Treena Hein Learning opportunities this winter An exciting winter season of conferences, workshops, and more As usual, those who organize the winter learning opportunities for Ontario’s grain farmers have been hard at work since last year’s events, making sure the upcoming versions are the best ever. Whether it’s the big yearly conferences or the smaller events and workshops, here’s a look at what’s fresh, what’s different, and what’s not to miss. First, the ‘big three’ – the SouthWest Agricultural Conference (SWAC), the Midwest Agricultural Conference (MWAC) and the Eastern Ontario Crop Conference (EOCC). They are all in-person events, but all sessions will be recorded and posted to the Ontario Agricultural Conferences (OAgC) web platform until March 31, 2026. The popular and interactive TEC Talk Tuesday sessions will also be posted until that date, explains registration lead MaryMargaret Mcdonald. In addition, as SWAC and MWAC are happening, OAgC will live-stream selected sessions. Dr. Alberta Tenuta, SWAC co-chair and the extension plant pathologist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agri-Business (OMAFA), says the goal each year for each conference is to make them better than the past. That’s from a participant's standpoint, as well as from the organizational and speaker's standpoints. “We have a reputation in Ontario for providing the best conference experience for our speakers, and they say they get the best questions,” Tenuta explains. “The general theme for all the conferences this season is ‘Planking Knowledge, Growing Prosperity,’ focusing on the importance of collaboration in achieving success. There is something for everyone at each conference, and each one has the local flavour and topics that are key to long-term prosperity and sustainability of growers in each region.” SWAC is held at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Farmers have the choice of attending one or both days, with 30 sessions available in all. Tenuta expects the sprayer technology workshops to be very popular, and they require preregistration. The keynote speaker on January 6 will be Terry O’Reilly, creator of the very popular ‘Under the Influence’ program, which has aired for many years on CBC ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER INDUSTRY NEWS 20
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