Meet your 2026 Field School speakers!

Come join us at the Farming Smarter Field School on June 25 to learn exciting new updates and practices to improve your dryland crop production! 

Ken Jackle,
University of Saskatchewan

Practical Flax Agronomy

Ken Jackle brings nearly two decades of flax agronomy wisdom to share the best management practices growers can take to start growing dryland flax in southern Alberta. He's eager to share insights, both as a researcher and farmer, to help you bring flax to your operation. Bring your notepad - Ken's ready to take your questions!

Ken grew up on a mixed farm in southwest Saskatchewan, near the Great Sandhills. After completing his schooling, he joined the Crop Development Centre at the University of Saskatchewan.  He worked in the Wheat Breeding Program for 18 years before transferring to the Flax Breeding Program for the last 18 years.  He is responsible for the creation, maintenance, data collection and harvest of all the trials for the successful Flax program. He is always willing to assist producers who have questions about Plant Breeding and flax production.  

Cut the Mustard - Make it Work on Your Farm

Marc Vincent will review the benefits and challenges of growing mustard in Southern Alberta. He will discuss rotational benefits, best management practices to improve returns, on-farm challenges and where mustard would be the best fit to incorporate into your rotation.  

Marc Vincent is a 5th generation mixed grains farmer from Eastern Manitoba. He completed his schooling in the department of agriculture at the University of Manitoba in Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Genetics. He has been a plant breeder in numerous crops for the past 20 years. He has a passion for agronomy and research and has been running small plot and on-farm research trials for the past 10 years. These trials have focused on testing products to improve yields. Marc currently is the Director of Agronomy, Research and Procurement with GS Dunn. His agronomy knowledge and expertise spreads across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.  

Marc Vincent,
GS Dunn

Trevor Deering, 
Farming Smarter

Culture Shock: Practices to Manage Wild Oats

Wild oats remain a persistent challenge across the Canadian Prairies. At Farming Smarter, we believe that practical management practices can turn the tide. Through documented experimentation, we are creating tangible learning opportunities for on-farm implementation. Supported by RDAR and Alberta Grains, our wild oat demonstration utilizes a multi-pronged, layered approach to mitigate this epidemic.

Trevor Deering is a results-driven agricultural researcher dedicated to providing high-caliber, third-party data that helps clients accelerate the commercial innovation of their products and services. With a background rooted in both academic rigor and industry-leading field practices, Trevor bridges the gap between complex agricultural science and actionable results.

Culture Shock: Practices to Manage Wild Oats

Wild oats remain a persistent challenge across the Canadian Prairies. At Farming Smarter, we believe that practical management practices can turn the tide. Through documented experimentation, we are creating tangible learning opportunities for on-farm implementation. Supported by RDAR and Alberta Grains, our wild oat demonstration utilizes a multi-pronged, layered approach to mitigate this epidemic.

Dr. Thierry Fonville is Farming Smarter’s very own Ph.D. Research Scientist, bringing a unique, multidisciplinary perspective to our agronomy program. By blending his deep expertise in soil health with a rigorous scientific background, Thierry is dedicated to uncovering the relationships between farm management practices, nutrient availability, and long-term carbon sequestration. 

Dr. Thierry Fonville,
Farming Smarter

Aphid Avengers

Aphids and lygus bugs can reach pest levels in many crops, such as lentils. In some cases, natural enemies can build up and help reduce pest numbers to a level that reduces the need to control them. In this hands-on presentation, participants will learn to distinguish lygus and aphids, both adults and immature stages, as well as recognize some of the key natural enemies that are helping us manage these pests. 

Héctor Cárcamo is a Senior Research Scientist with the Science and Technology Branch of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, located near Lethbridge in southern Alberta.  For the past 27 years, he has been researching management strategies for insect pests of canola, cereals, alfalfa and pulse crops.   

His BSc and MSc are from the University of Alberta (Agricultural Entomology) and PhD from the University of Calgary (Biological Sciences).   

Cut Costs, Not Yield - Canola Fertility

Reducing fertilizer rates is a great way to cut costs, but is it great for your crop? Jack Payne takes an in-depth look at how you can limit your fertilizer rates without cutting into your canola yield. This session will explore canola’s nutrient needs at each crop stage, the best times to apply fertilizers and what’s actually happening when you reduce inputs.  

Jack Payne is currently the Agronomy Solutions Manager for South Country Co-op Ltd. He is responsible for technical support, applied research trials, design and delivery of professional development programs for their GROW Team advisors. Prior to joining Co-op, Jack worked with Farmers Edge as an Operations Coordinator. He was an Instructor at Olds College for 15 years, where he taught courses in pest management, soils, and fertilizer management. He also spent 12 years with Alberta Agriculture working as a District Agriculturist and Regional Soils Specialist in southern Alberta, where he focused on soil salinity management and reduced tillage. Jack grew up on a grain farm in west central Saskatchewan and received his formal education at the University of Saskatchewan.  

Jack Payne,
South Country Co-op