Meet the Team
Sarah Weigum - President
Sarah Weigum grew up on her family farm in Three Hills, Alberta. After obtaining a degree in English, Sarah initially pursued a career in journalism and communications. However, her passion for business and the opportunity to continue the family farm’s operations led her to return to Alect Seeds and continue her family’s legacy of seed production.
Currently, Sarah grows a variety of crops on the farm, including flax, barley, wheat, peas, faba beans, rye, contract grass seed, and canola. Her family has been growing certified seed for 40 years, with her father celebrating 40 years of certification in 2023. Her leadership skills and commitment to the advancement of the agriculture sector saw her serving on the Alberta Pulse Board and eventually joining the Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers Board in 2021. Since being back on the farm she has continued to write, contributing to Alberta Farmer Express and GrainsWestmagazine.
Sarah has recently ventured into a new farming partnership with her cousin. When not working on the farm, she enjoys spending her time with her Welsh Corgi puppy and participating in church activities. Sarah’s dedication to the agriculture industry and commitment to raising awareness around pressing issues in the sector has made her an emerging leader in Alberta’s Agriculture sector.
Carl Huvenaars - Vice President
Carl Huvernaars was born and raised in the Hamlet of Hays, Alberta, a small agricultural community between Medicine Hat, Taber and Brooks. He is a third-generation farmer and second-generation seed grower who grew up surrounded by pedigreed seed production through his family’s business.
Carl began farming in 2010 at the age of 20 when he rented his first field, purchasing land the following year. In 2014, he established his own seed retail outlet on the family farm and has continued to expand ever since. His farm now produces a variety of cereals, pulses and oilseeds for seed markets under irrigation. Carl is passionate about pedigreed seed, enjoys trying new approaches and values opportunities to meet customers and learn from different farming operations.
Carl is also active in his community. He has been a volunteer firefighter for 15 years, served as a director on the Hays Community Hall board and spent eight years as a director of the Taber Seed Cleaning Plant. He joined the ABCSG board in 2023 and attended the Ivey Academy at the Ivey Business School that same year. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, scuba diving and spending time with his wife, Rachael, and their daughter.
Luke Lindholm - Provincial Director
Luke grew up on his family farm outside of New Norway, Alberta. After attending Augustana College, he returned to his roots and enrolled at Olds College where he obtained a diploma in Agriculture Management.
Following that, Luke returned home to farm with his dad, Stevan Lindholm where they started Wellspring Seeds – alongside his wife, Erica, and mom, Carol.
Wellspring Seeds is a pedigreed seed farm growing different varieties of barley, wheat, peas, faba beans, canola and more recently, soybeans. They also operate a seed cleaning plant where they can handle all their cleaning needs.
Luke is excited to help move the Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers forward as a director and help navigate the years ahead. He has a passion for agriculture and want to do whatever I can to advocate for our industry while also providing support for the next generation of seed growers.
In his spare time, Luke enjoys golfing, playing volleyball and adventuring with my kids, Quinn and Klay.
Hannah Logan - Provincial Director
Hannah Logan was raised on her family’s farm, Wheatcrest Farms, near Lomond, Alberta, where she now represents the sixth generation. Established in 1906, Wheatcrest Farms has a long history of agricultural production, and Hannah is proud to continue that legacy. After graduating from Lethbridge College with a diploma in Crop and Soil Sciences, she continued her education at the University of Alberta, earning a degree in Agricultural Economics.
Hannah has worked in various agronomic roles with companies such as DuPont, Bayer, and BASF, gaining hands-on experience in corn research, canola production, and sales. Since 2019, she has been a certified seed grower and is proud to be the third generation in her family involved in pedigreed seed production. The pedigreed seed side of the business has been operating for over 35 years, and today the farm produces a wide variety of crops including flax, lentils, peas, wheat, durum, barley, faba beans, oats, rye, triticale, and contract seed canola.
Alongside her seed work, Hannah and her husband, Dalin, manage an accelerated lambing operation with commercial and purebred Polypay sheep, as well as a herd of purebred Arabians and American Shetland ponies. She also oversees Wheatcrest’s fullblood Limousin cattle program. At the core of all her endeavours is a deep commitment to superior genetics—driving performance, consistency, and quality across both the livestock and crop sides of the farm.
Outside of the farm, Hannah is active in the agriculture community. She serves as a tester for the Alberta Green Certificate program, a 4-H leader in her local club, and a director for the Next Generation Canadian Lamb Producers group. She also represents that group on the Canadian Sheep Federation board. Her dedication to mentorship, education, and innovation in agriculture drives her involvement on the Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers board, where she looks forward to contributing to the continued success and advancement of the seed industry.
Ernie Dyck - Director
Ernie Dyck farms in La Crete, Alberta, on the family operation where he was born and raised. In 2026, he marks 10 years as a seed grower — a milestone that reflects both growth and continual learning. On 1,000 acres, Ernie and his family produce wheat, barley, peas, oats, and canola, bringing dedication and hands-on expertise to their seed business, Fusion Seeds.
Ernie enjoys working with his hands, problem solving, and building or creating practical solutions on the farm. He approaches both farming and leadership with the mindset: “If man can do it, I can do it.” That determination guides him in tackling daily challenges, maintaining equipment, and contributing meaningfully at the board table.
He has previously served on his County Agricultural Service Board and as a UFA delegate, gaining valuable experience representing agricultural voices at the local level.
Ernie joined the Alberta-British Columbia Seed Growers (ABCSG) to deepen his understanding of the broader seed industry and to represent not only seed growers, but farmers more broadly. He is committed to strengthening the industry and ensuring it continues to serve producers effectively.
Outside of farming, Ernie enjoys road trips and camping with his family, exploring new places and spending time together.
Russell Wildeman - Provincial Director
Bio in progress.
Lori Oatway - National Director
A pedigreed seed and plot grower since 1997, Lori and her husband, Ward, own and operate Oatway’s Seed Farm near Clive, Alberta.
Lori works off-farm as a Research Scientist at Western Crop Innovations, leading the Quality Program, evaluating new grain and forage varieties for quality traits, giving her a deep understanding of the plant breeding process. Lori is a current member of the CFIA Plant Breeders’ Rights Advisory Committee and presents at conferences, works with sector partners, and engages in the Classroom Agricultural Program.
Outside work, Lori enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.
Chelsea Tomlinson - National Director
I have been in seed production for the last 20 years, while establishing and running my own first generation seed farm, True Seeds Ltd for the last 16 years. We focus on putting all the land into cereal and pulse pedigreed seed and grow commercial canola to fill the rotation. The farm’s mission is to provide farmers the highest-quality varieties along with new genetics that best serve their needs. First and foremost, is my dedication to my family, the support of which is paramount to the success of True Seeds. My passion for agriculture and drive to continually do better is a close second. I currently sit on the ABCSG seed board as our national representative and value the experience and networking opportunities that this has given me over the last few years.
Sarah Foster - Provincial Advisor
An internationally accredited seed analyst, Sarah has been involved in the seed industry since the late 1970s. With an early passion for plants, she has grown her background in botany into a leadership role in seed testing, seed physiology, crop inspection, and industry policy internationally. She strongly believes in bringing new ideas and innovations into the lab and the field for clients.
She studied and qualified as an accredited seed analyst at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge, England. Her career began as a seed analyst at Sharps Seed International in the UK and later on after immigrating to Canada in 1984 with The United Grain Growers.
In 1989 Sarah started 20/20 Seed Labs Inc. after Agriculture Canada began to privatize seed testing services. 20/20 Seed Labs continues to be a highly accredited, independent lab with three locations with industry-leading innovations, including research, trials, and novel testing.
20/20 Seed Labs has grown over the last 34 years and along with the Nisku location they provide services both in Winnipeg and Chile. 20/20 Seed Labs is an authorized ISTA laboratory and CFIA accredited along with holding membership in Seeds Canada, CSGA, SCST, and ISSS.
20/20 Seed Labs provides services for all crop kinds, including extensive quality and seed health analysis, molecular testing, and accredited crop inspection. They also do training, consulting, and provide space for grow-out trials in their greenhouse.
Sarah was the recipient of the Canadian Seed Trade Association 2013 Seed Achievement award and in 2017 received an Outstanding Service Achievement award from the Association of Alberta Seed Plants. In 2018 Sarah was a winner of the Business Edmonton and Business Calgary Entrepreneur of the Year. She has held various executive positions with the Commercial Seed Analysts Association of Canada, including the National President. As a technical auditor, Sarah is also involved with many committees, associations, and International Seed Testing Association.
Rob Graf - Provincial Advisor
Dr. Rob Graf is a retired plant breeder who has served as a science advisor to the ABCSG Board since 2008.
Rob was raised on a mixed-farm in the Humboldt, SK area and received his degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. He started his career as a spring wheat breeder with Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, where he worked for about 12 years. From there, he and his family moved to Lethbridge, where he led AAFC’s winter wheat breeding efforts in western Canada for 23 years, concentrating on simultaneous improvements in yield and agronomic type, disease and pest resistance, and end-use quality. During hiscareer, he contributed to the development of 30 cultivars, 15 as principal developer. His winter wheat varieties currently account for 95% of prairie acreage.
Dr. Graf continues to have significant impact within thecereal industry in Canada. He is a member of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Wheat, Rye and Triticale, where he served on the executive for 13 years. Rob is the past-chair of the Alberta Regional Variety Advisory Committee (ARVAC),where he was chair from 2011-2021. He has been a member of the CSGAPlant Breeders Committee since 2011, and has served on the Plant Breeders Rights Advisory Committee since 2015. Although formally retired, he also works part-time as a science advisor for SeedNet, a southern Alberta based pedigreed seed company.
Rob is the author or co-author of about 100peer-reviewed research articles.He has done extensive outreach, presenting at over 280 events over his career. Dr. Graf has been recognized with numerous awards, among the most recent being the 2020 Canadian Plant Breeding and Genetics Award, and the Canadian Society of Agronomy Distinguished Agronomist award in 2022.
Krista deMilliano - Alberta Government Advisor
Krista deMilliano currently serves as Alberta’s Chief Provincial Plant Health Officer. Raised on a cattle and grain farm near Lamont, Alberta, she developed an early interest in crop production that led her to earn a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Alberta. Her early career experience includes research, agricultural retail and municipal government, where she gained foundational experience with key provincial legislation governing pests and weeds.
With over a decade with Alberta’s Ministry of Agriculture, Krista has built expertise across business development, crop extension and policy. Her interest in emergency management – shaped by major provincial events such as the Fort McMurray wildfire and Southern Alberta floods – now informs her leadership in plant health preparedness. She works closely with specialists across government, industry and the Alberta Plant Health Lab to assess pest risks and translate scientific findings into policy recommendations.
In her current role, Krista leads Alberta’s coordinated response to plant health threats, oversees regulatory reviews, and engages with farmers, crop commissions and municipalities to strengthen the province’s resilience. Her work includes evaluating regulated species, monitoring emerging pest threats, and leading provincial readiness exercises.
Brenna Schilds - British Columbia Government Advisor
Brenna is a Professional Agrologist from the Peace River Region of British Columbia. She has been working for the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food as a Regional Agrologist since November 2020.
While her current position allows her to cover many different sectors within Agriculture, her specialty is grain and oilseed agronomy.
Adrienne Herron - General Manager
Adrienne Herron is the General Manager for the ABCSG. She has a Masters degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Alberta and is a Professional Agrologist. She grew up in the British Columbia Peace region and lives on a feedstock operation in Central Alberta.