ORGANIC GRAINS &

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.