The Alberta Oat Growers Commission (AOGC) was established by the provincial government in 2012 to begin collecting a 50 cents per tonne levy on all Alberta-grown oats marketed commercially.
AOGC uses the producer funds for oat research and market development to enhance the profitability of oats for growers and increase its value to the customer.
The strategic priorities of AOGC include research, market development; advocacy; building partnerships; and communication with oat growers, consumers, the oat industry, and governments.
The Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA) was launched in 1998 by oat growers from the three prairie provinces and continues to act as an umbrella agency, coordinating activities with and through the producer associations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Each provincial oat commission has a Chair who is elected by the board, and that Chair is automatically a Vice-President of POGA. As well, members of the AOGC board are directors of POGA.
AOGC communicates with producers through the POGA newsletter that is distributed at least two times annually to inform producers with timely information on events, industry issues, research findings, and market information. Click here to view the Oat Scoop newsletter.
The Commission also connects with oat producers and industry at the annual general meeting (AGM) held in January each year. The AGM is an opportunity to inform producers of the activities of the organization, build relationships, and encourages members to bring their views to the board in-person.
Through its ongoing efforts, AOGC has successfully contributed to the profile, representation and profit of Alberta oat farmers.
As of 2021, through the three provincial associations, the Prairie oat growers have turned $3.9 M of levy dollars into $27.4 M which means growers in Western Canada have contributed less than 15 cents of every dollar spent on research and marketing.
The remainder is funded through partnerships and collaboration among industry and government. For a full listing of projects go to the Marketing Development tab and the Research tab.
The continued success of the AOGC is based on ensuring that producer interests are at the forefront of all decisions.
Visit www.oatseveryday.com for information on the many health benefits of oats and oat recipes.
For more information on the work of POGA and Canadian oat farmers please visit www.poga.ca.
- Number of producers in province: Approximately 3000
- In 2022, Morgan and Camden were the two most popular grown oat varieties in Alberta.
- Oats are a powerhouse food – heart healthy benefits due to beta glucan, a fibre that helps reduce cholesterol; high in dietary fibre; low in saturated fat; and a low glycaemic index.
- Half a cup of oats has approximately 150 calories, vitamins B1, antioxidants, magnesium, iron, protein and healthy fats.
- Oats are rich in iron, with a half cup dry oats providing about 20 per cent of your daily iron.
- 1 bushel of oats = 43 boxes of Cheerios (14 oz box).
- About 19 lbs of oatmeal can be made from one bushel of oats.
- Oats are great for crop rotations on farms because they boast one of the lowest carbon footprints of Canadian cereals.
- Canada is the largest oat exporter in the world and the second largest oat producer in the world behind Russia whose oats are primarily used for feed. Over 80% of Canadian oat exports go to the USA each year but AOGC and POGA are working hard to diversify this and have been able to reduce that reliance from over 90% just over 5 years ago.
- AOGC/Prairie Oat Growers Association (POGA)represents roughly 90% of the oats grown in Canada, and about 10,000 growers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
- Canada’s oat sector has grown to an approximately $8 billion per year industry.
