Wednesday, June 25

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Thursday, June 26

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Dr. Monika Gorzelak, Mycorrhizal Ecology 

Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

Dr. Monika Gorzelak brings a lesson on all things mycorrhizas to Field School, eager to share her knowledge on the symbiotic relationship these fungi share with your crop's roots. Come find out how you can cultivate a better soil for your crop!

Dr. Gorzelak is a soil microbial ecologist and Research Scientist at Lethbridge RDC. She completed her PhD at University of British Columbia where she studied the communication through mycorrhizal networks. Now, she conducts research on soil microbial communities and mycorrhizas contribution to nutrient cycling, soil carbon sequestration, and plant health. Her research combines next generation sequencing approaches with classical microbiology and soil science to address question in both pasture and annual cropping systems. 

She is interested in the microbiome’s role in sustainable agriculture practices. Her current projects include investigations on the impacts of grazing on pasture microbiomes, intercropping and nutrient cycling, and the impacts of regenerative management practices on soil health. 

Ken Wall, Salinity Management & Drainage

Federated Co-operatives LTD

Ready to learn how you can improve the management of your saline land and reduce excess water and salts? Ken Wall is ready to share his expertise on salinity in the Canadian Prairies with you at the Farming Smarter Field School!

Ken Wall currently works with Federated Co-operatives LTD as a Grow Team Advisor for the South Saskatchewan and Southern Alberta Region, as well as a Forage Specialist for the Prairie Region. 

He began his career at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 1983 following the completion of his B.Sc. in Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. There, he researched everything related to salinity over the next 33 years. 

His primary focuses during this time were on forages, due to their elevated tolerance to salinity, and conducting salinity tolerances tests on many annual crops and forages grown on the Canadian Prairies – completed in AAFC’s Salt Tolerance Testing Lab working alongside Dr. Harold Steppuhn. 

Throughout his career he has operated a small ranch south of Swift Current, SK. The majority of his land holdings consist of native prairie. 

Robyne Davidson, Considering Lupins for Southern Alberta

Lakeland College

With all the buzz around lupin production possibly becoming a reality in the region, will it live up to the hype? Robyne Davidson is excited to join us at Field School to discuss the challenges and opportunities producers could face growing this pulse crop. Come find out if it's a fit for your farm!

Robyne Davidson is the Pulse and Special Crops Research Scientist with Lakeland College in Lacombe, Alberta. She has led and conducted pulse research trials across Alberta for the past 20 years, as well as on a wide variety of other field crops. This involvement has contributed to the introduction of new pulse crops, advancing the sustainability of current pulse management strategies, and the overall expansion of pulse crops across the Canadian Prairies. 

She enjoys the extension piece of her research role and highly values the work she does with industry and farmers to support the industry’s growth. In her spare time, she operates a 4000-acre grain farm near Red Deer, Alberta with her husband. 

Dr. Mike Harding, Bacterial & Viral Diseases in Cereals

Government of Alberta

A calm day walking through your field during a crop check flips on a dime when you see the first sign of disease creeping through your crops. You know you need to act fast but first, you must learn what you're up against.

Dr. Michael Harding brings his pathology expertise to our Field School to share important tips for disease identification in cereals and the best action plans you can take. His presentation will cover bacterial and viral diseases typical to southern Alberta and give you the confidence to act fast to save your crop!

Dr. Harding is Crop Assurance Lead for Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation. He obtained his BSc in Biology from the University of Lethbridge in 1996, and his PhD in Plant Pathology from the University of Arizona in 2004.  Dr. Harding leads crop disease monitoring and surveillance in Alberta and assists with crop health diagnostics. 

Dr. Henry Chau, Tools for Perfect Soil Physical Health

Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

Dr. Henry Chau is excited to share his knowledge of Soil Physics with you at the Farming Smarter Field School! His presentation will highlight the importance of nutrient management programs in wheat and corn with demonstrations on soil compaction, water infiltration, and soil sampling depths.

His research examines the impact environmental stressors and agricultural management practices have on soil resilience and ecosystem services. Dr. Chau's focuses on understanding how the properties and processes in cycling water and soil nutrients impact soil health and the environment at a greater level. Currently, his research programs examine the effect of beneficial management practices, cropping varieties, and rotation have on soil health with a focus on improving carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Trevor Deering, Enter the Herbicide Matrix

Farming Smarter

Trevor Deering manages the Commercial Innovation projects. He cultivates working relationships with industry clients and evaluates proprietary products to ensure unbiased results as a neutral third-party. Trevor loves working with plants so much that even his office is full of green things and has been known to use his office plant pots to test seed germination. If he's not meticulously analyzing data, you can find him in the field with his students ensuring projects are completed to the letter!

Carlo Van Herk, FerCanStrip - Banding Fertility Using Strip Tillage in Canola

Farming Smarter

Building off the success of his strip tillage canola study, Carlo Van Herk pushes the envelope in his newest project combining deep banding nitrogen fertilizers and strip tillage. He is excited to share how you can save time and improve your crop emergence and nutrient management with strip till fertilizer placements. This project hopes to bring valuable insight to the field for growers across the Canadian Prairies as it breaks new ground. Come learn how you can increase your efficiency and yield potential along with checking out our homemade equipment to complete this operation!

Carlo Van Herk currently leads the Field Operations team, overseeing everything from the early trial stages of preparation to the late stages of harvest and analysis at Farming Smarter. He works closely with Shop Manager Toby Mandel and a rotating cast of summer students to ensure equipment is well-maintained and trials are mapped, upkept, and looking nice!

Mike Gretzinger, Hemp Retting & Emergence

Farming Smarter

Mike Gretzinger invites you to the field to learn about retting practices to improve yield quality & quantity, along with effective seed treatments and seeding strategies to improve the seed emergence and survivability of the novel crop. He's excited to share insights from the first years of these projects as he tackles improving efficiencies and productivity on the beginning and end uses of hemp without risking yield loss. 

Mike Gretzinger is the Farming Smarter Research Coordinator in our Agronomy Program. He coordinates protocols, seeding, spraying, data collection, pictures, harvest and data processing for the small plot trials and demos. He has been involved with hemp research across Alberta for more than a decade, discovering innovations to enhance the accessibility of the novel crop for irrigation farmers.

Dr. Thierry Fonville, Saving Soils 

Farming Smarter

Thierry Fonville presents an interim report of the multiple studies under Farming Smarter's Saving Soils umbrella. Enjoy a review of innovative cover crop practices like roller crimping and living mulch cover crops across a variety of crops including canola, dry beans and fall rye. Learn how they affect soil erosion and how these practices can continue to advance towards new opportunities in the future.

Dr. Thierry Fonville is the new Research Scientist at Farming Smarter. He brings fresh insight and soil expertise to our agronomy research program. He assists with the design and development of innovative research projects improving soil health and nutrient availability while coordinating research grant applications for new projects and publishing project reports for peer review.

Ashley Wagenaar, Back to the Basics: Revisiting Major Factors of Successful Crops

Farming Smarter

When you're busy with integrating the latest equipment and practices, it's important to remember the fundamentals! Ashley Wagenaar takes us back to the basics to review the foundations of successful crops. Revisit what sets you up for a successful season growing corn, barley, wheat, and peas with demonstrations on seed spacing, seeding depth, herbicide residue, and more!

Ashley Wagenaar works directly with southern Alberta farmers as the Farming Smarter Conservation Agronomist within the Knowledge and Network Team. She joins Farming Smarter to support work on best management practices in a variety of conservation practices on southern Alberta farms. Her ag career to date includes Agriculture Manager and Crop Specialist working with Nortera Foods and The Little Potato Company in Alberta and Ontario. 

Lewis Baarda, Potato Agronomy for Southern Alberta

Farming Smarter

Last year marked a new milestone for Farming Smarter as we completed our first research trials in potato agronomy. We want to equip farmers with the right tools and information to successfully grow potatoes as its industry is on the cusp of a large expansion. Lewis Baarda was one of the brilliant minds behind this ground breaking endeavour at Farming Smarter and is excited to share what he learned with you. Come join him in the field for a spud-tacular time learning the ins and outs of potato agronomy in southern Alberta! 

Lewis Baarda is the On-Farm Research authority at Farming Smarter. He uses his experience with spatial analysis and multivariate statistics to conduct field scale research with farmers throughout southern Alberta. His recent studies have given him expertise with variable rate technology, soil sensors, remote sensing, and other agricultural technologies.

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