Issue 99 - Week of November 17, 2025

Hi Friend

We wrapped up our very first Gathering Ground event this Saturday, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make it such a strong start. Thank you to our speakers, panelists, participants, volunteers, and board members for bringing the day to life. Read more about how the event went below.

While the team was busy in Whitecourt, our Executive Director, Carri, was in Manitoba fulfilling another major commitment. She has spent the past few months working behind the scenes with the AquaHacking Challenge as the small-scale agriculture water issues leader, supporting several teams as they developed their solutions. A summit for the semi-finalists took place this weekend, and Carri was there to meet the teams she inspired and guide them in building their concepts. We will share more about the promising ideas that emerged from the competition in the next few newsletter editions.

Last Saturday, producers, families, and ag professionals gathered at the Westward Community Centre for our first-ever Gathering Ground: A Producer Development Day — and what a day it was.

We kicked things off with a powerful keynote from Annessa Good-Hassard, whose session “Boots on the Ground: Succession at the Ground Level” had pens moving nonstop. Many participants filled pages of notes as she walked through practical, real-world tools for navigating family transition, communication, and long-term planning.

From there, participants rotated through four hands-on breakout sessions, each with a unique schedule designed to spark new conversations and keep groups small and interactive. Thanks to Ryan Copithorne (Cows in Control), Marissa Lemay (SenseHub/Merck Animal Health), Morgan Webb (Seed Check Technologies), and our Gathering Ground Gauntlet team, the format was a hit.

Feedback highlights included:

• “Educational.”
• “Very good speakers.”
• “Gathering Ground is a good place to learn new ideas.”
• “Great value for the price.”
• “Really enjoyed everything.”

The afternoon wrapped with our Producer Panel – Groundbreakers: Cultivating New Paths in Agriculture, where Andrea Kristin (Grey Arrow Farm), Kelli Burdek (Prairie Bears Cider Co.), and Jillian Byers (Blue Ridge Farms) shared what it really takes to build relationships with customers, direct-market your products, and build a farm-to-table business rooted in community.

And of course… the food. We promised great food, and Thymeless Occasions Catering delivered — from the hearty buffet lunch to the warm, home-style supper.

During lunch, the mini-tradeshow was buzzing with activity as participants visited booths from RDAR, Gallagher, eShepherd, ARECA, Woodlands County, and others while continuing conversations and networking.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, contributed, volunteered, presented, or simply shared in the energy of the day. Gathering Ground was created for producers, by producers, and we are grateful for the support that made this first year such a success.

More photos below — and stay tuned for updates as we begin planning our 2026 Events!

Can’t make it to a workshop but have questions about your EFP?

📞 Contact us at 780-785-2222 or info@farmingforward.ca for support.

We’re introducing a new feature in Accelerated Weekly called From Other Fields. A short, practical look at ideas, practices, and innovations from outside our region that might spark fresh thinking here at home. These won’t be recommendations, but rather “what’s happening elsewhere” stories that help us stay curious and connected to the wider agricultural world.

For our first instalment, we explore Azolla, a tiny floating fern that farmers in Asia, Africa, and parts of the Middle East are using as a fast-growing livestock feed. Azolla can double in biomass in just a few days, pulls its own nitrogen from the air, and delivers surprising protein levels — all without using cropland.

But would something like this work in West-Central Alberta?

We dig into how Azolla is grown, where it’s being used, and the real-world challenges it would face in our climate, from cold winters to water quality to invasive species concerns.

It’s a fascinating look at a feed idea from other regions, and what it would take (or not take) to make it work here.

We’re here to help with anything on your mind — big or small.

📞 Give us a call at +1 780-785-2222 (Mon–Fri, 9am–4pm)

📧 Or reply to this email

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