University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. BlackburnNews.com File PhotoUniversity of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. BlackburnNews.com File Photo
Chatham

Southwest Ag Conference ready for 27th year

A popular event about all things agriculture is coming back to Chatham-Kent early next year.

The Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC) will be held at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus on January 7 and 8, 2020. Entering its 27th year, SWAC highlights the latest in agricultural news and information and touches on a variety of relevant topics in the industry.

OMAFRA Field Crop Pathologist and Conference Chair Albert Tenuta said there is always a buzz of excitement around the event.

"It's the first main agricultural event in the new year. So everybody, after having a lot of Christmas meals, visiting with friends and partaking in Christmas festivities, is always looking forward to the Southwest Ag Conference as an opportunity to get back out there and get back to work," explained Tenuta.

The theme for the upcoming conference is '2020 Ag Vision', which Tenuta said will give farmers a chance to discuss what's on the horizon in the industry.

"It gives us a great opportunity to look at things that can help [us] engage and look forward to in innovations, new techniques, new technology... for the future," he said.

Tenuta added that organizers of the event spend a lot of time researching to see what issues farmers are currently facing. He said no topic is overlooked so that will farmers improve their operations including social media, grain marketing, and pest management.

"That is one of the highlights and one of the challenges we have every year is to go about and find out what are the hot topics [and] what information is needed," explained Tenuta.

The two-day event will also feature several speakers from across North America including some local names. The featured speakers include TV personality Michael Landsberg who will discuss beating the stigma of mental illness as well as Dr. Tom Deans who will deliver his thoughts on keeping farms in the family.

Preregistration for SWAC is now open and runs until December 6. However, Tenuta recommends people register as soon as possible, noting that the event often sells out well in advance.

For more details or to register for SWAC click here.

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