Alberta Bulletin

Alberta Canola Producers Commission 2021 Board of Directors

The 31st Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission was held online on January 26, 2021. Following the Annual General Meeting, the board elected Kevin Serfas from Turin as the new chair, and Roger Chevraux of Killam as the new vice chair.

Alberta Canola is pleased to welcome a new director to the board. Justin Nanninga from Neerlandia, Alberta was elected by acclamation to represent Alberta Canola’s Region 5.

The board of Alberta Canola would like to thank outgoing Region 5 director John Guelly for all the hard work he has done on behalf of Alberta’s canola farmers.

John joined the board in 2015 and served on a variety of committees, including time as chair of the research committee and the governance & finance committee. John also served as vice chair for one year and as board chair for two years.

Visit albertacanola.com for more information on the board of directors, the committees that guide the board and Alberta Canola’s regions.

Board of Directors

• Region 1: Dan Doll, Fairview
• Region 2: Andre Harpe, Valhalla Centre
• Region 3: Denis Guindon, Falher
• Region 4: John Mayko, Mundare
• Region 5: Justin Nanninga, Neerlandia
• Region 6: Wayne Schneider, Nisku
• Region 7: Mike Ammeter, Sylvan Lake
• Region 8: Ian Chitwood, Airdrie
• Region 9: Kevin Serfas, Turin
• Region 10: Cale Staden, Vermilion
• Region 11: Roger Chevraux, Killam
• Region 12: Holly White, Rolling Hills

Thank you to John Guelly

Alberta Canola would like to thank outgoing director John Guelly for all the hard work he has done on behalf of Alberta’s canola farmers.

John joined the board in 2015 and held many positions including chair of the research committee and later the governance & finance committee. John also served as vice chair for one year and as board chair for two years.

John represented Alberta Canola on the Board of the Western Canadian Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee, the Governance Committee of the Canola Performance Trials, the Alberta Clubroot Management Committee, the Canola Council of Canada Blackleg and Clubroot Steering Committees and the National Canola Eat Well Steering Committee.

John’s steady hand at the helm and his unflappable demeanor helped him get through numerous media interviews and presentations to government advocating on behalf of farmers, especially during the “Harvest from Hell”, a phrase from his speaking notes that Karla Bergstrom helped write went viral when he described the horrific conditions farmers across Alberta were experiencing in the fall of 2019.

John’s dedication and passion for speaking out about clubroot helped raised the awareness of the rapidly spreading disease to many canola growing farmers and alerted them to new ways of managing the impact of the disease on their farms.

Once again, the board would like to thank John for his service and dedication, and a special thank you to his family for sharing him for the advancement of our remarkable industry. All the best in the future!

Tax Credit for the 2020 Tax Year Open to Canola Farmers in Alberta

Canola growers in Alberta that do not request a refund of their check off from the Alberta Canola Producers Commission qualify for a tax credit for the 2020 tax year.

The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit allows canola growers to claim the tax credit for that portion of the check off paid that was used to fund qualifying research.

“The tax credit is an additional benefit for growers who pay check-off on crops like canola”, says John Mayko a farmer from Mundare, and the chair of Alberta Canola’s research committee. “Farmers are funding research into finding agronomic solutions for growing canola and human nutritional research to help grow market demand. The SR&ED tax credits allows farmers to capture some of that investment back at tax time.”

The rate for Alberta canola producers in 2020 is 21.30 per cent. For example, for an individual grower that paid $1000.00 in check off to the Alberta Canola in 2020, $213.00 is eligible to earn the tax credit.

The tax credit can:

• offset federal taxes owing in the current year,
• be received as a tax refund,
• be carried forward up to 10 years to offset federal taxes owing, or
• be carried back 3 years to reduce federal taxes paid in those years.
• Individual producers must file a T2038 (IND). Farm corporations must file form T2SCH31.

Historical SR&ED percentages for Alberta Canola and links to more information from the Canada Revenue Agency can be found at albertacanola.com/SRED.

New Canola Production Video for Students

In the fall, Alberta Canola launched a terrific and short infographic animation on canola production, geared for upper elementary and junior high students in both English and French. The video and can be watched on learncanola.com/canola.