Jackie Wismer came to Alberta looking for a place to belong in the wide-open pastureland, drawn by the herds of cattle and horses. Now, working in management at Wild Rose Co-op's Sedgewick agro site, it's safe to say she found it.

Growing up on a Clydesdale operation in Amherstburg, Ont., Wismer had a passion for agriculture but also a developing awareness of the spreading urban areas that were making it more difficult to find farm and pastureland.

“Where I'm from, there isn't much room for agriculture,” Wismer explains. “My family still has our farmland, but it's getting few and far between.”

While looking into post-secondary schools after high school, Wismer decided to move west and enrol at Lakeland College. Drawn to Lakeland's agribusiness program, Wismer wanted to learn the ins and outs of how decisions are made in commercial agriculture operations and the finances behind those decisions. She majored in livestock production to keep working hands-on with livestock while learning the business side.

“I liked that the program touched more on the agronomy side of it,” Wismer says. “It wasn't just cattle, either. We looked at things like poultry barns and dairy operations. I learned about the supply chain of pretty much every animal commodity out there.”

Her experience at Lakeland far exceeded her expectations.

“It was phenomenal,” Wismer says. “I was so shocked by how close everyone is at Lakeland. Your classes are small and your instructors are so invested in your education and future. They were invested in us as people. They know who you are and where you came from and stay invested, even after you graduate.”

Since graduating in 2019, Wismer moved to Strome, Alta., where she is currently the interim agro manager at Wild Rose Co-op's Sedgewick agro site. She credits one of her instructors with helping set her on the path to her career with Co-op.

“One of my instructors knew the division manager and told us they were opening a new site in Camrose. He helped set up an interview with my current boss,” Wismer explains. “I started off on the livestock production side as a feed specialist and from there, I just blossomed and now I'm in management. Within a year and a half, I'd become the assistant manager of this site and now I'm covering my boss' maternity leave as interim manager.”

Wismer is involved in nearly every aspect of operations, from ordering, pricing and selling equipment to scouting, ordering and managing inventory on the crop side of things, as well as administration.

“My sales classes at Lakeland definitely prepared me tremendously for what I ended up doing in sales. Having that first-hand experience from an instructor who was in sales for so long, it just stays in the back of my mind while I'm on the job,” Wismer says. “I learned so many tips that I can use to better my sales ability. The rest of my courses were so helpful in helping build my knowledge-base so I already have experience with so much of what I do.

“I love it here at Co-op, I really do. And everyone at Lakeland continues to be invested in me, checking in and seeing how I'm doing. It means a lot.”