Apr. 25, 2008, Guelph, Ont. -– The
Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) is holding its 4th Annual
Ontario Provincial conference June 3-4, 2008.
Apr. 25, 2008, Guelph, Ont. -– The Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) is holding its 4th Annual Ontario Provincial conference June 3-4, 2008.
The event takes place at the Holiday Inn, Guelph.
The title of this year's event is Outlook 2008: It's about TIME: Technology, Innovation, Marketing & Exporting.
The Canadian Farm Business Management Council (CFBMC) will also be there hosting their Innovation Day and AGM.
The joint activities with CAFA and the CFBMC start the evening of June 3 with a keynote presentation by Brian Sterling, the CEO of OnTrace Agri-Food Traceability, an industry-led, non-for-profit corporation mandated to advance traceability in Ontario as part of a national agri-food traceability system.
After Mr. Sterling's presentation, the CFBMC will make its Wilson Loree Award, which recognizes individuals or groups who have made an extraordinary contribution to developing and promoting new and positive change in agricultural business management practices and expertise in Canada.
The presentations will be followed by a wine and cheese reception.
On Wednesday, June 4 the CAFA conference will get underway offering a full day of highly regarded speakers focusing on the trends that will help keep Ontario agriculture profitable well into the future: technology, innovation, marketing and exporting.
"I attend a lot of conferences and the CAFA conferences have consistently offered the best value,” says Betty Hansen of Crossroads Planning Group in London. “The material presented is always the most relevant and timely to issues farm advisors are dealing with.”
Leading the way on Wednesday with technology and innovation is Dave Smardon, executive director of BioEnterprise Corporation, a commercialization agent established to help promote the creation, growth and expansion of businesses in the agri-food, agri-life sciences and bio-product industries, such as client, Vinifera for Life, a gourmet cooking powder produced from discarded grape skins. Vinifera's founder and president, Mark Walpole will talk about taking a food product from concept through to commercialization. Then Mark Lepp, president of FarmLink Marketing Solutions will address the importance of your clients marketing their farm enterprise.
The CFBMC joins CAFA for the afternoon starting with a networking lunch. After lunch, Joe Dales of Farms.com is going to show how new technologies and information services can leverage time while increasing productivity and profitability. John DePutter of DePutter Publishing Ltd. will cover the macro-economic up-shift in Ontario agriculture. Rob Hannam of Issues & Insights will highlight the findings of a study he conducted for the Agricultural Management Institute and Agricultural Adaptation Council titled: Assessment of Farm Business Management Needs of Farmers and Training Needs for Farm Advisors.
The educational day ends with a challenge to Canada to be more globally focused and an international player with Andrea Mandel-Campbell author of: Why Mexicans Don't Drink Molson.
For further information, call 1-877-474-2871 or visit the CAFA website at http://www.cafanet.com .
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