Kelly Dobson is the Founder and Chief Performance Coach of LeaderShift Inc. a leader support and development firm specializing in small and medium sized enterprises.

Kelly has turned a lifelong fascination with leadership and its connection to personal and organizational success into a practice that supports farms and businesses related to agriculture.

Kelly is also the current leader of a fourth-generation farm at Fairfax, Manitoba. Kelly has served agriculture for over a decade, chairing groups provincially and federally. Kelly is a Certified Executive Coach and holds MA in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Froese Family Farms near Boissevain in Southwestern Manitoba is her home base, where she farms with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law. At 66, her succession plan is building a team of 7 coaches to replicate her work.

Elaine understands the culture of agriculture and is gifted at helping folks see great outcomes and workable paths for their family farms.
Froese has coached over 1000 families helping decrease their anxiety over the uncertainty of their future. She has authored 5 books, and written a column for 28 years in Grainews, and is seen in Progressive Dairy and Spud Smart magazine. She is also a Wilson Loree Excellence in Farm Management award winner. Her mission is to help families find harmony through understanding.

Founder of RealAgriculture, Shaun Haney manages one of the leading industry ag media companies for Canadian farmers and ranchers. RealAgriculture provides the latest in ag-policy, agronomics, current events and farm management. Shaun is also the host of RealAg Radio which is broadcast across North America on Rural Radio Channel 147 on SiriusXM daily at 4:30 PM Eastern.

Shaun also makes regular appearances on RFD-TV, Agritalk and US Farm Report.

Sangeeta Lalli has extensive policy, government, and communications experience in the agriculture and agri-food industries across the public and private sectors. From advising the Prime Minister of Canada and Cabinet Ministers, to shaping a $3 billion partnership supporting Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector, Sangeeta brings unique experiences to policy development.

Sangeeta is currently a Public Policy Director at TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods where she works with industry, government, and academia to accelerate agriculture technology adoption supporting sustainability, food safety, and supply chain outcomes for Canadians.

She previously worked as a Regional Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada and as a Policy and Communications Advisor to the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food where she contributed to the development of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, and Canada’s negotiations in CUSMA.

Sangeeta’s professional experience spans from farm to retail, and now focuses her efforts on innovation and technologies. She was selected as one of Vancouver’s 50 most influential people in 2020 by Vancouver Magazine, and is a recognized leader in public affairs and politics.

Since founding the Leadership Difference in 1995, over 450,000 people have attended Dave Mitchell’s “enter-TRAIN-ment” seminars on topics that include leadership, customer service, selling skills, and personal performance enhancement. His clients include Allstate Insurance, Bank of America, Universal Studios, Hilton Worldwide, Sub-Zero Wolf Appliances, Electrolux Appliances, Trek Bikes, Walt Disney World and the CIA.

Prior to starting his own organization development consulting firm, the Leadership Difference, Dave was the Vice President of Human Resources and Quality for Buena Vista Hospitality Group, Corporate Director of Training and Development for Marshall Field’s and a television reporter and producer for CBS News. He has a B.A. in Mass-Communications with an emphasis in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in Global Human Resources Development. Dave has served as adjunct professor at the University of Illinois and has been designated as a Certified Advanced Wine Sommelier (som-uh-yay) by the International Wine Guild. Having failed to achieve his dream of playing professional baseball, he went on to a successful coaching career at the tee ball level.

In 2015, Meetings and Conventions Magazine named Dave one of the “Top Speakers of the Year.” Meetings Professionals International named Dave the Meeting Madness “Best Speaker of the Year” at the 2013 World Education Congress in Las Vegas. Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau named Dave one of the top 10 best business speakers.

Dave is the author of the book Live and Learn or Die Stupid! The book focuses on personal contentment and performance excellence. It was released in July of 2006 and was at the top of his publishers’ best seller’s list in the very first month of its release. In December 2013, The Power of Understanding People hit book shelves. Amazon selected it as Editor’s Choice for best business book. His next book, The Power of Understanding Yourself was released in January 2019 and was named “Top Read” by Training Magazine and Editor’s Pick by getabstract.com. Dave’s fourth book, Peak Performance Culture: The Five Metrics of Organizational Excellence, was released in September 2020 to critical acclaim.

Dave lives in the wine country of Washington with his wife of 35 years, Lori. He has two adult children: Brooklyn and Slade. Among the Mitchell critters are three horses and Mingus the Menace – a large, smart, scary dog who is secretly a cuddler.

Eric Olson, BSAg, PAg, is a Farm Management Consultant working out of MNP’s Winnipeg office. Working closely with his clients, Eric helps owners of small and large farm operations make effective business decisions so they can increase the profitability of their farms and enhance their competitive edge.

With more than 28 years working in the agricultural industry, Eric has an unparalleled understanding of local and international market conditions, which he uses to help producers strategically develop their operations. His services include assisting with strategic planning — helping clients identify and take action toward long-term goals — as well as engaging in business planning to set goals for the next 1-3 years.

Eric uses his extensive client base and in-depth industry knowledge to review clients’ operations and compare them to industry benchmarks. These valuable reviews provide producers with the information they need to grow their operations effectively and efficiently. In 1989, Eric earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba. That same year he was designated a Professional Agrologist.

Heather Watson is the Executive Director of Farm Management Canada (FMC). Heather obtained her Bachelor’s from the University of Guelph, and went on to obtain her Master’s degree from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England.

Heather’s passionate about education and committed to enhancing efforts to encourage better business management practices for a sustainable and truly remarkable agriculture industry in Canada. Before joining Farm Management Canada, Heather was a project coordinator within the Business Development Centre of the University of Guelph Kemptville Campus.

Heather grew up in South-western Ontario and now lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

Heather Watson will welcome delegates to the 2023 Agricultural Excellence Conference Ontario for a truly remarkable learning experience working towards innovative, collaborative solutions to collectively raise the bar when it comes to farm business excellence. At Farm Management Canada, we know farm managers must be able to access the information, resources and tools to continue to enhance their business acumen to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity. Heather will encourage you whether you’re just starting out or well on your way on your lifelong learning journey.

The highest performing organizations separate themselves from others with five critical strategies. The metrics of Peak Performance combine to create fiscal success, operational efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction-for both customer and employee loyalty. Dave’s keynote will provide a high-level road map for implementing the five peak performance metrics and provide the cornerstone of a strategic plan for performance excellence. Dave has used these concepts with organizations worldwide to drive better results. Get ready to create a strategy that maximizes your farm business’ future success!

The National Farm Business Management Resource Showcase provides an opportunity for cross-country speed-learning! Tables are hosted by industry groups including non-profits, private companies, government and academia, with delegates rotating every 15 minutes. Delegates will learn about the farm business management programs, resources and tools available from across Canada.

Host Shaun Haney will record a LIVE! edition of RealAgRadio right in front of the AgEx audience! Stay tuned for more details.

Click on the icon below to listen to last year’s edition, Building a high-performing farm team.

#RealAgRadio

How powerful would it be for you to uncover your positive conflict behaviours, the destructive ones to let go of, and recognize your hot button triggers?

Certified coach Elaine Froese will outline 5 key positive behaviours: creating solutions, expressing emotions, reaching out, adapting, and taking perspective so you can get better at conflict resolution as a business risk management skill.

Many folks are struggling with managing transition conflict and unrealistic expectations of roles. This session gives language for navigating in-law factor expectations, succession tension and understanding the questions needed to get clarity for better conflict resolution. Come prepared to unpack the issues you need to address.

As a follow up to this session, participants will have access to the Conflict Dynamic Profile, an online tool to give clear awareness to farmers, ranchers, and risk-takers who want to understand key questions to get better at resolving conflict.

All of us at some point experience a feeling of being pulled in different directions. People often describe themselves as feeling stuck, anxious or procrastinating on a critical issue. Sound familiar? The intensity and impact of these conflicting feelings can be minor, but they can also be chronic and intense, triggering debilitating anxiety and an inability to think and act strategically. It can also lead to unnecessary tension and drama on the farm when we can’t show up, the way we want, when we most need to. All of this is made more difficult in a World where life and business's most important challenges just can't be resolved with rational thinking, a spreadsheet, or a pros vs cons list.

What do you do?

The capacity to successfully confront such dilemma's is a hallmark of high performing people and successful businesses. It's also learnable. Kelly Dobson of LeaderShift will share some practical applied psychology that builds an ""inner leader"" capable of bringing their best to situations with actions that get results.

Join us as for a semi-formal evening as we honour an individual or group with the 2023 Wilson Loree Award. This prestigious award was established over fifteen years ago, to honour those that have made an extraordinary contribution to developing and promoting new and positive change in agricultural business management practices and expertise in Canada.

After the award presentation, we will enjoy a casual evening of food stations and networking. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old acquaintances. There will also be a photographer on site to capture photos and take complimentary portrait photos to update your headshots!

Click on the icon below for more information on the Award.

To be in Canadian Agriculture, you need a healthy combination of guts -and heart. MNP's National Leader of Farm Management Consulting, Eric Olson, will share his insights and experience on how you can convert risk into a competitive edge while relishing the journey of farm management. He'll explain the critical role of insurance, strategic planning, and continuous learning in mitigating risk. You’ll discover how to spot and take advantage of opportunities in both market and industry spheres.

Tailored for farmers and agricultural leaders keen to bolster their management skills, Eric will share ways that you can take challenges in stride and cultivate sustainable growth for your operation.