It is an exciting time for the Lethbridge & District Agricultural Society.
The LDAS coming to fruition is the result of Lethbridge & District Exhibition being split into two separate groups earlier this year, with the other being Excite Lethbridge.
READ MORE: LDE set to Excite Lethbridge with split into two new organizations
The LDAE will primarily focus on promoting agriculture in the region, and Excite Lethbridge, which is a municipally controlled corporation, will focus on bringing events to the city and will operate the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre.
On Thursday, the LDAS unveiled its first director and its new board of directors.
“There’s a lot of opportunity with this group after the split and forming the new entities,” says Cody McIntosh, the newly named director of the LDAS.
McIntosh has been working in the Red Deer community for about two decades, but his roots are in the Lethbridge region.
His father grew up on a grain farm west of Nobleford before switching to cattle in Picture Butte, while his mother’s family ran a mixed farm west of Coaldale. Following a stint in the oil and gas industry, McIntosh began working with the Agricultural Service Board in Red Deer County, noting he did a lot of work like what has been done in southern Alberta.
“Trying to engage the agricultural community, create some awareness about agricultural concerns, advocate for agriculture as well as engage with the urban community on what is happening in agriculture,” McIntosh notes.
He adds that his and the board’s work will ramp up in the new year and believes it is an exciting time for the region.
“You’re going to see more agricultural programming in the Lethbridge area, supporting agriculture,” McIntosh remarks.
He says as Lethbridge continues to grow, it is becoming more urban, despite being surrounded by communities led by agriculture. One of the group’s focuses will be to raise awareness and educate everyone about the importance of the industry.
“The disconnect between urban and rural continues to grow, so it’s very important to share what’s going on in agriculture,” McIntosh says.
“Many people don’t know what’s going on there, so this is a chance to open those doors and shed some light on what’s happening in Lethbridge and area.”
McIntosh will officially assume his duties as director in January.
BOARD CHAIR
Lewis Baarda, a Certified Crop Advisory at Farming Smarter, has been appointed as the chair of the board of directors.
“I think we’ve got a lot of opportunity to do some good things. We’ve been working a little bit over the last few months and I think we’ve got a really good group, we’ve got a great director in place, so I’m excited to be part of the team,” Baarda says.
He adds the group has “big goals, big ambitions” and sees a bright future for the organization. Like McIntosh, Baarda says education will be a mission for the group.
“There’s a lot of people that, 30-50 years ago, were one generation away from the farm. Well now we’ve got a lot of people that are more generations away from the farm that maybe don’t have that connection,” he says, noting that the opportunities in the agriculture industry are vast.
“The breadth of jobs that we need to support the industry – chemists, engineers, biologists – I mean, it’s a lot more than what people might think it was 50 years ago, so I think we have a big role to play in education and advocacy and just to support rural communities and rural life.”
BOARD MEMBERS
In addition to Baarda, the board is comprised of the following individuals:
- Shane Janzen – Janzen is the CEO Successor at Independent Crop Inputs. He is a Certified Crop Advisor and professional agrologist, now focused on ag-retail.
- Georgina Knitel – Knitel is a Family Business Advisor and the founder of Ag Plan Inc. The professional agrologist has over 25 years of experience in the industry.
- Maureen Perlich (Vice Chair) – Perlich is a partner at Perlich Bros. Auction Market. Following time as an agriculture lender, she led promotion and advertising for the auction market from 2002 to 2024.
- Cody Scheirlinck (Treasurer) – Scheirlinck brings over a decade of experience with the 4-H program to the table. He sat on both the Alberta Junior Boards and a Canadian Junior National Board.
- Carly Kleisinger (City of Lethbridge representative) – Kleisinger has worked in different roles with the City since 2007, including as Director of Community Services for the past three years.
- Ryan Thomson (Lethbridge County representative) – Thomson is the current Director of Operations for Lethbridge County. He brings over 20 years of leadership experience in health care operations to the board.
AGGIE DAYS
On Thursday, the LDAS also announced the return of a popular event aimed at teaching youth about agriculture.
Aggie Days will make its return to the city on March 25-26, 2026 at the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre.
READ MORE: Aggie Days returning to Lethbridge in 2026
This will mark the first Aggie Days in Lethbridge since 2019, as the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
