It’s six weeks until show time and while most people are ramping up for the holidays, Manitoba Ag Days is putting on the finishing touches to another world class event that will take place January 22, 23 and 24th at the Keystone Centre in Brandon Manitoba. “It really is where the ag year begins”. The event is a three-day exposition focusing purely on agriculture. We are “100% Pure Farm”, attracting over 50,000 visitors. Stated Andrea Guthrie, Media Coordinator Manitoba Ag Days. Each year the show has remained proudly committed to ensuring that all exhibitors, speakers and presentations are strictly agriculture-related.
The program committee has been hard at work trying to make an informative, educational, and valuable program touching on all the important topics in the industry for the array of patron’s that entry the building. “It is a thoughtful and meticulous process of determining what the “hot”topics are and which speakers to bring in. January is a very busy time of the year and speakers sometimes require booking a few years in advance. This year we will have speakers attending from all over Canada, the United States and Germany. We are very fortunate to work with Farm Credit Canada, MNP LLP, Manitoba Agriculture, Manitoba Canola Growers Association, Manitoba Wheat & Barley Growers Association and the Manitoba Organic Alliance as it would not be possible without their resources and expertise.” stated Manitoba Ag Days General Manager, Kristen Phillips. Be sure to look at the show guide or visit www.agdays.com/schedule to review the full schedule ahead of time. The lineup features over 60 speakers presenting in the FCC and MNP theatres throughout the duration of the show. “This year’s program is packed full of fantastic speakers. You can expect world class speakers on a variety of topics including a variety of agronomy issues growers are currently facing, market outlooks, equipment efficiencies, the latest technology, the importance of connecting with consumers, as well as data and how it can be used to positively benefit the bottom line.” stated Phillips.
Agriculture is one of many industries that is advancing, growing and changing at light speed. Farmers are being pushed to evolve and change or risk being left behind… “We are very excited to have Nick Bontis speaking as one of our featured speakers. Although he may not be well known in the Agriculture Industry in Canada, he certainly speaks on the pertinent topic of Information Bombardment and Rising Above the Digital Onslaught. Nick is inspirational, intelligent and very forward thinking. If you were lucky enough to catch him at the TechTour Live last spring you will know that he is one presenter you are not going to want to miss” explains Brad Crammond, Manitoba Ag Days co-chairmen.
Following along the same line of technology and productivity, Rob Sharkey, The Shark Farmer will join the program on Wednesday morning themed “Stretch Your Mind “with a variety of technology-based topics. Rob will speak on the important topic of apps with “We’ve Got an App for That! The Illinois farmer is well known for his podcast and Sirius XM radio show bringing a straightforward approach to controversial topics. The nature of any farm operation is always busy and now more than ever, farmers are challenged to be more productive. With nearly 1,300 apps released daily, Rob will share his insight on which ones could make a meaningful impact in the life of a farmer. Rob will also share his thoughts on different topics that are impacting the agricultural world right now making sure farmers really resignate with this talk.
With this year’s theme of #tellyourstory be an Agvocate, Manitoba Ag Days is thrilled to have Adrienne Ivey share her experience and expertise on Connecting with Consumers – The True Story of Food. Adrienne is a Saskatchewan cattle rancher who has been a very active Agvocate and is passionate about telling her farm story with people who have questions about where their food comes from. Adrienne will share the reasons producers need to connect with consumers and how to create a real change in the food conversation. “Agriculture needs to make sure the true story of food production is told” stated Ivey.
On Thursday afternoon there will be two panel presentation, one on Organic Production: “Can Organic Agriculture Maintain its Strong Production Values as Farms get Bigger” and a second on “Learning and Growing through Networks”. “Panel discussions have been great addition to the program in the past couple years. It is a unique environment to really share, dialogue and learn from each other. The panels this year brings together a diverse group of successful producers all with unique backgrounds and experiences. Both panel sessions will be very insightful to listen to and learn something new.” stated Phillips.
Business and financial tips are a favorite at the show. Wednesday morning will focus on “How Your Money Talks “with topics like Farming Your Numbers, The Future Story of Farm Corporations, Farm Books -Not Just For Taxes and Kevin Hursh, owner operator of Hursh Consulting & Communications will share “How to be a Successful Medium Sized Farm.” Kevin will have valuable information to share for all sized farms but will take a focus on watching your bottom line and looking for opportunities.
Market analysis sessions are always a packed house and patrons flock to the stands hoping to hear positive news. David Miekle, market analyst with Oil World from Germany, will provide a Global Oil Supply, Demand, Price Outlook and then summarize how it effects Canada. On the beef side of markets, Anne Wasko, Market Analyst with Gateway Livestock Exchange out of Taber Alberta will touch on the cattle and beef market, current conditions as well as what to expect in 2019 and beyond on Wednesday afternoon.
Agronomy topics make up the breadth of the program as they play a vital role in everyone’s operation and there are always new advancements to learn from. From soil heath, fertilization, managing moisture or lack thereof, tillage, fusarium head blight, plant growth regulators, managing resistance of insects and weeds to grazing strategies and drought proofing your feed supply, all pertinent topics will be covered. Brian and Sonja Harper, owner operator of Circle H Farms, will share how they use livestock as a tool to heal their degraded land. Brian and Sonja have ground truthed the practice of intensive grazing management on their own farm and sees the regenerative benefits to their soil. Circle H Farms was the recipient of the Environmental Stewardship Manitoba award along with the Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA) from the Canadian Beef Industry Conference in 2018.
From grain to cattle, conventional to organic production, fertility, disease, precision farming and new technology, marketing to purchasing equipment and land we have all the topics covered. Join us January 22nd to 24th, 2019 to learn something new – listen to someone new or discover something you didn’t know before. Follow us on twitter at @MBAgDays as we share farm facts and join us in telling our story. We hope we expand your horizons and push you to new thoughts, limits and possibilities, because if we didn’t, well quite frankly then we didn’t do our job. Sincerely, Kristen Phillips – General Manager, Manitoba Ag Days.
Please visit the website for a full list of speakers and a description of topics as well as CCA credits available. http://www.agdays.com/speakers/
