Event Information

Event Details

AgSmart is a two-day educational expo focused on data and technology across the agriculture sector that will feature the following:
AgSmart est une exposition éducative de deux jours axée sur les données et la technologie dans le secteur agricole :
  • des sessions de formation intensive
  • Composantes techniques pratiques
  • Démonstrations sur le terrain
  • Parcelles de culture
  • Expositions interactives
  • Présentation de la ferme intelligente et du centre d’accès à la technologie pour la production animale.
Time and Location
Date: July 30 & 31, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location: South Portion of the Olds College Campus

AgSmart Community on AGvisorPro

Looking to stay up-to-date with AgSmart updates & connect with the ag tech industry? Join the AgSmart Community on AGvisorPRO to interact with industry experts, session details and expo info plus real-time support 365 days a year.  It’s free!

About Us

Olds College of Agriculture & Technology

Founded in 1913, Olds College has been offering quality hands-on education for over a century. We are a distinct, provincially focused institution that supports the teaching and learning of all Albertans. Through our regular programming, continued education, and online and blended programming, we provide accessible educational opportunities within Alberta and beyond. We are passionate about the Agriculture industry. Through our applied research and integrated learning, we are proud to be Canada’s Smart Agriculture College, specializing in agriculture, horticulture, land and environmental stewardship. We work closely with industry to advance and adapt our programming to ensure our graduates have the skills to succeed.

AgSmart will be featuring various programming elements connected to Olds College, including highlighting the Smart Farm and Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production.

AgSmart Industry Advisory Group

The AgSmart Industry Group provides support and advice to the AgSmart Event Management Team in the planning and development of the educational programming to ensure industry relevant and a successful event, while acting as an ambassador for the show in the industry.

Kevin Bender

Alberta Wheat Commission, Producer

Kevin Bender is a grain farmer in the Sylvan Lake/Bentley region. He has been married to his wife Sara for 22 years and they have 5 children. Kevin has been very involved in the agriculture industry in Alberta as a past director with Alberta Wheat Commission, Western Canadian Wheat Growers, and Alberta Canola.

Eric Brodie

BASF

Eric Brodie was raised in East Central Alberta. He was in 4-H for 10 years and learned a great amount about agriculture and leadership in this program. He attended the University of Alberta with BSc. AG majoring in Animal Science and minor in Ag Business. He also holds a Public relations diploma from Macewan and a Business Administration majoring in Strategic Sales from NAIT. Eric has been involved in all sectors of agriculture from ag retail to equipment working with John Deere dealers as a combine and seeding specialist. Eric embraces innovation and technology in agriculture and sees the value of knowing what to do with big data. Eric is currently employed as an Innovation Specialist for BASF located in Eastern Alberta.

Carrie Cholak

JGL Group of Companies

Carrie has been involved in the cattle industry from a young age, including purebred and commercial operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Raised on a purebred Charolais and mixed grain farming operation (Circle Cee Charolais of Lamont, AB), her passion for the beef industry began a participant in the 4-H program as a member for 10 years and returned as a Leader throughout university. She was the recipient of many leadership and scholarship awards, as well as livestock judging trips throughout Canada and the US. Carrie is an advocate of the value of the 4-H, breed association youth programs and industry mentorships offered in the industry today. She completed the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders mentorship as a mentor in 2019-2021 and is a tutor for the current school year at the Olds College of Agriculture and Technology.

Carrie’s degree in Agricultural Business Management from the University of Alberta helped pave her career path in the agricultural industry. Having worked with the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Assoc, Farm Credit Canada, Elanco Animal Health, she has gained experience in many different areas of the industry. Currently with the JGL Group of Companies based out of Moose Jaw, she is a seasoned lender in the cattle and crop input financing space. She works closely with the two finance divisions (Canadian Cattle Buyers Credit and Ag First Financial) to build value added and innovative lending solutions that cover multi provincial jurisdictions for the farming and ranching communities.

Carrie and her partner Stuart call the Eagle Hill area home with a handful of critters. She keeps her curiosity in check by frequently enrolling in courses on various subjects and hitting the highway on a random road trips. Over the years, she has volunteered her time with the Alberta and Canadian Charolais Youth Associations, the Lamont Agricultural Society, Farm Fair International, Canadian Western Agribition, as was also a founding member of the Cattlewomen for the Cure.

Jason Lenz

Alberta Wheat Commission, Producer

Born and raised in the Bentley area, Jason is a third-generation farmer. He lives and farms on Lenz Farms, located two miles southwest of Bentley. For the past 30 years Jason has farmed on the land acquired by his grandfather in 1948, the last 25 years of which have been in partnership with his father and uncle.

Jason and his wife Paula have three grown children who were also raised on Lenz Farms. They run a diversified operation that traditionally grows malt barley, wheat, canola, and faba beans. They also manage a small cow/calf commercial herd. The farm has always strived to be progressive in the use of Ag technology and currently employ the services of FarmersEdge to develop their Variable Rate Fertilizer and Seeding prescriptions. They were early adopters of GPS Auotguidance and are exploring the use of Drone technology.

Jason has served on numerous National Boards and Committee’s and served as Chairman with Alberta Barley in 2017 & 2018. He is currently serving in his first year as a Director on the Alberta Wheat Commission.

Before becoming fully engaged in Agricultural organizations, Jason was the General Manager for the Innisfail Eagles Senior Men’s AAA Hockey Club in the Chinook Hockey League and also won the Allan Cup in 2009 as a member of the Coaching Staff with the Bentley Generals.

Rob Saik

Saik Management Group, AGvisorPRO

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.

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.

Robert, an outspoken champion of agriculture, is a Distinguished Agrologist, Professional Agriculture Consultant, a serial entrepreneur and has been hailed as an agriculture futurist with unparalleled insight into where the industry is headed.

He has leveraged these strengths to found over 15 companies in the areas of Farming, Agri-Retail, Distribution, Media and Ag Tech including The Agri-Trend/Agri-Data Group of Companies which was acquired by Trimble.

Through Saik Management Group Inc, he provides consulting services to many organizations.

He’s also the founder & CEO of AGvisorPRO, a platform that “uberizes” knowledge and wisdom, enabling farmers to instantaneously connect with agriculture experts worldwide.

His first book, “The Agriculture Manifesto – Ten Key Drivers That Will Shape Agriculture in the Next Decade” was a 2014 Best of Amazon Books and this TEDx Talk “Will Agriculture be Allowed to Feed 9 Billion People?” has been viewed over 150,000 times. Robert is a passionate keynote speaker and is executive producer of the Know Ideas Media a science based multi-media company addressing issues such as GMO’s and their use in food production.

He serves on several Boards, is an advisor to Olds College, is a member of the A100 (Alberta Tech Entrepreneur Network), a student of Strategic Coach and Singularity University and a member of Abundance 360.  As a partner in Perigro Venture Partners he participates in early stage technology investments.

He been recognized for agriculture leadership by the Alberta Institute of Agrologists (Provincial Distinguished Agrologist of the Year) and in 2016 was awarded Canadian Agri-Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association.

Sara Stagg

Richardson Pioneer

Sara graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science, she holds her Certified Crop Advisor Certification and is currently working as a Provincial Agronomist for Richardson Pioneer. She started working in the Peace country and then in the Edmonton area as a Sales Agronomist. Her experience in agriculture stems from working with farmers on all types of their agronomic and soil needs. This has pushed her to explore the digital space and has become hand-on with digital tools and their importance on the farm. Sara works to support retail agronomists through education initiatives and day to day agronomic issues to help find practical on farm solutions.

Doyle Steinke

B BOLD Marketing Inc

Doyle has spent the majority of his Agri-Business career managing equipment dealerships. With a keen eye for profitable crop production, innovation, and cutting edge technology, he has enjoyed success in the development of superior business models that reflect the present and future opportunities in agriculture across Western Canada and beyond.

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