Expert Guests and Speakers

Jason's Bio

Jason Hale has experience in the oil and gas sector, has been a cattle rancher in southern Alberta for over 30 years, was a professional bull fighter, and was an elected Member for the Eastern Irrigation District and Alberta Beef Producers.

As a former Member of Legislative Assembly (April 2012 – May 2015), Jason served on 3 legislative committees and was the opposition critic for Energy; where he provided critical assessment of government policy and programs. He sat on multiple community boards such as the Advisory Committee for the Medicine Hat College and Crawling Valley Recreations Society.

Jason has a Chemical Technology diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation

Mike's Bio

As the Sr. Manager, Environmental Sustainability at Nutrien, Mike leads Nutrien’s global sustainability work on water, biodiversity, waste, and climate as priority sustainability topics and how they relate to sustainable agriculture. He also supports Nutrien’s climate strategy and looks for opportunities around system solutions between the nature-climate-food nexus with agri-food value chain partners.

Mike received his Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Environmental Science and his Master of Science with a concentration in Hydrology from the University of Lethbridge. He is registered as a Professional Agrologist (P.Ag.) and an Environmental Professional (EP), and currently serves as the Chair of the Water Committee for the Potato Sustainability Alliance in North America.

Nutrien

Margo's Bio

A registered Professional Agrologist, Margo has worked for over 30 years in natural resource sectors within Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta.

In her current role as the Executive Director of the Alberta Irrigation Districts Association, she represents Alberta’s eleven irrigation districts to promote the importance and benefits of irrigation and associated conveyance infrastructure.

Margo, her husband and two children operate a fourth-generation irrigated crop farm located just outside of Brooks, Alberta in the Eastern Irrigation District.

Alberta Irrigation Districts Association

Reem's Bio

Reem Ghaleb is a passionate science educator with experience in the classroom and community education spaces. Currently, she is an educational facilitator at the Calgary Stampede, hosting field trips and school visits to teach students about sustainability and agriculture. Previously, she was a classroom teacher and educational consultant, helping schools on reserves and rural areas access resources and improve their science curriculum.

Calgary Stampede

Semeton's Bio

Semeton Amosu is a Research Associate and Soil Scientist in the Crop Research and Environmental Stewardship departments at OCCI. Semeton is passionate about best agricultural practices, digital agriculture, soil health and environmental management. He’s currently developing research project proposals in agrivoltaics. He’s also looking into research and academic program opportunities in soil health at Olds College.

Semeton has been involved in agricultural and environmental research for over 23 years with academic and field training in West Africa and South America. He obtained his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria.

Before joining Olds College in 2024, Semeton worked as a research officer with the National Horticultural Research Institute in Nigeria for over 17 years and he was the head of the Fruits Research Program. He focused on designing and conducting field research on the agronomic improvement of tropical fruits.

Prior to his research experience, Semeton worked as an agricultural consultant. He established farms for clients, performed soil surveys and conducted land use evaluation projects. He also organized and facilitated agricultural workshops and seminars. As a project manager, he has coordinated government-funded agricultural projects and participated in other internationally funded projects, including a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project. 

Outside of work, Semeton prioritizes God, family and friends. He’s happily married with three teenage kids and currently resides in Calgary. Semeton likes soccer, he has played the sport and is a supporter of Arsenal F.C. in England. He’s currently gaining an interest in hockey, which is a sport he had a brief stint with in high school. The Calgary Flames seem to catch Semeton’s attention these days.

Olds College

Detimdale's Bio

Welcome to the Home of Detimdale Holsteins.

We are pleased to show our dairy facility, we built our new robotic dairy barn in 2021 moving in January 2022. We have robotic milking, feeding and manure removal. When building animal welfare and sustainability were our main focus. Our farm is validated on the ProAction Program. ProAction is a quality milk assurance program that ensures Canadian milk is produced responsibly. We are a three generation family farm and look forward to your visit.

Detimdale Holsteins

Michelle's Bio

Michelle DuBois is 21 years old and specializes in cow-calf beef farming, with her certificate in beef production from Olds collage. Michelle comes from a non agricultural background and has paved her own path into the agriculture industry and is currently working on a local beef/grain operation. She is planning to go to school this winter for business to enhance her agricultural opportunities.

Young Agrarians

Stacy's Bio

Stacy Murray is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning and the agriculture industry. Currently the extension coordinator with Gateway Research Organization (GRO), a non-profit producer-led applied agriculture research association, she has spent her career sharing her knowledge and passion with youth and producers around the province. GRO does research and demonstration projects relating to crop production, soil, water, livestock and grazing. Stacy supports this work hands-on in the field, by organizing field days and workshops, sharing with school groups, and through various print and electronic means. 

Stacy grew up on a mixed farming operation and her family’s involvement in various agriculture organizations provided opportunities to travel much of Western Canada and learn about wide range of operations in the agriculture industry. She was raised with a belief in sustainable and regenerative concepts before they became terms applied to the agriculture industry. Stacy has a BSc in Agriculture and believes that cooperation between all involved in the agri-food value chain - producers, industry, processors and consumers - can lead to solutions that will benefit everyone economically, environmentally, and for health.

Gateway Research Organization

Katie's Bio

Katie is the marketing manager at Alberta Beef Producers, and has had an extensive career in brand development. She is also a third-generation farmer from central Alberta, and has dedicated over 30 years to the beef industry, focusing on seed stock production. Katie farms with her family at Rocky Mountain House, and has judged most of the major beef shows in Canada. This includes the Agribition Beef Supreme Show, also known as the Super Bowl of cattle shows.

Alberta Beef Producers