Fall is always an exciting time at the CAAR office and this year is certainly no exception. The CAAR team has been hard at work on advocacy and other industry strengthening initiatives on behalf of our membership, and we are very excited for the association’s activities in the coming months.

CAAR’s Board of Directors has recently completed a strategic planning session, resulting in a long-term, three-year strategy for the association that provides clear, constructive direction and that speaks to the goals, focus and purpose of CAAR through to 2022.

The CAAR Conference planning committee is hard at work and is pleased to share some key announcements about the upcoming agri-retail event of the year!

Ag retailers can help customers plan ahead through annual year-end reviews.

Clubroot is difficult to manage once established in canola, making prevention critical.

Ask a room full of people what sustainability means, and you’ll get a room full of answers. In this Perspectives discussion, three members of Canadian ag share their views on sustainability, and how we can get on the same page.

The venerable founder of Shur-Gro celebrates a half-century in ag-retail.

Herbicide layering programs can help growers maximize available chemistries.

Improving employee engagement can have positive effects on your bottom line.

Attention CAAR Conference Exhibitors: companies that register to exhibit at the 2019 CAAR Conference before Friday, Sept. 7, 2018 will be listed in the 2019 Conference Registration Guide, included with the October issue of The Communicator magazine.

Agri-retailers can help break the stigma surrounding mental health.

When I first heard about the Do More Agriculture Foundation (Do More Ag), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the stigma of mental health issues, I was immediately energized – this was an initiative I wanted to support.

Many regions throughout the country are preparing for harvest or have already begun, and while some may view this as the end of the current crop season, I view it as the beginning of next year’s crop-planning cycle. 

The 2019 CAAR Conference is coming up and the conference planning committee is hard at work making it the best it can be! In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek from behind the scenes. 

Pattison Liquid Systems brings automation to ag retail in partnership with Dot Technology Corp. 

Three retailers offer their expertise on selling the business of agronomy during the second panel discussion at the 2018 CAAR Conference.

Consider market access when timing pre-harvest applications. 

With new requirements in effect, retailers can benefit by testing tanks in-house.

CAAR and the PCCA board are equipping agronomists with the skills retailers want.

Retailers can help their customers make informed decisions by testing for product efficacy. 

The August 2018 issue of The Communicator magazine is coming soon online and in your mailbox! Keep reading to see what you can expect from the latest issue of your association’s magazine.

This May, I’ll celebrate a decade of working with CAAR, and with that also a decade of working in the agriculture industry. There are so many things that inspire me in this industry, but none more than the shared commitment to innovation and learning. I see this accomplished in so many ways, both formal and informal, everything from ongoing education through post-secondary institutions to the multitude of engaging and informative discussions on social media. Events like the CAAR Conference, as well as the numerous tradeshows and conferences hosted throughout the year, provide a wealth of information and opportunity to learn from friends and colleagues.

It’s been a fast paced couple of months since I joined the CAAR team in January. Already, the 2018 CAAR Conference has been successfully completed, while other areas of focus, such as the negotiations with Transport Canada regarding anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks, continue at the time of writing.

Hosted in the heart of the Prairies at TCU Place in downtown Saskatoon, Sask., the 2018 “Agri-retail Event of the Year” featured two and a half days of invaluable networking opportunities, professional development and education.

The winner of the 2017 Agronomist of the Year award has worked in a variety of roles in his 40-year career, but Barry Mankewich has always been happiest when helping his customers in the field.

“I love plant nutrition, crop protection and everything to do with agronomy,” says Mankewich, who has been working as an agronomist with GJ Chemical Company Ltd. at their Arnaud, Man. location since 2006.

Trish Meyers, knowledge and innovation manager at Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), believes that 4R Nutrient Stewardship allows agri-retailers to steer the conversation about sustainability in agriculture in a way that is good for their farmer customers.

“Farmers have been using 4R practices for a long time, we just haven’t had a name for it,” says Meyers. “The 4R program gives us a way to quantify what farmers are doing and lets us be in the driver’s seat to tell our good news story.”

When she first started working part-time at Parkland Fertilizers in Wetaskiwin, Alta., Pattie Ganske didn’t know she was paving the way for woman in agri-retail and agriculture.

More than three decades later, her excellence in business, participation on numerous boards, including multiple terms on the CAAR board, and unwavering dedication to agriculture advocacy have earned her the 2017 Retailer Hall of Fame award.

The winner of CAAR’s 2017 Chairman’s Award has been a force in the Ontario fertilizer industry throughout his career, which has spanned more than 40 years. Although his business achievements are numerous and impressive, it is his commitment to giving back to the industry and his active, vocal and passionate support for CAAR that earned Bob McNaughton the Chairman’s Award.

Four Canadian farmers share their insights into the relationship between farmer and retailer at the 2018 CAAR Conference.

Agri-retailers can support market access by helping growers Keep it Clean.

Maximum residue limits (MRLs) are playing an increasingly important role in the acceptance of Canadian agriculture commodities in domestic and export markets. However, one of the challenges growers face is that the limits are not always uniform across markets, or they may not yet be established in export markets.

Canadian growers must continue to follow best application practices to keep residues within acceptable limits and markets open. To do so, growers need to know which products can cause concern in certain markets.