Lowell B. Catlett, Ph.D, United States

DR. Lowell Catlett, is a Regent's Professor in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Economics and the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.   He is an exciting futurist whose knowledge of technologies and their implications on the way we will live and work is addressed in his varied and upbeat presentations.  His vast knowledge astounds corporate and association audiences both nationally and internationally.  His presentations are thought- provoking and highly-entertaining.

Dr. Catlett received his doctorate in Economics from Iowa State University, and has twice received the Don C. Roush Award for Excellence in Teaching.  He is also a recipient of the prestigious Burlington Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding University Teaching.  In 1994 he was one of two Western Regional recipients of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges “Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Award.”

In addition to his selection in 2002 as a member of the original class of six New Mexico State University Regents Professors, Dr. Catlett has received every teaching award the university offers, including the Westhafer Award for Teaching in 1990, New Mexico State University’s top honor. The professor of agricultural economics and agricultural business is internationally known as an expert in commodities futures markets and is in demand as a speaker and consultant on predicting and planning for near- and long-term futures.

Lowell recently received the College of Agriculture and Home Economics Advisor of the Year as well as Teacher of the Year at New Mexico State University.

In February, 2007 he received the Carl F. Hertz Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers for his service to agriculture.

He is a consultant to the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Interior, Defense and Labor.  He has also been a consultant to many Fortune 500 companies. 

Smart is Beautiful - 21st Century Agriculture’s Revolution

Plants for food and plants for carbon sequestration, animals for food and animals for health, land for farms and land for wildlife and food for fuel and food for health–a revolution is going on in agriculture unlike any in history.  Not only will agriculture have to produce more food in the next 40 years than it has in 6000 years of recorded history, it will be part of healthcare, ecology and energy. Let’s take a look at the trends in technology, demographics, economics and management and how to set the stage to be successful because this revolution isn’t about being bigger, but about being smarter.

 

Rob Napier, Napier Agrifutures, Orange NSW 2800, Australia
      
Rob is Director of Napier Agrifutures, a firm specialising in strategic planning for agriculture and agribusiness. He was Principal of Orange Agricultural College, The University of Sydney for fourteen years.

Rob studies global changes in agriculture with particular emphasis on the future of family farms. He has travelled widely in the major agricultural areas of the world. He is a joint author of a book on strategic planning for farmers.

Rob was brought up on his family’s farm in Tasmania, Australia. He lives with his wife, Dee on a 41ha beef and alfalfa farm near Orange, New South Wales where they also operate a luxury bed and breakfast accommodation business in conjunction with their son, Andrew and daughter-in-law, Helen.

Rob works with groups of leading farmers nationally and internationally helping them to seize the opportunities from global changes in agriculture. In 1995 and again in 2000 he facilitated a strategic plan for the Westchester Group, Champaign, Illinois which has over $US400 million under management in US agriculture.

He regularly addresses national and international audiences on the management of change in agriculture and agribusiness. In Canada, he has previously given presentations to conferences of The Canadian Farm Business Management Council, The International Farm Management Association, Croplife, Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation, The Tiffen Series, Agricore, United Farmers of Alberta, British Columbia Landscape & Nursery Association and The Ontario Agricultural Human Resources Council. 

Rob has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the University of Tasmania, a Diploma in Agricultural Studies from Cambridge University and a Master of Economics from the University of New England. He has participated in two executive training courses at Harvard University.

Rob is a Vice President of the International Farm Management Association and is a member of the Australian Federal Government Agricultural Finance Forum.

No Straight Road: How can family farm businesses seize opportunities from volatility and change?

The central theme of Rob Napier’s presentation is the need for family farmers to develop strong strategic planning skills in order to envision and embrace future business opportunities.   Napier will discuss how family farms (large & small) that do so, can achieve comparative advantage over large corporate farms. 

He will focus on current events, emerging trends and innovations on the horizon and ways to seize these new opportunities.

These include:

• The demand for farms to be multi-functional including making money from the provision of environmental services
• Opportunities for agriculture to contribute to global energy demands
• Opportunities for family farms to add businesses (related & unrelated to agriculture) and value-adding services
• Seizing opportunities from new technologies
• Understanding how to benefit from the changing demands of consumers
• Harnessing and controlling the increasingly valuable resource of water
• Achieving comparative advantage in information management
• Profiting from both the farm operating business and the increasing value of land
• Managing in a world where volatility is a certainty
• Seizing the opportunities and avoiding the threats from changing government policies (domestic & international)
• Integrating farm businesses with other industries - health, recreation, tourism, restaurants, etc.

Napier will divulge management responses using real-world family farm examples to demonstrate how both small and large family businesses can likewise embrace change and seize outlying opportunities for continued success. 

 

Michael W. Bechtel, M.B.A., P.Ag., Director of Farm Business Programs, Farmers of North America

Throughout his career Michael has worked closely with farmers to attain a greater understanding of their operations in order to attain greater control and profitability. To this end, Michael has worked on issues of commodity development, domestic and international trade, food safety as it applies to market access, logistical design involving improved handling and movement of food and agriculture commodities through the market.

Michael has also worked towards the improvement of entrepreneurial services and their application towards the food and agriculture community, and the continuing struggle to improve business management practices within the industry, at all of its levels.

During the 1980’s through early 1990’s, Michael was part of a core group of professionals in British Columbia that designed, developed and implemented a unique and very successful Farm Business Management program. This program was the first of its kind, setting a new standard for farm management with an 85% success rate, and becoming the prototype for a number of similar programs across Canada.

In 1999 Michael was recruited by the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan to build the first Agri-Biotechnology program in Canada, with a focus on the business, entrepreneurial and developmental needs of the Agri-Biotechnology industry in Saskatchewan and Canada. The result was the creation of The Entrepreneurial Scientist®  a unique series of executive training programs designed to work in partnership with the agriculture and biotechnology communities.

Currently, Michael is part of the Farmers of North America team, providing leadership in the development of an industry leading set of management tools with the primary focus of working with farmers to achieve greater profitability on the farm. Michael and his team works personally with their member farmers in improved record keeping and financial management, one year planning, critical analysis of performance, critical analysis comparing projections with performance indicators, leading to three to five year planning within the farming operations. Much of the team’s work with farm relies on an Integrated Farm approach to planning and assessment rather than the traditional Whole Farm approach, which in turn relies on the understanding that a farm business centre is comprised of multiple profit / loss centers that collectively contribute to the integrated and collective farm profitability.

The FNA program has recently been launched and is designed to be implemented throughout the entire FNA membership across Canada. 

Maximizing the Profitability of Each Production Unit through Scenario Analysis

Michael has a strong background in farm management extension services in British Columbia and has worked at the management level with farm marketing boards and organizations in the area of horticulture and supply management. He will speak about the importance of scenario analysis in farm enterprise planning as a key tool for a farm of any size and type.

Michael will first introduce managing the whole farm business not simply as a single production center but rather the summation of each of its production centers as individual profit / loss centers.  When understanding that the farm is comprised of a series of individual profit centers a well equipped farm manager will then treat the individual components as distinctive units, each with its own distinctive characteristics with its own potential for individualized profit taking.

If a properly equipped farm manager can identify the strengths and merits of each production center, he can in turn make production decisions based on the individualized needs, leading to maximized profit at each distinctive unit. This in turn will lead to maximized profit for the Whole farm

Normalized farm management takes the approach of optimizing the efficiency of the “Whole Farm” and looks at the whole farm as a single profit / loss center, while true enterprise management looks at the whole farm being the sum total of each of the individual production units. Under a “Normalized” approach to farm management, a farm manager may sacrifice the potential of individual centers in order to gain an overall level of profit for the whole farm. Enterprise management looks at maximizing the potential of each individual production unit in order to maximize profit for the entire farm ... no sacrifice is made. This will lead to greater profit for the entire farm.

Enterprise analysis requires first and foremost a solid record keeping system and proper planning, but the benefits are being able to forecast your farm profitability with a degree of certainty.  Enterprise Planning helps individual farmers to prepare for a season and know with certainty what are their parameters for production ahead of time, take advantage of discount buying of inputs, and be prepared for the “unexpected”. Effective Enterprise Planning encourages the farmer to “farm for profit”. Instead of merely targeting production for yields and quality, the farmer can now set his targets clearly on a level of Profits.  

 

Pierrette Desrosiers, M.Ps. Industrial Psychologist, coach and speaker, Canada

Pierrette Desrosiers is the first work psychologist and coach to specialize in the field of agriculture. She is interested in the many human challenges faced by families running farm businesses.

Brought up in a farm family and the spouse of an agricultural producer for more than 20 years, Pierrette Desrosiers has always been interested in the field of agriculture. Her years of work with agricultural producers have enabled her to note the dizzying increase in stress and psychological distress among agricultural clients, and moreover have shown her the urgent need to address this wide ranging problem.

A compelling and original speaker recognized throughout the agricultural field, she stands out for her rigour, her humorous approach and the relevance of her words. Her innovative approach, her humour and her ability to make a real difference in the lives of those she meets make Pierrette one of the most valued agricultural speakers, both in Quebec and Canada.

Her conferences and workshops draw individuals interested in self-management and interpersonal relationships. In them, Pierrette Desrosiers encourages the development of both “know-how” and “knowing-how-to-be” (social skills) in the context of a humanized agriculture.

 ‘Grow’ your emotional competences; ‘reap’ a successful business

Why do certain business owners succeed despite external factors and remain competitive, profitable and also manage to find daily happiness? It is now recognized that success in agriculture is not significantly related to the sector, size or technologies. But what distinguishes the best farm businesses? Several studies show very clearly that the intelligence quotient (IQ) and technical knowledge are not sufficient to explain differences in performance among entrepreneurs. In fact, according to Daniel Goleman,  81% of the skills that distinguish outstanding leaders are related to emotional intelligence.

Emotional skills are defined as “ the ability to use one's emotions and the emotions of others in certain situations to reach and achieve one’s personal and/or professional goals.” The individual who knows how to perceive and manage his or her emotions and those of others makes better decisions, makes their projects a reality, and gets along better with others.

Emotional intelligence can be applied in many domains: decision-making ability , stress management, communication, conflict management, motivating a team and family relations. Overall, emotional intelligence is intimately related to success in business and in life.

It is recognized that the producers of the future are those who will distinguish themselves through their ability to innovate, adapt and appropriately manage various resources (human, financial and material). These skills are directly affected by the ability to manage one's emotions.

One of the key skills of EQ is stress management. When people cannot manage their own stress properly, the cognitive or superior functions of the brain, the IQ, are greatly affected. In fact, stress paralyzes the superior intellectual functions, such as those allowing us to be logical, analyze facts, plan, find solutions, incorporate information and make decisions—in short, our senior manager.

In this conference, we will see what emotional skills are, how and why their use can be the determining factor in choosing a business model and its financial impact. Finally, concrete strategies for developing emotional skills will also be addressed.

 

Grant & Colleen Dyck, 2009 Canada's Outstanding Young Farmers, Canada

Grant & Colleen Dyck are the proud owners of Artel Farms Ltd. a 12,000 acre grain and oilseed operation located at Niverville, Manitoba.  Growing up, Grant’s father instilled in him an independent desire for farming which lead Grant to begin renting land at the age of 16.  After graduating from the University of Manitoba with his Diploma in Agriculture, Grant’s father passed away suddenly.  At 23, Grant entered a partnership with other family members eventually buying them out and becoming the sole shareholder of Artel Farms in 2005.

By definition Artel means a group of people working together toward a common goal.  Grant & Colleen believe that people are their biggest asset - from their employees (7 full time and over 18 part time) to the professionals they consult.  When the Dyck’s first took over Artel, only 4-5 crops were grown.  Now up to 13 crops are grown to spread out the cost of equipment and resources.  The land base has doubled in size from when they started nine years ago.  Minimum or zero tillage has increased the farm’s efficiency.  Grant works closely with Water Stewardship as drainage maintenance is extremely important as the majority of the Dyck’s land is within the flood zone of the Red River.  Colleen is four years into a value added energy bar business, The Great Gorp Project.  Wood Anchor, a side company that transforms diseased Elm trees from Winnipeg into flooring, helps to keep the full time staff busy during the off season.

With 3 young children under the age of 6, the Dycks still find the time for their community.  Grant is a Director with the Western Canadian Wheat Growers and the local Canadian Food Grains Bank.  Colleen is a board member of the Manitoba Food Processors and is active in their church.  The Dyck’s love the lifestyle, opportunity, independence and diversity of farm life and believe that “the biggest problems are the biggest opportunities”. 

 

Bruce A. Vincent, United States

In 1984, after completing college, Bruce moved his family back to Libby, Montana and joined Vincent Logging as business manager.  Vincent Logging, a small family owned business, was started by Bruce’s father in 1968. Bruce is a third generation logger.

In 1988, Bruce helped form Communities For A Great Northwest, a non-profit education and information group dedicated to the intelligent use of our natural resources.  The group has members throughout the Northwest.  The Great Northwest Log Haul, which helped focus national attention on resource supply problems in the Northwest, was the first of many of the group’s activities.

Bruce is currently serving as President of Communities For A Great Northwest; is a partner in the public relations firm ENVIRONOMICS, serves as Executive Director of the Preserve America Presidential Award winning Provider Pals™ cultural exchange program, serves on the board of the Evergreen Foundation, the board of the Pacific Logging Congress, and serves on the Kootenai Forest Resource Advisory Committee, the Cabinet/Yaak Grizzly Bear Community Involvement Team, and the State of Montana’s Thompson Chain of Lakes Citizen Management Council.

During Bruce’s career he has been awarded the national Timber Industry Activist of the year, the Montana Timberman of the Year, the Sylvan Award for service to the national timber industry, the Public Service Award from the Association of Consulting Foresters of America, is this years Women in Agricultures “Keeper of the Tenth” award winner, received the Agri-Women’s 2007 Veritas Award Winner, and has been inducted into the Libby High School Hall of Fame.

Bruce holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.  Bruce has been married to his wife Patti Jo for over 30 years and has four children, two sons-in-law, and two grandchildren.

Bruce’s family settled in Montana in 1904.  His current activities represent a family commitment to responsible environmentalism.

Will Agriculture have the Energy to Embrace the Future?

In both of our nations, agri-business can only exist with the consent of the public: we must maintain a social license to operate if we are to stay in business. The society that conveys that license, in both of our nations, have become heavily urbanized, lost touch with where their food comes from, and have a
deep seated desire to protect the environment and protect animals.  The challenge for agriculture in both the US and Canada is to engage the public with an environmental vision that serves as a foundation for our license to operate and that vision must be based upon hope instead of fear, science instead of emotion, education instead of litigation, resolution instead of conflict and employing rather than destroying human resources. I will include in my remarks a heavy dose of 'hope' for Agriculture in Canada.  The public is tired of the message that the planet is dying, tired of hearing about what is wrong, and starving for information about what can be done to provide for humankind while protecting the environment.  The public is desperate for hope - and that need for hope is our doorway to maintaining our license to operate.  I will encourage Canadian producers to treat public outreach as an agri-business line item with dedicated human and monetary resources and not just lip service.   Canadian production agriculture will thrive if they are successful in making the argument that they are the leaders in environmental protection and animal welfare and are, in fact, the 'green choice' for a public that is concerned about our planet.

 

2009 Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers: Greg & Tania MacKenzie, MacKenzie Produce

When opportunity knocks, you answer. Greg and Tania MacKenzie put that philosophy to work and became owners of MacKenzie Produce, a 115 acre cole crop vegetable farm in Stratford, P.E.I.

Greg grew up on a small beef farm but found his calling one day when he went to help out at a friend’s vegetable farm. Greg stayed and worked his way up to farm manager at Balderston Produce and after ten years was presented with the opportunity to purchase 75 acres of cole crop production, warehouses and farm house. Greg and Tania were excited to become their own boss.

Since taking ownership in 2003, the MacKenzies have made many upgrades to the farm which include: joining the storage and grading warehouses, constructing new loading docks, grading rooms and a new refrigerated warehouse to store produce year round instead of renting warehouse space. When Greg and Tania took over they renamed their business Balderston MacKenzie Produce in order to retain markets. By 2007, they confidently changed the farm name to MacKenzie Produce to become their own identity. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips were the main produce marketed by Balderston Produce. However, Greg and Tania have increased their acreage to 115 acres and added peas, beans, pumpkins, gourds and cucumbers to their production. Cabbage is now the main crop grown and is stored and marketed year round.  In 2008, they started direct marketing from their farm and have started a delivery service to local stores and restaurants as well as supplying all of the Chinese restaurants in Charlottetown year round.

Greg and Tania’s three young children, aged 4-12, all love helping out on the farm. The MacKenzies volunteer with sports activities and donate vegetables to local suppers and food hampers.  Greg is the Treasurer of the PEI Horticulture Association and they both are active in their church.  At MacKenzie Produce, quality is always the first priority.

 

Ms. Bano Mehdi, M.Sc., PhD Student at McGill University

Bano received her BSc and MSc from the Faculty of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at McGill University. Both degrees were obtained at the Macdonald Campus. Her BSc in soil science prompted her keen interest in soil biochemical processes, and she continued on to complete an MSc investigating soil nitrate leaching in different crop management practices.

After completing her MSc in 1998, Bano landed a job as a research scientist for Resource Efficient Agricultural Production (REAP) – Canada; a non-governmental organization, where she conducted on-farm research, focusing on growing biofuels for Canadian growers. Her primary focus was on growing switchgrass as a feedstock; examining soil carbon sequestration of several biofuel crops; and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2000, she joined the Brace Center for Water Resources Management at McGill University, where she focused on climate change issues. At Brace, she managed research projects related to agricultural water management and adaptation measures to climate change. During this time, she also taught the Soil and Water Conservation course in the “Farm Management and Technology” program. From 2001 to 2007, she led the Water Resource Sector of C-CIARN (Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network) hosted by the Brace Centre, and funded by Natural Resources Canada.

Driven by the goal of becoming a leading expert in the field of agriculture and climate change, in the fall of 2008 she commenced her PhD in the Department of Geography at McGill. Her thesis research is on the impacts of climate change on crop land use, and consequences for water resources. She aspires to complete her thesis in 2012.

Bano’s research interests include climate change impacts on crop land use, cropping system impacts on surface water quality, agricultural best management practices, on-farm adaptation to climate change, efficient irrigation practices, biofuel feedstock production, soil carbon sequestration, and water policies.
 

Greg Pearce, C.A, Ontario, Canada

Greg is a Chartered Accountant and a licensed Financial Security Advisor.

During his career he has been employed at Coopers and Lybrand Chartered Accountants, Digital Equipment of Canada and Algonquin College as a sessional lecturer in accounting.   For 19 years of his career he was employed by the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency as their Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer.  During that time he got to see the inside workings of the supply management system as well as the broader Canadian agriculture environment.  He left to work for himself in 2006 doing personal and corporate income tax and financial consulting work for the Canadian Farm Business Management Council.  In 2007 he also completed the requirements for licensing in investments and insurance and joined Freedom 55 Financial as a Financial Security Advisor.   Part of his motivation to become a financial planner was to be able to use his education and experience to help people with their financial planning issues and challenges.   As it relates to the farming community, we generally see high debt loads and fluctuating income levels which make it all the more important to establish good financial practices that will increase the likelihood of achieving financial success.   He currently has a broad range of clients that he works with to help them achieve their financial goals.   
 

Financial Security Planning - what are the 4 cornerstones of a comprehensive financial plan?

In his workshop presentation Greg Pearce, Chartered Accountant and a licensed Financial Security Advisor, will review the 4 components of a comprehensive financial security plan.  He will describe and explain practical ideas to help you develop your planning process. The session will help to provide a better understanding of the planning process and give participants ideas for consideration in their own financial plans.   If you do not have a plan yet it may be the impetus to start one.  It will also provide some of the key questions that you should ask a new or your current financial planner.
 

 

Gwendolyn Simpson, Inspired Market Gardens, Alberta, Canada

Gwen Simpson is the owner of award-winning Inspired Market Gardens near Carvel Alberta specializing in ‘Herbs, Flowers, Food & Fun’.  IMG raises sustainably-grown Herbs, Edible Flowers, Heritage Cut Flowers, Heirloom Tomato Plants and Specialty Greens & Vegetables.   On the farm there is a greenhouse, a cutting flower garden, and a unique country store specializing in ALL-natural ALL-Canadian gourmet foods, and herbal products.  IMG products are sold at farm-gate, Farmer’s Markets, to restaurants and caterers, and to fresh produce wholesale and retail outlets.  Inspired Market Gardens also hosts and co-partners events such as Spring Drives, Wine Honey & Flower tastings, Christmas in the Country, and the ‘World Basset Races’. 

Originally raised on a farm in BC, Gwen traveled and lived abroad, and has over 30 years experience as an international trainer, consultant and business owner.  Now returned to her agricultural roots, Gwen combines her farm enterprise with business writing, research, and speaking including workshops and TV appearances on cooking, gardening, farm management and sustainable agriculture. 
 
Gwen is an instructor for the Organic Master Gardener program in Stony Plain and is on the speaker’s list for the national Canadian Farm Business Management Council.  She is an organizational member of several ag-tourism rural ‘cluster’ initiatives and in 2007 was a recipient of the joint federal/provincial ‘Best Practices Renewal Award’.

Gwen is passionate about integrating farmers with the local food economy, and on making agriculture sustainable - economically, environmentally, and emotionally.  Anecdotes, examples, stories, and photos liberally illustrate models, research and best management practices. 

Management Strategies for Small Scale Agriculture

Approach:
What do ‘management strategies’ mean when we’re talking about the reality of daily down and dirty small scale farming?  Who has time for this when there’s just you or you and a few helpers?  You have an idea, you make it grow, you sell; count your money (or not), and you know if you can keep going - simple right? But perhaps it’s not so simple.  When customers at the market or farmgate ask why your produce is so expensive how could they possibly know what actually went into producing the (carrot, plant, steak etc.), you’ve grown.  But do you really know?  This workshop looks at developing simple systems that allow you to truly know ‘what it costs’ and ‘what to charge’.  What actually did go into bringing this ‘product’ to market?  Are you charging enough or could you be making it more efficiently, or even should you be making it at all?  Holistic management practices as applied to real farm examples can perhaps show you another approach – or at least challenge you to ask some hard questions – as to how you might improve the planning and running of your operation.

Topics covered include:
Systems thinking: building successful small farm systems for handling money, people, and resources.  The criticality of ‘chicken economics’ when assessing risk. The benefits of the holistic ‘plan–monitor–control–re-plan’ model. How do ‘quality of product’ and ‘quality of life’ fit into farm management? Marketing tools, your story and collaborative product development.  Oh yes, and answering that customer’s question.

 

Matthew H. Buck, Assistant Director of Food Alliance, U.S.A

Matthew joined Food Alliance (foodalliance.org) in 2004. Food Alliance is a non-profit organization that works at the juncture of science, business and values to define and promote sustainability in agriculture and the food industry, and to ensure safe and fair working conditions, humane treatment of animals, and careful stewardship of ecosystems. As Assistant Director, Matthew is responsible for strategic planning, program evaluation, communications and development.

Prior to joining Food Alliance, Matthew spent seven years with Sustainable Northwest (sustainablenorthwest.org), a regional non-profit promoting environmentally sound economic development in communities of the Pacific Northwest. As Communications Director, he led research and writing of over 100 case studies of sustainability initiatives by individuals, businesses and communities published in four volumes of the Founders of a New Northwest book series. He also conceived and organized the Oregon Sustainability Forum in 2001 and the Sustainability Forum in 2003. Both were 3-day conferences that drew over 1,000 attendees to hear more than 250 speakers in 120 presentations on a wide range of sustainability topics.

Matthew published the 141-page Sustainable Agriculture: Continuing to Grow in 2000 under contract with USDA’s Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. That book provided abstracts of on-farm research funded by WSARE and profiles of 30 farm and ranch entrepreneurs.

Also in 2000, Matthew served as a consultant to the State of Oregon in development of the SustainableOregon.net website, providing design recommendations, original content and editing.

As chair of the board of Friends of Zenger Farm (zengerfarm.org), Matthew led a successful effort to develop an education center on an historic 16-acre farm in Portland to provide youth programs on food, farming and the environment, and to support business development by beginning and immigrant farmers.

Matthew holds a B.A. degree from Lewis and Clark College in sociology and anthropology, and has additional work experience in social research and education.

Matthew lives in Portland with his wife of 20 years, Courtney Ferrari, and their daughter, Helen. He is a committed bicycle commuter, riding more than 3,000 miles a year. He is an avid scuba diver. He has also spent more than 5 years overseas, living and traveling in Japan, Senegal, Great Britain, China, Honduras and other countries.
 

Sustainability in the Marketplace: The Benefits of Values-Added Agriculture

Through this workshop we will review consumer research and market trends to scope the opportunities for businesses that develop and market more socially and environmentally responsible products. The use and potential benefits of certification and eco-labels, and factors influencing the credibility and success of businesses employing those labels will be explored. Matthew Buck will examine successful farm, ranch, and processor enterprises for ideas and lessons learned about building strong sustainable brands.

Bring questions and be prepared to talk about your enterprise, your target customer, how you might differentiate and add value to your product, and the potential benefits or risks of changing production practices and/or marketing.

Presenter: Matthew Buck is the assistant director of Food Alliance, a non-profit organization that works at the juncture of science, business and values to define and promote sustainability in agriculture and the food industry, and to ensure safe and fair working conditions, humane treatment of animals, and careful stewardship of ecosystems. 

 

Joerg O. Zimmermann, Ph.D, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Joerg was raised on a family farm near Stuttgart, Germany. After internships on grain farms in France and Canada, he graduated from the University of Hohenheim, Germany majoring in Agricultural Economics. He completed his Ph.D in the area of management techniques for large farm enterprises in Russia at the same German university.

During his extensive research of management strategies and control systems employed by large scale agricultural enterprises in Eastern Europe and the CIS – mainly in Russia – he got to see a wide range of farm operations in this part of the world. In 2002 he co-founded a farm in Samara, Russia, which currently operates on 2,300 ha.

After building up a seed sales network and developing a 2,000 ha farm in Northern Kazakhstan, Joerg joined an US-based investment fund with large farm operations in Eastern Europe and the CIS.

After his pioneering days in Eastern Europe and the CIS, he and his family only recently settled in Winnipeg, MB, where he joined Ag Growth Industries’ international sales department. 

Management Techniques for Large Commercial Farms

This workshop will be a combination of both a theoretical and practical approach to large farm management, mainly focusing on huge farming operations in Russia. This enables the participant to widen their horizons with regards to international agribusiness and gives them thoughts to improve their own farming operations.

The workshop covers the following topics including, but not limited to:

• Short introduction to agriculture in Russia with historic developments, numbers, statistics and pictures
• Some key points on farm management techniques during Soviet times
• Recent developments in Russian agriculture (large scale corporate farming)
• Theoretical thoughts and practical examples on economies of scale vs. transaction costs in large corporate farms
• Since farming is a business that is spread on a large area of land (or even at many different locations) how does this influence your management techniques compared to businesses that function in a static location (ie. An office where everything you need is at your fingertips)?
• Management systems

The participants of this workshop are explicitly encouraged to interactively direct the workshop into their desired direction.

 

Gerry Holland, P.Ag., CAFA

Gerry was raised on a family farm near Avonlea, Saskatchewan.  He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1978. 

Since then he has owned and operated the mixed family farm.  Over the years, the farm has produced a variety of crops including cereals, oilseeds, pulses and forages plus cattle and bison.  Currently, the farm is going through transition as Gerry and his wife have moved to Regina to fulfill his current work commitments with Saskatchewan Agriculture.    

From 1984 to 1998, Gerry worked as a private farm management consultant assisting farmers to analyze their current situation, evaluate options and develop business and strategic plans.

Gerry is a founding director and current Vice President of Blue Hills Ventures Ltd, which operates a producer and community owned pulse processing plant in Avonlea.  The business cleans locally grown pulses and ships the product around the world for a number of exporting companies.

Since 1998, Gerry has worked with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture in a number of positions.  Currently, he is a provincial Farm Business Management Specialist with specific responsibilities for farm Business Strategies and Succession Planning.  He also administrates and delivers farm management products, programs and services to Saskatchewan farmers.  He has facilitated many succession planning and cost of production workshops across the province.

Gerry and his wife JoAnn have four adult children.  They are experiencing the empty nest syndrome and getting the opportunity to travel more frequently.   
 

 

Bryan Gilvesy HBA, Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario

Bryan Gilvesy is proprietor of the Y U Ranch, an award winning farm operation, located in Norfolk County, Ontario.  Bryan is a leader in sustainable agriculture and environmental responsibility.  The Y U Ranch produces Local Food Plus certified beef, dealing directly with consumers in Southern Ontario. 

As Chair of the innovative Norfolk ALUS (Alternative Lands Use Services) Pilot Project, he leads the emerging program that envisions farmers as key environmental solution providers.  Bryan has pioneered the creation of the Ontario Conservation Credit, a mechanism that leverages the sequestration of carbon into sustainable environmental outcomes on farm land and developed proposals for sustainable biomass energy solutions.

Recipient of the 2009 International Texas Longhorn Association Breeder of the Year Award, 2008 Canadian Agri-Food Award of Excellence For Environmental Stewardship, 2007 Premier’s Award For Ag Innovation,  2006 Toronto Food Policy Council Local Food Hero Award.

How pricing carbon creates opportunities for agriculture

From the very beginning, farmers have been superb managers of the working landscape they occupy. In fact, farmers are often referred to as the original stewards of the land. Managing the soil and the organic material within it, is second nature for Canada’s farmers. Our country stands on the cusp of major change as cap and trade schemes, devised to combat climate change, effectively put a price on greenhouse gases.

Farmers’ traditional ability to sustainably manage soil organic matter puts them in a position to provide important solutions under cap and trade. Canada’s farmers have the skills required to sequester carbon (organic material is largely made up of carbon) and the land required to store carbon or produce renewable energy forms.
 
Cap and Trade effectively penalizes those who release excess greenhouse gasses (including carbon, dioxide, methane and others, commonly measured as tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) and provides marketplace rewards for those that can sequester carbon, mitigate it’s release or create renewable forms (renewable energy).

An initial discussion describing what cap and trade programs would typically look like, will evolve into a grass roots view of sequestration and mitigation of carbon and how this can occur on farms. Questions answered include: Who can participate; What is a quantification protocol; Who are aggregators; What is verification; What do I need to get started?

The focus of the workshop will be on opportunities to create new relevance for farmers from old skills and tools they possess, resulting in new revenue streams from carbon markets and renewable energy. Finally, as there is no question, farmers will face higher fertilizer and energy prices under cap and trade, can carbon dollars provide financial lubricant to help agriculture adapt?