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Blaine Staples, owner of the Jungle Farm outside Innisfail, will be representing Alberta and its innovative growers next week during a tour of strawberry farms in Montreal, Que.

Staples has been a member of the North American Strawberry Growers Association for the last five or six years, but was selected to the board during the association’s annual general meeting in Michigan last year.

The association represents the majority of strawberry growers outside of California, said Staples.

“A lot of our members don’t have thousands of acres – they’re smaller operations,” Staples explained.

“We represent a lot of growers with diverse backgrounds.”

Staples is the only member on the board from Alberta, and one of only two Canadians.

On Aug. 17 and 18, Staples, along with other members from the association, will be traveling to Montreal for tours of some of Canada’s best-producing farms.

Staples said being part of the board has many benefits, including the “huge amount of great contacts” he said he has met over the years.

“There is a network of contacts that I can call on for advice or information,” he continued.

“Through my activity on the board, I am hoping to lobby for more research into winter injury in Alberta.”

A wealth of learning opportunities is another reason Staples stays on as a member – every four years, the NASGA teams up with the North America Strawberry Symposium and its researchers. Staples said they talk about academics and the grower side of strawberries.

For more information on the NASGA, you can visit www.nasga.org.