Alberta potato researcher Colby Robertson has been picked as one of the 25 Canadian Agricultural Youth Council members, Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, says in a news release on July 24.
Robertson is currently working as an agricultural summer student for a potato processing business in southern Alberta. He grew up an acreage near a small Manitoba town with a rich agricultural history. He received his bachelor of science in agriculture and the University of Manitoba and recently completed his master of science at the University of Lethbridge with a focus on commercial potato production.
“A priority I have as a council member is to investigate and recommend improvements for aiding young agriculturalists in accessing capital for starting their own business. Additionally, I will seek opportunities to improve succession planning and address its role in ensuring Canadian farms continue to be sustainable,” Robertson says in the release.
Robertson was chosen from more than 800 applications. His fellow council members represent a diverse mix of subsectors from across the agriculture and agri-food sector, as well as from every province and the North, the release notes.
The council will act as a consultative body to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. It will have the opportunity to offer suggestions on government policies, as well as identify problems and propose solutions on issues that matter most to them, all while developing leadership skills and building professional relationships.
The inaugural virtual meeting of the group will take place in August.
