Niche crops like faba beans and flax are giving a Three Hills farm a national spotlight.
At first glance, Alect Seeds in Three Hills, Alta., looks like many Prairie farms. Wheat, barley, peas — the familiar staples are all there. But look closer, and you’ll see something different: faba beans, flax, fall rye. That’s where the farm shines, says Sarah Weigum, who was just named Alberta’s Outstanding Young Farmer for 2025.
Weigum co-owns Alect Seeds with her parents, who started the farm and seed business in the 1980s. She came back to the farm in 2011 after a detour through university, communications work in B.C. and Ottawa, and even a stint cooking at a tree planting camp. That wide-ranging background now fuels her approach to marketing, building customer connections, and leading industry conversations.
“The primary goals at Alect Seeds are to bring the best varieties and crop types to their customers and improve the quality of the land they farm. A diverse crop rotation supports both of those outcomes and is something Sarah and her family are extremely proud of,” the OYF program noted.
Farming Beyond the Box
Weigum doesn’t just grow crops — she grows ideas. Through field days, farm publications, grower groups, and endless phone calls, she’s encouraged farmers to push past the ordinary. Today, she serves as president of the Alberta-B.C. Seed Growers and sits on the board of her local seed plant co-operative. Her philosophy is simple: farmers succeed when they collaborate.
The OYF event itself reflected that spirit, bringing together alumni, sponsors, and even Alberta Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson. A bus tour to Rock Ridge Dairy, run by 2015 alumni Patrick and Cherylynn Bos, and a presentation by Norman and Leona Storch — “the Old Outstanding Young Farmer” — reminded attendees of the program’s deep roots.
Amy Cronin, president of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers, summed up the moment:
“The Alberta Outstanding Young Farmers have, once again, put on an incredible event, attracting alumni, sponsors, friends, and family. This year‘s winner, Sarah Weigum, demonstrates the values that our program stands for: excellence, sustainability, and passion,” she said.
“She is an advocate for agriculture and takes pride in being a journalist who put some of the most technical information into articles that the industry can easily understand and adopt. Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer’s national event promises to be a good one with incredible finalists from across the country.”
From Nov. 27–30, Weigum will carry Alberta’s flag at the national competition in Toronto, where Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers of 2025 will be crowned.
