The National Farmers Union has a new President

Dec 07, 2022

Jenn Pfenning of New Hamburg, Ontario was elected during the group's National Convention.

Pfenning is the Director of Human Resources, Marketing and Operations at Pfenning's Organic Farm and has served on numerous agriculture food-related boards and is a past president of the Organic Council of Ontario.

She takes over the organization's top spot with the retirement of Katie Ward who served as president of the organization for the last four years.

Rounding out the NFU board table:

First Vice President (policy) is Stewart Wells of Swift Current, Saskatchewan

Second Vice President Is Al Birchard of Verwood, Saskatchewan

Women's President is Bess Vanzandwyk of Montney, British Columbia

Women's Vice-President is Kumari Gurusamy of Ottawa, Ontario

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Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.