Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) welcomed two new directors to its Board at the association’s Annual General Meeting held on Feb. 14 during the CropConnect Conference at the Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn. Brendan Philips, a farmer from the Hartney area and Glenboro farmer Hailey Jefferies were elected by acclamation, following the resignation of former MPSG Chair Jason Voth and the term expiry of Director Albert Turski.
Albert and Jason were honoured at the AGM with a plaque and framed picture. Albert served on the Board for nine years and Jason for seven. MPSG is grateful for their hard work serving Manitoba’s pulse and soybean industry.
Directors Rick Vaags and Ben Martens were re-elected by acclamation at the AGM, after which a reorganization meeting was held.
MPSG Director John Preun let his name stand for Chair and received unanimous support from the Board. Director Calvin Penner was nominated for the Vice-Chair position and accepted the post.
“We look forward to getting to know Brendan and Hailey, and we’re quite excited to see what the next few years will look like under the leadership of John and Calvin,” says MPSG Executive Director Francois Labelle. “It looks as though Manitoba’s pulse and soybean farmers and are in good hands and will be well represented.”
About Hailey Jefferies
Hailey Jefferies was born and raised in Brandon, Manitoba. After high school, she attended George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, where she graduated with an honors degree in Business. Upon completion at George Brown College, Hailey worked for a medical device company called Alcon Canada, before deciding to become an Entrepreneur. After marrying her husband, Cale Jefferies in 2015 and moving back to the prairies from southern Ontario, Cale joined his 5th generation family seed business – Jefferies Seeds.
With the thought that there may be a “missing link,” Hailey has been dedicated to marketing faba beans as an ingredient to help drive demand, and furthermore, help create a market for farmers to sell to. To date, Hailey has been instrumental in signing a deal with a large distribution company in Canada, and is in the process of working with food manufacturers and processors in the both the United States and China. Hailey is very excited about the future of the pulse sector as a whole, and is certainly excited about the opportunities available with faba beans, especially with new varieties coming to light that will be better for the human consumption market.
About Brendan Phillips
Brendan Phillips is a producer from southwestern Manitoba, near the town of Hartney. He is the fourth generation to farm at his current location. Brendan joined his family’s farm full-time in 2012. Prior to doing so, he attended the University of Manitoba where he obtained his BSc in Agriculture majoring in Agronomy. Brendan, with the help of his family, grows soybeans, canola, wheat and corn on their 7,500-acre farm.
Brendan is interested in the areas of agronomy, research and marketing. In addition to farming, Brendan participates on several local boards in his community. Brendan likes spending time with family and friends and enjoys sports and the outdoors in his spare time. He lives on his family’s farm with his wife Jaclyn and their two young children. Brendan is excited to join the Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers association Board of Directors and looks forward to getting involved in research, communications and market development.
About MPSG
The Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) is a non-profit, member-based corporation representing more than 4,000 farmers in Manitoba who grow pulses, including edible beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, faba beans and soybeans. MPSG provides Manitoba pulse grower members with production knowledge and market development support, through focused research, advocacy and linkages with industry partners.
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For more information, please contact:
Toban Dyck
Director of Communications
Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers
204.227.8875
toban@manitobapulse.ca
Francois Labelle, PAg
Executive Director
Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers
204-745-6488 (ext 2)
francois@manitobapulse.ca