goal of providing more producer-input into research priorities.

This new group will replace previous models of the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency and the Alberta Crop Industry Development Fund.

“Governments shouldn’t force ideology on research priorities — research priorities should be determined by industry. Research can be a massive springboard for economic growth and, with the right focus, RDAR can achieve that for Alberta’s farmers and ranchers.”

The operations will be supported by $2 million from a Canadian Agricultural Partnership and be led by Ag Ministry official Gerald

Hauer as the interim CEO and Alberta Innovates official Clinton Dobson as interim research director. Livestock researcher and veterinarian Dr. David Chalack is the founding chairman.

Other directors announced Monday are

Brian Otto, a Warner County barley grower; Tom Steve, the GM of Alberta Wheat Commission; Kelly Smith-Fraser, the chair of Alberta Beef Producers; Stanford Blade, the dean of

Agriculture Dept. at the University of Alberta; Matt Sawyer, the Sec. Treas. Of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Assoc.; Melissa Downing, of the Alberta Verified Beef program; and private sector researcher Vance Yaremko.