This article appeared in the Fall 2013 issue of Pulse Crop News.

Leanne Fischbuch, Executive Director

Like all producers, Alberta Pulse Growers’ staff has been waiting to see how the 2012-13 harvest comes in. Again, we are expecting over 1 million acres of pulse crops to contribute to the agri-food industry in Alberta. We have not been idle this summer just waiting for the harvest, though; we have been across the province this summer spreading the good word about pulses.

One of the most anticipated events of the summer was the Canadian Special Crops Association (CSCA) Conference, which was to be held in Calgary on June 22 to June 25. APG’s Zone 2 was working hard to provide a spectacular tour of the Alberta Zone for international delegates attending the conference. The unfortunate natural disaster of the greatest flood event in Alberta’s most recent history stopped all the events in their tracks, though, and the CSCA conference and all activities planned around it, including the APG Zone 2 tour, were cancelled. I would like to thank the Zone 2 members who worked very hard to plan for a great tour, and specifically Les Bell and Doug Sell. I know it would have been a fantastic success. Late July, the final call was made and the CSCA conference was cancelled for 2013. While unfortunate, we are looking forward to next year’s CSCA, which will be held in Saskatoon.

As crop walk season started, APG staff tried to make it out to as many events as we possibly could. The opportunity at the crop walks to hear from growers and discuss what is on the minds of our members is extremely important. When we entered the season early on, we were one staff member short, and as the season ramped up, we were pleased to have Sydney Vos, join our staff as our Member Relations Coordinator. From the first day, Sydney was launched into her new role and joined other staff members on the crop walk circuit. I hope you had a chance to meet Sydney at one of the walks, but if not, please read her story in this issue of PCN to get to know her a bit better and follow her on twitter at @APGSydney.

While Sydney joined the staff, in late August, we will be saying good-bye to another staff member, Communications Coordinator Jennifer Blair. Jennifer has been with APG for the past two years and has led the significant rebranding effort and web development for the organization. She has also been the Editor behind Pulse Crop News for over eight editions and has been a pulse promoter to the social media scene, advancing the public’s awareness and use of pulses in their daily recipes. We will miss her consumer focus and her skills and abilities in the area of communications, and we wish her well in her new role as she will continue to develop her passion for writing and support of the agriculture industry.

Science was also on the APG agenda this summer, gaining support and approval from the federal government for the Agri-Science Innovation Pulse Cluster Application. In late July came the news from Minister Ritz announcing the $15 million investment for the Pulse Cluster. This will support research and innovation in the pulse industry for the next five years, effective April 1, and will create broader collaboration from across Canada on pulse research. APG is looking forward to working with Pulse Canada and the other grower groups from across the nation in finalizing the Cluster funding and getting the research up and running.

While producers are out harvesting, APG staff will be having the following key activities on our agenda for the next few months. We are already in preparation for Zone meetings, and we encourage you to mark your calendars for dates and meeting locations in your area. Meetings will start the second week of November and carry on until the second week of December. We look forward to dialoging with you about the past year and hearing your comments and concerns as we move forward.

APG is also in the middle of a regulatory review; it is APG’s turn to open up our regulations to review and recommend any changes. We have a subcommittee of Commissioners and staff who are working on the recommendations, and we will be asking for feedback on our direction as we move forward with any legislation changes.

Soon, registration for FarmTech will also be opening up. As a host organization, APG would encourage you to consider attending FarmTech. It is the best Western Canadian Agriculture Conference out there, and the line-up for this year is looking fantastic. APG also holds our Annual General Meeting during the event, and we would like to extend an invitation to pulse growers to join us on January 29 at FarmTech to hear more of what APG has been doing this past year. We will also be featuring an update from Pulse Canada during our AGM. Executive Director’s Message Leanne Fischbuch, Executive Director

Please drop me a line anytime with your thoughts and comments about APG. I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me at lfischbuch@pulse.ab.ca. Have a safe and prosperous harvest!