(AGENPARL) – mar 27 febbraio 2024 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
NEW APPOINTMENTS TO MANITOBA AGRICULTURAL
SERVICES CORPORATION BOARD
Here are the seven new appointees to the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation board:
John Plohman, board chair (East St. Paul) is a retired teacher who now makes his home in
East St. Paul. Plohman’s previous roles include minister of government services, highways
and transportation, minister of natural resources, member of the legislative assembly and
municipal councillor in Dauphin. He holds a post-baccalaureate from the University of
Manitoba as well as a bachelor of pedagogy in English and industrial arts. Plohman has
previously served as the chairperson of the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation as well
as on the Manitoba Municipal Board, the Crown Corporations Council, the Port of Churchill
Advisory Board and the Churchill Gateway Development Corporation.
Don Kostesky, board vice-chair (Brandon) is a retired farmer whose work history includes
being the CEO and general manager of Farmers Co-op Seed Plant and Keystone Seedcoaters
Ltd. He is an active volunteer with St. John Ambulance as well as with Seniors for Seniors.
Kostesky also serves as the president and chairman of the board for the Brandon Seniors for
Seniors Co-op Inc.
Paul Gregory, director (Fisher Branch) is currently the president of Interlake Forage Seeds
Ltd. and Interlake Honey Producers Ltd. as well as a professional agronomist. Gregory
previously founded a forage seed farm and seed plant and international forage seed marketing
firm. He is currently the chair of the provincial AgriStability Appeal Committee, vice-president of
the Manitoba Beekeepers’ Association and a board member of Prairies East Sustainable
Agriculture Initiative Inc. Gregory received a bachelor of science in agronomy and monogastric
nutrition from the University of Manitoba.
Mary Johnson, director (Beausejour) held previous roles as a union representative and
negotiator with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) 832 and was employed with
Burns Meats as a line worker, department clerk and inventory control. She holds a bachelor of
arts majoring in women and gender studies and minoring in disability studies from the
University of Winnipeg. Johnson is currently on the board of directors with the Coalition of
Manitoba Motorcycle Groups and the Beausejour Royal Canadian Legion. She previously
served on the Manitoba Public Insurance board.
Larry Bohdanovich, director (Grandview) has been a full-time farmer since 1985.
Bohdanovich holds a bachelor of science in agriculture from the University of Manitoba. He
has been involved with numerous community organizations over the years including Manitoba
Agricultural Services Corporation, Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board and the Grandview
Kinsmen Club. Bohdanovich has been a member of the Hudson Bay Route Association since
1985.
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-2Rayna Gleich, director (Eriksdale) is a Red River Métis citizen who works as an agriculture
specialist with the Manitoba Métis Federation. Gleich grew up on a purebred Hereford Farm
north of Winnipeg. She received her agribusiness diploma from Assiniboine Community
College in 2023.
Gurjaspal Singh Bala, director (St. Adolphe) is the technical program manager with
Harmonic Technologies where he is the project manager for multiple software initiatives. He
volunteers with Punjabi Radio USA as a radio host and technology expert. Bala received his
master of science in software engineering from San Jose State University in California in 2010
and his master of business administration from the University of Manitoba in 2021.