Manitoba farm group leadership change

There has been a change in senior leadership for a Manitoba farm group. 

Jim Smolik has been hired as the interim executive director of the Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP). 

Smolik started his career as a third-generation farmer in Dawson Creek, B.C. During his time farming, he gained experience in leadership and influencer roles through provincial and national producer associations. He left the farm to become a senior decision-maker at Canada’s grain regulatory agency and later went on to become the head of government relations and corporate affairs for a multinational agri-food and ingredients supplier. Currently, he is a principal with Osborne Interim Management and continues to be involved in all aspects of agriculture through the Ag Advisory Council. 

Smolik said he is familiar with KAP, having worked on a contract basis with the organization in the past.