Agronomy insights to know and grow
February 22-23, 2023
TCU Place, Saskatoon, Canada

Aaron Beattie received his PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 2006 and has been the barley breeder at the Crop Development Centre, University of Saskatchewan since 2010. Dr. Beattie’s research is directed primarily towards understanding the genetic basis of quality and disease resistance, but he also collaborates extensively in research to characterize the functionality of barley within livestock diets. His breeding program focusses primarily on two-row malting barley, but also devotes effort towards feed, food and forage barley. The CDC barley breeding program has released seven varieties over the past decade, including CDC Durango, CDC Fraser, CDC Churchill, CDC Copper and CDC Renegade. He has received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Dean’s Award for Outreach and Engagement at the University of Saskatchewan. He is currently the chair of the Breeding and Agronomy Evaluation Team of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oat and Barley and is the Barley Coordinator for the Saskatchewan Seed Guide. He was also a former board member of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre for five years.

Aaron Mills is an Agronomist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of Charlottetown, P.E.I. His work is focused on cropping system sustainability and closing the yield gap for grains, oilseeds and pulses. He works with the craft beer sector to foster the production of local ingredients including both malt barley and hops, and his work has helped to increase the number of Maritime acres under malt barley production.

Dr. Alireza Akhavan is the provincial specialist, plant disease, with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture since August 2020. Prior to joining the ministry, he was with the University of Alberta and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Lacombe for almost 10 years, teaching plant pathology and working on various diseases of canola and cereal crops across the Canadian Prairies.

Dr. Breanne Tidemann is a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Lacombe. She completed all of her degrees at the University of Alberta, and holds a B.Sc in Biological Sciences, and an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Plant Sciences with projects focused on weed science and weed management. Breanne started with AAFC in 2016 as a Weed Scientist/Field Agronomist. Her research program in Lacombe focuses on management of herbicide resistant weeds, integrated weed management strategies, weed biology, and harvest weed seed control.

Dr. Charles Geddes is a Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. He leads the Weed Ecology and Cropping Systems research program, which focuses on discovery, monitoring, and management of herbicide-resistant weeds in western Canada. Charles grew up on a mixed cattle/forage/grain farm near Pilot Mound, Manitoba. He graduated with a B.Sc. in Agroecology and a Ph.D. in Plant Science from the University of Manitoba. He leads a diverse range of research, including: the prairie herbicide-resistant weed surveys, management of herbicide-resistant kochia, manipulating weed seed production and return to the soil seedbank, and understanding soil seedbank dynamics, among others. Charles also serves as associate editor of the scientific journals: Canadian Journal of Plant Science and Weed Technology.

Clark Brenzil, Pag., is the Provincial Specialist – Weed Control with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina. He provides information and recommendations on weed control to producers, agronomists, government departments and agencies, as well as municipalities. Clark has experience in weed management with the crop protection industry, university research and government. He has been with Saskatchewan Agriculture in this position since 1998. As part of this role, he also administers and The Weed Control Act, raising awareness about invasive weeds and assisting municipalities and landowners in understanding their respective roles and responsibilities under the Act.

Dr. Don Flaten recently retired from the University of Manitoba, where he was a professor in soil fertility, crop nutrition, and nutrient management. Prior to teaching and conducting research on a full-time basis in the Department of Soil Science, Don was Director of the School of Agriculture at the U of M, as well as Provincial Soils Specialist for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, and a District Agriculturist for Alberta Agriculture.

Doug is the North American Merchandising Manager for Boortmalt NA. He joined Boortmalt/Prairie Malt in 2017. Doug has over 30 years of experience in the malting industry. He started his career at Dominion Malting in Winnipeg where he eventually became the Plant Manager. Doug also worked at the Canadian Wheat Board where he was the Malt Barley Program Manager, responsible for overseeing CWB initiatives in malt barley breeding, new variety development and agronomy. Doug obtained his Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) in 1986 and Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, majoring in plant physiology in 1988, both at the University of Manitoba. Doug also has a Master of Science, Cereal Chemistry from the University of Manitoba in 1994

Dr. Jeff Schoenau is a professor of soil fertility and professional agrologist who works in the department of soil science at the University of Saskatchewan. He holds the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Soil Nutrient Management Chair in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and is a fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada. He was born in Saskatchewan and completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. His research, teaching and extension activities deal with soil fertility and fertilizer management, conservation and nutrient dynamics.

Sheri is the Principal of Sheri’s Ag Consulting Inc. She has over 20 years of experience in research and the agricultural industry. Her career has focused on enhancing the profitability of Canadian crop producers. She believes in research that aligns with grower needs, while upholding scientific rigor. She has built strong relationships with researchers, industry and producers. She has a long history of extending research findings so that they resonate with farmers.

Sheri completed her BSc, MSc and PhD at the University of Alberta. Her MSc research studied faba bean agronomy and her PhD research studied the rotational benefits of pulse crops. After graduate school, Sheri worked as the Executive Director for the Alberta Pulse Growers. Sheri returned to research in 2013 where she focused on cereal agronomy with Alberta Agriculture until 2021. Then she worked for Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions as their Agronomy Research Specialist. In fall 2022, Sheri established Sheri’s Ag Consulting Inc. She is providing consulting services in the areas of: research strategy, ag strategy, regional variety trial management, data analysis and extension.

Sheri Strydhorst farms with her husband, Shane, in Neerlandia, Alta.

Dr. Tyler Wist is a research scientist in field crop entomology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon. Wist and his team develop Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tools and solutions to sustain the economic and environmental viability of farming systems in Western Canada.