Laurel Feltin Becomes SARM Chief

Feb 18, 2025
By Denise Faguy
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

SARM Welcomes First Female Leader

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) has appointed Laurel Feltin as its new Executive Director (ED), making history as the first woman to hold this position. She officially stepped into the role on December 2, 2024, following the retirement of Jay Meyer.

Feltin has been a part of SARM for 20 years and is passionate about rural Saskatchewan. She values the strong community spirit and dedication of the province’s rural residents.

“SARM has been my home and passion for the last 20 years,” said Feltin, “but what draws me most to this role are our members. Rural Saskatchewan people have that can-do attitude. They’re the ones who volunteer, and they're the ones who step up to get things done. To me, being a part of that feels better than any accomplishment on my resume.”

“Having worked with Laurel these last nine years, I know first-hand the magnitude of her leadership, expertise, and work ethic. It’s my absolute privilege to continue working with her as SARM steps into this province’s next chapter—one that rural Saskatchewan will significantly influence, structure, and write,” said SARM’s Acting President, Bill Huber.

Feltin’s first major event as ED will be the SARM Annual Convention from March 11–13, 2025. She has set a clear goal for her tenure—building strong relationships with members.

“As someone who’s come up through SARM and benefited from the mentoring and care of those before me, I can tell you that I profoundly understand the value of being of service to others. That’s why I really want my focus this year to be on building relationships. That means seeing me walking around at conventions, not just shaking hands but asking members questions about what really matters to them. Yes, we hear their resolutions at sessions, but that’s not the same as getting a chance to touch base and find out what really matters to people at home. So that's my goal this year—listening, learning, and building relationships. I can’t imagine time more well spent,” said Feltin.

With her extensive experience and dedication, Feltin is set to lead SARM into a new era of growth and collaboration.

Phoyo Credit: Laurel-Feltin

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.