2023 Ag Awareness Summit
February 14 @ 7:00 pm – February 15 @ 4:15 pm
Saskatoon, SK
2023 Ag Awareness Summit
Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan is co-hosting the 2023 Ag Awareness Summit with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture to celebrate ten years of work to build public trust in our industry. This event will bring people together from across the agricultural spectrum, from crops and livestock to horticulture and poultry production, as well as large and small-scale farms, agribusinesses, researchers, and government. We are pleased to offer several engaging opportunities to meet leaders across the food system and learn about ways of connecting with consumers.
Registration Deadline: February 9, 2023
Attention Certified Crop Advisers: This event qualifies for up to 4 Professional Development CEUs. Please ask about the sign-in sheet when you arrive at the Summit.
AGENDA
FEBRUARY 14, 2023: Networking Reception
7:00PM – Reception Opens
7:20PM – Welcoming Remarks
Presented by Nicole Lamers – Director, Public Trust, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
7:30PM – Presentation of the Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Champion Award
Presented by Clinton Monchuck – Executive Director, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan
7:45PM – Video Tribute: Ten Years of Building Public Trust
9:00PM – Reception Ends
FEBRUARY 15, 2023: Summit Presentations
7:30AM – Breakfast
8:30AM – Conference Opening
Welcome & Opening Address
Presented by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Clinton Monchuk: Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan’s Year in Review
Find out how Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan is engaging with consumers to address questions and concerns. We continue to explore new ways to connect with consumers.
Presented by Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan
Tim McMillan: Is Canadian agriculture the next target for the international protest movement?
Tim McMillan will talk about international activist and protest organizations and how they are trying to impact Canadian agriculture. He will relate lessons learned from the Canadian forestry industry in the 1990s and the oil and gas industry in the 2000s. How can agriculture prepare for what is likely to come?
Presented by Tim McMillan, former President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
10:00AM – Networking Break
10:30AM – Breakout Sessions
Each attendee will have a choice of attending 2 of the following 3 breakout sessions offered at 10:30AM and 2:30PM.
Breakout Session #1 – Politics, Profits, and the Environment: How Farmers Can Lead the Way
Toban Dyck remembers the day when toil, elbow grease and gumption could fix every problem on his family farm. Things have changed. Toban will discuss the differences between the current and looming environmental policy landscape and the carburetor of a Ford 9600 tractor. From emissions reductions to new innovations, how can your farm, business or commodity group utilize that fix-it-ourselves attitude to adapt and thrive.
Presented by Toban Dyck, Farmer/Journalist
Breakout Session #2 – Shop Talk: Analyzing Consumer Food Spending
Today’s consumer behaviours can affect tomorrow’s policies. This breakout session will analyze consumer behavior to learn about people’s spending habits and financial values related to food products.
Presented by Heather Thomson, Executive Director, Alberta School of Business Centre for Cities and Communities
Breakout Session #3 – Top Tips to Market Your Business on Social Media in 2023
It’s never been more important to ensure your business is where your customers are, which is online. This session will provide specific tips for building a content strategy that engages your audience, planning and scheduling great posts, achieving strong visuals and driving results with targeted advertising.
Presented by Travis Low, CEO and Owner at Blue Moose Media
11:55PM – Breakout Sessions End
12:00PM – Luncheon
1:00PM – Colin Angus: Rowboat in a Hurricane: Dealing with Change and Unexpected Setbacks
Colin Angus was the first man to circle Earth by human power. His experience walking, biking, skiing, paddling and rowing more than 43,000 kilometers, three continents and two oceans will inform this fascinating presentation on how to deal with change and unexpected setbacks.
Presented by Colin Angus, Adventurer, Author and Co-Founder, Open Ocean Robotics
2:15PM – Networking Break
2:30PM – Breakout Sessions
Each attendee will have a choice of attending 2 of the following 3 breakout sessions.
Breakout Session #1 – Politics, Profits, and the Environment: How Farmers Can Lead the Way
Toban Dyck remembers the day when toil, elbow grease and gumption could fix every problem on his family farm. Things have changed. Toban will discuss the differences between the current and looming environmental policy landscape and the carburetor of a Ford 9600 tractor. From emissions reductions to new innovations, how can your farm, business or commodity group utilize that fix-it-ourselves attitude to adapt and thrive.
Presented by Toban Dyck, Farmer/Journalist with Burr Forest Group
Breakout Session #2 – Shop Talk: Analyzing Consumer Food Spending
Today’s consumer behaviours can affect tomorrow’s policies. This breakout session will analyze consumer behavior to learn about people’s spending habits and financial values related to food products.
Presented by Heather Thomson, Executive Director, Alberta School of Business Centre for Cities and Communities
Breakout Session #3 – Top Tips to Market Your Business on Social Media in 2023
It’s never been more important to ensure your business is where your customers are, which is online. This session will provide specific tips for building a content strategy that engages your audience, planning and scheduling great posts, achieving strong visuals and driving results with targeted advertising.
Presented by Travis Low, CEO and Owner at Blue Moose Media
4:00PM – Wrap-Up & Adjournment
Presented by Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan
Registration Information
Registration Deadline: February 9, 2023
Don’t miss the conference that brings people together from across the agricultural spectrum and provides excellent opportunities for ag leaders to learn and share strategies for communicating with non-farming consumers.
Registration is $150 and includes access to the reception on Tuesday, February 14 as well as the day of conference presentations on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.
The conference will be in-person only this year and will be held at the Delta Marriott Downtown Saskatoon.
We will be using the Pheedloop app – you will receive a link to download when you register. The app allows you to keep up-to-date on the agenda, announcements and connect with others who are attending the conference.
Hotel
The 2023 Ag Awareness Summit will be held February 14 and February 15, 2023 at the Delta Marriott Downtown Saskatoon, located at 405 – 20th Street East in Saskatoon. A block of rooms has been held for registrants of the conference at rates starting at $149. Please indicate “Ag Awareness” or “Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan” when booking.
For more information or to make a booking, please visit the booking page on the Delta website.
Speaker Biographies
Colin Angus
Adventurer, Author and Co-Founder, Open Ocean Robotics
Presentation – Rowboat in a Hurricane: Dealing with Change and Unexpected Setbacks
Colin Angus is an adventurer, author and Canadian filmmaker. Colin is the author of five books, and his films have been aired around the world on National Geographic television. More recently, Colin and his wife, Julie Angus, founded Open Ocean Robotics, a world leader in producing uncrewed autonomous boats for research and defense applications.
Colin’s bestselling book, Beyond the Horizon: The Great Race to Finish the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Planet, details how he walked, biked, skied, paddled, and rowed more than 43,000 kilometers, crossed three continents and two oceans.
Colin and his wife Julie share their adventures with the public through presentations, articles, books, and film. His writing has appeared in The Globe & Mail, Explore, enRoute, and Reader’s Digest, among others. Colin has co-produced four documentaries which went on to collectively win more than ten awards at international film festivals.
Tim McMillan
Former President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
Presentation – Is Canadian agriculture the next target for the
international protest movement?
Tim grew up on the family farm near Lloydminster, where the McMillan family first homesteaded more than a century ago. He earned his economics degree from the University of Victoria and traveled and worked overseas as an information technology professional. He later returned to the family farm and founded and operated an oilfield services company. In 2007, Tim was elected to the Saskatchewan government and held several cabinet portfolios, including Minister of Energy & Resources and Minister of Rural Health. From 2014 to 2022, Tim served as President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, where he led education and communications activities as well as policy and regulatory advocacy on behalf of Canada’s upstream oil and gas production companies.
Toban Dyck
Farmer and Journalist
Presentation – Politics, Profits, and the Environment: How Farmers Can Lead the Way (Breakout Session #1)
Toban is a farmer and an award-winning writer from southern Manitoba. He is a columnist for The Western Producer and Grainews and he is the principal of Burr Forest Group, an agricultural service company focused on improving the industry through clear and intelligent approaches to policy, communications and marketing.
Heather Thomson
Executive Director, Alberta School of Business Centre for Cities and Communities
Presentation – Shop Talk: Analyzing Consumer Food Spending (Breakout Session #2)
Heather Thomson is the Executive Director of the Alberta School of Business Centre for Cities and Communities. As one of the founders of the Centre, Heather is mentoring the next generation of business innovators while working with leaders in the business community with an emphasis on education, consulting, academic & applied research and industry outreach. She also works as a consultant with 13 Ways Inc, a community development firm that delivers business and community assessments and economic development plans. Heather also serves on the Edmonton Business Association and is a past member of the Old Strathcona Business Association Economic Recovery Task Force. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in behavioural economics.
Travis Low
CEO and Owner at Blue Moose Media
Presentation – Top Tips to Market Your Business on Social Media in 2023 (Breakout Session #3)
Travis Low is the CEO and Owner at Blue Moose Media, a digital marketing and social media agency in Saskatoon. He leads business development, sales, organizational strategy, and is part of the team that facilitates training and consulting sessions with clients.
Travis and his team at Blue Moose love to share their expertise, but he’s equally as passionate about empowering other businesses to do it for themselves. Travis is the founder and chair of the Lows in Motion Shaker fundraising event for Parkinson’s Disease, which raised $650,000 over the past 10 years to battle against this chronic and progressive movement disorder. Through Lows in Motion, Travis has learned first-hand the value of social media and digital marketing in building awareness, growing an audience, and compelling them to act.
Nicole Lamers
Director of Public Trust, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Presentation – Welcoming Remarks at Opening Reception
Nicole grew up in Cupar, Saskatchewan. She received her Bachelor of Arts Honours in International Studies from the University of Regina, along with a Certificate in Economics. Her work with the Public Trust Unit in the Ministry of Agriculture, focuses on building public trust in modern food production by engaging industry, supporting youth and consumer education initiatives, and working with federal and provincial partners to align programming and better amplify the stories of modern agriculture.
Nicole has been with the ministry for over four years, and previously worked in labour market development, connecting with farmers and agri-businesses about their labour market needs. Nicole joined the Farm & Food Care Board of Directors in 2022.
Nicole and her husband, Jeff, own a farm in Southey, Saskatchewan that has been in the family for over 100 years.
Clinton Monchuk
Farmer/Executive Director, Farm& Food Care Saskatchewan
Presentations – 2022 Champion Award and 2022: Year in Review
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and a Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across North America as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
In late 2016 Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, continue to be active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.
Sponsors
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
