Monday April 10, 2017
6:00 – 10:00 pm
7:30 – 7:45 pm
Welcome Reception and Registration
Welcome
Kevin Auch, Chairman, Alberta Wheat Commission, Carmangay, Alberta
Mark Brock, In-Coming Chair, Canada Grains Council, Guelph, Ontario
Al Driver, President & CEO, Bayer CropScience, Calgary, Alberta
Tuesday April 11, 2017
7:30 – 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:35 – 9:15 am
What the Future Holds in Crop Development
James Blome, President, Bayer CropScience, Raleigh, North Carolina
8:30 – 8:35 am
Opening Message
Tyler Bjornson, President, Canada Grains Council, Ottawa, Ontario
9:15 – 10:00 am
Global Grain Supply and Demand: Assets for Future Dominance
Gary Blumenthal, President, World Perspectives, Inc., Arlington, Virginia
Upward sloping demand is no guarantee of future success unless policies and
practices are properly aligned.
10:00 – 10:30 am
Networking Break and Coffee
10:30 – 11:15 am
Canada Grains Council
Agriculture’s Consolidation Remains a Constant
Stephen Nicholson, Vice President, Food & Agriculture Research &
Advisory, Grains & Oilseeds, Rabo AgriFinance, St Louis, Missouri
Consolidation in agriculture from the farm to the table is not new. It has been a
long-term trend that shows no signs of abating. The presentation will look at
those trends, differences in current trend from previous periods of consolidation
and the implications.
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11:15 – 12:00 am
Canada’s Trade Agenda for Agriculture
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 – 1:45 pm
Frédéric Seppey, Chief Agriculture Negotiator, Market and Industry
Services, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
An overview of Canada’s priorities and approaches to protect and expand
Canadian agriculture and agri-food trade in international markets. This
presentation will encompass Canadian engagement within the multilateral
institutions, priority markets, and on trade negotiations.
Grain Logistics: Looking Forward
Panel will provide its perspective of what the grain logistics system of the future
needs to look like to be successful, considering the expected changes to the
Canadian Transportation Act.
Moderator:
Mark Hemmes, President, Quorum Corporation, Edmonton, Alberta
Panelists:
Joan Hardy, Vice President, Transportation, Richardson International
Limited, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Kent Erickson, Producer, Alberta Wheat Commission, Irma, Alberta
1:45 – 2:15 pm
2:15 –2:45 pm
2:45 - 3:30 pm
Woody Galloway, Director, Canadian Supply Chain, Bunge Canada,
Oakville, Ontario
Global Economic & Financial Landscape
Aaron Goertzen, Senior Economist & Vice President, BMO Capital
Markets, Toronto, Ontario
Aaron will discuss the recent developments and outlook for the global economy
and Canada, with implications for the agricultural sector.
Networking Break and Coffee
CRSC Sustainability Platform: Part 1. A National Carbon Cycle Study
Don O’Connor, President, (S&T)2 Consultants, Inc., Vancouver, British
Columbia
The carbon footprint is an important aspect of sustainable crop production.
The presentation will provide an overview of recent work, the Canadian
Round Table for Sustainable Crops Sustainability Platform: Part 1. A
National Carbon Cycle Study - looking at regional carbon footprints for
the major Canadian crops.
3:30 – 4:00 pm
Canada Grains Council
Can Western Canada Be a Global Leader in Plant-Based Proteins and Specialty
Food Ingredients?
Dennis McKnight, President, The Innovators Inc., Vancouver, British
Columbia
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World demand for plant-based proteins and ingredients is skyrocketing and
Western Canada is supremely positioned as the world’s largest grower and
exporter of pulses, and a major producer of canola, cereals (wheat, barley, oats)
and, now, hemp. But, unlike the past, we want to do more high-value processing
right here on the Prairies, helping to create new industry with quality jobs
focusing on human food, health and animal feed.
4:00 – 4:45 pm
What Makes the Consumers Tick?
Carman Allison, VP Consumer Insights, Nielsen, Markham, Ontario
Consumers are proceeding with caution in 2017 and value remains a key
motivator and driver of sales. More than ever, each dollar counts with increased
retail competition all while the consumer path to purchase continues to evolve.
Connecting and understanding how todays savvy consumer is shopping,
redefining health and wellness and embracing technology to make purchase
decisions is critical to keeping the sale.
4:45 – 6:00 pm
Reception
6:00 pm
Banquet
7:30 pm
Values, trust and science - building public trust in an age of radical transparency
and unbridled social media
Charlie Arnot, CEO, Center for Food Integrity, Kansas City, Missouri
Agriculture is increasingly frustrated that science is not definitive in building
public support. Science tells us if we can do something, but society tells us if we
should. In this session, Arnot will examine the relationship between science,
values and trust and how agriculture can engage in new ways to build public
trust.
Wednesday April 12, 2017
7:30 – 8:00 am
Breakfast
8:00 – 9:00 am
Political and Policy Landscape
Andrew Coyne, Political Journalist, Toronto, Ontario
Plenary Session
A nationally syndicated columnist with Postmedia, Andrew Coyne’s journalism
career has included positions with The National Post, Maclean’s, and the Globe
and Mail. In addition, he has contributed to a wide range of other publications
including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, National Review, and
The Walrus. He is also a long-time member of the CBC’s popular At Issue panel
on The National.
With the Trudeau government in Ottawa still finding its feet, and a volatile new
president in the United States adding fresh uncertainty, the outlook is highly
Canada Grains Council
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unpredictable. Coyne offers insights on the policy challenges facing the country,
and how well governments are facing up to them.
9:00 – 9:45 am
New Plant Breeding Innovation: Opportunities and Risk
The panel will discuss new plant breeding technology and the following
three factors: regulatory risk, social license and value sharing.
Moderator:
Wilf Keller, President and CEO, Ag-West Bio Inc., Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan
Panelists:
François Eudes, Director, Research, Development and Technology, Alberta,
Science and Technology Branch, Agriculture Agri-Food Canada,
Lethbridge, Alberta
Ron DePauw, Senior Research Advisor, SeCan Association, Swift Current,
Saskatchewan
Van Ripley, Global Breeding Leader - Healthy Oil, Dow AgroSciences
Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9:45 – 10:15
Networking Break and Coffee
Concurrent session 1 – Room 1
10:15 – 10:45 am
The Past, Present and Future Sources of Feed Ingredients to Meet the World’s
Demand for Protein
Rex Newkirk, Associate Professor, Research Chair in Feed Processing,
Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan
The world is demanding more and higher quality animal protein but at the same
time, there is increasing demands for grains and oilseeds for the growing
population. Will there be enough feed ingredients in the future and where are
they going to come from?
10:45 - 11:15 am
Sustainable Bioeconomy to Marketplace: Biorefinery Advancement of Corn Ethanol
Industries.
Jim Grey, CEO, IGPC Ethanol Inc., Aylmer, Ontario
Jim will discuss the future of corn based ethanol facilities and the corn market
over the next 10-20 years.
11:15 – 11:45 am
Canada Grains Council
Myths and Truths about Grain-Based Foods
Julie Miller Jones, Professor Emerita, Food Science and Nutrition, St.
Catherine University, Arden Hills, Minnesota
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The ‘Staff of Life’ is under attack from many circles, yet it is the base of dietary
guidance around the world. This talk will look at the various myths and facts,
who should be gluten free and who should not be, and the nutritional importance
of enriched and whole grain foods when eaten in the right balance.
Concurrent session 2 – Room 2
10:15 – 10:45 am
More Beans! What is on the Horizon for Canadian Soybeans
The panel will discuss Canada’s soybean production – it is way up over recent
years, and bean acres continue to move west. What does the future hold for
soybean farmers and the industry over the coming decade?
Jim Everson, Executive Director, Soy Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Bo Hallborg, Grain Merchandiser – Oilseeds, Viterra Inc., Regina,
Saskatchewan
10:45 – 11:15 am
11:15 – 11:45 am
Francois Labelle, Executive Director, Manitoba Pulse and Soybean
Growers, Carman, Manitoba
The Next Generation of Innovation in Canola
Chantelle Donahue, VP & Commercial Seed Manager, Cargill Global Edible
Oil Solutions – Specialities, Biggar, Saskatchewan
An industry perspective on where innovation in canola is headed over the next
10-20 years and new avenues for the crop that we might see on the horizon.
Ag Innovation to Create and Capture Value – Looking Beyond Efficiency Gains
Lee Moats, Chair, Pulse Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba
All businesses in the food value chain work to increase profitability through
efficiency gains in their existing business model. Innovation will be needed to
create and capture value in a market where both consumers and society
constantly redefine how they define ‘value’. This presentation will look at why
the ‘business as usual’ approach won’t keep the Canadian agri-food sector
competitive in the decade ahead.
Plenary Session:
11:45 – 12:30 pm
12:30 – 12:35 pm
Canada Grains Council
Trump Effect on Canadian Food
Sylvain Charlebois, Dean, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University,
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
An overview of possible repercussions on the Canadian Food System and
international trade, as President Trump begins his mandate.
Closing Remarks
Tyler Bjornson, President, Canada Grains Council, Ottawa, Ontario
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