Scott Jespersen has been named the acting chair for Alberta Grains.
Chair Tara Sawyer is taking a leave of absence effective immediately following her appointment by Premier Danielle Smith as the United Conservative Party (UCP) candidate for the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills by-election.
Sawyer, a wheat and barley farmer from Acme, Alberta, was elected as Alberta Grains’ inaugural chair in 2023 after the amalgamation of the Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions.
Jespersen, a grain farmer from Spruce Grove, Alberta, serves as a Region 5 director with Alberta Grains and brings several years of experience on the board.
Second vice chair Devin Hartzler, a grain farmer from Carstairs and Region 2 director, now becomes acting vice-chair.
The second vice-chair position will be filled following an election at the next Alberta Grains board meeting in July 2025.