OCTOBER 2024 7 CAAR ATTENDANCE TO CONVENTION • Chris Beaudry, a fourth-genera- tion farmer and former assistant coach of the 2017/18 Humboldt Broncos, who were tragically involved in the bus crash that killed 16 of its players and staff. Beaudry is now a trained mental health advocate. • Clinton Monchuk, a Saskatche- wan farmer and Executive Direc- tor of Farm & Food Care Sas- katchewan, a coalition made up of farm families, agribusinesses, food processors, restaurants, retailers, food companies, and much more. • Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel is a Saskatch- ewan farmer and industry advo- cate. She’s a dynamic public spea- ker who enjoys sharing mostly humorous stories from a modern- day farm. • Leanne Koroscil is the Innova- tion Farms Manager for EMILI. She oversees the projects and activi- ties taking place on Innovation Farms, a 5,500+ acre commer- cial seed farm located near Grosse Isle, Manitoba—to test, validate, and demonstrate the vast poten- tial and capabilities of digital agri- culture technologies. Following a full day of sessions, the CAAR Gala Banquet takes place on Wednesday evening. During this event, CAAR will honour some of the industry’s best during our annual CAAR Choice Awards and encourage everyone to join in on the action with an exciting live auction. And because we know you like to be entertained, Saskatchewan comedy legend Quick Dick McDick will share his homegrown humour. The next day, Thursday, November 21, join the CAAR board and staff at the CAAR Ag Retail Forum for breakfast and feedback. First, FCC’s Todd Klink, Executive Vice-President, Marketing and Public Affairs, will share the important leadership lessons he’s learned through his career. At this facilitated session, attendees can share their thoughts on the key issues affecting agri-retailers in Canada and what CAAR could/should be doing to advocate on your behalf. Travis Dreger, Managing Director of AFS Agro—an independent retailer of high-quality farm fertilizers, headquartered in MacNutt, Saskatchewan—has been a member of CAAR for two years under AFS and many more under the previous Andres Farm Services banner. Dreger has taken the time out from his busy schedule over the years to attend his fair share of CAAR conventions, previously travelling to Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, and Edmonton. This year, he’s on the CAAR Convention organizing committee. As a convention committee member, Dreger said to the Communicator, “Our role has been mostly to assist with the planning and utilize our contacts and past experiences to help shape an interesting convention.” As for why he enjoys attending the CAAR Convention itself, Dreger explained that it was important for him that there be a united voice representing our industry at many levels and that it needed to be supported whenever and however he could. “As a small independent business, we need an organization to help us with training and regulations,” he noted. “And, it is nice to network and get to know others in the industry.” Vicki Lawrence, an Account Manager with FMC Canada handling the Regina South territory, is also on the CAAR Convention organizing committee. She is helping to line up speakers and reaching out to people and businesses regarding the sponsorship opportunities available. “This is my first time participating with a CAAR committee, and it is also my first time attending the event, but I wanted to connect with retails on a different level, and this afforded me that opportunity.” She said attending allows “everyone to network and learn about some key topics in the industry.” She volunteered as a means to become more engaged with CAAR and to see all of the benefits they offer. “A large part of my job with FMC Canada is engaging with retails. With the company’s permission to attend, we wanted to be able to be part of giving the retails opportunities in the industry to learn and network amongst each other and an opportunity for myself to network with them as well.” We provided the last word to Tracey Shelton, who has been brought in by CAAR as the convention manager to make this year’s event the success it deserves to be. “Our goal for 2024 is to revitalize the CAAR Convention and make it a must-attend event for everyone in the industry,” noted Shelton. “We have a whole new team at CAAR, including our new Executive Director, Myrna Grahn, who is going to continue growing CAAR’s position as a leading organization for retailers and suppliers in the ag industry. “With the theme of empowering an industry, we have lined up a tremendous list of speakers talking about the key topics and issues that our members have told us they want to hear more about,” she explained. Shelton said that CAAR wants to continue to hear from its members on important issues. That’s the reason for the CAAR Ag Retail Forum & Breakfast, which takes place on Thursday, November 21. “Tell us what issues we should concentrate on moving forward,” summed up Shelton. “It’s important for members to share their thoughts on the key issues affecting ag retailers so that we can help advocate on your behalf.” Travis Dreger Vicki Lawrence
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