Alberta premier Danielle Smith has shuffled her United Conservative Party cabinet.  Her appointee for the ministry of agriculture and irrigation is Tara Sawyer, MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. She is a grain farmer, business owner, and national agriculture leader.

Prior to being elected in a by-election on June 23, 2025, she served as chair of Grain Growers of Canada, the first woman elected to the role in the organization’s history, advocating for Alberta and Canadian farmers across the country and around the world. She also served as chair of Alberta Grains and Alberta Barley and is a respected voice on agriculture policy, market access, and sustainability.

She lives and works on her family farm near Acme, Alberta, where she and her husband Matt raise wheat, barley, canola, hay, and three adult children.

Her leadership began at home, volunteering in schools, coaching soccer, leading 4-H, and serving with the Acme Royal Purple Elks. Her family was named Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmers in 2011 and received the Calgary Stampede BMO Farm Family Award in 2014.

Sawyer has built a reputation for bridging the rural-urban divide, encouraging young people to pursue careers in agriculture, and creating space for women in leadership. She also owned and operated a local catering business for nearly a decade.

Source:  Government of Alberta May 21, 2026 biography