Plan of Action - Strategic Plan Redefines the Commission’s Direction and Goals

With the assistance of consulting firm InVision Edge, Alberta Grains created a four-year strategic plan over consultation sessions held in spring of 2024. Covering the 2024 through 2027 crop years, it will be reevaluated annually. Entitled The Way Forward, the document updates and refines the commission’s directions and goals and details the actions needed to achieve these aims.

“The plan effectively reminds us it is farmer dollars that fund the initiatives we undertake,” said Michael Flynn, Alberta Grains executive director. “There was exceptional input from the staff, directors and delegates into the creation of the plan. And alignment among the stakeholder groups proved to be very strong.”

This comprehensive rethink produced three big goals. The first is for Alberta Grains to be the go-to organization in the province for input and guidance on grain and trade issues. “We endeavour to be timely and precise in response to information requests from media or government on grain and trade issues,” said Shannon Sereda, director of government relations, policy and marketing. “The world of policy, politics, economics and market dynamics is ever-changing,” she added. “We build and maintain relationships across government and industry. This is to ensure Alberta Grains is poised to respond to challenges on behalf of the farmers we represent.”

Alberta Grains also intends to increase farmer engagement with targeted and efficient delivery of messaging. By better connecting with membership, and launching new partnerships with peer organizations, it will expand its profile and encourage the active participation of farmers in commission initiatives.

“Increasing farmer engagement across the province will provide direct benefit to our membership,” said Harley Groeneveld, Senior Communications & Marketing Specialist. “Strategically, increased engagement will create more awareness of our brand and help demonstrate how the organization advocates for Alberta farmers and the industry as a whole.”

The third pillar of the plan is to become a trusted leader in research and extension. This will start with the establishment of clear guidelines for the funding of grants. It will also be realized by sharing results and conclusions with the entire agriculture industry and trumpeting the value of this work to the public. This will ensure government prioritizes Alberta Grains for funding dollars.

“By clarifying research funding guidelines, Alberta Grains makes sure the money farmers invest goes toward projects that truly benefit them, whether it’s improving crop yields and reducing losses or increasing crop value and reducing costs,” said Jeremy Boychyn, director of research agronomy and extension. “It ensures funding decisions are fair, transparent and focused on practical solutions that help Alberta farmers succeed.

“Sharing research results with the ag industry and farmers helps keep everyone informed about new practices and innovations developed through research funding that can improve farming operations. This helps farmers make well-informed decisions based on proven data.”

The Way Forward will be available online at albertagrains.com this spring.