Inviting great minds to share in the conversation 
about food and farming

The Farms at the Table Conference brings together farmers and others in the ag industry to discuss connecting with consumers about food and farming. It is one of very few events that links people across the agricultural spectrum: crops, livestock, horticulture, large and small scale, agribusiness, research and government. 

Join us December 13 & 14, 2017 in Saskatoon to continue the conversation.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

7:00 PM OUR FOOD HAS A STORY: Competing for Attention in the Online World
     1. Renee Kohlman, sweetsugarbean.com
     2. Lesley Kelly, High Heels & Canola Fields
     3. Ashlyn George, The Lost Girl’s Guide to Finding the World

For this year’s Table Talk session, Farm & Food Care has invited popular bloggers from across Saskatchewan to discuss their experiences connecting to consumers online through social media. As more and more people start to engage in conversations online it can be difficult for agriculture share its message effectively. Our panel will be asked to comment on a variety of issues, such as: how they craft and promote their messages, what kind of conversations are they engaged in online and how they feel the ag industry is doing in communicating to non-farmers. We’ll be asking our audience to participate in an interactive conversation about how we all connect online.

8:30 PM Continue the Conversation: Evening Mixer
FFC SK is pleased to offer this not-to-be-missed networking reception. Our evening mixer will showcase some of our great programs and allow our participants from across the industry to continue the conversation, network and build lasting relationships.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

8:00 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 AM Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan: Welcome to Farms at the Table - Erwin Hanley, Chair 

8:40 AM Welcome from the Ministry of Agriculture - Lee Auten, Assistant Deputy Minister, Programs

8:50 AM Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan: Year in Review - Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director 

9:00 AM Food and Nutrition Trends in Today’s Marketplace - Carolyn O’Neil, MS RD LD

10:00 AM Networking Break

10:30 AM Listening to Canadians Talk about Food: Live Consumer Panel - Clinton Monchuk, Executive Director 

11:45 AM Farm Food 360 - Saskatchewan Grain Farm Premiere

12:00 PM Lunch & Networking Break

1:00 PM  Farm & Food Care Champion Award - Shannon Meyers & Erwin Hanley, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan

1:15 PM Cargill Adapts to the Changing Food Market - Jeff Wildeman, Cargill

2:15 PM Networking Break

2:30 PM Translating Farm to Food* - Michele Payn, CauseMatters Corp. Connecting Gate to Plate

3:30 PM Forging the Future: Next Steps and Closing - Adrienne Ivey, Rancher and AGvocate

*Michele Payn Book Signing of Food Truths from Farm to Table after the conference

 

Speakers Include:

Carolyn O’Neil, MS RD LD
Topic: Food and Nutrition Trends in Today’s Marketplace

As a blogger, cookbook author, journalist, speaker and broadcast professional Carolyn enjoys reporting on food, nutrition and cuisine for websites, television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. She seeks out the best food facts by visiting farms and food producers while sampling some of the most fabulous restaurants and home cooked meals in the world. Her goal is to promote great health through good nutrition.

A celebrated food writer, specializing in dining out and culinary travel, Carolyn is a contributor to the Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle Magazine and The Atlanta Magazine, a Modern Luxury publication. Her blog, featuring posts on food, nutrition, travel and healthy lifestyle is O’Neil on Eating.

As a journalist specializing in food and nutrition, Carolyn is a contributor and called upon as a nutrition expert for quotes in many national magazines including Self, Shape, Cooking Light, Redbook, Family Circle and WebMD Magazine.

Before reaching national fame as a best-selling author, O’Neil received nationwide acclaim as a television personality. During her tenure with CNN, O’Neil served as executive producer and senior correspondent for CNN’s award-winning On the Menu, which was consistently one of the network’s highest-rated weekend programs during its 16-year run. As anchor and senior correspondent for CNN Travel Now, she hosted programs on location from the beaches of Hawaii to the streets of Saigon. Carolyn’s CNN reporting on the food and travel beats earned three James Beard Foundation Awards. She is a member of the James Beard Who’s Who in Food and Beverage.

Michele Payn, CauseMatters Corp. Connecting Gate to Plate
Topic: Translating Farm to Food

In 1978, she was dancing with cows and falling in love with farming. In 1988, she was milking those cows and finding that the rest of the world didn’t share her love of agriculture. In 1998, she began kickboxing and decided it was time to fight back for the agrifood business. In 2008, she added social media as a new fighting move. In 2018, she worries about who will define the face of agriculture.

Whether selling $5 million in sponsorships for the National FFA Foundation, working with farmers in over 25 countries, or founding Cause Matters Corp. in west central Indiana, Michele continues to grow an understanding of food and farming. She’s known for moving hearts and minds through her speaking programs, social media community and books, No More Food Fights! and Food Truths from Farm to Table.

Michele Payn will be signing copies of her new book, Food Truths from Farm to Table after the program.

Jeff Wildeman, Cargill
Topic: Cargill Adapts to the Changing Food Market

Jeff grew up on the family farm near Lanigan, SK where he is still involved in operations today.  After completing his BSc and MSc in Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan he began working with Cargill.  He has held various roles in Agronomy, Sales and Commercial Management.  Jeff leads Cargill’s Grain and Crop Input business for Saskatchewan.  He resides in Regina with his wife and 8 year old twins where he enjoys time with family, running and cooking.  He is passionate about agriculture and the opportunity to link growers with others through the supply chain.  

Our Food Has a Story Panellists:

Ashlyn George
From summiting mountains over 6000 metres and encountering avalanches and erupting volcanoes along the way to flying in a military jet with the Canadian Forces Snowbirds (for fun), Ashlyn’s taste for unique adventures has carried her around the world with a suitcase full of stories to share. Launching her website The Lost Girl’s Guide to Finding the World in 2013, Ashlyn has stepped foot onto more than 55 countries on all 7 continents before the age of 30. Turning her passion into a career, she is well-known throughout the province as a former Saskatchewanderer. Currently, Ashlyn freelances as an award-winning travel writer, digital media storyteller and motivational speaker. You can find her on Instagram @thelostgirlsguide or at home in Saskatoon when she’s not on the road.

Lesley Kelly
Lesley is the head and heart behind the blog, High Heels & Canola Fields. She grew up on her family’s grain farm at Watrous, Saskatchewan and after gaining an education in marketing and accounting, went on to work in various marketing and branding positions in the ag sector, such as Cargill, ATB Financial, Farm Credit Canada and is currently the Brand Manager at WorkHorse Hub. Using her entrepreneurial spirit and the skills developed through her agribusiness career, she created a snack food business using the barley grown on her farm. Lesley's passion and goal is to help make the industry better and stronger and she does this by sharing the story of how great agriculture is and by bringing people together and building community. In December 2015, she started her blog in hopes to dispel myths and bring consumers and farmers closer. In 2017, she expanded her reach by joining as co-host on the Farmer and the City Girl podcast which explores various topics in food and farming through real life conversations. Through humour, storytelling and photography, Lesley has connected with people from across the world to engage in conversations about agriculture. Her and her husband are active on the family farm and live with their two boys in Regina.

Renée Kohlman
Renée Kohlman has been cooking and baking professionally for almost twenty years. Every day she counts her lucky stars that she’s been able to turn her passion for food into a career she loves. Renée published her debut cookbook All the Sweet Things (TouchWood Editions), in April of 2017 – her proudest professional achievement to date. When not whipping up delicious treats for her popular food blog Sweetsugarbean, she can be found at her desk (with a cup of tea and a baked good of some sort) writing articles for her columns in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Culinaire Magazine, among others. She is also a busy freelance recipe developer and hopes to one day have a dishwasher in her kitchen. Renée lives in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Early bird pricing of $250.00 + GST available until December 1, 2017.
Regular price is $300.00 + GST.

Register Now!