Southern Alberta Agriculture Connects with Global Experts

Farmers and agronomists enjoyed the opportunity to connect with leaders in agriculture research at the Global Crop Production Virtual Conference.

Farming Smarter’s 2024 Global Crop Production Virtual Conference platformed six experts from Australia, the United Kingdom, and United States. Participants, the majority of which were members of southern Alberta’s agricultural community, had the opportunity to learn about envelope-pushing ideas from these regions to aid innovative thinking here at home!

All sessions from this event were recorded and will be available for re-watch by attendees on our Videos page. If you missed the event and want to receive CCA & Pesticide Applicator continuing education credits, we have you covered! Our Online Classroom hosts videos of sessions from previous events that are offered individually by a pay-per-credit model.

Access to these videos are bundled into Agronomy Smarts subscriptions, letting you learn at your own pace! Unlock this and more exclusive opportunities, get the Agronomy Smarts for your farm today.

Read about the sessions from our event and what you can learn by watching them!

Things kicked off at the FMC-title sponsored event with the Welsh agronomist and Nuffield Scholar, Chris Taylor. He shared the wisdom from his Nuffield journey that evaluated how farms and research facilities work to build resilience without compromising productivity.

Afterwards, Andrew McGuire joined the party from Washington State University to share a critical eye on regenerative agriculture claims. His presentation provided the audience with a perspective that helps separate the grain from the chaff. Over the hour, he highlighted claims presented from studies on biodiversity, soil microbiology, nutrient inputs, and crop yields. Each claim was evaluated for scientific support versus overstated results.

Michigan State University’s Dr. James DeDecker closed out the morning sessions with observations on hemp agronomy from the Midwest Hemp Research Collaborative. His session reviewed pest management, variety performance, and agronomic updates from research across four states.

After the lunch break, RaboBank’s Stephen Nicholson shared extensive insights into the 2025 global market. The highlight of his conversation was towards the importance of research in improving agricultural productivity, calling it a value-added part of the industry. Investments into research is advantageous for farmers, and society in general, by allowing for better production with less costs and resources. Without it, we have painful, adverse effects on industry stakeholders that ripple out to harm the greater public.

Dr. Harold van Es joined us from Cornell University to share benchmarks of the key metrics soil health analysis. His presentation took a deep dive into how producers and agronomists can develop a deeper understanding of their soils. He explored numerous cropping systems and how they will affect the soils along with their land use requirements. Dr. van Es concluded with information and tools to help track and interpret what’s important for your soil and how to upkeep the healthy properties.

To wrap up the event, attendees had the chance to learn about herbicide-resistant weed management from Australian herbicide resistance specialist, Dr. Roberto Busi. He shared the philosophy behind the “double-knock” method to conquer glyphosate resistance. Additionally, his session provided growers and agronomists with tips to identify resistance before it took hold. His conversation provided the opportunity for guests to adapt their operation to be better suited for tackling herbicide resistance.

The Global Crop Production Virtual Conference was Farming Smarter’s final learning opportunity for 2024. Our Knowledge & Network team has prepared a fantastic lineup of events to help you enhance your operation in 2025!

Before you head into your holiday break, take the time to add these opportunities to your calendar!