Innovative Agronomy Learning Kicks Off Next Week!

8:30 am - Robert Andjelic, Andjelic Land

Robert Andjelic is an unwavering champion of Saskatchewan producers with an intense passion for agriculture. He sees an opportunity for them to be global leaders in food production and dedicates his career to realize that goal. 

He began his career renovating houses before he co-founded a masonry business and moved into the private industrial building & development sector. He took each of these steps with a keen eye for perfection – a trait that he carries today. Robert identified an opportunity to improve the management, development, and efficiency of agricultural land and his pursuit of excellence led him to create Andjelic Land. 

Robert is the keynote speaker day 1 of the conference discussing his career and what led him to agriculture, the challenges on farmland and in the industry, and his predictions for the future of agriculture. 

9:30 am - Ken Coles, Farming Smarter

Ken Coles is the intrepid executive director at Farming Smarter. Returning from his two years of traveling the world as a Nuffield Scholar, Ken studied the opportunities non-profit organizations have to change the agricultural industry. 

Reinvigorated by his trips to Europe, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, Ken shares insights on how the agriculture industry can propel itself by championing practical, regionally specific and farmer relevant innovation. 

10:30 am - Carlo Van Herk, Farming Smarter

Carlo led the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) strip till canola project completed in 2023 at Farming Smarter. 

He’ll explore the benefits behind practices like strip tillage and precision planting, managing crop residues, and enhancing canola emergence, growth, and yield on dryland and irrigated fields. Additionally, he’ll share innovative practices that could enhance seed yield and quality with sustainability through reduced tillage. 

Carlo moves to Field Operations Team Lead to  oversee summer students and support program team leads with everything from early trial preparations to harvest and data analysis. We welcome Carlo to his first year presenting at the conference to share insight on optimized canola crop production with reduced tillage.  

11:00 am - Dan Johnson, University of Lethbridge

Dan Johnson joins us to share his knowledge on the reoccurring hordes of grasshoppers and how we can use natural controls to sustainably manage populations and reduce surprise outbreaks. 

Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Lethbridge, Dan has an extensive background in biogeology, environmentally sustainable agriculture, entomology, and biometeorology.  

Optimal weather conditions and food availability cause otherwise under control populations to blow up. Depending on the species, growth rate, and survivability of the grasshopper variety, we can see outbreaks that blanket entire neighborhoods – though, controlling these populations could be as simple as identifying non-pest species and ensuring they thrive. But while simple, not always easy - Dan Johnson will highlight the practices required to maintain healthy populations successfully and naturally. 

1:30 pm - Mike Gretzinger, Farming Smarter

Mike Gretzinger, Farming Smarter Research Coordinator and Agronomy Research program team lead shares the potential risks & rewards of growing novel crops based on his extensive work with them at Farming Smarter. 

He will highlight the results of multiple novel crop studies, including a large rotation project that studied barley, canola, corn, dry bean, durum, hemp, pea, quinoa, and wheat over five years. He will give you the possible future of these crops in southern Alberta and how you can get started growing them! 

2:15 pm - Lewis Baarda, Farming Smarter

Farming Smarter Field Tested team lead Lewis Baarda will share some research on agronomy and farm practices relevant to potatoes, sugar beets, fresh peas, and silage corn. He will focus on irrigated crop production in southern Alberta. Situated in a region that is hotter and dryer than most of the Canadian Prairies, southern Alberta depends on irrigation to seize local crop production advantages. Our region produces a variety of high value specialty crops that can be difficult to grow in other places. Farming Smarter plays an important role in researching and developing agronomy for many of these crops.

Lewis uses his Master's degree in geography from the University of Lethbridge and experience with spatial analysis and multivariate statistics to conduct field scale research on farms. Lewis came to Farming Smarter experienced with data collection, statistical analysis and capable of managing large and complex data sets. He finds the use of GIS systems fascinating.

3:30 pm - Dr. Syama Chatterton, AAFC Lethbridge

Learn the dangers of leguminous cover crops while exploring the safer options for growers that want to protect their cash crops. Dr. Chatterton who was the first to identify Aphanomyces root rot in the province is now she is the lead researcher in the fight against it. She hopes to create a robust decision support system to reduce root rot for sustainable pulse production.  

She studies the management of root and foliar diseases in pulse crops, molecular diagnostics and identification of soil borne pathogens at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lethbridge. As a pulse and special crops research pathologist, she is on the frontlines of pathology research in Alberta.  

4:00 pm - Ryan Barrett, PEI Potato

Ryan will tell us about his experiences working directly with the potato growers, researchers, and other industry stakeholders on field-scale trials that investigate the merits of fall-seeded cover crops and full-season cover crops in Prince Edward Island potato rotations. His most recent project explored fall seeded cover crops used before and after potatoes in crop production. 

Ryan is a Research & Agronomy Specialist with the Prince Edward Potato Board in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He coordinates local and national research projects with potato growers.  

8:30 am - Dr. Luis Prochnow, Plant Nutrition & Science Technology

Dr. Prochnow joins us from Brazil to share his expertise in plant nutrition, highlighting phosphorus and phosphate fertilizers. He will share how grain production in Brazil increased nearly six times in four decades. Soil fertility is behind the boom in Brazil’s industry and Dr. Prochnow is here to share the secrets behind the development of a technically sound soil fertility evaluation program. Hint: it relies on research at the local level! 

He holds a Bachelor degree in agronomy, a Master’s in Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, and a Doctorate in Soils and Plant Nutrition. He’s the CEO of Plant Nutrition Science & Technology, a consultant for the Global Phosphorus Institute, and Coordinator for the Nutrients for Life Initiative in Brazil at the International Plant Nutrition Institute. 

9:30 am - Tom Jensen

Tom will showcase technologies to improve nitrogen fertilizer applications and minimize losses while increasing crop input. He’ll cover the proven methods and timings that he saw achieve the most success and how producers can achieve results. 

Tom grew up on a southern Alberta mixed irrigation farm and spent his career working in research and extension in the area. He is a certified Crop Advisor, Professional Agrologist, a Soil Science Instructor and Adjunct Professor in the Geography & Environment Department at the University of Lethbridge. Additionally, he has on-farm retail agronomy experience as a customer service agronomist for Down to Earth Labs in Lethbridge, Alberta. 

10:30 am - Dr. Brian Jenks, North Dakota State University

Dr. Jenks joins us to highlight the growing concern related to kochia – its increased resilience to numerous herbicides. But fear not! Dr. Jenks brings cultural practices shown to assist with the management of the herbicide-resistant weed. 

He is a weed scientist at North Dakota State University North Central Research Extension Center in Minot. He earned his PhD in weed science from the University of Nebraska and has 18 years in his current position. 

11:00 am - Trevor Deering, Farming Smarter

Trevor offers the evolution of his program and the impact it has on the industry and at Farming Smarter. Unbiased, third-party research is vital for the success of innovative agriculture and Trevor’s team is here to take charge! He’ll explore the cooperative partnerships his team has had and how they’ve helped advance agronomy in southern Alberta. 

He is Farming Smarter Commercial Innovation program Team Lead. He works with agriculture industry retailers and research organizations to provide unbiased, third-party research for products and practices. 

He has a Bachelors of Science and Masters in Agriculture Studies from the University of Lethbridge and years of expertise from BASF and Hamman Ag Research. 

11:30 am - Kwabena Nketia, University of Saskatchewan

Kwabena will provide a comprehensive exploration of the transformative impact of big data driven technologies on crop production. He will emphasize its implications for improved agricultural practices and demonstrate its future possibilities in farming. He has real world examples that highlight the current challenges facing global agriculture like climate change, population growth, and resource constraints. His examples include how big data analytics can mitigate these challenges with data-driven solutions. 

He has global experience in geoAI technology and worked in partnerships around the world using it to advance agronomy. Currently, he works to advance its applications at the University of Saskatchewan. He brings a wealth of insight related to big data analytics and digital agriculture to our conference. 

1:30 pm - Dr. Bart Lardner, University of Saskatchewan

Dr. Lardner will discuss the benefits and challenges of advanced grazing management on soil, moisture, forage, and animal factors with research activities both past and present. 

He managed a research program focused on applied beef cattle management and forage production for the past 28 years. Today, he is a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan. His research focuses on pasture and water management in cow-calf systems, grazing systems for both summer and winter, ruminant nutrition, heifer development and applied genomics. 

2:30 pm - Ashley Wagenaar, Farming Smarter

Ashley will share her knowledge of farming systems and producers constraints. She encourages farmers to work with her in overcoming those challenges as she takes up her new role with Farming Smarter.  

After a decade in the agriculture industry, Ashely brings her passion for helping farmers to Farming Smarter as our Conservation Agronomist. Since getting a biology degree from the University of Lethbridge, she has worked with local vegetable and potato processors as an agronomist and field manager. Now, she brings local producers practices that will help them improve the sustainability and productivity of their farms.