Speakers
Concept of Plant Diversity & Full Season Cover Crops
Presented by
Together with my parents, my brother Sheldon and his partner Derek, my wife and I run our mixed grain and cattle farm located just off #3 highway in southern Manitoba. Although as a younger guy I had visions of a career in baseball, statistics, and politics; the draw of the farm life ran too rich in my blood and I have been farming since 2006.
We started growing full-season cover crops in 2018, and with the help of my good friend (and now business partner) Travis Avery, we documented every step along the way. After 2 years of data collection and seeing the positive effects that plant diversity had on my farm, we decided to take the leap and Covers & Co was born.
Being part of this movement and helping farms adopt soil health principles has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I think we are just scratching the surface of the problems plant diversity can solve on farms – the future of agriculture looks diverse.
Join Joseph Gardner, Co-owner of Covers & Co., while he dives deeper into how you can reduce input costs, eliminate nitrogen fertilizer, and improve soil health. Whether you are a rancher, crop producer or both you won’t want to miss this session.
Optimizing your Grain Marketing
Presented by
Keith is a prairie-boy, raised in Southern Alberta and refined in Manitoba, marrying into a farming family. Winnipeg has been his home base since 1997, after a stint in Southern Ontario.
Keith has an Economics Degree from the University of Calgary and an MBA from the University of Manitoba.
He’s travelled extensively over his career working with agriculture-based food companies from 1997 to 2009, providing IT and software solutions. Notable partners include Warburtons, the Canadian Wheat Board, Cargill, Nestle, Simplot, Associated British Foods – British Sugar, Fresh Express, Chiquita, Dole and DelMonte.
Keith started working directly in the Western Canadian grain industry in 2010 with responsibilities including grain pricing derivatives, managing a grain marketing advisory business and leading grain origination teams.
Keith joined Viterra early in 2021 and his current role is Manager of Country Grain Marketing.
It is almost impossible to be a perfect Grain Marketer, so the best most of us can hope for is to optimize our grain marketing planning/ execution with knowledge, diligence and flexibility.
This session will discuss key tools in an Optimized Grain Marketing toolbox:
- knowing your specific cost of production,
- establishing pricing objectives proactively,
- aligning grain sales with cash flow needs,
- assessing the factors that impact the prices available on a day-to-day basis,
- evaluating and ‘changing course’ when needed,
- being aware of how decisions are made and implemented in your farm business
Weather the Storm
Presented by
Lesley Kelly
Lesley Kelly
A marketer by trade and entrepreneur, Lesley farms with her family on their grain farm at Watrous, Saskatchewan and is the head and heart behind the alias High Heels & Canola Fields
where she dispels myths about agriculture and brings consumers and farmers together. She learned of the disconnect while building a snack food company using the grain grown on her farm. Lesley’s goal in being involved in agriculture beyond the farm is to build community and connection that help both the industry, farmers and consumers.
Lesley has been a leader in advocating for mental health in agriculture. She has been part of Bell Let’s Talk that has raised over $149 million dollars for mental health community initiatives across Canada and co-founded the Do More Agriculture Foundation, a Canadian registered charity solely focused on mental health in agriculture, whose mission is to break barriers, support all Canadian farmers in taking care of their mental health and bring much needed resources to the industry. Since its inception in 2018, the foundation has trained thousands of farmers across Canada in mental health. She was recognized by the Regina YWCA with the Women of Distinction award for this work.
She is also a cohost of “What The Farm” podcast, Director for Saskatchewan Wheat and when Lesley isn’t in the field, you can find her running to the hockey rink with her two sons, learning how to cook for a harvest crew and spending time with her husband.
Farming can be both a rewarding and demanding occupation where farmers experience highs and lows and mounting stress. As farmers, we know how to recognize stress in our livestock, crops, and equipment. But do we know how to recognize when stress is too much for us and what we can do to help each other get through those stressful times?
Lesley will share 5 tips using her “Weather the S.T.O.R.M.” strategy and the things she’s learned that have helped her family, farm and others get through the storm and stressful times.
Happy Hour with Quick Dick
Presented by
Quick Dick McDick
Quick Dick McDick
Quick Dick McDick (Dickson Delorme) is part of a 4000 acre/350 head mixed farming operation near Tuffnell, SK.
Dickson grew up just North of Tuffnell, SK on a PFRA community pasture as the son of a working cowboy family where he learned to ride, rope and care for livestock.
Life after school took him out to the oil and gas industry where he worked in the commercial transportation side of well completions for 19 years. This career took him all across AB, BC and the Territories.
Dickson came back home to Tuffnell in the fall of 2019 and accidentally created a social media persona named Quick Dick McDick. Now when he is not busy on the farm, Dickson spends his time trying to inspire and inform people of the many things that happen here in Canada that keep us fed, watered and sheltered – all while trying to keep people laughing.
Join QDM to talk about small town life, farm life – ya know – auctions, the weather, maybe curling or making sausage – you never know what Quick Dick is gonna come up with…
Schedule
Doors Open
Coffee & Pastries
Sponsored by Copperhead Ag
Concept of Plant Diversity & Full Season Cover Crops
with Joseph Gardiner, Covers & Co. | Presented by FCC
Complimentary Lunch
Sponsored by Meridian Manufacturing Inc.
Weather The Storm
with Lesley Kelly | Presented by Access Credit Union
Happy Hour With Quick Dick
with Quick Dick McDick | Presented by Mandako