On July 8th, elected officials and agricultural stakeholders gathered near Airdrie for a farm tour hosted by Team Alberta Crops—a collaboration between seven provincial crop commissions: Alberta Grains, Alberta Canola, Alberta Pulse Growers, Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, Potato Growers of Alberta, Alberta Beekeepers Commission, and the Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers. Together, these organizations represent over 20,000 Alberta farmers and work collectively to bring forward a unified voice on shared on-farm issues.
The event welcomed MLAs from across the province, municipal councillors, Agricultural Service Board members, and industry representatives. MLA Jennifer Johnson (Lacombe–Ponoka) brought greetings on behalf of Premier Danielle Smith, recognizing the immense economic value that Alberta’s crop producers bring to the province.
Hosted at Chitwood Farms, the day featured a guided tour and discussion sessions covering key priorities: international trade and market access, regulatory hurdles, environmental sustainability, and competitiveness through innovation. These policy pillars reflect some of the top concerns facing Alberta farmers this year, and each session offered insights directly from producers about how policy decisions impact day-to-day operations.
The Q&A sessions were a highlight, providing an open forum for farmers to speak directly with policymakers about the realities they face—from inconsistent rail service and regulatory bottlenecks to the challenges of water management and the need for investment in research capacity. Farmers also shared forward-looking ideas for how government can support resilience and long-term prosperity in the sector.
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