CEU Credits: 0.5
Regenerative Agriculture: The Alberta Opportunity – Prairies Economic Development Canada Panel Session
The global regenerative agriculture market, although emerging is rapidly growing due to concerns and awareness about depleting soil, water and air quality. Consumer demand for food products produced in an environmentally sustainable way has also increased. But is regenerative agriculture economically viable? In this session learn more about the growing regenerative agriculture landscape in Alberta and the research and technology being developed to advance the industry, as well as hear how producers are successfully growing their business, while improving their soil health and reducing their environmental impact.
Moderator: Joya Sauder, Senior Business Officer, Prairies Economic Development Canada
Joya Sauder is a Senior Business Office with Prairies Economic Development Canada. Her role is heavily focused on developing economic development projects that support the growth of the value-added agriculture sector in Southern Alberta.
Laio Silva Sobrinho, Research Associate, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology
Laio Silva Sobrinho is a Research Associate at the Technology Access Centre for Livestock Production (TACLP) at Olds College, where he leads projects related to grazing management, including validating novel technologies and practices with the potential to improve productivity and sustainability on-farm. Laio comes from a family of cattle producers in Brazil, where he assisted in the operation and management of his family’s herd and pastures. He holds a BSc in Forestry and is completing an MSc at the University of Alberta, where he studies the effect of adaptive grazing on carbon sequestration in the Canadian grasslands.
Shelley Seed, Project Manager, Regenerative Agriculture Lab
Shelley is the Project Manager of the Regenerative Agriculture Lab, a project of Rural Routes to Climate Solutions. Prior to joining Rural Routes Shelley spent six years immersed in the food and agriculture space, including working for the United Nations World Food Programme initiating capability programs for smallholder farmers and partnerships aimed at addressing supply chain issues globally. Her last role saw her join the PepsiCo Sustainable Agriculture team, building regenerative agriculture programs and developing partnerships in key strategic sourcing geographies with other value chain actors.
Rick Kohut, Producer and Co-owner of Kohut Farm
Rick owns and operates Kohut Farms a family run farm located east of Didsbury, Alberta that has been in business for nearly 100 years. Kohut Farms produces non-GMO livestock feeds, organic grains, grass finished beef and pumpkins and squash. In 2008, Kohut Farms introduced year round grazing and other creative ways of reducing chemical inputs that have helped improve soil quality, higher quality crops, and nutrient dense foods.
Joshua Day Chief, CEO, Advanced Ag
Joshua Day Chief is the CEO of AdvancedAg Inc. With a background in environmental reclamation and restoration, Joshua joined the AAG team in 2013 to conduct numerous research projects funded by the National Research Council. This foundational work has helped diversify and grow the company exponentially over the last few years.
Day Chief’s passion is to be a leader in sustainable agriculture, innovation and education. He has built strong ties to the southern Alberta agriculture and business community and has continued to grow the reputation and development of the AAG product line with third party research and engaging in a team approach. Today, Joshua works very closely with dealers, suppliers, end-users and retail locations to solve many soil and water issues. He has a passionate vision that extends globally for AdvancedAg.
Joshua has received an Alumni Achievement Award from the CETAC-WEST in 2018 and was awarded the Honouring Excellence – Rising Star Award in 2020 from Lethbridge College. He is now a member of the Board of Governors for the post secondary institution. Joshua loves working with entrepreneurs as he is actively involved as a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy Entrepreneur Steering Committee and is now a new member of the Board of Directors for Alberta Business Link.