Cherilyn Nagel, Olds College alumna, is now a leader in the Canadian Agriculture industry, and one of the most influential women in Saskatchewan. A graduate of the Olds College Agricultural Business program in 2002, Cherilyn is a dedicated farmer, entrepreneur, guest speaker, facilitator, and lobbyist. Her impact has been felt in agricultural, business and consumer industries. Cherilyn sits as a director on SaskPower, a facilitator with Farm and Food Care Saskatchewan, and is Past President and Director of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. Cherilyn stopped by Olds College on Friday, November 23, to speak to Agriculture Management and Agribusiness students about the importance of understanding agriculture policy and influencing policy to benefit the ag industry. She also demonstrated that these topics relate directly to an individual’s quality of life and to their home farm operations.
Cherilyn began the presentation by discussing her journey to working in the agriculture industry. Cherilyn grew up on a family farm in Mossbank, Saskatchewan, but, ironically, her aspirations did not lie in farming.
“I don’t have recollections of falling asleep in the combine at harvest, or learning to drive a grain truck at a young age,” she remembers. “I was never as dedicated to the farm life as my siblings. I wanted to travel the world and perform on stage.”
Over the course of an hour, Cherilyn discussed in detail the topics of agriculture policy, lobbying, and the importance of speaking up and ensuring that regulations that may have a negative impact on the agriculture industry are either changed or prevented from being implemented. She discussed how politics are not the same as policy, and that people don’t have to take an interest in politics to take note of policy and work to change policy.
Cherilyn highlighted five current policies that are impacting agriculture in Canada today, including:
- Rail Transportation
- Trade, including NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) now USMCA (United States Mexico Canada Agreement) and CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
- Grain Grading and the role of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC)
- Carbon Tax
- Public Trust
Thank you Cherilyn for sharing your experience and expertise with our students and helping them see the personal connections, including ways in which they can participate in the process. Thanks for showing them paths towards having impact similar to yours.
