This article appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of Pulse Crop News.

FarmTech is Canada’s premier crop production and farm management conference and the largest in Canada of its kind, it will be held on January 28, 29 & 30 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands. FarmTech is hosted by producer organizations in Alberta and is home to the Annual General Meetings of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, Alberta Wheat Commission and the Alberta Pulse Growers along with special events from the Alberta Barley Commission and the Alberta Seed Growers Association.

This year marks the 15th anniversary. This year attendees will be able to see such things as a performance by the Edmonton native country trio “Hey Romeo”. Commander Chris Hadfield, who was the first Canadian to walk in space, will be the keynote speaker at the Banquet on January 29. An appearance will also be made by CFL Legend Michael “Pinball” Clemons. Alberta pulse growers will hold their AGM between 2:45 and 3:45 in hall E on January 29. The AGM is free to attend.

An anticipated new addition this year is an app that will accompany the conference. This app will allow the communications of delegates between one another via a direct messaging feature. “It is a way of getting information to users and a neat way for users to communicate with one another”, says Todd Hames, FarmTech 2014 Conference Chair. A scheduling feature will also allow attendees to manage their schedule and provide a list of speakers and when they will be presenting.

“FarmTech was created to centralize the meetings of the farm organization” Says Gordon Tuck, who has been one of the key organizers since its inception. This will be his last year on the organizational committee. When asked about the highlights of FarmTech over the years he commented “The organization is being run by some pretty dynamic people in Alberta”. “There are good opportunities to be involved in, and there is no end to the amount of information that we can receive while attending this conference”.

Visit www.farmtechconference.com for complete details about the event including speakers, sessions and sponsors and to register.