Once again Ag Days will give farmers the chance to get the latest information on agronomy, business, agriculture technology and other pressing issues.
It’s a chance to make good use of a little downtime for both education, entertainment and socializing, according to program chair Hannah Minshull.
“It’s really a unique opportunity to have everything under one roof, to allow everybody to access it at the same time,” she said. “With the promotion of all the newest technology and innovation, as well as the speakers talking about timely topics that are impacting all the patrons in the facility.”
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In keeping with this year’s extension of last year’s theme Produced On The Prairies, the first item on the program is a craft beer tasting in the Dome Building, the old exhibition hall in behind the Keystone Centre. It’s actually kicking things off Monday night, on the eve of the show opening Tuesday morning.
“That will be highlighting some local breweries, craft beers, business owners, and some different food products produced on the Prairies,” Minshull said. “It’s a great way to highlight and promote some of our “Produced On The Prairies” businesses and products. And it was such an overwhelming success last year.”
Expanding on the theme, Ag Days will feature the first ever FCC Pavilion, a Produced on the Prairies market featuring a rotating series of locally produced products over the three days. You’ll find it at the top of the ramp in the Pioneer Lounge.
Tuesday morning things really get started with the annual kickoff breakfast, sponsored by Co-op. The annual event is a great place to meet and greet while lining up the day’s schedule. It’s also slated for the Dome Building, running from 7:30 to 8:45.
Back in the Keystone Centre, there are more than 60 speakers from which to choose in any of the venues available from the smaller seminar rooms to the two major theatres, the MNP Theatre or the FCC Theatre.
“Similar to previous years we’ll have a strong focus on agronomy, emerging technology, livestock, marketing and those kinds of things,” Minshull said.” And we have some six keynote speakers throughout the three days.”
The keynotes include:
Brian Hefty – Pushing the Limits, More Bushels Per Acre
10:30 am Wednesday, January 22 – FCC Theatre
Hefty is a farmer and agronomist from Baltic, South Dakota. He is also the CEO of Hefty Seed Company, the eighth-largest seed and crop protection retailer in the U.S. Since 1998 he and his brother Darren have co-hosted Ag PhD TV, the most-watched agronomy television show in the U.S. The brothers also host the daily Ag PhD Radio Show.
David Mielke – Price Outlook for Oils & Fats and Implications for Canadian Canola
11:15 am Tuesday, January 21 – FCC Theatre
An analyst with Oil World, Mielke will be talking about what he sees unfolding in the global oilseed markets and what that means for prices on Canadian canola. He says diminishing crushings of rapeseed, canola, and sunflowers is expected this season, raising the world’s dependance on soybeans. This will require a further appreciation of the oil share of the combined product value, which is good news for a high oil-yielding oilseed such as canola.
Jacob Shapiro – Geopolitics: What Lies Ahead
2:00 pm Thursday, January 23 – FCC Theatre
Jacob Shapiro is an adviser and researcher covering geopolitics, economics, and markets. He is head of geopolitics and macro research at Bespoke, a multi-family office serving entrepreneurs and families worldwide. He is also a partner at Cognitive Investments, which targets opportunities at the intersection of geopolitical change and technological innovation. Jacob hosts “The Jacob Shapiro Podcast”, which features interviews with subject matter experts in geopolitics, technology, agriculture, and other fields.
Kristjan Hebert – Farming Roots to Corporate Suits, The Rise of the Farm CEO
3:00 pm Thursday, January 23 – FCC Theatre
Kristjan Hebert is president and CEO of The Hebert Group and Managing Partner of Hebert Grain Ventures (HGV), a 40,000 acre grain and oilseed operation in southeast Saskatchewan. He is also the co-founder of Maverick Ag Consulting which provides custom-designed lending, accounting and insurance solutions to producers and Farmer Coach, a business management coaching program for farmers. He is also the host of the popular podcast, The Truth About Ag. Hebert obtained his CPA designation before returning to the family farm in 2008.
Patti Durand – Farm Transition Start Where You Are
11:00 am Wednesday, January 22 – MNP Theatre
Patti Durand, based in Humboldt, Sask., is a strategic action planner, speaker and author at Brightrack Consulting. She’s advised clients in the agricultural and small business sectors within finance and industry. Born and raised in Teulonatti holds a BSc – Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and is a certified Family Enterprise Advisor and Professional Agrologist. She has guided hundreds of Canadian farm business families to navigate the paths of transition decision making.
Quick Dick McDick – Agriculture: A Bearded Perspective
3:30 pm Tuesday, January 21 – MNP Theatre
After growing up as a cowboy on a PFRA community pasture, life took this speaker from eastern Saskatchewan to a “temporary winter oilfield job” in Alberta that wound up turning into a 20-year career in the oil and gas sector. After working throughout Western Canada from the plains of southern Saskatchewan to the Rockies to the frozen tundra of the Arctic, Dickson Delorme moved home to Tuffnell, Sask. in the fall of 2019 and accidentally created a social media character named Quick Dick McDick. Now when he’s not planting crops, haying or pulling calves he can be found on the internet, in small town halls or in theatres doing his best to make folks laugh at this crazy world we live in.
It should be noted that Quick Dick McDick reflects on the universe with a colourful series of words that may be unfamiliar to a constituency that makes a living under severe time constraints with complex heavy machinery while at the mercy of the vagaries of the weather and the markets.
Full program
Along with that is three days of other informative talks featuring a wide variety of agricultural experts on wide array of subjects. Or, if you like, you can stroll through the exhibitors’ booths and get the low down on some of the latest technology.
“One of my favourite moments from last year’s show was when I was walking through the facility and, looking up, I was seeing two little kids sitting up in the cab of the tractor,” Minshull said. “And honestly you could hardly see past the grins on their faces. The were just in awe of what they were seeing and experiencing and what the exhibitors were bringing to the patrons.”
All program information may be found on the Ag Days website at www.agdays.com.
