Saskatoon (January 20, 2020) - The Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (Sask Wheat) have elected Brett Halstead as the Board Chair and Jake Leguee as Vice-Chair.
Halstead operates a mixed farm near Nokomis. He was first elected as a Sask Wheat Director in November 2017. He served as a director of SaskCanola for eight years and represented SaskCanola on the Board of the Canadian Canola Growers Association. Halstead also served for seven years on the Western Standards Committee.
Jake Leguee was elected to the Sask Wheat Board of Directors in November 2017. He is a third-generation farmer who farms close to Weyburn, growing a variety of crops. Leguee has a degree in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in agronomy, and writes a blog called A Year in the Life of a Farmer.
“I am honoured my fellow Directors have elected me as Board Chair,” says Halstead. “I would like to thank outgoing Chair Laura Reiter, who served on the Sask Wheat Board of Directors for the past six years and has reached her term limits. Laura took on several roles on Sask Wheat committees and represented Sask Wheat on the Boards of the Canadian International Grains Institute (Cigi) and Cereals Canada. Her dedication to Saskatchewan’s wheat producers is undeniable and we thank her and fellow outgoing Directors Dan Danielson and Scott Hepworth for their contributions and accomplishments.”
The previous crop year was challenging for Saskatchewan wheat producers in terms of weather and trade issues, and Halstead acknowledges Sask Wheat has much work ahead of it. “The Board of Directors of Sask Wheat is focussed on addressing current and emerging issues,” he says. “Bringing new opportunities to wheat producers through collaboration with other crop commissions in Saskatchewan and across Canada is a priority for Sask Wheat.
“Our objective is to increase the profitability of producing wheat in Saskatchewan by making strategic investments in research, advocating for new marketing opportunities, and providing the latest agronomic information through our events such as Think Wheat and CropSphere. We will continue to work hard on behalf of Saskatchewan’s wheat producers.”