Welcome to the 2023 IFAO Conference!

9:30 AM, Feb 15, 2023

THE FUTURE OF ROBOTICS

Kristen Obeid (OMAFRA), Chuck Baresich (Haggerty Robotics)

Robotic solutions are closer than you’d think. Hear from the AG Robotics Working Group about the latest up and coming technologies being brought to Ontario today!

10:00 AM, Feb 15, 2023

Break

10:30 AM, Feb 15, 2023

NITROGEN MANAGEMENT

Claudia Wagner-Riddel (UofG), John Lauzon (UofG), Caleb Niemeyer (Woodrill)

Everyone aims to hit their most economical rate of Nitrogen. Hear about the most recent research findings to get you on target.

11:15 AM, Feb 15, 2023

NITROGEN INHIBITORS

Mark Richards (Dresden), Lori Phillips (AAFC)

This is a deep dive on everything that will affect your nitrogen loss once it’s in the ground. Learn about which inhibitors work in different conditions, and when and why they don’t work everywhere.

12:00 PM, Feb 15, 2023

Lunch

1:00 PM, Feb 15, 2023

MANAGE, MEASURE AND MARKET YOUR CARBON

Karen Haugen-Kozyra (Viresco), Jamie MacKinnon (Anew climate), Alfons Weersink (UofG), Katie Sullivan (IETA)

The big panel on carbon – these panelists will run you through the 3 most important aspects to getting started in the carbon markets.

1:45 PM, Feb 15, 2023

ENERGY SOURCES & ALTERNATIVE FUELS

James Dyck (OMAFRA), Jake Debruyn (OAMFRA, Kate Hickey (HTEC), Anna Crolla (OMAFRA)

Fuel will get more and more expensive, but do the solutions on the table stack up to business as usual? Hear about our alternative fuel feasibility assessment and coming technologies that will solve your drying bill woes.

2:30 AM, Feb 15, 2023

Break

3:00 PM, Feb 15, 2023

LIVING LAB – ONTARIO RESEARCH

Mike Groot (Crediton), Greg Vermeersch (Tilsonburg), Woody Van Arkel (Dresden), Andy Van Niekerk (Stayner), Margot McComb (AAFC), Lauren Des Marteaux (AAFC), Colin Little (LTVCA)

We have A LOT to catch you up on from the Living Lab – Ontario project. The perennial ground cover trial soils are changing is remarkable ways, Greg has been nailing relay cropping, and Mike has tested new tools and brought cattle into his field cropping rotation. Hear about it all here!

3:45 PM, Feb 15, 2023

LET’S TALK SOIL WITH THE SOIL NETWORK

TBD

Join the fantastic people of the soil network to talk just that – soil! They’ll lead you through a facilitated discussion that is sure to be aligned with your interests, because the first question is: what do you want to talk about?

4:30 PM, Feb 15, 2023

Break

9:30 AM, Feb 16, 2023

EQUIPMENT FOR THE FUTURE

Mark Richards (Dresden), Henry Denotter (Essex), Alex Barrie (OMAFRA)

Precision Technology is exploding, equipment is getting innovative and modifications are wide-spread. Join this panel to explore how to mod, synch and choose equipment for a smoother operation.

10:00 AM, Feb 16, 2023

Break

10:30 AM, Feb 16, 2023

MANURE MANAGEMENT

TBD

There’s a lot of win-wins when you’re using manure – troubleshoot how to tap into this goldmine and increase your OM while decreasing your input bills

11:15 AM, Feb 16, 2023

COMPOSTING, BIOSOLIDS, AND ORGANIC AMENDMENTS (oh my)

Adam Gillespie (UofG), Hugh MacGillivray (ANUVIA)

There are so many options out there – how do they stack up? Break them down and filter good ideas to put into action with this panel.

12:00 PM, Feb 16, 2023

Lunch

1:00 PM, Feb 16, 2023

CARBON MANAGEMENT DEEP DIVE

Adam Gillespie (UofG), Sebastian Belliard (OMAFRA), Dan Petker

How are your management practices affecting your carbon stocks? What is labile carbon? Does combining carbon sequestering practices add up to more, or are there “diminishing returns”? There’s a lot of cool new understandings of how soil organic carbon works and how to work with it, and we’ll get into the nitty gritty here.

2:00 PM, Feb 16, 2023

Explore the Exhibit Floor

2:30 PM, Feb 16, 2023

NAVIGATING CARBON MARKETS

Karen Haugen-Kozyra (Viresco), Jamie Mackinnon (Anew Carbon), Katie Sullivan (International Emissions Trading Association), Alfons Weersink (UofG), Mike Strang, Dan Petker

It’s coming. Get ahead of the trend and get ready to make the oncoming flood of carbon programs work for you and your goals. We’ll dive deep on carbon pricing, how credits are sold, where the money goes, charismatic credits (hint: that’s us), and how it will affect Ontario’s economy and ag sector. Strap in, because this one’s going to be a doozy.

3:15 PM, Feb 16, 2023

CALCULATING CARBON

Ward Smith (AAFC), Canadian Agrifood Policy Institute, Mark Richards (Dresden, ON) and Andy Van Niekerk (Stayner, ON)

Emissions calculators, erosion calculators, carbon sequestration calculators – there’s a world of tools being developed to assess how farms impact or provided ecosystem services. These tools, in your hands can help you measure and monitor carbon sequestration (and so much more) on your farm and can be powerful marketing tools. Measuring Carbon is the last step in today’s carbon deep-dive. Learn about the tools available and how to use them to your advantage.

For more information please click here.