FEB: ONLINE – Holistic Management Canada Conference

Posted by Dana Penrice on January 27, 2022

Interested in how to make decisions that are ecologically, financially and socially sound? No matter what your production interests – be it livestock, gardening or cropping – this conference is for you. Hear from new farmers and experienced farmers who are using Holistic Management to improve their farms, their profitability and their quality of life.

Hear from Holistic Management Practitioners Across Canada

For many, many years we’ve hosted the Western Canadian HM Conference and we are so excited to be expanding to offer the 2022 Holistic Management Canada Conference: Coast to Coast to Coast. Its about time!

Save your Thursday evenings in February at 7pm Central Time Zone to join us online and hear from great farmers and ranchers using Holistic Management across the country.

Make the conference social! We encourage you to gather your friends (maybe even your HM management club!) around the kitchen table, set up a computer and join our sessions.

Cost & Registration: Pay-what-you-wish. Choose how much to pay depending on what feels right to you and your context. Your contribution will go towards the great work that Holistic Management Canada is doing to support farmers and ranchers build regenerative futures for their farms, family and communities.

Register here

Schedule:

  • FEB 3: Hosted by Grant Lastiwka
    Speakers: Ralph Corcoran (Saskatchewan), Adam Maclean (PEI) and Rick and Lisa Wadchter (Ontario)
  • FEB 10: Hosted by Kelly Sidoryk
    Speakers: Cam and Lisa Hodgins (Manitoba), Kim Maloney (Quebec)  and Tristan and Aubyn Banwell (BC)
  • FEB 17: Hosted by Bluesette Campbell
    Speakers Scott and Alicia Adamson (Saskatchewan), Paul and Josée Slomp (Quebec) and Tim Wray (Alberta)
  • FEB 24: Hosted by Tony McQuail
    Speakers Don Gilford (Manitoba), Cory Van Groningen (Ontario) and Jess and Cindy Hudson (Alberta)

Speakers:

Tristan Banwell, Spray Creek Ranch – British Columbia
Tristan Banwell manages Spray Creek Ranch, a regenerative, organic, diversified 500-acre farm in the Northern St’at’imc Territory near Lillooet, BC.  Together with his wife Aubyn, he raises cattle, pigs and poultry on pasture along the mighty Fraser River in the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains.  In addition to his volunteer work with Organic BC, Tristan co-founded the Lillooet Agriculture & Food Society and the BC Small-Scale Meat Producers Association.
Tim Wray, Alberta
Tim and Joanne Wray ranch cattle at Irricana, AB.  They moved to Tim’s family farm in their mid 30s to try their hand at agriculture.  Mentored by Tim’s Uncle Doug Wray for the past seven years they continue to experiment with several grazing practices and classes of cattle.  Joanne has worked part time as an Occupational Therapist and has recently taken a leave of absence to help in her father in-laws ag business, Star Quality Samplers Inc.  Tim works off farm half time as the pastor of a Lutheran church in nearby Airdrie.  Spare time is filled with piano lessons, 4H projects, youth group, kids sports and the rare get away.  Juggling a number of income streams and responsibilities, they try to use Holistic Management questions to direct their goals and energy with each passing season.  An ever evolving task.
Jess & Cindy Hudson, Alberta
Bio coming soon.
Scott & Alicia Adamson, Diamond J Horsemanship – Saskatchewan
Together with their daughters Lily and Ivy, Scott and Alicia are 4th & 5th generation ranchers on Scott’s family’s ranch, now called Diamond J Cattle Co. Inc. They have a cow/calf, background and yearling operation near Makwa, Saskatchewan where they also raise some Quarter Horses and working Border Collies. They are thankful to the generation before them for the opportunity to be here and do what they love every day.
Ralph Corcoran, HM Educator – Saskatchewan
Ralph and his wife Linda, purchased 8.5 quarters of land in the parkland region in the south east Saskatchewan in 1985. Approximately 500 acres farmed and the rest native grass and trees. They seeded the farmed land to grass in 1991and by 2001 the grass needed to be all reseeded as there was very little production. After their daughter took a Holistic Management course from Don and Bev Campbell in 2001; the next year they changed our management and the land is healthier today than it ever was and still getting better.
Don Guilford, Guildford Hereford Ranch – Manitoba
Don and his wife Diane have been practicing Holistic Management since they took a course from Allan Savory in the ’80’s. This shaped their ranching career under the Guildford Hereford Ranch. They continue to take HM courses through Wayne Berry and Don and Bev Campbell which helped them to more than double their stocking rate and advance their winter feeding strategies. With Diane’s livestock and accounting knowledge, Don was able to attend many field days and tours. In 1987 they received the Premium Breeder award, in 1989 Canadian outstanding Farmer award and in 2009 Manitoba’s Environmental Stewardship award. Currently they calve 120 cows and lease cows out to another couple. They have 3 daughters, 6 grandkids. They are eternally grateful foe all the great people they have met and learned from. It has made the ranch what it is today.
Cameron and Lisa Hodgins, Hodgins Farm– Manitoba
Cameron and Lisa are 3rd generation farmers on their family farm near Lenore, Manitoba. Here they are raising their four young children; Carrie, Chase, Cole and Conner and farm closely with Cameron’s parents, Ed and Debra. Hodgins Farm has a cow/calf and yearling operation along with raising grass fed beef, pastured pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, free range hens and honey bees and direct marketing their products to consumers. The Hodgins are guided by their values and beliefs in the principles of regenerative and holistic agriculture and enjoy discussing their farming practices with consumers and other producers as well as contributing to their local community. They feel very lucky and blessed to be part of the Holistic Management community. Farming for future generations!
Cory Vangroningen, VG Meats – Ontario
Cory is Savory Institute Accredited Professional and a Hub-verifier in Eastern Canada.  He and his wife Heidi raise beef and pastured poultry with the help of their 4 daughters, Brooke, Haley, Ruth and Skylar.  Cory and Heidi also mentor a growing team of young farmers.  Their family business is the  VG Family organization which includes an abattoir and 9 retail stores that serve the GTA, distributors, restaurants, and other retailers.  Currently, the VG organization is working intensely on social regeneration with their supplying family farms, team members and customers.  Cory has an M. Sc. in Agricultural Economics. His favourite steak is ribeye.
Rick and Lisa Wadchter – Ontario
Bio coming soon.
Kim Maloney, Ferme Brylee – Quebec
Kim is a 5th generation farmer. Her family farm specializes in grass fed beef and grass fed lamb using rotational grazing/regenerative grazing techniques. They are passionate about using animals to better the land and produce the highest quality meats for their customers. They specialize in direct marketing using social media and an online store. Getting to know customers and knowing that they fill their freezers with great grass fed meat is key to their family business! Family feeding families!
Paul and Josée Slomp, Grazing Days Farm – Quebec
Paul and Josée began Grazing Days in 2010, with 14 Angus beef yearlings. They have grown their farm to 110 cows, 70 yearling beef cattle and 70 pigs on pasture. Paul has loved working with cattle and soils since his early days on his family’s farm first in the Netherlands, and then in Rimbey, Alberta. When he isn’t with the herd moving fences or engineering a new winch system for feeding whey to the pigs, you can find Paul planning new play structures with two very excited young farm kids.Josée grew up in suburbia, as a kid who loved to ride bikes and write books. Her love of social puzzles landed her in some universities to study sociology and feminism. She leads the farm’s community development endeavours, social media presence, and farm kid picture taking. When she steals away for solo farm time, you can find her in her vegetable patch or chatting up the laying hens.
Adam McLean, Wildwind Pastures – Maritimes
Adam Maclean is a greenhorn grazier in the hills of south Melville, PEI.  In his startup venture, he manages 200 ewes on 200 acres, in a lean grass-based, outdoor-only system. HM has been integral in the development of this farm, and continues to guide decision making (though sometimes without rigour and discipline, as with financial planning).  Adan also serves as agriculture climate action specialist with the P.E.I. department of agriculture and land.

Sponsor the Event: If you are looking to promote your business or organization to the network of Holistic Management farmers and ranchers across Canada consider sponsoring our upcoming conference. Contact us to learn more.

Event Contact: For questions and information, contact Ralph Corcoran at 306-532-4778 or email rlcorcoran@sasktel.net.