MFGA’s Annual Regenerative Ag Conference
Our Annual MFGA Conference - a 1.5 day event is being held November 9-10, 2026, Victoria Inn, Brandon, Mb. Our conference will feature national and international keynote speakers, an outstanding trade show with many opportunities to engage with vendors and a silent auction. As well, our family conference rate has been expanded to include two adults and two children from the same farm under 14. For those too young to enjoy the speakers, a free kids program will once again be offered to families attending the MFGA conference.
Final Keynote and Panelists Announced
The 2026 MFGA Regen Ag Conference committee is pleased to announce our final keynote speaker and panel:
Keynote: Dr. Jayden Dobson, ND, Manitou, Manitoba
Industry Sector: Human health, rural communities
Presentation Summary: “The Intersection of Regenerative Agriculture and Human Health”
Bio: Dr. Jayden Dobson, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor based in Manitou, caring for patients throughout Manitoba. Her clinical practice focuses on prevention and improving health outcomes using an individualized approach. Through patient care, public speaking, and community workshops, she translates health science into practical education to help people better understand and support their well-being.
Feature Panel: The Framework for Tracking Economic Growth
Moderator: Brenda Tjaden, Oakbank, Manitoba
Bio: Brenda Tjaden is a food and agriculture market economist who publishes Prairie Routes Research weekly, tracking structural changes and financial shifts that affect farmland management decisions. She's also building a pastured-meat wholesale business with her son, and a brand-new sheep, goat and chicken operation at Stony Hill Farm, her property near Oakbank. She joined the board of MFGA last fall.
Panelist: Karel Stroebel, Saskatchewan
Bio: Born in South Africa and having spent most of his adult life in the United Kingdom, Karel brings a unique blend of international experience and strategic thinking to agriculture. With a background in economics and investment banking, he was introduced to farming by his Canadian better half — transforming what was once a “city boy” perspective into a passion for agricultural innovation.
Approaching farming differently from traditional models, Karel focuses on developing practical solutions that strengthen and protect farming operations. This thinking led to the introduction of Captive Insurance solutions for agriculture, designed to help farmers better manage risk and build long-term resilience.
Panelist: Anna Hunter, Eastern Manitoba, Treaty One Territory
Bio: Anna Hunter is a first - generation sheep farmer and wool mill owner in Eastern Manitoba, Treaty One Territory. She is passionate about building community and connecting rural fibre farmers with urban consumers, fibre artists, and crafters. Anna believes that regenerative agriculture and climate-beneficial food and clothing are integral to moving forward as farmers fibre artists and Manitobans, and she is passionate about growing a vibrant Canadian wool industry. Her first book Sheep, Shepherd and Land, came out in 2023. And her Bestselling book The True Cost of Wool released in June 2025. Learn more about Anna and her farm and wool mill at longwayhomestead.com
Panelist: Adam Pukalo, Winnipeg, MB
Bio: Adam Pukalo is the lead Portfolio Manager with Pukalo Prairie Wealth Group at Harbourfront Wealth Management. Since 2010, Adam and his team have specialized in working with grain and livestock operations across the Prairies on financial planning strategies. Their focus is to shield wealth from taxes, create an investment portfolio to meet client goals, and ensure a proper farm estate plan is in place. Visit www.ppwgroup.ca to learn more.
Featured Keynote Speakers
The 2026 MFGA Regen Ag Conference committee is pleased to announce our keynote speakers:
Jason Mauck, Gauston, Indiana, USA
Industry Sector: regen ag, relay crops, livestock
Presentation Summary: “Farm Weird – and for Good Reason”
Bio: Jason Mauck is a farmer from Gaston, Indiana who has coined the term, “Farm Weird” - and for good reason. Jason’s passion for pushing the envelope of what is traditionally accepted in agriculture is contagious. As an early adopter of relay cropping, Jason has learned through years of experimentation. This has evolved into integrating grazing livestock to enrich the soil. Never one to stop pushing forward, Jason’s current projects include planning and creating a modern farm that combines relay cropping and livestock grazing, while continuing to push for changes in policy to allow more people to feel comfortable “farming weird”.
Antonio José Piñeros Lara, Colombia
Industry sector: cattle, grasslands, genetics, regen ag
Presentation Summary: Flowing with Natural Power
Antonio José Piñeros Lara is a fourth-generation Colombian cattle rancher and a leading voice in regenerative livestock systems in Latin America. As a founder of the Tamalá and Tierraleja Private Bioreserves, Antonio integrates cattle production with biodiversity conservation. A pioneer in introducing Holistic Management, Voisin Rational Grazing (PRV), and regenerative beef production to the Colombian tropics, he directs multiple Angus and Brangus genetic herds under full-cycle, animal-welfare-focused operations.
Bio: Antonio serves as President of the World Association of Sustainable Livestock (AMGS) and the Colombian Association of Regenerative Cattle Ranchers (ACOGANAR), and is an active board member in livestock technical and breeder organizations. Antonio is also a seasoned communicator, award-winning film producer, and frequent international lecturer on regenerative livestock, tropical genetics, and sustainable meat production.
Harold Perry, Taber, Alberta
Industry Sector: Potatoes, Grains, Forages, Regen Ag
Presentation Summary: “Our Journey: Soils, Crops, and Practices”
Harold has been attending soil health conferences with a network of likeminded agriculture enthusiasts he met through his Nuffield scholarship travel. Harold’s Nuffield scholarship was like a sabbatical from the day-to-day farming routine and a breath of fresh farm air. His Nuffield topic is “Healthy soils for Healthy crops for a healthier population.” This invigorated Harold on his journey to create resilience and health in his soils through diversity in cover crops, crop rotation, tillage intelligence, and soil amendments.
Bio: Harold is a potato farmer with a lovely wife and four great kids. Harold farms 5000 irrigated acres in the Taber, Alberta area with his brother Chris, father Gerald and a great crew. Potatoes are the main crop, grown for Frito Lay, McCain, and Shearers. Other crops grown on the farm are faba beans, flax, grains, silage corn, seed canola, mixed forage, cover crops.
Ross MacDonald, Lake Alma, Saskatchewan
Industry Sector: Grazing/Grasslands, Regen Ag
Presentation Summary: “Ranching Awkwardly & Loving It!”
As the ranch has grown, so too has our perspective on our place in these grassland ecosystems. For thousands of years the grasslands of North America have been a place of movement, trade, commerce, food, seasonal rhythms and human-grazer interactions; having the opportunity to be a part of those time-tested interactions and embracing the opportunity to share these spaces and experiences with other humans has benefited us greatly. I am confident that the future holds fulfilling opportunities as we continue to learn to embrace the awkwardness.
Bio: I was raised near Radville, SK and was fortunate not to grow up in a multi-generational ranching operation but was instead encouraged to chart my own path, embrace education and own my decisions. This lead to an Animal Science degree from the UofS (1998) and Animal & Range Science MSc. from Montana State University (2000) and a hunger to be immersed in all things ranching. 98 Ranch Inc. was founded in the fall of 2001 with a willing seller looking to retire, a mortgage from the local Credit Union, and a conservation easement agreement with Nature Conservancy of Canada. In the spring of 2002 a few loads of custom yearlings arrived to test the fences and my naïve optimism just south of LA (Lake Alma, SK). In the spring of 2003 prior to the BSE announcement, an early mentor’s ranch near Goodwater, Saskatchewan was for sale and with youthful exuberance and continued naïve optimism, 98 Ranch doubled its mortgaged acres, conservation easements and grazing operations.
Alexander Boersch, Elie, Manitoba
Industry Sector: Grain, Regenerative Agriculture, Soil Health
Presentation Summary: “Nutrition Farming In The Red River Valley”
How we aim to improve our farm’s resilience by focusing on properly feeding our soils via improved and expanded photosynthesis. The dos and don’ts of trying to farm regeneratively in a flood prone, “short growing season”, and heavy clay soil context.
Bio: Alexander grew up on a grain farm in the Red River Valley near Elie, Manitoba (one of the wettest areas in the northern prairies). He has a bachelor and Masters in Agri-Business and science from INP Purpan (University in Touluse, France). He has worked for two years in Toronto for DG Global Inc as a grain trader and moved back to the farm fall of 2017 after he was inspired by Graeme Sait’s Nutrition Farming course. The farm was founded in 1988 by his father and mother Elke & Andreas Boersch, who emigrated from Cologne, Germany. Their farm has both “conventional” and “organic” grain production, doing it as regeneratively as possible on heavy clay “GUMBO” soils. Everything they do is with the goal of improving soils, nutrient use efficiency, crop nutrient density and to eliminate fungicides/insecticides. They want to make farming about promoting life, more fun and profitable!
Sponsorship & Tradeshow Opportunities
Conference Sponsorship Levels
-
• Profile via short video provided by you each day of the Conference
• Plus Gold Level Benefits
***BONUS: for funders and supporters above $10,000 per year:
MFGA led Media Release announcement of funding support; Opportunity for MFGA to reserve a table for your group when conference banquet held or provide waived attendance for up to three representatives when there is no banquetWith Bundle Included:
• Opportunity to Profile related projects and info via provided or MFGA-led content in monthly eBulletins
• Highest placement on logo recognition platforms for your strong support -
• Trade Show Booth (includes 1 Conference Registration)
• Mentions and Extra recognition by Master of Ceremonies
• Plus Bronze BenefitsWith Bundle Included:
• Display space at MFGA events
• Logo/Link on MFGA home page -
• 1 Conference Registration
• Plus Bronze BenefitsWith Bundle Included:
• Logo in monthly eBulletin, Green Gold Reports, website
• Sharing our monthly communications via MFGA ebulletin, blogs, and announcements.
• For our bundled supporters, every originating MFGA post (with exception of media releases) goes out to our entire database of more than 2,000 and includes your organization's logo.
• For corporate-only or conference-only supporters, your logo is profiled to our same database on relevant posts around the area of your sponsorship. -
• Logo on all pre-conference communications
• Logo on Regen Ag Conference and Resource* pages
• Logo on rotating PPT & signageWith Bundle Included:
• Logo in monthly eBulletin, Green Gold Reports, website
• Basic member benefits
Sponsorship Payment
Please email chris@mfga.net to be invoiced.
By cheque (mail to/made out to):
Manitoba Forage & Grassland Association
c/o 145 Edstan Place, Selkirk, MB R1A 2E8
By debit or credit (through PayPal - you do NOT need a PayPal Account):
Fees reflected and vary by payment method.
Tradeshow (Setup TBA, Time: TBA)
-
$700.00 (plus $35 gst)
-
8’ table (draped) with 2 chairs
Access to Power - please let us know if you require power
1 Conference Registration
Logo on rotating PPT
-
email terra@mfga.net.
-
Stay tuned for more news on silent auction