ORGANIC GRAINS &

prairie organic
grain initiative
IN
PARTNERSHIP
WITH
ORGANIC
GRAINS &
FIELD CROPS
CONFERENCE
SATURDAY APRIL 2ND, 2016
LA CRETE HERITAGE CENTRE
LA CRÊTE, ALBERTA

CONFERENCE PROGRAM, SATURDAY APRIL 2ND
8:15 - 9:00 REGISTRATION
9:00 - 9:30 Opening - Organic Development in the Prairies
• Becky Lipton, Executive Director Organic Alberta
9:30 - 10:30 Livestock & The Whole Farm Approach
• Peter Lundgard, Nature’s Way Farm
10:30 - 11:00 BREAK & TRADE SHOW
11: 00 - 12:00 Organic Updates
• Organic Alberta Annual General Meeting
• GMO Alfalfa update, Heather Kerschbaumer, Golden Acre Seeds
• Organic Crop Insurance, James Benkie, AFSC
12:00 - 1:00 LUNCH & TRADE SHOW
1:00 - 2:00 Producer Panel - Weed Management, Crop Design & Innovation
• John Kerschbaumer, Golden Acre Seeds
• Ward Middleton, Midmore Farms
• Peter Lundgard, Nature’s Way Farm
• James Thiessen
2:00 - 2:45 Variety Selection and Plant Breeding for Organic Production
• Jacob Marfo, MARA
• Iris Vaisman, Prairie Organic Grain Initiative
• Producer Perspective - Frank Bueckert, Woodland Organics
2:45 - 3:30 BREAK & TRADE SHOW ‘Farmer Feedback’ - Oat Variety & Seed Opportunities
3:30 - 4:30 Grain Buyers & Organic Experts Rotating Panel
4:30 - 5:30 Green Manure & Soil Fertility Management
• Wally Hamm, Pro-Cert
• Iris Vaisman, Prairie Organic Grain Initiative
5:30 - 6:00 BREAK & TRADE SHOW
6:00 - 7:30 Dinner & Presentations (hosted by Grain Millers)
• Sam Raser, Grain Millers
• Melisa Zapisocky & Iris Vaisman, Prairie Organic Grain Initiative

CONFERENCE PARTICIPANTS
James Benkie, Sr. Relationship Manager, AFSC
James loves being actively engaged in the industry of Agriculture. He’s spent the
past seven years leading, developing, and supporting several different business areas
at Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) including Adjusting, Corporate
Strategic Initiatives, Strategic Markets, and now Client Relationship. He also partners and
manages the family farm in central Alberta and owns and operates a custom agriculture
services company that specializes in custom seeding and harvesting.
Throughout his 20+ year tenure in primary agriculture, James has built a reputation
that agricultural producers can depend upon for delivering consistent and excellent client
service and experience.
He holds degrees in Agriculture Business Management/Agricultural Economics (University
of Alberta) and also holds diplomas in Accounting (Northern Alberta Institute of
Technology) and Sports Administration (Mount Royal University).
James looks forward to many more years of marriage to his wife Jenny and also
loves watching his two daughters, Ruth and Jesse challenge the world.
Frank Bueckert, Woodland Organics.We have been been farming since 1983 and made
the transition to Certified Organic in 1999. Since then we have grown Wheat, Barley,
Oats, as well as Peas and Clover. We have experimented with different rotations and
have come up with a system that is working well for us.
Wally Hamm, a native of southern Manitoba and now a permanent resident of Saskatchewan,
brings some 45 years of agricultural experience as a professional agrologist and
grain farmer to the organic industry. In 1990 he founded Pro-Cert Organic Systems, a
well known North American certifier. The Hamm family farm was converted to organic
production in 1996
Becky Lipton has been working with the organic industry in Alberta since 2008. Originally
brought on to coordinate the Alberta Organic Harmonization Project, she is now the Executive
Director of Organic Alberta. Becky brings her experience in organizing, strategic
planning, facilitation, and program coordination to the position. She also brings her expertise
from past work including from her Masters’ degree (women and agriculture), her
work with the New Rural Economy research group, and her experience on farms, with
farmers’ markets, and agriculture education. Becky is a high energy person who is full of
determination and passion for a form of agriculture that she believes has the potential to
transform and cultivate a healthy food system – a system that is sustainable for our farmers,
our eaters, and everyone in between.
Heather Kerschbaumer is Mom to two sons and two daughters, and a Grandma to six.
She and her husband, John, operate a family farm and grass/legume cleaning plant
near Fairview, AB with their oldest son and youngest daughter, making it a fourth generation
farm. In 1982 they started their seed plant, Golden Acre Seeds. The plant has been
certified organic since 2005 and their farm since 2010. They produce organic oats,
wheat, barley, peas, alfalfa, and clovers. A few years ago they expanded the operation
to include leafcutter bees to pollinate their alfalfa fields. Heather has 20 years of leadership
experience with agricultural organizations, including serving as treasurer of the
Peace Region Forage Seed Association and current President of Forage Seed Canada, a
national forage seed producer board representing all forage seed producers in Canada.

John Kerschbaumer is a 3rd generation farmer, having started in a partnership with his
brother in 1973 after their father retired at the young age of 53. In 1982, they decided
to build a seed cleaning plant. In 1980 John married Heather and together they have
raised a wonderful family of 2 sons and 2 daughters, all married with children, so they
are grandparents 7 times. As their family grew, they also expanded their cleaning business,
Golden Acre Seeds, and in 1997 John bought out his brother in order to give their
children the opportunity to become involved.
John has always grown cereals, grasses, and clovers, and just recently received his
Long Service Certificate as a 25 year Pedigreed Seed Grower from CSGA. In 2005,
Golden Acre Seeds became an organic processor of grasses and legume seeds, and by
2010, the farm side was transitioning over to organic as well.
Their oldest son Trevor, is now the fourth generation farmer, along with his youngest
sister, Erin. The transition process is now on the farming horizon, as John hopes to find
more time to enjoy his grandchildren.
Peter Lundgard, Nature’s Way Farm, located near the town of Peace River Alberta.
Peter was born and raised on the family farm in the Peace region of Alberta. Peter
attended Fairview college where he studied agriculture and specialized in livestock
technology. After college he started farming and continued to study ecological agriculture
with acres USA, attending many conferences and short courses.
Peter traveled to New Zealand and studied mineral balancing soils and went on to
attain accreditation with Brookside Labs in Ohio USA as a soil consultant.
Along with wife Mary and family they raise certified organic grass raised beef and
lamb, pastured pork, dairy cattle, leaf cutter bees, alfalfa seed, and vegetables. Nature’s
Way Farm is a host for the World Wide Organization of Organic Farms (WWOOF) and
has hosted many people over the years. Nature’s Way Farm also offers an internship program
to teach ecological agriculture.
Peter supports Holistic Management Canada, Slow Food International, Slow food
Canada, Weston A Price Foundation, Food Secure Canada, and Council of Canadians.
Jacob Marfo has an undergraduate degree in Agriculture Technology from the University for
Development Studies, Ghana. He briefly studied Adaptive Natural Resource Management
at the International Agriculture Centre-Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Jacob immigrated to Canada to pursue a Master of Science degree at Lakehead University
(Thunder Bay, Ontario). Dr. Marfo returned to his homeland to work briefly with the
University for Development Studies Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, and a US
based organization.
Jacob has been with MARA since August 2013. In addition to managerial responsibilities,
Jacob is in charge of MARA’s crop and environmental research programs. He
enjoys photography, gardening, web design and blogs on Canadian immigration issues.
Jacob is an active member of the Alberta Institute of Agrologists. To him, staying in Fort
Vermilion is priceless as he is able to watch and photograph the beautiful northern lights,
sunrise and sunset on regular basis as well as the variant Fall colours.
Ward Middleton and his wife Jo-Anne operate as Midmore Farms, managing 750 acres
just North of Morinville, Alberta. After purchasing the family farm from Ward’s father
in 1994, they became certified organic in 1999 as part of a business strategy to make
agriculture the primary source of income for their family. Ward worked off the farm in
oilfield and forestry until 2009. Regular crops at Midmore Farms include wheat, barley,
rye, peas, canola, flax and sweet clover seed, with some less traditional crops such as
borage, and milk thistle seed. Midmore Farms is also a member of the Woodlot Association
of Alberta and their farm also includes a 1/4 section custom grazing silvipasture,
and an 80 acre managed woodlot.
Sam Raser - I grew up on a small dairy farm in Chaska, MN. I have a degree in Agriculture
Education from the University of Minnesota. I am married with one beautiful little 1 year
old daughter. My career started with Cargill Animal Nutrition and have worked the last 8
years with Grain Millers in both organic and specialty grains. Currently my role is based
primarily around organic oats and other cereals grains as well. I enjoy working with
farmers the most and like the friendships I have been able to make in the organic market.
It is a fun place to work and look forward to growing the industry with all partners
involved.

James Thiessen - I have been farming with my dad, Henry Thiessen in the Tomkins area for
thirty years. We started with all crown land and cleared all of the 1000 acres that we
now farm, and have 800 acres to go. We certified organic around 1988, that was long
before organic was popular, with a small producer funded certifying body called PROPA
which stands for Peace River Organic Producers Association. We are now in hemp seed
production and oats. I am the local farm rep for Hemp Production Services, a buyer for
hemp seed.
Iris Vaisman is very excited to be joining the team at Prairie Organic Grain Initiative and
jumping into the world of organic agriculture. While completing an Ecology degree at
the University of Toronto, she became very interested in agroecosystems. She spent a
summer at the OACC in Truro, Nova Scotia getting introduced to the world of organic
agriculture before travelling to the University of Manitoba to do her Masters degree with
Dr. Martin Entz, studying reducing tillage in organic systems. After finishing her masters,
she continued working with Dr. Entz on the organic wheat and oat breeding programs
and the participatory plant breeding program. She also worked with Dr. Yvonne Lawley,
also at the U of M, on both conventional and organic agronomy research, working with
a range of crops.
Sabrina Westra was born in Calgary, Alberta but grew up in several cities across Alberta,
Ontario, and Quebec. She recently moved to Fort Vermilion, Alberta from Guelph,
Ontario, where she was studying for her Master’s degree in Plant Agriculture. During
Sabrina’s graduate studies, she focused on agro-ecological practices, and for her thesis,
she examined the causes of spatial variability in red clover stands under seeded to winter
wheat. Sabrina also has an undergraduate science degree from the University of Alberta.
Before her graduate studies she worked for the Fish and Wildlife Department (Government
of Alberta), the Alberta Emerald Foundation, and the Grey Wooded Forage Association
(another member of ARECA). At MARA, she is the Forage program specialist.
She is also interested in practices that improve soil health and fertility, particularly in the
Mackenzie County. Sabrina is excited to be in Fort Vermilion as she is able to do more
cross country skiing and canoeing. She also enjoys photography. She speaks English,
French and Spanish.
Melisa Zapisocky is the New Grower Transition Program Manager with the Prairie Organic
Grain Initiative. She has worked in a variety of agricultural positions in Alberta, Yukon,
Montana, and Washington State that have covered a wide spectrum of learning and
living. In 2010 Melisa received a master’s degree in Sustainable Food and Agriculture
Development from the University of Montana and she continues to immerse herself in the
study and promotion of the local food movement.
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