Alberta Next: Agribusiness will focus on our ability to produce diverse crops, dedication to sustainability and development of new technologies which give us the leading edge in the industry and address the challenges we face, including rural decline, labour shortages and volatility in global trade.
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Keynote
John Barlow, Member of Parliament for Foothills Alberta
John Barlow was elected as a Member of Parliament to represent the federal riding of Macleod on June 30, 2014 and was re-elected in 2015, 2019 and 2021 to the riding of Foothills. He currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food, and Food Security and is the elected Chair for the Canada-Scotland Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Previously, John has served as Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food, for Interprovincial Trade and for Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.
John grew up in rural Saskatchewan and raised his family in southern Alberta. Before being elected to office in 2014, John had a 20-year career as an award-winning journalist with the High River Times and served as the Associate Publisher and Editor for the Okotoks Western Wheel. John and his wife Louise have three children, Graeden, Kinley, and McKenna, and they live in High River.
He is proud to work hard on behalf of his constituents and is honoured to attend events on Parliament Hill and in his riding. John has deep ties to his roots in Southern Alberta and a strong commitment to the residents he represents.
Panel discussion
Sowing Solutions: Navigating Market and Workforce Challenges in Alberta Agriculture
CL Ranches Ltd.
Cherie Copithorne-Barnes
Cherie is a 4th generation rancher and CEO of CL Ranches Ltd., a 138-year-old ranching operation consisting of cattle, a feedlot and mixed grain farming operations. In 2025, Cherie will be the incoming first Vice Chair of the Calgary Stampede and will be its first female President and Chair of the Board. She also sits on the Board of Governors for Olds College of Agriculture and Technology. She has held many roles in the past such as co-chair of the Government of Alberta’s Red Tape Reduction Panel for Agriculture, Food and Bio-Industrial, founding chair of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef as well as a member of the Executive Committee for the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef as they developed global beef sustainability goals. She is passionate about not only telling her story about raising livestock in Alberta and Uruguay, but also about informing the public of the often-neglected, positive impact that agriculture accomplishes here in Canada.
The National Cattle Feeders’ Association
Janice Tranberg
Janice Tranberg, President and CEO of both the Alberta and National Cattle Feeders’ Associations, advocates for cattle feeders on a broad range of policies and economic issues impacting the competitiveness of beef production in Alberta and Canada.
Previously Janice was the Executive Director of SaskCanola, Assistant Deputy Minister of Regulatory and Innovation for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, vice president Western Canada for CropLife Canada, and Communications and Regulatory Affairs Director with Ag-West Bio. Janice started her career as a research scientist with Performance Plants Inc.
Janice sits on several industry and community Boards and committees, including the industry co-chair of the AAFC Animal Protein Table. Recently, Janice was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal for her vocal and effective advocacy for the livestock industry in Alberta and Canada and the 2024 Saskatchewan Ag Graduates Lifetime Membership Award. She holds a diploma in horticulture from Olds College, and a Bachelor’s of Agriculture Science and Masters of Science from the University of Saskatchewan. Janice is married with two grown children, Janice and her husband reside in Millarville, Alberta.
Nutrien Ag Solutions
Jesse Hamonic
Jesse Hamonic is Vice President & Country Head, Canada for Nutrien Ag Solutions, the retail business of Nutrien. In this role, Jesse oversees all of Nutrien’s retail business in Canada. Focused on being the most farmer centric agronomic solutions provider, Nutrien Ag Solutions Canada serves grower customers through 200+ branch locations across the country.
Most recently, Jesse served as Head of Seed, North America and prior to that, Senior Director, Marketing with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Loveland, Colorado. Before joining Nutrien Ag Solutions in 2019, Jesse spent ten years at Monsanto where he held various leadership roles in sales, marketing, product management, and supply chain in both Canada and the US.
Jesse holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Manitoba. He grew up on a grain farm in St. Malo, Manitoba, Canada and currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Alberta Grains
Shannon Sereda
Moderator
Shannon Sereda is a senior Director with Alberta Grains. She joined the commissions in 2016 and has become a well-respected voice for Canadian agriculture as an advocate on behalf of farmers. Over the past several years, Shannon has gained expertise on a wide range of agricultural policy files as well as a deep knowledge of the grain marketing and regulatory systems. Prior to joining the commissions Shannon worked as a commerce officer for the Canadian government working in the energy directorate of Industry Canada in renewable energy and spent three years working abroad as a Trade Commissioner with the Canadian Embassy in Quito, Ecuador.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Management degree in International Business and a Master of Science in Sustainable Energy Development. Her educational pursuits have given her a strong global perspective, and a well-rounded understanding of the impacts of business and politics on all facets of the economy, environment and society
Panel discussion
Harvesting the Future: Tech Innovations Shaping Tomorrow’s Agriculture Landscape
TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods
Chris Terris
As SVP & President of TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods, Chris leads a growing global team across six continents who are dedicated to advancing sustainable food systems and consumer goods production through innovative digital solutions and data insights. As a global technology leader, TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods provides integrated solutions that help businesses make smarter, data-driven decisions to improve their efficiency, sustainability and profitability. Chris and his team work with diverse customers in over 60 countries across the value chain, including consumer goods manufacturers, agriculture producers and retailers, and feedlot operators, to optimize processes and minimize waste and environmental impact. Since joining TELUS in 2000, Chris has held executive positions in operations, product management, process improvement and systems delivery. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Calgary and an MBA from Athabasca University. A staunch supporter of TELUS’ commitment to “give where we live”, Chris serves as the Vice-Chair of the TELUS Manitoba and Saskatchewan Community Board, and he is a member of the University of Calgary Haskayne Business Technology Management Industry Advisory Committee. He previously served as Executive Sponsor of the Calgary Chapter of the TELUS Connections Women’s Network.
Tall Grass Ventures
Marlise Hunter
Marlise is the Director of Platform at Tall Grass Ventures, a Calgary based Agrifood Tech Venture Firm, where she supports the growth of early-stage companies who are driving the transformation of the agrifood sector. Before joining Tall Grass, Marlise had over 10 years of business development experience with a strong penchant for supporting organizational growth, strategic partnership development and investment attraction. Her experience had led her to work at the intersection of academia, government and industry in previous roles within agtech venture capital, economic development and tourism. She also currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Simpson Centre for Food and Agriculture Policy at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy which has a mandate to translate fact based academic research in the agrifood sector to help inform public opinion and drive public policy.
Coming from rural roots, she is now an impassioned advocate for bridging the urban/rural divide and driving change within the broader agriculture innovation ecosystem in Canada.
NuLeaf Farms
Ryan Wright
Ryan began his career in 2000 and possesses extensive experience in engineering, construction, commissioning, project management, and product development/certification of industrial power and control equipment. He has an in-depth knowledge of B2B sales, product distribution, and contract negotiations. Prior to NuLeaf, he worked in sales management for a national distributor, engineering firms, and manufacturers.
As President and CEO of NuLeaf Farms, Ryan is focused on creating partnerships with customers and community stakeholders. Understanding their needs and developing new innovative solutions to advance the indoor farming industry
Alberta Innovates
Dana Gibson
Moderator
Dana has worked in the food industry for the past 20 years and has experience on the floor, in both meat and dairy processing. She paid her dues on the plant floor, working all hours creating new products, running quality assurance programs, sanitation programs and managing production. During her time with the Provincial government, and NAIT’s Centre for Culinary Innovation she worked with clients to develop new products and grow their businesses. Now, with Alberta Innovates, she connects with companies to learn about developing technologies that are poised to transform the agriculture and food sectors and provide grant funding to accelerate their R&D journeys. Dana has a passion for agriculture and food and loves seeing made-in-Alberta solutions. She believes that food is something we all have in common and is a great place for building connection and community.
ALBERTA NEXT: AGRIBUSINESS IS SUPPORTED BY
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