2024 Nufarm Information Theatre Schedule
The 2024 Nufarm Information Theatre is located in Hall B at the World Trade Center Saskatoon at Prairieland. We work diligently throughout the year to compile a list of relevant topics presented by the best speakers in the industry.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 9
10:30 AM
New Crop Varieties from the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre
Dr. Bunyamin Tar’an, Crop Development Centre
This presentation will introduce new varieties developed at the Crop Development Centre, as well as highlight the most recent releases. Dr. Tar’an’s discussion will include barley, oat, wheat, durum wheat, canary seeds, pulses (pea, lentil, chickpea, dry bean, faba bean and soybean), flax and forage.
Dr. Bunyamin Tar’an is the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program chair in Chickpea and Flax Breeding and Genetics, as well as a professor at the Crop Development Centre and the Department of Plant Science at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Tar’an completed his undergraduate program minoring in Agronomy at Sriwijaya University in Indonesia and obtained his MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Guelph in Ontario, specializing in plant breeding and genetics. His current research focuses on the development of chickpea and flax cultivars in Canada.
To date, Dr. Tar’an has released 16 chickpea cultivars and one flax cultivars, as well as co-developed several other pulse cultivars. Dr. Tar’an leads the application of genomic tools in chickpea and flax breeding and research at the Crop Development Centre and has published 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals. At the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Tar’an also teaches an undergraduate course in tropical crops and agriculture, and supervises undergraduate student research, MSc and PhD graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research staff.
11:30 AM
Harnessing Nature to Maximize the Acre with Biologicals
Kirsten Ratzlaff, Corteva Agriscience Canada, Portfolio Marketing Manager
Biologicals are the next advancement in farming and can help keep farms productive and healthy today and tomorrow. Our crops face many challenges during the growing season, some of which cannot be managed with our traditional crop protection products.
Harnessing the power of nature, biological products can help tackle a variety of challenges, including environmental stress, nutrient limitations, and pest management. As a result, biologicals can help our agriculture industry meet the growing demand for affordable, abundant, high-quality food by maximizing crop potential.
Learn how biologicals complement existing practices, helping you tackle the challenges of resistance management, enhance ROI and profitability, and preserve your land for the future.
Kirsten has been with Corteva for nearly three years, supporting both the Seed Applied Technology and Biologicals portfolios.
Throughout her career, she has had the opportunity to experience and learn from multiple areas within our exciting agriculture industry. Prior to Corteva, Kirsten spent time working in retail, marketing, data management, and as a grower manufacturer representative.
Kirsten resides in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan with her husband and two young daughters. She is a proud hockey mom who enjoys her time at the rink with the girls, reading and running.
12:30 PM
Introduction of 2024 Agriculture Hall of Fame Inductees
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
The Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame announced five exceptional individuals who were inducted into the hall in Spring 2023. Making up the list of inductees for 2023 are Bill Huber, Kevin Hursh, Dorothy Long, John McKinnon, and Laurie Tollefson.
Join us for the 2024 Agriculture Hall of Fame Inductees announcement at the Nufarm Information Theatre at 12:30 PM, January 9, 2024 in Hall B at the World Trade Center Saskatoon at Prairieland.
Learn more about the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame.
1:30 PM
Grasshoppers on the Prairies: 2023 populations and 2024 prospects
Dr. James Tansey, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
This presentation will discuss the results of the 2023 grasshopper survey and damage in several crops, as well as the prospects for the 2024 growing season.
As part of this, Dr. Tansey will address some important aspects of grasshopper biology, including host plant preferences and overwintering, that can influence control of these insects.
James has been the provincial insect and pest management specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture in Saskatchewan since January 2018. This role allows him many opportunities to contribute to solutions to insect and vertebrate pest issues throughout Saskatchewan.
Prior to this, he worked as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida working on citrus pests. His doctoral research and first postdoc focused on field crops entomology at the University of Alberta, working on some major insect pests of canola.
2:30 PM
Taking “the Path of Least Resistance” with new Duplosan™ Technology to Manage Tough Weeds
Tyler Gullen, Nufarm Technical Services Manager
Tyler will be sharing information on a proprietary Nufarm technology called Duplosan™ that will help farmers manage kochia, including resistance biotypes in cereals along with other tough weeds. His presentation will explain how Duplosan™ works as well as discuss BlackHawk® EVO and Oxbow™, two new products that Nufarm is bringing to the market for the 2024 season.
Tyler Gullen graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010 with a BSc Honours in Toxicology and Chemistry. He spent 9 years as a principal investigator for small plot research trials on crop protection and germ plasm trials across both Saskatchewan and Alberta for Syngenta and Bayer CropScience before moving into product development and sales support role since 2020.
He currently works for Nufarm as the Technical Services Manager for the Western Prairies and holds his Professional Agrologist and Certified Crop Advisor designations. Tyler is passionate about innovation in agriculture and bringing those innovations to the farm. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife and two sons.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10
10:30 AM
Taking “the Path of Least Resistance” with new Duplosan™ Technology to Manage Tough Weeds
Tyler Gullen, Nufarm Technical Services Manager
Tyler will be sharing information on a proprietary Nufarm technology called Duplosan™ that will help farmers manage kochia, including resistance biotypes in cereals along with other tough weeds. His presentation will explain how Duplosan™ works as well as discuss BlackHawk® EVO and Oxbow™, two new products that Nufarm is bringing to the market for the 2024 season.
Dr. Bunyamin Tar’an is the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program chair in Chickpea and Flax Breeding and Genetics, as well as a professor at the Crop Development Centre and the Department of Plant Science at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Tar’an completed his undergraduate program minoring in Agronomy at Sriwijaya University in Indonesia and obtained his MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Guelph in Ontario, specializing in plant breeding and genetics. His current research focuses on the development of chickpea and flax cultivars in Canada.
To date, Dr. Tar’an has released 16 chickpea cultivars and one flax cultivars, as well as co-developed several other pulse cultivars. Dr. Tar’an leads the application of genomic tools in chickpea and flax breeding and research at the Crop Development Centre and has published 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals. At the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Tar’an also teaches an undergraduate course in tropical crops and agriculture, and supervises undergraduate student research, MSc and PhD graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research staff.
11:30 AM
Grasshoppers on the Prairies: 2023 populations and 2024 prospects
Dr. James Tansey, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
This presentation will discuss the results of the 2023 grasshopper survey and damage in several crops, as well as the prospects for the 2024 growing season.
As part of this, Dr. Tansey will address some important aspects of grasshopper biology, including host plant preferences and overwintering, that can influence control of these insects.
James has been the provincial insect and pest management specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture in Saskatchewan since January 2018. This role allows him many opportunities to contribute to solutions to insect and vertebrate pest issues throughout Saskatchewan.
Prior to this, he worked as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Florida working on citrus pests. His doctoral research and first postdoc focused on field crops entomology at the University of Alberta, working on some major insect pests of canola.
1:30 PM
The Use of Remotely Sensed Imagery in Crop Production
Dr. Steve Shirtliffe, University of Saskatchewan Plant Sciences
Crop imagery from drones and satellites can now provide farmers and agronomists useful information to assist in crop management. This presentation will review some of the recent research at the Crop Imaging Lab at the University of Saskatchewan.
We are not at a crossroads where remotely sensed satellite information can be analyzed with machine learning to inform agronomic decisions. Cheap drones can be used to scout canola fields for crop emergence and allow farmers to make informed reseeding decisions. UAV trained machine learning models can now use satellite data to map kochia infestations on farmer’s fields and target control measures.
AI models informed with satellite and environment data can make accurate yield predictions before harvest. Crop classification maps can be used to determine the risk of root rot based on crop rotations for any field in western Canada. And finally, our lab is in the process of wall-to-wall mapping of all western Canada at a 10m resolution to measure and understand the causes of within field variability in crop yield and profitability.
Dr. Steve Shirtliffe is a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan. His position involves teaching, research, and extension in the areas of crop imaging, weed control and agronomy. His current research projects include agronomic applications of UAV and satellite imagery.
2:30 PM
The Benefits of Individual Premium & Personalized Coverage for Producers
Janelle Kuntz, Manager, Program Advisors, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation
Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation offers a full suite of business risk management programs, each designed to work together to ensure you have every angle covered.
Janelle will be providing an information and engaging presentation discussing the benefits of Individual Premium for producers and how producers can personalize their coverage options for their operation in advance of the 2024 growing season.
Janelle Kuntz has worked with Agriculture Business Risk Management programs for 23 years, first with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and now with Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation since 2010.
Janelle and her team of Program Advisors are available to discuss the specifics of your farm operation and how SCIC’s programs can help manage your risk.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 11
10:30 AM
Western Canadian Crop Production Show Innovation Award – Finalist Presentations
Finalist: TBA
The Western Canadian Crop Production Show is thrilled to showcase innovation in the industry through our new Western Canadian Crop Production Show Innovation Award at the 2024 event. The finalist will have the opportunity to discuss their innovations in the Nufarm Information Theatre for all to learn from.
11:30 AM
Taking “the Path of Least Resistance” with new Duplosan™ Technology to Manage Tough Weeds
Tyler Gullen, Nufarm Technical Services Manager
This presentation will discuss the results of the 2023 grasshopper survey and damage in several crops, as well as the prospects for the 2024 growing season.
As part of this, Dr. Tansey will address some important aspects of grasshopper biology, including host plant preferences and overwintering, that can influence control of these insects.
Dr. Bunyamin Tar’an is the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Strategic Research Program chair in Chickpea and Flax Breeding and Genetics, as well as a professor at the Crop Development Centre and the Department of Plant Science at the College of Agriculture and Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Tar’an completed his undergraduate program minoring in Agronomy at Sriwijaya University in Indonesia and obtained his MSc and PhD degrees from the University of Guelph in Ontario, specializing in plant breeding and genetics. His current research focuses on the development of chickpea and flax cultivars in Canada.
To date, Dr. Tar’an has released 16 chickpea cultivars and one flax cultivars, as well as co-developed several other pulse cultivars. Dr. Tar’an leads the application of genomic tools in chickpea and flax breeding and research at the Crop Development Centre and has published 125 articles in peer-reviewed journals. At the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Tar’an also teaches an undergraduate course in tropical crops and agriculture, and supervises undergraduate student research, MSc and PhD graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research staff.
1:30 PM
Best Management Options for Pulse Crop Diseases
Dr. Sabine Banniza, Crop Development Centre
Root rots and foliar diseases continue to negatively affect pulse crop production in Saskatchewan and across the Prairies. The most common and economically most important diseases will be discussed.
Epidemic development of these diseases is primarily driven by in-season rains and because of unreliable rain forecasts, preventative disease management is difficult. Management options are discussed that can reduce the risk of epidemics in pulse crops.
Dr. Sabine Banniza is a professor and Strategic Research Chair of Plant Pathology at the Crop Development Centre of the University of Saskatchewan, where she has been working on pulse crop diseases for more than 25 year.
Much of her research has focused on understanding host-pathogen interactions on pea, lentil, chickpea, bean and faba bean, and their implications for resistance breeding and disease management.
With the emergence of root rots, her groups has also focused on the important root rot pathogens Aphannomycea euteiches and Fusarium spp. with the objective to identify durable resistance in pea, lentil and chickpea.
2:30 PM
Sustainability Advances in Saskatchewan Agriculture
Dr. Stuart Smyth, University of Saskatchewan
Food production impacts the environment, but Canadian farmers have become world leaders in how to produce food with a reduced environmental footprint when compared with food production in other countries.
Dr. Smyth’s presentation will provide evidence on how farmers have improved the production of sustainable food through the adoption of innovative technologies and efficient application of crop inputs such as chemicals and fertilizers.
His presentation will highlight how the increased efficiency of crop input applications results in increased sustainability and reduced biodiversity impacts.
Dr. Stuart Smyth is a professor in the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, where he holds the Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability Enhancement Chair.
His research focuses on sustainability, agriculture, innovation and food. Dr. Smyth publishes a weekly blog on these topics on the Sustainable Agricultural Innovation & Food website. With well over 150 academic publications, Dr. Smyth is recognized as a leading expert on barriers to innovation and regulatory efficiency.
Dr. Smyth specializes in research on regulatory barriers to food security, especially those that restrict investments into new plant breeding technologies, such as genome editing, and that delay or prevent the commercialization of genetically modified and genome-edited crops.
The 2024 Nufarm Information Theatre is located in Hall B at the World Trade Center Saskatoon at Prairieland. We work diligently throughout the year to compile a list of relevant topics presented by the best speakers in the industry.