2023 Ag Awareness Summit

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.

Shawn Colborn

Farmer/Chair, Farm& Food Care Saskatchewan
Presentation – Summit Closing Remarks

Shawn Colborn represents the Saskatchewan Egg Producers on the Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan Board. He and his cousins manage a fifth-generation farm near Delisle that encompasses 8,000 acres of grainland, a 450-head Red Angus/Charolais cow-calf operation, and a 45,000-layer poultry operation.

Shawn is committed to answering consumer questions about agriculture and frequently welcomes guests to his farm to see first-hand how food is grown. He has also been active in the Delisle Crops for Community project to raise funds toward community initiatives and is very involved in Saskatchewan youth baseball as a coach and parent.