Barley Council of Canada Board and Staff
Directors
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Saskatchewan Barley Development CommissionZenneth Faye was raised on the family farm near West Bend, SK in the Parkland Region of Saskatchewan. He attended university in Saskatoon where he received his Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. He worked for John Deere Canada until he and his wife Cindy returned to the farm on a full-time basis. Zenneth subsequently started a small manufacturing business, which designed and built cattle handling and feeding equipment and managed a 100-cow commercial beef cattle herd.
Faye became a Director for the Saskatchewan Canola Growers Association and subsequently the inaugural Chair of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission. He was also the Western Vice-President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association along with roles in multiple other organizations.
Zenneth along with researchers from the University of Saskatchewan developed a technology to produce Biodiesel and many other coproducts from off-grade canola seed and Milligan Bio- Tech Inc. was started, for which he was General Manager.
In 2012, Zenneth was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contribution to Agriculture in Canada, and he was inducted into the Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2013.Zenneth has been on the board of BCC since 2014, on the Executive Committee since 2017, and Chair of the board since 2019. -
Atlantic Grains CouncilNeil Campbell became interested in agriculture growing up in a potato-farming community in Prince Edward Island. That interest motivated him to do a year of agri-business studies though the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro.
After his studies, Neil entered the grain trade, working first for Shur-Gain, then joining the PEI Grain Elevators Corporation in 2003. He worked in various positions, which lead to him becoming General Manager in 2012. In this position he is very involved in the agriculture industry in Atlantic Canada.Neil joined the team at the Atlantic Grains Council, a Moncton-based organization that represents Maritime growers nationally, in the position of Member-at-Large in 2016, and has represented the Council on the Board of Directors of BCC since 2019, taking on the role of Vice Chair, which he still occupies. -
Grain Farmers of Ontario
Jeff Harrison is a self-employed farmer and president/owner of Jeff Harrison Farms Ltd. He has 27 years experience as an Ontario grain producer, producing corn, soybeans, cereals and vegetable crops, among others. Jeff has an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree in Agricultural Business from the University of Guelph.
Jeff is actively involved in provincial and national commodity and producer organizations. He has been a Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) delegate since its inception in 2010, a GFO Provincial Director (District 12) since 2016, and a GFO Executive member since 2019, as well as serving on multiple GFO committees. Jeff is also a provincial appointee to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA’s) Grain Financial Protection Board and an American National Soybean Association Young Leader.
Jeff has been a director on the board of BCC since June 2018, and became Treasurer in February 2020. -
Representative of Alberta BarleyBrent Konstapel grew up on the family farm, established by his grandfather and father, near Spirit River, Alberta, north of Grand Prairie. Prior to returning to farming full time in 2012, Brent worked in oil field well testing and at a chemistry company warehouse. He currently farms with his parents and brother.Brent is the director for region six on the Alberta Barley board of directors, and joined the Barley Council of Canada board in February 2020.
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Manitoba Crop Alliance
Rauri Qually lives and works on his family’s grain farm in Dacotah, Manitoba. He is in the process of succeeding the farm from his father. Rauri graduated in 2017 with a diploma in Agriculture from theUniversity of Manitoba.For 11 years Rauri worked in the city of Winnipeg and all over Canada as an electrician and still runs a small side business today servicing local farms and the community.Rauri has always been an active member of his community, such as helping with local hockey, the Dacotah Historical Society and assisting the community as needed.Rauri has gained experience on commodity boards and as a director will listen and learn, and voice peoples’ questions and concerns. -
Brewing & Malting Barley Research Institute (Executive Director)Gina Feist is the Executive Director of the Brewing and Malting Barley Research Institute (BMBRI), a not for profit member organization comprised of maltsters, brewers, seed companies and the barley commissions. The primary purpose of BMBRI is to support the
development of new Canadian malting barley varieties that are profitable for growers and meet the premium standards of BMBRI members and their customers.
Throughout her career Gina has worked in diverse research related roles; starting at the lab
bench early in her career, moving on to business development and intellectual property
management, and prior to joining BMBRI she was the research program manager at the
Western Grains Research Foundation. Gina has a BSc., a Masters of Business Administration
and is a Professional Agrologist (PAg).Gina joined the Barley Council of Canada board in 2019. -
Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre (Managing Director)Using its pilot-scale malting and brewing facilities, the role of the CMBTC is to ensure Canada is a leader in supplying high-quality malting barley to the global malting and brewing industries. This is achieved by providing technical services, marketing support, training and education as well as applied research services to the Canadian malting barley value chain.
In his role as Managing Director, Peter oversees the operations and financial management of the CMBTC. In his past life, Peter worked with Pulse Canada as Director of Market Innovation and as a Market Analyst with the Canadian Wheat Board. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Laval University.Peter joined the Barley Council of Canada board in 2019. -
Beer Canada Interim PresidentLuke Chapman leads Beer Canada’s government, economic and technical affairs. Born in Picton, Ontario, Luke joined Beer Canada in 2013. He played for the Carleton Ravens basketball team for 4 years and is happy to talk about beer, sports, and health. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Society of Association Executive’s CAE Program. Luke has been Interim President of the Association since January 2020, and joined the Barley Council of Canada board in 2020.
Staff
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Barley Council of Canada Executive DirectorErin Armstrong has had a long career in agriculture in Canada. She currently holds the position of Executive Director of the Barley Council of Canada (BCC). In this role she is responsible for oversight of the organization, implementation of the strategic plan, and member engagement.
Prior to joining BCC in July, 2019, Erin worked for Canterra Seeds for 11 years, during which she also served for two years as the inaugural CEO of Limagrain Cereals Research Canada (LCRC), a joint venture cereal breeding company established by Limagrain and Canterra Seeds. Previous to her time in the seed industry, Erin spent 14 years in the malting & brewing industry.
Erin currently sits on the boards of Canada Grains Council (representing BCC) and AgWest Bio, as Vice Chair.
Erin holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and a PhD in
Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa. -
Director, Grower & Industry ProgramsGrowing up, Kara Barnes spent time every summer on her grandparents mixed farm in southwest Saskatchewan, and has been involved with agriculture in some form or another ever since. Kara holds a bachelor of science in biological sciences and is currently wrapping up a master’s degree in agriculture and resource economics from the University of Alberta. She spent time interning with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development before joining Alberta Barley in April 2013.
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Chief Financial Officer & Director of Human ResourcesSyeda Khurram took on the role of Alberta Barley’s accountant in early 2011, which evolved into the joint finance and human resources manager position with the Alberta Wheat Commission in 2013. Coming from an agricultural family with farms in India and Pakistan, Syeda strongly believes in the importance of agriculture locally, nationally and internationally. She is thrilled to be part of Alberta Barley’s highly motivated and supportive management team. Syeda moved from Dubai to Canada in 2001. She has nine years of accounting and finance experience through her work at Empathica Inc., Globalive Communication Corp. and Citi Accounting. Her skills include financial analysis, budgeting, internal controls, financial reporting, human resources leadership, financial modeling and growth management. Since joining Alberta Barley in 2011, Syeda has successfully altered and implemented numerous organizational procedures and policies. She has also implemented an updated human resources system for the organization. During a period of extreme change in the industry, Syeda has managed the Western Canadian Deduction program for Alberta Barley since its launch in August 2012. Syeda holds an undergraduate degree in honours accounting and finance from York University and is also working towards enrolling in an executive MBA program. She is slated to graduate in 2014 as a Certified General Accountant from the Certified General Accountant’s Association of Canada.
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Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations
Brenna Mahoney has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology, with a major in Clothing and Textiles/Textile Sciences, with a focus on production of technical fibers and fibers for apparel and non-apparel end-uses, from the University of Manitoba. After working for 12 years in purchasing, operations, and management she received certifications in Human Resource Management and Management Development from Red River College. She has significant experience working in project management, operations management, and value chain industries (textile production and garment logistics).
Brenna has a passion for agriculture and working with members of the Cereals value-chain to ensure positive collaboration from all aspects of the Canadian agricultural industry.
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info@barleycouncil.com
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