This year’s conference is about assessing opportunities for our industry and collaborating with others to meet the future.
Find out about irrigation in Saskatchewan, trust-building communication strategies, lessons from the tourism sector and ways that Farm & Food Care is working to bolster consumer support for farming and food.
Irrigation Development in Saskatchewan
The Government of Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan aims to support development for the addition of 85,000 new irrigated acres in the province. This includes several projects; the largest of which is the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project, which as been incubating for 50 years. It has the potential to transform a semi-arid region of 500,000 acres into more fertile land and in the process, activate new developments in Saskatchewan’s economy. Joel Peru from the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency will discuss the status of the Lake Diefenbaker project and speak to the overall growth of irrigation in the province and the role of irrigation in global food security and climate change resiliency.
We’ll follow this presentation with a panel discussion about the implications for irrigation development for different ag sectors and communities in our province. What are the anticipated advantages and considerations for the crops, horticulture and livestock sectors? What kinds of changes in Saskatchewan agriculture are foreseen as irrigation becomes more widespread in the province? We’ll be joined by Jillian Brown, Executive Director of Saskatchewan Irrigation Project Association, Dan Erlandson, farmer and owner at Spring Creek Garden, and Julie-Anne Howe, rancher and beekeeper at Bar Over HC Livestock and Howe Coulee Charolais.
Communication Strategies for a Skeptical World
Lauren Sergy’s presentation at Cultivating Trust will explore how we cultivate and strengthen public trust through our communication activities. When you send out a message to consumers, do they trust what you say? Are they even listening? Trust is a critical factor in communication; it boosts attention, drives engagement, and helps people understand your message the way you intended. But fostering that trust is not always easy. It’s a long game, one that needs persistence, empathy, and collaboration. In this session, Lauren will outline the critical principles of building trust, strategies for collaborative communication with partners and outside organizations, and how to avoid common pitfalls that can stymie your efforts.
Lessons in Building Trust from the Tourism Sector
Stephanie Clovechok from Discover Saskatoon will discuss how building consumer trust has been critical for rebuilding Canada’s hospitality industry, especially after almost two years of disrupted activity with Covid. What we can learn about building trust that can be applied the ag sector? What opportunities for tourism might be available to agriculture businesses?
Opening Farm Gates and Building Trust in Food & Farming
Everyone in the agriculture and food sector needs for Canadians to view the agriculture industry as sustainable, caring, and innovative. That is the work we do at Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about how FFC SK is engaging with over half a million people each month through our Canadian Food Focus project; how we’re reaching students, health professionals, chefs and other influencers to help them understand farming; and how we are achieving more through our collaborations with others across Canada. We’ll also unveil our new Open Farm Days project, which will invite people to experience different types of farms across the province in August 2024. And we’ll salute this year’s Farm & Food Care Champion for outstanding efforts to engage and educate consumers about agriculture in Saskatchewan and beyond.
See you there
Don’t miss the 2024 Cultivating Trust conference on Thursday, February 8 in Saskatoon. No other event convenes this many leaders from across different ag sectors to discuss strategies for building trust in our industry. Registration is only $150.
To register or find out more, see https://farmfoodcaresk.org/event/cultivating-trust-conference-2024/