With many agriculture events and meetings being cancelled this spring with the growing spread of the COVID-19 virus, CAAR was lucky enough to have had the 2020 CAAR Conference wrapped up before much of the world put social distancing into practice.

Of all the stories we get to tell in this magazine, some of my favourites are those that appear in our sustainability department. These articles tend to deal with topics that take place at the intersection of advancements in technology and appreciation of a precious resource.

In April of 1997 a young writer, fresh out of college, started on the first phase of his career at a publisher working on ag magazines. That writer was me, and the first magazine I was assigned to work on was The Communicator. Things have changed a lot since then.

If there was one thing that stood out during the creation of this magazine, it was that significant changes are currently underway across agriculture and ag retail. Both feature stories in this issue have themes of innovation, evolution and change.

The channels and means by which ag retailers connect and do business with their customers in an increasingly digital world are changing and evolving, with retailers of all sizes beginning to offer online services to customers.

Every year, I come away from the CAAR Conference with my head spinning. It takes a bit of time to process all of the information, all of the implications and simply take a breath after the fast pace of the event.

Diving headfirst into producing the February issue of The Communicator after a holiday break is the perfect project to kick off the new year. Maybe it's the chill in the air, but I feel energized and eager to get to work on the five issues of the magazine we publish each year.

Writing my first Editor’s Note for The Communicator is bittersweet. I am excited to personally address CAAR members but, this opportunity came with the news that our Editor-in-Chief, Lynda Nicol, was leaving CAAR after 10 years with the association. It was a pleasure to work with Lynda, and I wish her all the best in the future.

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.

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.

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.

As I’ve often heard said in our industry; it’s not enough to do a good job, you have to be seen doing a good job for it to really count. As a member-based association and advocate for the agri-retail sector, it’s part of CAAR’s role to share the news and stories of the good work being done by our members.

The value of Canada’s agri-retailers has never been more evident. It’s truly an exciting time to be a part of this industry and all of us at CAAR are looking forward to what the new year will bring.

I am a collaborative person by nature, so it goes without saying that I am thrilled to see this issue of The Communicator profile a series of partnerships that have found strength through collaboration. I’m inspired by the effort it takes to come together to identify and accomplish a common goal.

In this issue of The Communicator, we examine the business practices of Canada’s agri-retailers and the latest and greatest technology. Our team had a blast learning how this new technology can be implemented at the retail level – one of our writers even learned how to fly a drone!

Canada’s agri-retailers are amazing, and we want to make sure all of us at CAAR are shouting that from the rooftops every chance we get. We dedicated the 2017 CAAR Conference to enhancing the expertise of agri-retailers; empowering them to continue building trust with their farmer clients.

You can read all about the conference here. If you weren’t there, you missed out on a phenomenal speaker program as well as innovative, engaging and enthusiastic exhibitors.

Committed to Continuous Improvement

An Innovative Approach to Agvocating

Make your mark.

Work Smarter with CAAR.

We’ve all heard the old adage “practice makes perfect”. It’s been around since the beginning of time and is a concept many people strive towards, myself included.

Unlocking the Potential of CAAR