Alberta Sugar Beet Growers annual general meeting set for next week

By Kuhl, Nick on February 8, 2018.

Demi Knight

Southern Alberta Newspapers

dknight@prairiepost.com

The Alberta Sugar Beet Growers (ASBG) are bringing some sweetness to the province this month with its 2018 annual general meeting.

Next Wednesday at the Lethbridge Lodge and Conference Centre, the growers organization hosts its annual event that brings together industry professionals, producers and members of the public to talk about the industry, share annual reports and updates, offer a trade show for networking and driving consumer interest, all the while celebrating the sweetest crop in the province.

“The first portion of the day is open to absolutely everyone to attend. And we want to encourage everyone to come out and see what’s going on with the sugar beet crop at this year’s meeting,” says Melody Garner-Skiba, executive director of ASBG.

“Because this year’s annual general meeting falls on Feb. 14, one day after Canada Agriculture Day and on Valentine’s Day, the theme this year is ‘I Love Ag’.”

With hopes to share the latest updates on trends and the farming industry as a whole, as well as overcome challenges and possibilities for the future of this iconic crop within the province, Garner-Skiba says the meeting will last the entire day, but will be separated into two different sessions to cater to different audiences.

The morning portion, taking place from 9 a.m. until noon and open to all members of the public to attend, will consist of hearing reports on the ASBG organization, as well as updates from the Canadian Sugar Beet Association.

The morning will also see four separate presentations which will touch on agriculture safety, risk management programs, a trade update and a personal story of how with the help of a local product one man’s craft distillery has gone on to sell worldwide.

“The other element that we’re trying to add this year to our morning session is a trade show,” added Garner-Skiba. “We’re looking for vendors to join us at the meeting. Tables will be available so that our growers can network as well as increase and diversify farming operations.”

The afternoon session, which runs from 1:30-4:30 p.m., differs slightly and is only open to farmers, delegates and producers with ASBG. This portion of the meeting will furthermore touch on slightly different aspects of the sugar beet industry including business sessions and formal reports from the ASBG board, which Garner-Skiba says is typically only of interest to the actual growers themselves.

“Our president and vice-president will also take some time throughout the meeting to report on what’s happened throughout 2017 as well as touching on some of the challenges that we’ve had, amending our regulations and any obstacles that have been presented to us,” added Garner-Skiba.

With the event fast approaching and the trade show being added to this year’s lineup, tables are still available for vendors to purchase to showcase their products. Garner-Skiba says tables will be available up until three or four days prior to the event.

Tickets for the morning event are also available to all members of the public for a small fee, and can be purchased by contacting the ASBG office directly at (403)-223-1110 or through email at office@asbg.ca.

Stakeholders who also wish to attend this year’s event have a registration fee of $100.

Sugar Beet News |
via The Lethbridge Herald
February 8, 2018 at 11:50AM