8:30 am

Plenary Session

8:35 – 9:20

The Crop Outlook – grain marketing and grain markets - where are they going.
Ron Frost, Agri-Trend, Calgary, Alberta, 

9:25 – 10:10

The beef industry deboned. The profit, innovation and the opportunity within it.
Brenda Lee Schoepp, BEEFLINK™, Rimbey, Alberta

10:10 – 10:30

Networking break

10:35 – 11:05

Global Food Security: Impacts and opoprutnities in latin America and the Carribbean. After the increase of prices of commodities and food, and the reaction of the populations during 2008, global food security has become a critical issue for LAC. As predictions indicate its permanence in the world, many countries and organizations are interested in investing and working in this issue. The focus of the presentation will be on the impacts, challenges and opportunities for all countries and professionals involved in agriculture and rural development, and what knowledge and skills this will demand from them.
Michael Bedoya, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario

11:10 – 11:55

Economy 2010: Where Do We Go From Here?
An overview of the global, North American, and Alberta economy as we head into 2010.
Todd Hirsch, Senior Economist, ATB, Edmonton, Alberta

12:00 – 1:00

Lunch buffet

National Agricultural Consultants /Advisors Professional Development GAP Analysis Update, Terry Waddell, PAg, Terrae Ag Associates Inc, Sterling, Alberta

1:05 – 1:40

How social media can share the message of Agriculture,
A closer look at how agriculture could use social media to engage customers. Shaun Haney, Haney Farms, Picture Butte, Alberta

1:45 – 2:20

Consulting Internationally. What you need to know before you go.
Art Froehlich, AgriView, Calgary, Alberta

2:25 – 3:00

Where are you going? Where are you coming from? The Adult Cycle of Renewal.  Get ready for the next chapter and transition in your life.  There are predictable patterns of change in adults and there is a group of skills necessary to navigate these changes.  We will explore these patterns and changes. Larry Malazdrewicz, Common Ground Consulting, Calgary,Alberta

3:25 - 3:55

Creating Conversations: Get a handle on Social Marketing
Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, it goes on and on. We'll discuss the best tools & practices for easily and effectively deploying simple but effective social marketing techniques to maximize reach and stay connected to your audiences.
Yves Matson, Director of Business Development, FoundPages

4:00 – 5:00

If the whole world tells you you're wrong, can you still be right?
Ezra Levant published the Danish cartoons of Mohamed, and was prosecuted for it.  Foolish stunt or principled stand?
Ezra Levant, Author, Conservative Pundit, Calgary, Alberta

Reception

Banquet

Dinner speaker
The politics and economics of post-recession Canada.
How should Canada and it's agricultural sector emerge from the worst recession in our lifetime, and what are the political options for the parties?
Jeffrey Simpson, Toronto, Ontario

8:30

MC Introductions

8:35 – 9:10

These Taxing Times...Sink or Swim...Your choice.
Understanding and implementing certain tax-related strategies in conjunction with a strong business structure for future growth can help ensure that your clients retain a competitive edge in fiscal management. Strategies like converting inventory into a tax free shareholder loan, timing of lease versus purchasing equipment, land-lord tenant leasing agreements, and succession planning can all intertwine to make sure Revenue Canada does not become more of your Business Partner!

Merle Good, Provincial Tax Specialist, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Calgary, Alberta

9:15 – 10:10

Is Your Lender Your Champion?
Whether you are approaching a lender for your own business, or on behalf of a client, understanding the types of debt capital available, which lenders are intereseted in different industries, why lenders' appetites seem to change, how they make decisions and what they really need to arrive at decisions will go a long way in helping you find the right capital.

Denis Cote, Senior Lending Manager, AFSC, Calgary, Alberta

10:10 –10:25

Coffee Break

10:30 – 11:15

Professional Liability:  What consultants and advisors need to know.
Doug Lyall, Managing Partner, Olds Branch, Western Financial Group, Olds, Alberta

11:20 – 12:00

Getting the most value from GPS data on the farm and as a consultant.
This session will describe GPS data collection techniques used in today's agriculture world and how our expectations have put us in a place to capture the most value from them together.

Warren Bills, GeoFarm Solutions Inc., Calgary Alberta

12:00 – 1:00

Buffet lunch

1:00 – 2:30

Panel Discussion:
What do you do when you think you need a consultant; how do you know to decide to hire one? How do you find one? How do you pick one? How do you use consultants?

Panel Members:

Bill Zimmer,
Floratine BioSciences, Calgary, Alberta

Stan Blade, CEO Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions, Edmonton, Alberta,

2:30 –3:30

The New Economic Normal: The "Lite" Economy.
Dr Seifried will explore the emerging theory that the US economy has been permanently altered by the housing and resulting financial crisis and the Great Recession of 2009.  This new economy, the "Lite" economy is one where consumers will decrease the volume and frequency of their spending patterns and subsequently use fewer resources.  These new consumers have similar spending and saving characteristics of the Great Depression generation. If these modern, thrifty consumers become a significant bloc in the US economy, what changes can we expect in long term economic growth, employment and levels of investment spending?
Dr. Edmund J. Seifried, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania

3:30 – 4:00

Final discussion and close of conference