Raised on a grain & cattle farm near Hardisty, Alberta, Neil graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in Agriculture and has farmed in the Vermilion area since l981.

Neil has worked at several contract and employment positions with Farm Credit Canada, Alberta Agriculture, and the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. He has helped numerous farm families with their financial and marketing management, and has applied those management strategies to his own farm operation in both the crop and cattle enterprises.

Neil is currently working as the Provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation.