Michele Payn - Day 1 Opening Keynote
Michele Payn
Michele brings clarity and common sense to nutrition, science, and agriculture audiences. Her energy permeates a room. Her experience ignites ideas. Her audience engagement moves your meeting to a new level, whether it’s virtual or in-person. When you are ready to work with one of North America’s leading experts to grow people’s knowledge around the plate, contact Michele. She will help you have the difficult conversations about advocacy, mental wellness, and science.
Bill Wirtz - Day 2 Opening Keynote
BIll Wirtz Senior Policy Analyst
Bill Wirtz is the senior policy analyst for the Consumer Choice Center. He focuses specifically on evidence-based policy-making, agricultural and trade policy, as well as lifestyle choice. Originally from Luxembourg, he publishes in German, French, and English. He has appeared in Fox News, Sky News, Le Monde, Times of London, Le Figaro, Die Welt, The Hill, and other major news outlets in the world. Bill also runs the weekly European CCC podcast “ConsEUmer” and produced the CCC’s first podcast series “Fun Police”.
Drew Lerner - Closing Keynote
Drew Lerner Senior Agricultural Meteorologist Founder and President World Weather, Inc
Drew Lerner is President and Senior Agricultural Meteorologist of World Weather, Inc. Drew has been forecasting international weather for 44 years.
He began his meteorology career in 1978 as he participated in an international effort to collect data and improve weather forecasting for the Asian Monsoon.
Since then, Drew has been supporting the agricultural industry by providing detailed short and long range weather predictions for each major crop area in the world. His daily assessments of crop and weather expectations supports commodity market trade, farmers and helps many companies make better agricultural business decisions.
Drew started World Weather, Inc. in 2001 after leading Global Weather Services in the late 1990s. World Weather, Inc. is based in the Kansas City area and supports an expanding group of clientele residing in North and South America, India, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Ryan Voice
Ryan Voice
Ryan Voice, CPA, CA, is a Partner and the Agriculture Services Leader for MNP’s Central Alberta region. Working out of the Red Deer office, Ryan draws on 24 years of experience dealing with farmers, especially in the grain and beef sectors, to help his clients achieve their goals.
Specializing in working with agricultural clients, Ryan assists farm families with various business, tax and farm program issues. Having grown up on a grain and cattle farm outside of Saskatoon, he understands the challenges and opportunities facing the agriculture industry and delivers strong advice tailored to his clients’ unique situations.
Ryan earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), qualifying as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2003.
Session #1: Top 3 Strategies to Future Proof Your Farm: Navigating Capital Gains Changes and Essential Tax Moves for Farmers
Travis Asmundson
Travis Asmundson
Executive Vice-President,
Technology Enablement
Travis leads the technology team to develop and support solutions that improve the productivity of FCC employees and customers. He’s passionate about bringing people together to solve complex problems, initiate meaningful change and achieve results.
Travis has been a leader at FCC since 2006 in various roles such as Vice‑President of Business Solutions, Vice-President of Development Operations, Executive Vice‑President and Chief Information Officer. Prior to joining FCC, Travis held technology leadership positions in a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, transportation, agriculture and financial services. He graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Regina.
As a champion for giving back to the community, Travis has been the Executive Sponsor of FCC’s annual United Way campaign since 2017 and is an active mentor with 4-H Canada. He’s also held various volunteer positions with youth sports committees and associations. Travis keeps an active schedule year-round as a hockey player and coach, golfer and competitive water skier.
Darcy Allen
Darcy Allen,
Energy, Utilities and Policy Specialist
Darcy joined the Farmers’ Advocate Office in April 2021 as the Energy, Utilities and Policy Specialist
Darcy was born and raised in rural central Alberta where his family managed a mixed farming operation. He is an honors graduate from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Gas Plant Operations and holds certification in Power Engineering. He has direct experience, knowledge and diverse skill sets encompassing both the agricultural and upstream oil & gas and energy sectors.
Darcy has worked in the energy industry throughout western Canada for over 40 years in various technical, regulatory, and progressive leadership roles. Darcy’s background is highly weighted towards aspects related to energy exploration & development, and field operations, with additional expertise in community relations, conflict resolution, communication, and collaborative stakeholder engagement program delivery.
Darcy is actively involved in numerous community groups throughout province and previously held director positions with Synergy Alberta and the Battle River Watershed Alliance.
Kim Ruether
Kim Ruether
Kim Ruether farmed in northern Alberta, on a grain and cattle farm for 30 years with her husband and family. She is an X-ray tech, Emergency Medical Responder, and researcher, working with the Alberta Health Services EMS Science and Research team.
She is a fierce mom of four, but sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) took a son in 2012. Following the cardiac death of her 16-year-old son, Brock, she began Project Brock Society, which focused on placing AEDs in schools, CPR training, and building awareness. She also collaborated with the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch to create change, with ‘Brock’s Law’ now impacting over 29,000 dispatchers worldwide.
She completed her MA in Leadership in 2020, and is working with a number of organizations, researchers and change makers to improve SCA survival rates and build support for bereaved families/lay-persons. Kim received the RhPAP Rhapsody Health-care Heroes Award in 2022, and the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2024.
Barb and John Cote
John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote,
Co-Owners of Black Fox Distillery
John Cote and Barb Stefanyshyn-Cote are co-owners of Black Fox Distillery. Together, they have earned global acclaim for their philosophy and practice of agriculture. Both fifth-generation farmers, the couple have studied and consulted on five continents and are alumni of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmers program, Canadian Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program and the prestigious Nuffield Canada.
In the years before their vision of an on-farm distillery were brought to life, Barb and John owned a grain farm in rural Saskatchewan. As their appreciation for terroir deepened, so, too, did a desire to apply their skills in a way that would bring them closer to the consumer. From this, Black Fox was born.
Located just outside of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the heart of the Canadian prairies, Black Fox Farm and Distillery is now among the country’s most well-known and well-respected craft distilleries. Acres of fresh fruit, flowers, and grains are harvested and distilled into whisky, gin, and liqueurs that tell a story of terroir and commitment to excellence.
Bryce McKenzie
Bryce McKenzie,
Director of Strategy at AdFarm
