Meet Our Board
Our board is made up of volunteer producers from the five counties we serve.
We also have four Counties Councillors on our board including; Paintearth County,
Stettler County, Flagstaff County and Beaver County.
Donald Kroetch
President
Flagstaff County, Alberta
Don Kroetch is the Flagstaff County Reeve and has an enthusiasm to support Battle River research group.
Shawn Charbonneau
Board Member
Paintearth County, Alberta
My wife and I started our cow/calf operation here just west of Halkirk in 2006. We have since turned it into a family of five and are active in all things cattle from 4H to junior shows. My resume over the years is varied but has always been tied to agriculture in one way or another. As we have started our operation from scratch every little additional leg up is a huge help to survival (and unfortunately a day job also). Over the years we have been quick to assess and adopt management tools that make our operation more efficient. We have leaned on BRRG over the years and thought it was time to take on a more active role with the organization. I am always striving to turn my “3 day soil” into maybe a 4 or 5 day soil!!!
Kirk Sorensen
Board Member
Stettler County, Alberta
Kirk Sorensen is a farmer at heart that has worked at the Battle River Generating Station as a power engineer for over 30 years to pay the bills. He farms a 300 plus cow/calf operation with his wife Suzanne and family in the county of Stettler near Endiang with a land base that extends into the Paintearth county. He feels it is essential to have an independent research group in East Central Alberta to help producers figure out what works in this area. As a first year board member he hopes to add value to this producer driven resource group.
Stuart McMahon
Secretary
Flagstaff County, Alberta
Stuart McMahon is a 4th generation Flagstaff County grain farmer from Galahad. He and his wife Joanne have 3 boys all interested in agriculture. He loves farming in general, but particularly soil health, sustainability, business structures, and succession/transition planning. He is excited to join the board of BRRG to help steer research into areas of interest and need.
Dale Pederson
Board Member
Beaver County, Alberta
Learn more about Dale Pederson: https://www.beaver.ab.ca/council
Stan Schulmeister
Vice- President
County of Paintearth, Alberta
Learn more about Stan Schulmeister: https://www.countypaintearth.ca/council/council-member
Edmund Lefsrud
Board Member
Beaver County, Alberta
For more than 30 years, Lefsrud has dedicated his time to the Alberta and Canadian Seed Growers’ Associations and he has held several roles on these boards including the presidency for both the Alberta Seed Growers’ Association and the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association. For his significant and dedicated service, Lefsrud has received several awards including the Canadian Seed Growers’ Robertson Associate Award, the Long Service Award and the Outstanding Service Award.
Learn more about Edmund Lefsrud here: https://www.lakelandcollege.ca/feature-stories/general/Edmund-Lefrud-distinguished-alumni-2016.aspx