The word “tireless” could easily be used to describe the work that Candace Mistchke does as executive director of SaskFSA – and even she admits working on policy-related matters affecting agricultural drainage, water and land management can feel like a long and complicated process for seemingly simple changes. But Mitschke’s lifelong passion for agriculture keeps her going.
“Agriculture is one of the best industries to be involved in,” Mitschke tells Kaitlin Berger, Top Crop Manager West editor in her podcast interview celebrating her inclusion as one of Annex Business Media’s seven Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture for 2025. Mitschke’s love of ag has taken her all over the industry – and her passion for people is what’s helping her make waves with SaskFSA.
Formed in 2011 by a group of progressive farmers representing the farmers’ POV when it comes to land and water management policy – ensuring they can farm responsibly and protect their farms for the next generation. Working closely with government regulators, the goal is to develop win-win solutions for policy while also digging into more research to quantify agronomic stewardship and sustainability. SaskFSA is, per Mitschke’s knowledge – and she’d know – the only Canadian association advocating for drainage management, that consists purely of farmers. It’s led to her meeting people just like her – passionate, dedicated and always curious.
Here are three more big takeaways from Mitschke’s interview.
1. Ag is a versatile field for someone with strong values.
Mitschke knew, growing up on a farm, she’d likely end up in agriculture in some way. Initially aspiring to be a vet, she then looked into animal nutrition, which led to a degree in animal science. But Mitschke wasn’t surprised when she bounced around several different aspects of the ag industry. “Having an ag degree opens many doors,” she said. I always tell people, “Get an ag degree, it will open many doors.”
She spent stints working in marketing and communication, ag retail, crop insurance and much more. But her interest in water management began in 2014. “I felt there was a lot of misinformation around how farmers manage their water… that farmers were the cause of local flooding.” Growing up on the “infamous” Smith Creek as her own family held back water to protect the farm and local committee, Mitschke knew what responsible drainage looked like, and wanted to correct the record.
Her strong values and sense of justice – and that versatile background in ag and communications – led to her taking a position working with SaskFSA on the communications side of the issue. “[The farmers] realized they needed more help when it came to advocating for their rights to manage their land and their water.”
Movement within the organization led to an opportunity to advance. Initially wanting to simply help behind the scenes, 10 years later, Mitschke found herself in the executive director position.
2. When it comes to policy, you can either do it fast, or you can do it right.
Anyone who’s done policy work knows what Mitschke is talking about when she says her work with SaskFSA can sometimes feel like a marathon – and that expecting instant results is a great way to be quickly humbled.
“Policy is not always a fun job, nor is it an easy job… it takes a tremendous amount of effort to make a very small degree of change,” she says. But that hard work is worth it, says Mitschke, because something as complex and far-reaching as agricultural drainage – all agriculture, really – affects everyone, and corners cannot be cut. Saskatchewan is relatively new in terms of drainage advancements – and drainage policy – despite being home to nearly half of Canada’s farmland. “In the past, drainage has been divisive in this province, and we’re really working hard to make that not so.”
That means getting everyone around the table and ensuring farmers’ voices are heard. “Relationships are the foundation of our progress,” she says. “If the policy does not work for the ag landowner, it’s not going to work for anyone.” Conservation and environmental advocates, she says, often have a lot to say about drainage, but engagement between all parties is important for knowledge, program development and program adoption.
“When I put a group of landowners in a room, they always are willing to dig into the problem, find a potential solution. Sometimes re-work existing solutions, or something we come up with something new.”
3. It takes a village.
Mitschke’s job isn’t easy – having to continuously work to help people understand the true role of drainage, bring multiple stakeholders together and work tirelessly to make small bits of progress. As such, the relationships that Mitschke maintains within her role and outside of her role are key to her own success, personally and professionally.
“Relationships are my foundation in my personal life as well,” she says, referencing her earlier comment about relationships being the foundation of progress. “No one can do anything alone – maybe there’s the odd person that can, but I wouldn’t prefer to do things alone.”
Strong working relationships and even friendships are a big part of Mitschke’s belief in the importance of relationships, but the importance of relationships also manifests from the not-so-easy times.
“Relationships [are] learning to deal with people, learning how to grow yourself, learning from your mistakes,” says Mitschke. “Not everyone is a perfect fit; not every relationship is a perfect fit for a project, but you will always learn something from it. When you do find those productive and valuable relationships, lean into them, show your appreciation for it and continue to develop them.”
