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Alberta Grains confirms executive leadership transitions following summer board meetings

Alberta Grains is pleased to confirm leadership transitions within the executive of its board of directors following recent board meetings in Calgary.

Scott Jespersen, a farmer from the Spruce Grove area, will formally transition from acting chair to chair of Alberta Grains. Jespersen has served as acting chair since May 2025, when former chair Tara Sawyer took a leave of absence following her nomination in the Olds–Didsbury–Three Hills by-election.

Devin Hartzler, a farmer from the Carstairs area and current Region 2 director, will move from acting vice-chair to vice-chair. Stewart Oke, a farmer from the Delburne area and current Region 3 director, has been elected to the vacant second vice-chair position.

“I’m honoured to officially take on the role of chair and continue serving Alberta’s wheat and barley farmers,” said Jespersen. “We have a strong board and leadership team, and I look forward to building on the progress we’ve made in research, market development, agronomy and policy advocacy.”

“We’ve made real strides in advocating for farmers and strengthening our industry, and I look forward to what we’ll accomplish together,” said Hartzler. “I’m excited to continue supporting the work Alberta Grains is doing to deliver value back to the farm gate.”

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Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.