Crops Day Presentations | GreyBruceFarmersWeek

2026 Crops Day Presentations

Tickets will be available for purchase online early December

MTO Update

Presented by: Info Coming Soon

Speaker bio coming soon.

Presentation begins Monday January 12th, 2026 at 9:45 am.

Grain Market Outlook for 2025

Presented by: Steven Kell, Grain Merchant, Kell Grain Elevators

An examination of local and global grains and oil seeds supply and demand will lead us to finding the market opportunities for 2026. We will look at which crops to grow and where to set target expectations.

Steve Kell has worked in the Ontario grain and feed industry for the past 33 years in all phases of the industry, as a farmer producing grain, as a country elevator manager conditioning, storing, and shipping grain, and as a merchandizer, hedging and trading commodities. This has included 9 years in the Co-op elevator system. 20 years as a trader at P&H in Toronto, and for the past 4 years as the Grain Merchandizer for Kell Grain with 4 elevator locations spread across central Ontario. Steve farms in Simcoe County where he grows corn, wheat, and soybeans. In addition to farming Steve writes a column on the commodities markets for Farmers Forum newspaper.

Presentation begins Monday January 12th, 2026 at 11:05 am.

Panel: The Autonomous Ag Frontier

This panel discussion will include case studies on major weeds in the area. Panelists will discuss how to identify the weeds, where or when they're a problem, and how to control them, including non-spray options.

Panelist: See and Spray - Rob Warwick, Application Specialist/Sales, Huron Tractor Ltd.

Rob Warwick has over 20 years of experience in agriculture, including 7 years as a Customer Applicator and 4 years as a Field Agronomist with HDC. Since joining Huron Tractor in 2011, he has continued to apply his expertise in crop management and agronomy. Rob is also a Certified Crop Advisor.

Panelist: Mark Ribey; Autonomous 360 Rain

Bio Coming Soon

Panelist: Tanya Franklin, Founding Agronomist, Upside Robotics

Tanya Franklin grew up working on her family farm in Elgin County. She fell in love with agriculture the first time she got to drive the tractor on her own and has been immersed in the industry ever since. Over the past decade, Tanya has developed her agronomy skills working with a wide range of crops grown across Southwestern Ontario. Her experience spans independent ag retailers, A&L Labs, and now her current role at Upside, where she is helping to drive the industry into the next generation. Tanya is proud to be part of a team that truly cares about advancing agriculture and developing reliable, innovative technology.

Panelist: Grand River Robotics Representative

Bio coming soon

Facilitator: Deb Campbell, Owner/Agronomist, Agronomy Advantage

Deb obtained her BSc (Agr) with a major in Agronomy and an emphasis in soil management from the University of Guelph. She then went on to complete her Certified Crop Adviser certification in 2000. Since then Deb added to that certification by completing the 4R Nutrient Management Specialty and the Resistance Management Specialty. Deb has a broad range of experience from previously working for Cargill and Syngenta in an array of positions. From Agronomist to Account Manager, she understands all aspects of growing a successful crop both from the field and business perspective. She has production expertise in corn, soybeans (including IP), cereals, canola, edible beans, alfalfa, and cover crops. Deb was awarded the Certified Crop Advisor Award of Excellence in 2003. She has served on the Certified Crop Adviser Board of Directors since 2009 and in 2020 served as the Chair of the Board. Deb is currently a Co-Chair for the Provincial Soil Action Group. This group is tasked with creating an implementation plan for Ontario's Agriculture Soil Health and Conservation Strategy. She provides technical expertise to the Plant Health Biosecurity webinars offered by OSCIA. Deb is also a director at the local Grey County Soil and Crop and is the Chair for Grey Bruce Farmers Week. She has also previously served on the Board at AgScape. Most days you will find Deb checking fields as she works with farmers to achieve their cropping and business goals. Deb owns and operates Agronomy Advantage Inc. and lives on a farm just west of Dundalk, Ontario.

Presentation begins Monday January 12th, 2026 at 1:15 pm.

Corn Populations and Nitrogen Management

Presented by: Josh Nasielski, Assistant Professor, University of Guelph

From on-farm trials to remote sensing, Josh will present practical take-aways from the latest research in corn management for higher yields and environmental efficiency

Joshua Nasielski is an assistant professor of agronomy at the University of Guelph. He holds the MacSon Professorship in Agronomy for eastern and northern Ontario and works with a skilled group of research technicians at the Winchester, New Liskeard and Emo research stations.

Presentation begins Monday January 12th, 2026 at 2:30 pm.

Pete's Ponderings

Presented by: Dr. Josh Cowan, Director of Research & Innovation, Grain Farmers of Ontario

In honour of the 60th anniversary of GBFW, Peter will cap off the week with a reflection about agriculture - past, present and the future. What have been the most impactful changes? He will review the key productivity and yield gains for cropping. He will reflect on the most notable ag experiences in the past 60 years. Then looking ahead, he will postulate about the agronomic concerns on the horizon.

Peter Johnson, @WheatPete, is the resident agronomist with Real Agriculture, where he posts a weekly podcast “Wheat Pete’s Word”. He is a regular on “Agronomy Monday” on Real Ag radio, Siruis Satellite Radio 147. Peter operates a small farm near Lucan, Ontario, where he constantly tries out new production ideas, and where the “rubber hits the road”! He is enthusiastic and passionate about agriculture, and loves to be challenged by growers.

Presentation begins Monday January 12th, 2026 at 3:45 pm.

And don't forget to take a look at the list of On-Demand presentations which you can watch throughout the conference and for the thirty days following! Use the button on the left to browse full details for those!