Ontario Grain Farmer December 2023 / January 2024

In 2024, the Ontario Agricultural Conference is taking the best features of the online and in-person conferences to offer a customizable conference experience that meets the needs of a wide variety of participants.

sessions and access to 20 ON-DEMAND sessions with topics ranging from cover crops, weed control, and pests to mental health and equipment innovations. That is just the beginning of the 66 OAgC on-demand sessions to be available. The 2024 OAgC also marks the return of the more traditional regional in-person conferences — SWAC in Ridgetown on January 4 and 5, the EOCC in Kemptville on January 16, and the “SoilFocus” Midwest Ag Conference (MWAC) in Waterloo on January 19. “The collaboration between the three conferences means we can bring even more learning opportunities to farmers than ever before right up till the end of March,” says Tenuta. All registrants — online and at the three in-person events — will have access to 66 online sessions until March 31 and will be invited to participate in TEC Talk Tuesdays. Working together has a host of benefits, says Tenuta. By taking advantage of online technology, conference organizers can invite speakers from virtually anywhere in the world. This year, the online conference sessions feature Dr. Amelie Gaudin from the University of California, Davis, speaking about North American-wide crop rotation studies, and Colin Chappel from Gander Farm, the recipient of the first-ever U.K. Sustainability Award. “The cost and time savings of avoiding travel for speakers gives us much more flexibility in building a really robust, innovative, and educational agenda for the conference,” says Tenuta. “And instead of one or two days of in-person learning, farmers get access to even more sessions (66) to view when they want through the on demand recordings, which is an enormous value.” • Understanding disruptive weather: From downpours to droughts, Andrew Pritchard from Nutrien Ag Solutions will discuss weather patterns from around the world. • Tackling waterhemp and more: strategies that work to manage resistant waterhemp and other tough-to-control weeds. • Highlights from Agritechnica: Learn about innovations from the largest farm machinery show in the world, held in Hanover, Germany. SWAC: • Marketing Mavens 1 and 2: Hear what Steve Kell and Ben Buckner have to say about the grain markets. EOCC • Managing spring soil conditions: Dr. Elizabeth Hawkins and Amanda Douridas from Ohio State University will talk about the tools to manage and influence spring moisture and temperature. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Online:

MWAC • Soil biology and biologicals: an in-depth discussion with Dr. Jane Fife from Ohio State University about the different types of biological products. REGISTER NOW! Registration for all conference options is now open. Tenuta expects the in-person options to be popular and encourages people to register early (SWAC registration closes on December 11, while EOCC and MWAC registration closes on January 9).

More information, including program details and registration, is available at www.OntarioAgConference.ca or by calling 1-866-222-9682.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is an OAgC24 virtual conference sponsor. l

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DECEMBER 2023 / JANUARY 2024

ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER