The first CrossRoads crop conference is scheduled for January 2023 in Edmonton
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Four Alberta ag organizations are launching a new industry conference.
Alberta Barley, Alberta Canola, Alberta Pulse Growers and the Alberta Wheat Commission are hosting CrossRoads on Jan. 24 and 25, 2023, at the Edmonton Convention Centre.
“It’s FarmTech reimagined,” Todd Hames, an Alberta farmer and conference chair, told Farms.com. “FarmTech was a lot more based on agronomy and technology, and other farm shows across western Canada are really focused on that too.”
CrossRoads will help fill a gap in the farm show circuit, Hames said.
The new show will focus on topics like farm policy.
Farm policy is part of the current news cycle with the federal government’s goal of reducing fertilizer emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.
“I’m going to guess that’s one of the main topics we’ll discuss,” Hames said. “But there’s also railway service and other areas related to farm policy I’m sure that will be brought up.”
Market development and farm management are also part of the CrossRoads agenda.
“Those, (along with farm policy), are the key pillars,” Hames said. “And sustainability will be part of the conversation too. I know people are tired of that word but you’re hearing it a lot in the marketplace.”
Another aspect of CrossRoads will be its more intimate atmosphere.
Smaller crowds and fewer presentations allow for more conversation among peers, Hames said.
“We want farmers to have opportunities to sit down and have discussions about the critical and challenging issues they’re facing,” he said.
The conference will have 15 concurrent information sessions and guest speakers.
Only one guest speaker, Chris Koch, an Alberta farm boy turned motivational speaker, is confirmed for the show.
Registration for the show will open soon.
More CrossRoads information can be found on the conference’s website.