Speakers 2020

“Connected Farm Strategy: Transforming Data into Predictive Intelligence”
Wade Barnes, Farmers Edge

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As co-founder and CEO of Farmers Edge, Wade leads the company’s vision, global strategy and development. Driving a global business suits his entrepreneurial spirit, but driving a tractor on his own farm helps him stay rooted to farmers’ needs. He built Farmers Edge from a two-person operation specializing in agronomy services to the established digital agriculture enterprise it is today.

Founded in 2005, the company recognized the value data has on decision-making and profitability early on and now provides the industry’s most comprehensive digital experience leveraging the latest innovations, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Under his leadership, the company has grown to over 550 employees and has developed disruptive digital tools that have sparked adoption globally.

Wade has spearheaded hundreds of digital agricultural innovations, including many one-of-a-kind decision-making tools and the launch of numerous partnerships with powerhouses such as CNHi, Richardson Pioneer, Global Ag Risk Solutions, Nufarm, Limagrain, HBS Systems, Lindsay Corporation, and various other insurance and financial partners.

Wade’s vision is to help growers and agricultural professionals around the world make data-driven and profitable farm management decisions by building the most advanced and comprehensive digital agriculture platform.

“In-Season Imagery Use Cases”
Andrew Pylypchuk, TerrAvion

Discover how imagery is helping innovate new paradigms in precision ag, and how analytics and big data are shaping the future of farming. Learn about imagery use cases from pre-season planning through harvest offers the opportunity to make better decisions at key agronomic points throughout the season. Understand how imagery can impact the bottom line not only directly through saving and cost management, but post season and downstream as well. Smarter farming with imagery based insights looks at how frequent coverage is bringing big data analytics, multiple use cases and innovation to agriculture.

Andrew Pylypchuk is currently Vice President of Enterprise Sales at TerrAvion. He began his career in the Remote Sensing industry with MacDonald Dettwhiler and Associates (MDA, now Maxar) in British Columbia. Soon after, he joined Pacific Geomatics as a Project Manager where he provided consulting services to a diverse customer base. He later took a position with BlackBridge where he quickly moved from Senior Project Manager to RapidEye Regional Sales Manager. In 2015, BlackBridge was acquired by Planet Labs where Andrew took the role of Senior Account Executive, Global Agriculture working specifically with leaders in Agriculture. Today Andrew’s focus is on the agriculture industry; farmers and agronomists need accurate and timely data and analytics that they can trust to make the right decisions during the growing season that affect their bottom line. With more than fifteen years of experience within the geospatial industry; Andrew knows how to combine business development and product management. He works directly with visionary industry leaders to leverage TerrAvion’s dynamic and highly scalable aerial platform, driving tangible information and results to partners. In the end, Andrew helps customers to develop and deliver customer-oriented solutions, using imagery and analytics to solve business problems.

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“Using Data to Reduce Your Risk”
Jonathan Small – Global Ag Risk Solutions

As the tidal-wave of Big Data engulfs farmers, finding real, practical and beneficial uses for it all in our busy lives can sometimes feel overwhelming. It is a fact that decisions taken in the absence of data rely upon instinct and emotions that, when it comes to risk-decisions are not always your best advisors. Jonathan will talk about some of those risk decisions and how small-data and big-data can enhance them and make your farm better.

Jonathan joined the Global Ag team in 2018 having spent over 30 years in Farm Management Consulting. During that time he focused initially on agronomy and later specialized in farm management, production economics, farm finance, operational planning, business planning & succession planning first in the United Kingdom and then after he moved to Canada in 1999. Prior to joining the Global Ag team, Jonathan was a farm management partner with MNP for 18 years and became extensively involved in succession planning in the last ten years of that time. His fundamental approach to the analysis and understanding of farm business is central to Global Ag’s Production Cost Insurance.

“Legal Issues in Data and Agriculture”
James Swanson – Swanson Law

Big Data, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence are transforming agriculture. But how does that fit within our legal system? What are the legal issues and the legal risks? This presentation will provide answers to key legal questions, including: Who owns the data? Who gets to receive it? Who can process it, analyze it, aggregate it, and use it? Who can make money off data, and how? Calgary technology lawyer James Swanson will provide an overview of how agriculture is changing in the current technology environment, the legal risks and issues that arise, and how to deal with those issues.

James Swanson is a Calgary-based lawyer and founder of the virtual law firm Swanson Law, which he opened in 2019 following his decades of experience with larger law firms. His legal practice focuses on Technology, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Data Security. James has extensive experience in the ownership, protection, licensing and commercialization of intellectual property, technology and data, and he specifically provides ongoing representation and advice to technology and data-driven companies in the agriculture industry. James has been listed in The Best Lawyers in Canada for many years, having been voted by his peers as Calgary’s “Technology Law Lawyer of the Year” for 2017, and Calgary’s “Privacy and Data Security Law Lawyer of the Year” for 2020. He is also listed in Lexpert under Computer & IT Law, Technology Transactions and Intellectual Property. In addition to his legal practice, James is a member of the academic faculty of Athabasca University in its innovative online and virtual MBA program. James is well known as an engaging and knowledgeable speaker in his areas of practice, having given hundreds of presentations or participated on conference panels from New York to Vancouver, and New Orleans to Yellowknife and, yes, Calgary and Edmonton.

“Harvest Weed Seed Control: What is it and how can I use it on my farm?”
Breanne Tidemann – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lacombe

This session will explain what harvest weed seed control is and the numerous ways that it can be used on farm. Weeds that make good targets for harvest weed seed control will be identified and some of the pro’s and con’s of this type of management will be explored.

Breanne was raised on a grain farm in west-central Saskatchewan. Breanne became interested in agriculture research after working as a summer student in 2009 at the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada research farm in Scott on the Weed Management crew. She received a B.Sc. in 2011, her M.Sc. in 2014 and her Ph.D. in 2017, all from the University of Alberta. Breanne has been working as a research scientist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Lacombe since 2016 with a mandate in weed science and field agronomy. Breanne’s research interests include integrated cropping systems strategies, integrated weed management, weed biology and harvest weed seed control. Breanne lives with her husband and son in Blackfalds, AB.