Convergence Conference 2024

Jessica Janzen is a speaker, coach, author, and philanthropist. A wife, mother of 3, forward thinker and live wire. She is an advocate for mental health, rare disease, and all things joy. She empowers from the stage, through her book Bring The Joy, by coaching and facilitating workshops on her foundational pillars for joy.

 

In 2017, Jessica, along with her husband, Hot Ronnie started The Love for Lewiston Foundation. The charity has raised over 2 Million dollars and has been instrumental in implementing New Born Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. They continue to support the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and families across Canada living with SMA. Her passion, drive and philanthropic mission have created life-changing impact.

​

With commitment, passion and a proven track record that spans more than 32 years, Jarrett Chambers has a singular focus–to deliver results for growers. This focus will propel the agriculture and horticulture industries across North America.

 

Jarrett’s professional experience started at the Univ of Manitoba where he obtained a M.Sc. in Soil Fertility and Microbiology. While at U of M he worked on the Jumpstart and Agrotain technologies. The skills gained on these projects allowed him to develop and commercialize the ESN and DurationSlow release fertilizer technologies across North America for the fruit, vegetable, turfgrass and nursery markets.

​

In 2021 Robert was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 50 Most Influential Agriculture Leaders and was named one of Canada’s Top 10 Ag Mentors.

 

ROBERT SAIK has forty years of experience as a Professional Agrologist, entrepreneur and an international consultant who's worked with a wide variety of agriculturalists from Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture to Bill Gates. He was one of only 3 private citizens to address the October 2020 FAO_UN High Level SpecialEvent (Rome) organized by the Committee for World Food Security to address agriculture sustainability.

 

His latest book, “FOOD 5.0 How We Feed the Future” is a pragmatic look at the five iterations of agriculture, culminating in an examination of how technology convergence is reshaping the farm and the consumer

​

Evan Shout is the co-founder of Maverick Ag, a business consulting and risk management firm in Western Canada. He also sits as 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.

​

Over his 20+ years with AdFarm, Ben has worked with a who’s-who of Canadian and U.S. agriculture companies, including Nutrien, Alberta Beef Producers, The Canola Council of Canada, Corteva Agriscience, New Holland and many others. No matter how your business is connected to agriculture, you’ll always want Ben at your table, in your field or riding shotgun for your brand.

 

Outside of AdFarm, you’ll find him coaching and shuttling kids to a continuous stream of sporting events.

​

Robert’s founding of Andjelic Land was driven by his undeniable passion for agriculture. From meeting with producers, assisting with land improvements, or promoting the industry, he is extremely hands-on with the business. He is an unwavering champion of Saskatchewan’s producers and strongly believes they are positioned to be global leaders in food production. Robert is a firm believer in local value-added businesses and is currently collaborating with private industry and different levels of government to attract value-add players to the industry with a focus on Saskatchewan. These efforts have borne fruit as evidenced by several new companies opening protein extraction/ fractionation plants across the three Prairie provinces. Robert is keenly aware that the success of Andjelic Land is predicated on partnering with and supporting strong Saskatchewan producers.

​

Barb Stefanyshyn-Coté, MSc, NSch, P.Ag.Co-founder, co-owner and CEO of Black Fox Farm and Distillery, Barb along with her husband John carefully cultivate grains, fruits, and flowers to transform into award-winning ultra-premium gin and whisky. The spirits are found throughout Saskatchewan, in Alberta, Ontario, Europe, the UK, China and UAE. Guests are welcomed to the distillery for tastings, purchases, tours and festivals throughout the year. There is also the opportunity to pick buckets of flowers from the acres of fresh cut flowers grown on farm. At Black Fox great pride is taken in showcasing Saskatchewan terroir.

​

Warren Bills is obsessed with helping agriculture, food, and health evolve through its digital era. Warren is currently VP Business Development for a high growth start-up, Precision AI, forging the partnership and commercialization initiatives for their precision spray drones. Warren has spent the last two decades founding and leading an impressive list of key agriculture solutions. Included is the launch of xarvio Digital Farming for Bayer and BASF and prior to that building Agri-Trend's digital farming services program, which helped lead to Agri-Trend's acquisition by Trimble in 2015. His background in global agtech and agricultural sciences, combined with his ‘keep it simple’ strategic mindset and business know-how has kept Warren curious about the abundant future. He currently resides on a small saskatoon berry farm outside Calgary with his wife and four kids, and enjoys hobby farming and triathlons in the summer, and chasing kids around the arenas in the winter.

​

Kelly has been formally coaching in the ag space since 2017. Initially working with farm families–primarily dads, sons & siblings, which expanded to include cohort-based coaching through the National Farm Leadership Program (NFLP). The success of the NFLP branched Kelly’s client base to include agribusiness managers of both private and multinational firms.

 

Kelly’s primary interest is in equipping and supporting people to adapt to their changing environment, roles, responsibilities, and relationships. Over time, their work becomes a catalyst for personal innovation and growth that underpins their professional success. Kelly is also a fourth-generation farmer from Manitoba and has served agriculture for over a decade, chairing provincial and federal organizations, as well writing for Country Guide.

​

Terry’s passion for agriculture and the farming industry has always been there, but it was when returning to his family farm that he found his calling. In 2008, this led him to start Sure Growth Solutions which continues to provide professional agronomy consulting to others. Fueled by his fortunate position, he leads a passionate, multi-talented team to help grow his family farm.

​

Dean Klippenstine, CPA, CA, is a Business Advisor and Senior Partner with MNP’s Agriculture team and plays an integral role on the MNP Ag Executive Committee. Working out of the Regina office, Dean has a focus on large scale grain and oilseed farms. He is an advisor to a multitude of farm operations throughout the prairies, primarily in Saskatchewan.

 

Dean draws on a wealth of knowledge to deliver services and solutions that help clients keep their agricultural businesses current, competitive and profitable.

​

Born in South Africa, Derryn completed his undergraduate degree in mathematics and did his honours in Australia and finally finished his studies with a Masters of Science in mathematics from The London School of Economics.

​

Derryn worked in Tokyo for 5 years and on Wall Street for 5 years structuring and trading credit derivatives before shifting his attention to personal wealth creation.

 

The last 16 years has been dedicated to building financial freedom. Derryn lives with his wonderful wife and three boys on a farm in the middle of a forest in south western Ontario.

​

Poornima, the author of a dozen publications that have been referenced over 1,450 times, has pioneered the use of genomics to address fundamental questions in microbial diseases. Poornima earned a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Stanford University and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin. After completing her Ph.D., Poornima did a postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and worked closely with the Broad Institute and the Ministry of Health in Nicaragua.

​

Mike grew up on a small farm in southern Manitoba and moved to Alberta as Provincial Entomologist in 1972 after finishing a Masters in Entomology at the U of M. During his 32 years with Alberta Agriculture he had roles as an entomologist, vertebrate specialist, apiculturist, and finally as an organic agriculture specialist. He retired in 2004.

​

Over the last 20 years, he has taken a keen interest in plant physiology, how plants grow and use resources. He speaks widely on many topics related to plant physiology, growth, and nutrition, plus insect pest management using his vast array of photographs which he takes at the microscopic level to train agronomists and farmers.  Mike is an avid fisherman, golfer, grandfather and passionate teacher.

​

Elston has 44 years of experience in a multifaceted life of science, municipal governance, sports and coaching. He believes in human abundance and excellence. As a lifelong learner he has coached people around the world. He currently presents to 1,000’s of growers and agronomists globally. Known by many as Mr. Sulphur because of his Soil Science M.Sc. that focused on elemental sulphur use as a fertilizer. His passion for agricultural coaching continues to grow each year.

​

Meet Trent, a renowned grain market analyst with a keen eye for market behaviour and psychology. He is the publisher of two highly respected newsletters, the Klarenbach Grain Report and the Klarenbach Special Crops Report.

 

As a market technician, Trent uses his expertise in Technical Analysis strategies to make informed predictions about market trends and price movements. He studies the market's history, current trends, and future projections to help his clients make informed decisions about their grain marketing strategies.

 

Trent's techniques have been shared with readers and members on six continents through his newsletters and Klarenbach Research Telegram group. His strategies are transferable across all securities and markets, making him a sought-after expert in the industry.

​

Kaylee Arnold joined Scotiabank over 15 years ago is currently a Director in the Derivative Products Group under the Global Banking and Markets division. Kaylee provides market and derivative education and structuring to assist clients with managing their interest rate and currency risks. While she works with clients in a variety of industries, Kaylee’s primary focus is Scotiabank’s agriculture customers across Canada. Kaylee holds a Bachelors of Math with specialization in Financial Analysis and Risk Management from the University of Waterloo, and lives in Toronto with her husband, two young sons, and dog.

​

Rochelle has had a passion for fitness from an early age, whether she was playing volleyball, swimming or being a gymnast, she has always embraced physical activity. Rochelle’s love of adventure and being outdoors has always inspired her to try new things and embrace new opportunities. She believes there is a fundamental link between our physical, mental and emotional health and that by embracing new experiences we can have harmony in all three.

​

This passion for the betterment of our whole person has inspired Rochelle to pursue a career in fitness, she has always enjoyed learning about the body, it’s movements and how each part of the body ties to the next with a subtlety that is often mind boggling.

​

Rochelle is looking forward to introducing a new mindset of health and wellness in the world of agriculture.

​

A trailblazer at heart, Daniel McCann, Founder and CEO of Precision AI, brings a fresh perspective to the world of technology and its impact on our farming future. His dedication to harnessing technology will shape the next generation of global precision agriculture with Precision AI, an agtech start-up solving the global food security challenges of the 21st Century.

 

Daniel's entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a remarkable career spanning over 25 years across a diverse array of industries including artificial intelligence, fintech, security, fast food, and agriculture. Having built three start-ups, his endeavors have yielded 11 patents and a successful exit, solidifying his legacy as an industry leader.

​

Colin Rosengren is a third-generation farmer from Midale SK. He has an innovative mindset and thrives on doing things differently. This year will be the 20th year of intercropping on their farm where they have tried many combinations and configurations. They have built and modified many pieces of equipment to facilitate these practices. He has also been a founder of other businesses such as Three Farmers Foods, and the latest, Grain Tracker, allowing farmers to automatically trace grain inventory from field to bin to market without any manual data entry. Colin’s passion though has always been farming and all developments always come from and lead back to the farm and production systems.

​

Tyler is the CEO and co-founder of Dark Horse Ag Ventures. He is not the average tech founder as he has amassed significant experience throughout the value chain of crop production over the past 10 years from creating gene editing tools at the Global Institute for Food Security to boots on the ground scouting fields and coaching farmers as the head precision agronomist for Sure Growth Solutions. Tyler co-founded Dark Horse Ag Ventures in June 2022 to bring forward novel and simplified site-specific fertilizer recommendation technologies. Dark Horse Ag Ventures has since gone on to win the Saskatchewan tech startup incubator Co.Labs cohort X in January 2023 and be a member of the Cultivator AgTech Accelerator Cohort 2 later that spring. Outside of AgTech Tyler is finishing his PhD in Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan this year which is focused on Triticale breeding. 

​