This article appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of Pulse Crop News.

APG Past Chair Allison Ammeter was presented with the Pulse Promoter Award at the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) Annual General Meeting in January.

Ammeter was selected as the recipient of the Pulse Promoter Award to acknowledge the leadership role she played throughout 2016 International Year of Pulses (IYP).

“It was a great honour to be chosen as the recipient of SPG’s Pulse Promoter Award,” Ammeter said. “Being on the team to promote International Year of Pulses 2016 within Canada was very rewarding, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Being given this award by my peers at Saskatchewan Pulse Growers was over the top, ‘icing on the icing’, for me!”

Ammeter was also serving as APG Chair during IYP, and has long been a champion for pulses. She and her husband, Michael, operate a third-generation grain farm near Sylvan Lake where they crop approximately 2,000 acres in a rotation of canola, wheat, barley, faba beans, and peas, practicing minimum tillage and using variable rate seeding technology. In addition to her work supporting IYP, over the past three years Ammeter has also spearheaded initiatives with the foodservice industry, food ingredient companies, health professionals, schools, and media.

“There was a team of individuals from across the Canadian pulse industry that played a key role in the execution of activities related to International Year of Pulses,” said SPG Chair Tim Wiens. “Allison Ammeter was an instrumental part of that team. She stepped up to take on the role of Chair of the IYP Canada Committee early on in the preparation for IYP. In this role, she spent countless hours working with staff across Canada to ensure IYP was as successful as possible.”

The award, given out since 1994, has recognized many industry leaders including Saskatchewan Ag Hall of Fame member Dr. Robin Morrall, pulse farmer Lyle Minogue, and plant breeder Dr. Tom Warkentin. Last year’s recipient was Dr. Robert Tyler from the University of Saskatchewan, who was honoured for his contribution in the area of research and development, focusing on pulse ingredient utilization.

BASF Canada has been a long-time partner in the Pulse Promoter award.