GUELPH — This year’s FarmSmart Conference features a gigantic-scale crop farmer and a city girl among its featured speakers.
The one day event at the University of Guelph happens in Rozanski Hall on Jan. 20. Pre-registration up until Jan. 15 can save farmers some money; for Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association members, entrance is $90. For non-members, it’s $125, which includes a one-year membership to the organization. After Jan. 15, registration costs $125 for OSCIA members and $160 for non-members.
The full-day event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with registration at 8:30 a.m., has two featured speakers in a field of 69 speakers. Topics include the advantages of wheat from a farmer’s perspective, which weeds to fight, work with, and ignore and how to deal with the western bean cutworm. The conference includes a farmer-panel discussion on cover crops.
Featured speakers are: Kristjan Hebert, who runs a 12,000-acre farm in southeast Saskatchewan. His talk is titled: The 5 % rule — Baby Steps to Bigger Profits. Hebert says that hoping for unicorns and settling on good enough are very real when it comes to underperforming on your farm’s bottom line. So, instead he focuses on small improvements, balancing perfection and logistics, and aiming for excellent.
Dr. Melodie Chan, senior manager of veterinary services for Zoedis, an international producer of medicine for pets and livestock, will speak about public trust and changes in consumer perceptions in a talk titled Agriculture from a City Girl’s Perspective.
To register, call 1-877-424-1300.
