Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60MEET OUR INSIDERS! Advice from industry experts! Chad Thiessen, Meridian Manufacturing Product Manager, Conveyors and Augers For the past six years, Chad Thiessen has served as the product manager for Meridian’s conveyors and augers. He has a wealth of knowledge about the needs of farmers and the seed industry, and uses his experiences growing up on a farm to provide solutions to those everyday challenges of storing, moving and handling seed and grain. Prior to joining Meridian, Thiessen worked for the Province of Manitoba as well as Red River Mutual. Sarah Foster 20/20 Seed Labs President and Senior Seed Analyst Sarah Foster is a registered seed technologist, senior seed analyst and president of 20/20 Seed Labs — a company she started in 1989 that provides testing services for all crop kinds, including extensive quality and seed health analysis, molecular testing and accredited crop inspection. Involved in the seed industry since the late 1970s, Foster studied and qualified as an accredited seed analyst at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge, England. Craig Klemmer Farm Credit Canada Senior Agricultural Economist Craig Klemmer joined Farm Credit Canada in 2009 as an agricultural economist, specializing in monitoring and analyzing the macroeconomic environment, modelling industry health and providing industry risk analysis. Prior to Farm Credit Canada, he worked in the livestock branch of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. Klemmer earned a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Saskatchewan. Brent Derkatch CANTERRA SEEDS Director, Operations & Business Development Brent Derkatch joined CANTERRA SEEDS in 2001 as production manager. Today, as director of operations and business development, he is responsible for all production and manufacturing activities, market development efforts, and variety specific production opportunities. Derkatch is also responsible for the field research program. In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, Derkatch serves as president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association and on the board of the Canadian Plant Technology Agency.  Shawna Schimnowski CREATE by Issues Ink Client Services Manager Shawna Schimnowski is greatly aware of the details required to manage projects and uses her skills, business knowledge and ability to connect with clients to drive results. With a strong background in publishing and content creation, combined with her commitment to customer service, Schimnowski is a go-to resource for clients. She works to ensure a successful outcome for every client project she supports. Jason MacNevin, Can-Seed Equipment Owner For the past 20 years, Jason MacNevin has been tasked with managing a number of different processing plants. When approached to manage and buy Can-Seed Equipment, MacNevin soon realized the potential that existed and decided to pull the trigger in October 2015. Since then, the company has expanded its business, and MacNevin plans to continue on that trajectory. Check out Page 32 for expert advice on everything from embracing change to evaluating your business.