Jim Everson became President of the Canola Council in May 2017. He is responsible for leading the efforts of the Council’s professional staff and reporting to the Board of Directors on securing the key objectives of the Canadian canola industry.

Jim Everson first joined the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) in 2008 as Vice President of Government Relations and lead the Council’s government activities which included trade policy, market access and regulatory affairs. In 2013, the CCC and the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA) entered a service agreement through which the Canola Council provides association management services to COPA. Jim lead this initiative as Executive Director of COPA and was responsible for all aspects of association management and strategy. He left the CCC in 2014 to became Soy Canada’s first Executive Director.

Before joining the CCC, Jim had been achieving solutions on government issues for private companies, associations and non-profit groups for over 15 years. Following nine years working as a political advisor in the federal government, Jim worked with a major Ottawa-based government relations company. Over six years, he worked with a wide variety of clients and issues. He held the increasingly senior positions of Senior Consultant, Vice President (Ottawa) and President. In 1998, Jim established his own government relations and public affairs practice, Everson Public Affairs.

Jim’s government experience involved eight years as a senior political advisor to federal cabinet ministers including Chief of Staff to the Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board.

Jim obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) from Queen's University, Kingston, ON.

Session Name: Canola Industry & Innovation Overviews
December 6, 2022 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Loic Boucher is part of Corteva Agriscience based in Switzerland. He is the Oilseeds Marketing Lead for Europe Middle-East & Africa. Loic is in charge of developing Pioneer and Brevant Sunflower and Winter Canola product lines. He started his career in the commodity trading industry at Cargill and Sucden. He is now and for more than 10 years in the seed industry in different countries including Russia, China and Romania. Loic believes achieving a healthy and sustainable food future is an urgent matter that depends on global collaborative and multi-polar efforts.

Session Name: Canola Industry & Innovation Overviews
December 6, 2022 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Chris is the Vice President, Stakeholder and Industry Relations with the Canola Council of Canada. Prior to joining the Council, Chris spent nearly 10 years with a global life sciences company serving as Head of Business Sustainability for North America (based in Washington, DC) and Head of Corporate Affairs for Canada.

Chris also spent several years on the consulting side of the agri-food industry working in government and industry relations, corporate communications, issues management and media relations to advance issues and opportunities at the global, regional, national and sub-national levels for a diverse set of private sector and association clients.

Earlier in his career worked in the federal government (Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada) on animal health, plant health, and food safety related issues in support of Canadian bilateral and multilateral trade relationships and negotiations.

Chris has graduate (Masters) and undergraduate (Bachelors) degrees in Public Administration from Carleton University in Ottawa and a post-degree certificate in Public Relations from Humber College in Toronto. Chris has won multiple awards for his work in support of the agri-food industry and an active member of numerous industry and community-based boards and associations.

Session Name: Canola Industry & Innovation Overviews
December 6, 2022 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Lynn Fortin was the Agriculture Counsellor at the Mission of Canada to the European Union from August 2017 until August 2022.  In that capacity she was responsible for bilateral Canada-EU agriculture issues at the Canadian Mission to the EU in Brussels.  Lynn has worked in trade policy for the Canadian Government since 1999 and has been with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) since 2005. She holds a master’s degree in International Political Economy from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.  She has recently joined the Science and Technology Branch at AAFC and is the Deputy Director in the Science Partnerships Division responsible for facilitating research collaboration with bilateral partners and in multilateral institutions.

Session Name: Canola Industry & Innovation Overviews
December 6, 2022 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Chris Vervaet is the Executive Director of the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA), representing its members on matters pertaining to the oilseed processing industry. Chris also serves as a senior executive with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC). 

He has worked at various levels of the agriculture industry for over 20 years, in both a domestic and international capacity. Prior to joining COPA and the CCC in 2015, Chris spent seven years working for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a market access and trade specialist, including four years as Agriculture Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Trade Policy for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Trade Analyst for Bunge Global.  

Chris holds a M.Sc. in Agriculture Economics from the University of Guelph and a B.Sc. in Agribusiness from the University of Manitoba. He was raised on a grain farm in Manitoba and currently resides in Winnipeg with his wife and daughter.   

Session Name: Biofuels & Processing
December 6, 2022 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am

Chris Ramig is an Environmental Policy Analyst with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality. As a member of OTAQ’s Transportation and Climate Division, he leads several greenhouse gas emissions impact analysis and economic analysis projects related to alternative transportation fuels, including work on biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen. As a member of the Renewable Fuel Standard program team, he led EPA’s recent analysis of canola-oil based fuels.

Session Name: Biofuels & Processing
December 6, 2022 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am

Sonia Wilson is the Research Manager (term) at the Manitoba Canola Growers Association, where she manages all aspects of MCGA’s research with a focus on fostering innovation to gain continuous improvement in canola production and marketability. Sonia graduated from the Plant Biotech program at the University of Manitoba in 2020 and is completing her M. Sc. focused on excess moisture stress in canola with an expected graduation date in 2023. 

Session Name: Research Update
December 6, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Brittany Visscher is the Research Director with Alberta Canola where she works with various partners and institutions to ensure canola farmers in Alberta are investing in the best research to advance canola production. In 2021, Brittany completed her master’s degree at the University of Alberta where she studied various management practices of clubroot disease on canola. She previously worked as an Agronomy Specialist with the Canola Council of Canada and at a fertilizer dealership in the Fort Saskatchewan area as an agronomist.

Session Name: Research Update
December 6, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Doug Heath is the Research Manager at the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission.  SaskCanola currently oversees over 70 active canola projects per year for the benefit of Saskatchewan’s canola growers.  He comes from a diverse research and development background including canola, wheat, Camelina, carinata, and pulse research from private industry, non-profit, academia, and public research organizations.  He has a BSc Biology and MSc Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan.

Session Name: Research Update
December 6, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Chris Anderson is the General Manager of DL Seeds a leading breeding organization focused on delivering high value canola, pea and fava bean products that enhance farm gate value. 

Before joining DL Seeds, Chris spent more than 20 years in a variety of roles at multi-national seed and input organizations where he led global strategy for canola and OSR R&D, the North American canola breeding program and led stewardship and quality assurance programs for the Canadian business unit. Chris also spent three years as Chief Technology Officer with Protein Industries Canada, a not for profit focused on the development of value added processing in Canada’s plant protein industry and a previous role as the Vice-president of Crop Production at the Canola Council of Canada in helping the canola industry remain competitive.

Chris grew up on a seed farm in Dugald, Manitoba and still lives on the farm with his wife Kelly, sons Calem and Kieran and a golden doodle name Brian. 

Session Name: Research Update
December 6, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Masood Rizvi is the General Manager of NRGene Canada  and an accomplished leader in agricultural sciences. He has been working with NRGene since its introduction to Canada in 2020. Masood holds a PhD in Biotechnology, and Genetics, and an MSc in Biotechnology. Prior to his leadership with NRGene Dr. Rizvi worked in product development, technology deployments, talent development, and business leadership at Dow AgroSciences. Masood has an extensive history of working in modern plant breeding, focusing on catalyzing genomics and phenomics with modern technologies to improve research outcomes. 

Session Name: Research Update
December 6, 2022 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Lisa is the Director of Programs at Protein Industries Canada, where she works with PIC members to help develop programming and project proposals, provides program guidance, and manages and evaluate ongoing projects. Prior to her time at PIC, Lisa was the Senior Manager, Research & Nutrition at the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) where she was responsible for managing their research programs including the Canola Agri-Science Cluster, Canola Agronomic Research Program (CARP) and various oil and meal projects, as well as working to ensure that research results were effectively disseminated. Previously, Lisa also served as Director of Programs at Pulse Canada. Lisa is based in Winnipeg, MB.

Session Name: Meal & Protein Panel
December 6, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Rob Gulden is a Professor at the University of Manitoba focussing on Crop and Weed Management.  He grew up on a family farms in Europe and Manitoba and completed graduate degrees in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  He worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Guelph, ON, before returning to Manitoba for his current appointment.  His research focus and interests include crop-weed competition, volunteer canola management, crop and weed seed characteristics, the effects of management on weed communities, plant spatial arrangement, DNA in the environment, and biostatistics. He has authored and co-authored more than 80 peer- reviewed manuscripts in these research areas.    

Session Name: Meal & Protein Panel
December 6, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Brittany joined the Canola Council of Canada in November, 2012 and manages the Council’s utilization program that promotes canola seed, oil and meal in the key markets of importance for the industry. In addition, Brittany manages the canola meal research program and works towards disseminating the results of the research to industry to raise the value of canola meal in the diets of all livestock and aquaculture species.  

Brittany holds a master’s degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Alberta, with a focus on dairy cow nutrition. Prior to joining the Council, Brittany worked with Manitoba Agriculture and Rural Development on programming to fund implementation of beneficial management practices on Manitoba farms.   

Session Name: Meal & Protein Panel
December 6, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

David grew up on a family grain farm in Dauphin Manitoba. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a BSc. in Agriculture. He enjoyed a 38 year career with Dow AgroSciences/Corteva with experiences in sales, marketing management and global business unit leadership. He helped shape the plant genetics and biotechnology strategy for the company. 

David served on the board and as chair of the Canola Council of Canada. He was deeply involved in the design of the winning application for the Protein Industries Canada Supercluster and currently serves on the PIC board.

David joined Botaneco in April of 2019 as Chief Operating Officer and resides with his family in Calgary Alberta

Session Name: Meal & Protein Panel
December 6, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Trevor has worked with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for over 20 years, beginning his career with PFRA’s Prairie Agroclimate unite which developed into the National Agroclimate Information Service. As an Agroclimate Specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National Agroclimate Information Service, Trevor’s responsibilities include leading multiple activities related to monitoring and the assessment of weather and climate risks to agriculture and the development of tools to assist with assessing climate-related risks. These activities help support Canadian agricultural producers and the agricultural sector anticipate and plan for potential risks. Since 2006, Trevor has led the continued development and is the principal author for the Canadian Drought Monitor. Trevor has been engaged with several international drought-related activities including projects with the Commission on Environmental Collaboration, the North American Climate Services Partnership, the Integrated Drought Management Programme, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Intergovernmental Working Group on Drought, and is a regular author for the North American Drought Monitor.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

 After obtaining her PhD at McGill University (Montréal, Canada), Véronique J. Barthet joined the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) in 2000.  Her research programs cover several research areas in order to maintain the Canadian oilseeds quality assurance programs.  She has been working on several projects to assess the impact of seed quality on end-products and the relationship with grading factors.  She has also been working on the development of analytical methods to measure minor seed components (e.g. cyanogenic glycosides in flaxseeds, n-7 fatty acids in Brassica).  Her research looks at the use of rapid methods (NIR spectroscopy) to analyze seeds components using bench instruments as well as handheld spectrometer.  She is a member of several national and international committees, such as ISO sub-committees where she served as project leader for several standards, AOCS uniform committee and the quality and products committee of the GCIRC (Global Council for Innovation in Rapeseed and Canola).  She is a member of the Oilseeds Sub-Committee of the Western Standard Committee, an industry-CGC advisory committee recommending specifications for quality parameters allowing the segregation of Canadian grains in different classes and grades, for their end-uses and marketing by the industry nationally and internationally.  In Canada, Véronique has been the Chair of two ISO Sub-Committees (2 and 11) of the Technical Committee 34 dealing is oilseeds and oilseed meal analyses and served as President of the Canadian Section of the American Oil Chemist Society.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

Cory is the Provincial Specialist for Oilseed Crops with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and has held that position since January 2020. Cory works with all oilseed crops and also provincial oilseed grower associations, supporting the oilseed industry in the province. He grow up on a grain farm in southeast Saskatchewan in the Mutrie district. He received both his Bachelor and Masters of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

Dr. Alireza Akhavan is the Provincial Specialist, Plant Disease with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture since August 2020. Prior to joining the ministry, he was with the University of Alberta and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lacombe for almost ten years teaching plant pathology and working on various diseases of canola and cereal crops across the Canadian prairies.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

Dr. Meghan Vankosky is a field crop entomologist at the Saskatoon Research and Development Centre. Her research program focuses on studying the biology and population ecology of insect pests and their natural enemies in order to inform pest management programs. She is the Chair of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network, a group of entomologists on the prairies that coordinates and conducts annual surveys of key insect pests of cereals, oilseeds, and pulses and provides weekly updates and annual risk and distribution maps to farmers, agronomists, researchers and other agricultural stakeholders. She is also interested in invasive species and biological control; in 2015 she worked on a postdoc project that focused on the release of a biological control agent of Asian citrus psyllid in California. Dr. Vankosky is a member of the AAFC Prairie Biovigilance Network, the AAFC Biological Control Working Group, and the Surveillance Working Group of the Canada Plant Health Council.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

I currently work (post retirement) on a consultative basis as a consultant and corporate secretary to the Western Canada Canola /Rapeseed Recommending Committee. I previously worked at the Canola Council of Canada for 24 years as coordinator of the WCCRRC recommendation program. I worked for the University of Alberta plant breeding program for 9 years prior to my employment at CCC. My agricultural education background is a B.Sc. Agriculture (Agronomy major) from the University of Alberta.

My pre university work career included a variety of positions which helped inform my decision to pursue a career in agriculture.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

 Robert (Rob) Wilson has had a long and distinguished career with Pioneer Hi-Bred, 41 years and counting.  Rob started in 1981 as a seed production agronomist before moving into research in 1988.  From 1988 to 1996 he was Lucerne (Alfalfa) breeder based in Bendigo, Victoria during those eight years he released 5 varieties that became widely grown such as L90, L52 & L69. In this period Rob managed Lucerne research projects which clarified future breeding directions. One such project showed the true genetic potential of Lucerne under optimum growing conditions to be 36 tonne Dry Matter/ha.

During 1996, Rob relocated to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales to set up Pioneer’s Australian Canola research program. Over the following 18 years he bred and released 33 canola varieties, each regarded benchmark varieties at the time of release for their yield and oil characteristics and agronomic package. He successfully launched the first Clearfield® and Roundup Ready® canola hybrids into the Australian market.

In addition to his canola commitments, Rob has recently collaborated as a co-writer of the Lucerne online project, sharing his knowledge and experience on the lucerne plant. 

Rob has long been an active grains industry representative and is the immediate Past President of the Australian Oilseed Federation (AOF) the peak oilseeds body within the Australian grains industry, and a former President of the Canola Association of Australia (CAA). He is a well-travelled Plant Breeder and communicator familiar with agronomic challenges and growing conditions for canola across the globe. 

His current role with GenTech Seeds Pty Ltd Exclusive Producer Distributor of Pioneer® Brand Products is Canola Market Development Manager based in Wagga Wagga.

Session Name: 2022 Crop Updates & Reports, GCIRC Update
December 6, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 3:50 pm

Joy grew up on a grain farm near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and earned her Ph.D. in Ag/Bio Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Her career has been focused on applied research in agriculture and she joined Olds College in January 2019. At Olds College, Joy oversees the Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI), the research division of the College, which focuses on applied research in crop and livestock production with a focus on technology integration and data utilization to improve productivity and sustainability of food production.  Joy also has a leadership role in the development of the College's Smart Ag Ecosystem, bringing together the academic programming, applied research, strategic partnerships, smart farm operations, and extension & communication activities to help the College meet its goal to be a leader in Smart Agriculture. Joy is also past president of the Canadian Society of Bioengineering and is an adjunct professor at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2021, Joy was named one of Canada’s top 50 most influential people in Canadian Ag by Canadian Western Agribition. 

Session Name: Precision Ag Tech Today
December 7, 2022 | 8:00 am - 9:45 am

Garth Donald is the founder, former director and Manager of Agronomy at Decisive Farming by TELUS Agriculture. Garth specializes in the areas of soil, crop nutrition, crop production and crop protection by working closely with farmers, creating sustainable fertility plans that meet both the environmental safety and yield potential for a given area.

Session Name: Precision Agriculture Technology Today
December 7, 2022 | 8:00 am - 9:45 am

As the Product Marketing Manager for Climate FieldView in Canada, Bonnie is responsible for being the voice of the Canadian customer (farmers, agronomists & dealers) throughout the FieldView product development and delivery process. She is passionate about agriculture and working to identify and prioritize customer needs in order to provide insightful digital solutions.  Bonnie has been working with Climate FieldView since the spring of 2022, Prior to joining the team, Bonnie was the Team Lead and Agronomist for Crop Intelligence, a Canadian digital farming company that developed a software program that utilizes in-field soil moisture and weather data to model Water Driven Yield Potential in dryland crops across Western Canada. Bonnie lives and farms in Kelliher, Saskatchewan with her husband and family. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan and is a Certified Crop Advisor.

Session Name: Precision Ag Tech Today
December 7, 2022 | 8:00 am - 9:45 am

David is a Principal Soil Scientist (Pedologist), Agroecologist and Registered Professional Agrologist. He has over 20 years of consulting experience in agricultural-environmental planning, permitting, management and decommissioning with a technical focus on the soil-landscape environment, agricultural management systems, and agricultural water management. David has a strong technical expertise in understanding, interpreting, and evaluating environmental interactions between the soil environment and agricultural land uses.

David has managed and provided technical leadership on a diverse project portfolio, including environmental assessments, soil surveys, land suitability assessments, mitigation planning, environmental monitoring, and remediation/reclamation programs. His core experience is in agricultural irrigation, drainage, and soil salinity.

David is currently leading applied research projects on beneficial soil and water management practices for improved soil health and water quality in the undulating soil landscapes of southwestern Manitoba.

David is founder and President of AgriEarth Consulting Ltd., a firm established to add value and provide environmental solutions to agriculture and related sectors across the Canadian Prairies and beyond.

Session Name: Improving Every Canola Acre
December 7, 2022 | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Marla Riekman is the Soil Management Specialist with Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agroecology and a Master’s Degree in Soil Science, both from the University of Manitoba. Before joining Manitoba Agriculture in 2007, Marla worked as the Farm Manager for the Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association and also as a Soil Conservationist with the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. Marla’s main focus is to provide extension on dealing with problem soils and maintaining long-term productivity by managing soil health. Marla’s passion for soil has even crept into her personal life – she is known to create jewelry with soil in her spare time!

Session Name: Improving Every Canola Acre
December 7, 2022 | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Carl deConinck Smith is a fourth generation farmer who along with his wife Erica and kids farm with his parents in the Darcy area just west of Rosetown. They operate a 10,000 acre grain farm growing a wide variety of pulses, cereals, and oilseeds. Carl began full time farming in 2002 right after attending 4 years of college at Lakeland in Vermillion, AB. 

Carl is an early adopter of many practices on his farm such as ultra early seeding, using dual point technology in the more southern brown soil zones and implementation of spot spraying for 5 years using the weed-it technology. 

Carl has been spraying on his farm and custom spraying for 22 years with 5 years and close to 150,000 acres experience using spot spray technology in various conditions. 

Carl uses new technology on his operation to try and be on the leading edge of innovation and allow his operation to push the boundaries of efficiency and production under challenging conditions such as variable weather and resistant weed populations. 

Session Name: Farmer Panel on Using Precision Tools
December 7, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Rob is lucky enough to farm with his parents and his wife Donna, along with his two children who appear to have a great interest in the industry. They have a small staff who have a keen interest in ensuring their farms success. Rob’s farm focuses on the growth of cereals, oilseeds and pulses and he has a great knowledge on these products. In the past, Rob has experimented with corn and soybeans, although he’s since learned to avoid them in the future. Rob has been experimenting with VR fertilizer in some form or another since 2010 and has never looked back.

Robs passion is agriculture, and his ideal vacation is going anywhere where he can talk farming with other likeminded folks.

Session Name: Farmer Panel on Using Precision Tools
December 7, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

A youth program specialist, grain farmer, and active volunteer, Shayla Wourms is a fervent advocate for everything farming and food. Shayla has experience working in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and is passionate about nurturing strong people, processes, and policy. 

Shayla is the thinkAG Manager for Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, where she helps to provide students with opportunities to learn about the agriculture industry, explore the multifaceted realm of agricultural careers, and gain an understanding of the diverse array of education and employment opportunities available in agriculture and food. Shayla farms with her husband, Nick, and his family at St. Walburg, Saskatchewan. 

Community and industry volunteerism is a focus for Shayla. She holds the vice-chair position on the boards of both Saskatchewan Women in Agriculture and Saskatchewan Young Ag-Entrepreneurs and is the General Leader of the St. Walburg 4H Club.

Session Name: Farmer Panel on Using Precision Tools
December 7, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Evan Shout is the president and co-founder of Maverick Ag, a business consulting and risk management firm in Western Canada. He also sits as president, co-founder, and lead coach at Farmer Coach, an education and coaching program for primary producers in both Canada and the US. These organizations fall under the Hebert Group of Companies, which also includes Hebert Grain Ventures, a 30,000-acre grain and oilseed operation in southeast Saskatchewan, where Evan sits as Chief Financial Officer.

In his past career, Evan worked as a CPA with MNP, an agriculture accounting firm in Canada, specializing in large scale primary producer grain operations. He is passionate about improving farm business with a focus on human resources management, technology, data analysis, and financial and operational risk practices.

The legacy of Hebert Group is to leave the dirt, financial statements, community, and industry in a better state generation after generation.

Session Name: Curtis' Corner
December 7, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:35 pm

Dr. Taras Lychuk received his B.Sc. in Environmental Engineering, his M.Sc. degree in Agricultural Sciences from Ukraine, and his Ph.D. in Soil Science and Watershed Management from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA in 2014. Dr. Lychuk is a research scientist in precision agriculture and cropping systems at AAFC’s Brandon Research centre. Dr. Lychuk’s work is concentrated on production zone management in the field, cropping systems with alternative crop and field management scenarios, variable rate of fertilizer application along with landform analyses and terrain attributes, remote and ground-base sensing, and field-scale modeling, coupled with big data and machine learning methods.

Session Name: Curtis' Corner
December 7, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:35 pm

Marissa Robitaille Balog is an Agronomy Specialist with the Canola Council of Canada (CCC), based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. In addition to territory responsibilities with the CCC, she is the clubroot and soil health lead. Marissa graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies and a Soil Science minor. She has worked in the agriculture industry since 2017 and has held roles in sales, agronomy, and grain marketing.

Session Name: Curtis' Corner
December 7, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:35 pm

Session Name: Curtis' Corner
December 7, 2022 | 3:00 pm - 4:35 pm

Jacqueline Batley is a Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Bristol UK in 2001. She moved to Australia in 2002, as a senior research scientist at DPI-Victoria, then led a research group at the University of Queensland as an ARC QEII Research Fellow, from 2007-2014, before moving as an ARC Future Fellow to UWA. Jacqui has received several awards for her research including a University of Queensland Foundation Research Excellence Award, an ARC QEII Fellowship, an ARC Future Fellowship and the Nancy Millis Medal from the Australian Academy of Sciences. Jacqui has expertise in the field of plant molecular biology, genetics and genomics, gained from working in both industry and academia. Her research applies breakthrough biotechnological advances for canola crop improvement, through identification of genomic regions controlling traits, which are being translated to commercial outcomes. These novel methods will increase the yield of this important crop, contribute to national exports and increase global food security. Her work had led to new canola cultivars, with enhanced productivity, profit, and yield stability through identification of genes linked to shatter tolerance, blackleg disease resistance and oil quality. She is currently focussing on blackleg resistance in the Brassicaceae. 

Session Name: Advances in Genetics and Genomics
December 8, 2022 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am

My name is Harmeet Singh Chawla, and I come from India. I joined the department of plant science at University of Manitoba as an assistant professor in Canola genomics and bioinformatics in August 2022. I did my M.Sc. and PhD at the Justus Liebig University (JLU), Giessen, Germany. Before joining the UofM, I worked as a crop bioinformatician at the Crop Development Centre in the University of Saskatchewan in the Durum wheat breeding program. My main research focus is genomics, genetics and bioinformatics of crop plants.

Session Name: Advances in Genetics and Genomics
December 8, 2022 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am

Associate-professor in genomics, epigenomics and plant breeding at Institut Agro, I use these approaches in my research to study clubroot disease resistance genes in Brassicaceae (Arabidopsis, oilseed rape)  and their modulation by abiotic factors.

Session Name: Advances in Genetics and Genomics
December 8, 2022 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am

Steve Whyard is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba. His fundamental research is focused on the molecular biology of insect development, but he is also actively engaged in applied science, with an emphasis on developing novel technologies to control pests and pathogens of crops and controlling disease vectoring mosquitoes. For the past two decades, he has concentrated on developing RNA-based pesticides, which have the potential to be species-specific, and could thereby reduce the negative impacts on non-target species.

Session Name: Advances in Genetics and Genomics
December 8, 2022 | 8:00 am - 10:15 am

He received his Ph.D. in 2000 from the University of Oregon, USA in the field of molecular biology. Following this, he joined the laboratory of Dr. Steven Henikoff at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.  There he helped co-develop the reverse-genetic technique known as TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes).  In 2007 he joined the UN FAO/IAEA Joint Programme in Austria to establish mutation-based crop improvement strategies for developing countries.  After this, he spent two years in Chile working on genomics-assisted agricultural improvement for local farmers. In 2020 he returned to the US and joined the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory as a bioinformatics programmer.  He continues to collaborate with plant researchers in developed and developing countries.

Session Name: Breeding
December 8, 2022 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

Dr. Lipu Wang received his BSc in 2003 at Chinese Agricultural University and his PhD in 2012 at University of Saskatchewan. After working as a Research Associate in the National Research Canada Council for five years, he became a Research Officer in the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan since 2017. Dr. Wang has over 20 years of molecular plant pathology research experience and published more than 20 articles in the peer-reviewed journals. His studies focus on fundamentally understanding the plant-microbe interaction mechanism, as well as seeking best solutions for crop protection to improve crop quality and benefit agricultural industry. One of his current studies is applying advanced genome editing technology to improve canola resistance against clubroot disease.

Session Name: Breeding
December 8, 2022 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

Dr. Raju Datla is a program lead at Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS). Prior to joining GIFS, he was Principal Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). He has over 35 years of research experience conducting research in several strategic areas of plant biology using the model system Arabidopsis and crop species canola, flax and wheat. This research has been aimed at the development of genetic tools and technologies for basic and applied plant biology studies, as well as discovery and functions of regulatory factors controlling meristems, plant architecture, embryo and seed development. These research contributions established strong expertise and peer recognition in seed and developmental biology.

Dr. Datla’s current research at GIFS aims to understand the developmental and molecular machinery underpinning the performance and productivity traits in crop plants. The multidisciplinary systems approach applies GIFS’ unique capabilities for the development of tools and technologies, providing solutions for sustainability and productivity challenges in Canadian agriculture. Dr. Datla has published over 150 research papers and is an inventor of 18 patents. Besides scientific contributions, Dr. Datla served in various leadership roles - as group lead, pillar lead, program lead and in coordinating plant genomics projects and initiatives.

Session Name: Breeding
December 8, 2022 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

Born and raised in New Zealand, Kerran moved to Canada 11 years ago. He spent his first few years in Canada working in Ag Retail before moving to Monsanto and has been with Bayer and legacy companies for 9 years now. Starting in Agronomy and Market Development before moving to Digital Farming and now Breeding where he is the North American Product Development Lead for Canola.

Kerran lives in Edmonton with his wife, Rebekah and their two young girls. He completed his education in New Zealand and hold a BSc in Plant Biology and Genetics.

Session Name: Breeding
December 8, 2022 | 10:45 am - 12:15 pm

Session Name: Abiotic Stress
December 8, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Sarah Schiessl is independent researcher and lecturer at the Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany and acting professor for plant physiology at the RWTH Aachen, Germany, from 2022-2023. She has studied biochemistry and works as a plant geneticists to understand climatic adaptation in polyploids plants. Her major research interest is the interplay between structural genome variation and adaptive traits like flowering time and drought stress in Brassica napus.

Session Name: Abiotic Stress
December 8, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Danielle Way got her PhD in 2008 at the University of Toronto and did her post-doc at Duke University. She led a lab at Western University from 2012-2022 and moved to the Australian National University in 2022. Danielle’s research focuses on how climate change affects plant performance, including the effects of warming, rising CO2 and water stress in crops and forests. Her research has been recognized with numerous awards, including NSERC’s McDonald Fellowship in 2022 and the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists’ C.D. Nelson Award in 2019, and she has been elected to the College of the Royal Society of Canada in 2018 and identified as a Highly Cited Researcher in 2020-2022. Danielle is also the Reviews Editor of Global Change Biology and the Associate Editor-in-Chief of Plant, Cell & Environment. 

Session Name: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Increasing Carbon-Sequestration
December 8, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm

Dr. Claudia Wagner-Riddle is a Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences (SES), University of Guelph, Canada.  Originally from Brazil, Claudia has degrees from the University of Sao Paulo and Guelph. Claudia leads an internationally-renowned research program utilizing the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions to determine the carbon footprint of food, feed, and fuel produced by agriculture.  Claudia is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America, the American Meteorological Society and of the Canadian Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Agricultural and Forest Meteorology and leads a nation-wide training program on Climate-Smart Soils. Claudia is the Director of the North American regional chapter of the International Nitrogen Initiative and was awarded the 2020 IFA Borlaug Award of Excellence in Crop Nutrition.

Session Name: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Increasing Carbon-Sequestration
December 8, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm

Dr. Brian McConkey is Chief Scientist for Viresco Solutions Inc, an environmental consulting firm whose vision is “mainstreaming sustainability” by helping our clients in the agriculture value chain to strategically navigate the complex and evolving world of sustainability. Prior to joining Viresco Solutions, Brian had 33 years of diverse experience in agri-environmental research, technology application, and science policy, with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Swift Current. Internationally, he was lead author for three IPCC methodological reports and co-chair of the Integrative Research Group of the Global Research Alliance on Agriculture Greenhouse Gases. He is author or coauthor of over 200 scientific papers and book chapters covering soil and plant processes, soil health, water-agriculture inter-relationships, impacts of climate change on agriculture, quantifying carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions at field to national scales, and the assessment of the sustainability of agricultural production.

Session Name: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Increasing Carbon-Sequestration
December 8, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm

Wolfgang Busch is Professor and holder of the Hess Chair in Plant Science at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. Dr. Busch studies genes, genetic networks, and molecular processes that determine root growth and its responses to the environment. He is also the Executive Director of the Salk Harnessing Plants Initiative that develops plant varieties with enhanced carbon sequestration capabilities for removing CO2 from the atmosphere, thereby counteracting climate change.

Dr. Busch studied Biology at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and obtained his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. He received his postdoctoral training at Duke University before he joined the Gregor Mendel Institute in Vienna, Austria as a group leader. In 2017, he joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Dr. Busch has published more than 80 scientific papers, many of them in world-leading top scientific journals and received several international awards, including the Genome Web Young Investigator Award in 2014 and the SEB president’s medal in 2015.

Session Name: Reducing Greenhouse Gases & Increasing Carbon-Sequestration
December 8, 2022 | 2:45 pm - 4:00 pm

Keith Adams has been a professor at the University of British Columbia in the Botany Department since 2004.  His research is in the area of canola genomics with a focus on expression and splicing patterns of duplicated genes in polyploid Brassica napus.

Session Name: Abiotic Stress
December 8, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Christian Hansen was born and raised on a small family farm in Theodore, Saskatchewan. He graduated from the U of S in 2014 and began managing small plot and field scale agronomic research sites. Christian continued to pursue other professional designations in the industry and was able to become a CCA in 2015 and P. Ag in 2017.

In July 2021, he was able to join Deere’s Small Grains team responsible for Western Canada, Northern and Central Plains of the US, and Australia. His role with Deere is to help growers and the engineers that design their equipment and digital solutions understand the agronomic impacts related to their use to create sustainable and profitable outcomes.

Session Name: Precision Ag Tech Today
December 7, 2022 | 8:00 am - 9:45 am

Terri Stewart is the Executive Director, Chemistry at CropLife Canada. In this role, Terri helps lead one of the two main business lines at CropLife Canada and is responsible for science and regulatory priorities related to pesticides. CropLife is a trade association representing developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings.

Prior to joining CropLife Canada in 2019, Terri worked for 16 years at the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, a branch of Health Canada, in its pre-market and post-market registration programs (2003-2018) and later as the lead of the agricultural stakeholder outreach group (2018-2019).

Terri holds a B.Sc. in Biology from University of Cape Breton and an M.Sc. in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph.

Session Name: Canola Industry & Innovation Overviews
December 6, 2022 | 9:00 am - 10:00 am

Dr. Nienke Lindeboom is a Principal Investigator at AGT Food and Ingredients Inc, where she is involved in AGT’s core business of pulse processing and ingredients as well as its new endeavors in the canola space.  Over the last 20 years she has developed a strong expertise in Research and Development, process design, scale up and commercialization of food and feed ingredients, nutraceuticals, biofuels and industrial products from a wide range of biobased materials.  She holds an MSc from Wageningen University in The Netherlands and a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan.  Prior to joining AGT in 2022, Nienke spent time at the Saskatchewan Food Centre, POS Bio-Sciences, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the National Research Council.  She is an innovator with a passion for sustainability.
 

Session Name: Meal & Protein Panel
December 6, 2022 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Dr. Mark McConnell is the Assistant Professor of Upland Birds at Mississippi State University and an expert on the role of precision agriculture and conservation in farm level profitability. He published the first research evaluating the economic outcomes of conservation enrollment using precision agriculture technology and has since published multiple papers illustrating how precision agriculture technology can identify overlap in conservation and economic opportunities in agricultural landscapes. Mark is an avid bird hunter, amateur dog trainer and, mediocre fly-fisherman. 

Session Name: Improving Every Canola Acre
December 7, 2022 | 10:15 am - 12:00 pm