Posted March 19, 2026 | By: Michaela Spangler

Congratulations are in order! Brianna Lummerding, Agronomic Innovation Manager, recently received the Outstanding Young Agrologist Award from the Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists (SIA). This award is, “Presented to a young Saskatchewan registered agrologist under the age of 40 who has provided outstanding service and made worthy contributions to agriculture, bioresources, food, or the environment.”

“This award is one of the most prestigious honors you can receive as an agronomist. Your body of work really has to speak for itself. It’s one thing to get an award within your organization where people know you, but it’s a whole new level when it’s an external organization where committees from an institution are vetting you against the highest industry standards,” says Twyla Jones, Senior Manager, Agronomic Innovation Canada.

What makes Brianna a unique recipient for this award is that she’s in a field-facing retail-oriented role actively serving grower customers instead of in a role dedicated solely to scientific research.

“When I got the call from SIA, I was shocked – I think I’m still a bit shocked, to be honest. It means a lot that someone in a role like mine can get chosen for something like this,” says Brianna. “Personally, it’s a meaningful confirmation that you’re doing the right thing in service of others and in mentorship of others. It feels really nice to have recognition for the care, blood, sweat, and tears that I’ve poured into the various aspects of my career so far. You know you’re someone who’s done a good job.”

Fun fact: this honor runs in the family for Brianna. Her dad, Dr. Jeff Schoenau, won the Outstanding Young Agrologist award in 2002 for his research as a professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

“Brianna is a great advocate for agriculture. She gives full effort and full speed in everything she does, she’s a work horse and extremely selfless. It’s really outstanding what she’s been able to accomplish in her career so far. At the same time, Brianna is very humble,” says Twyla.

Inside the Life of an Outstanding Young Agrologist

Before becoming an Outstanding Young Agrologist, Brianna studied ag business in college and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Ag Business.

Her first taste of the world of agronomy came from her experiences as a summer student.

“When I started working, agronomy was always in the background as something that I liked. Through my summer student experiences, I was able to get my hands dirty and learn the basics,” says Brianna. “Agronomy allowed me to be out in the field, and it was also grower-facing with the ability to provide solutions. Throughout my career, I’ve had a passion around economics, and in my current role I’m able to have agronomy, people, and economics as my primary focus areas.”

After graduation, Brianna worked as a sales representative with Cargill, eventually transitioning to an agronomy role. She joined Crop Protection Services (CPS) in 2016, which would eventually become part of Nutrien.

Now, Brianna serves customers in the North Saskatchewan Division as an Agronomic Innovation Manager or AIM for short. While every day in ag is different, Brianna often finds herself supporting the Retail locations in her division with all agronomic needs from providing technical sheets to conducting technical training. Brianna and her team support products across all of Nutrien Ag Solutions’ shelves, such as providing guidance during farmer-led trials where specific products are being tested in the conditions of the farmer’s operation.

Another large component of Brianna’s role is mentorship. She’s worked with student STEM groups to create videos to promote women in agriculture and the roles available for career paths. Brianna regularly participates in recruiting and career events at the universities in her area and is a passionate supporter of the Summer Student process. She and her team have also partnered with universities on research projects to lend agronomic expertise.

“The people aspect of my role is my favorite part of my role. Contrary to how I may come across, I was actually the shyest kid in class. It was through the agriculture community and stepping out of my comfort zone that I was able to grow my career,” says Brianna. “I was fortunate to have others in the agriculture and Nutrien community who helped mentor and shape me. I enjoy being a mentor to others because it’s the people and what they did for me that drives me to want to get up every day and come to work every day. I want to help others have that confidence as well so that they can help growers. In the end, we all benefit from that.”

Outside of the responsibilities of her role, Brianna graduated from the Nutrien Academy program, where she worked on the “We are Nutrien” project team. She also frequently takes part in projects with other teams in and outside of Nutrien. For example, she lends an agronomic perspective to various salinity projects with some of Nutrien’s mines and team behind the Ag in Motion tradeshow.

“Never stop asking questions. You can learn anything you want, you just have to be invested and build that community. The knowledge is always there, and we can always be growing or going outside of our original scope,” says Brianna.