June 12 - 14, 2025
When the Farm is a Learning Environment
Nichole, Mark, Evie and Logan Neubauer connect the dots others don’t see
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When the Farm is a Learning Environment
BY ANGELA LOVELL
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KEVIN HURSH
Beware of Miracle Juices
By Kevin Hursh
Beware of the miracle products being promoted by quasi-scientific jargon. An increasing number of these products are being promoted and the market for them appears to be thriving.
At a spring conference I was attending, one of the sponsors was given a spot on the agenda to promote their company and products. It was a polished presentation and the speaker sounded like they actually believed in the miracle juices.
One of this company’s products was a cure for saline soils. Sequential applications over a few years would clear up that nasty salt problem, making the land productive again. Saline land has tonnes of salt per acre, so it’s hard to believe that a few litres per acre of miracle juice could make a difference.
And if the product was truly effective, wouldn’t everyone know about it and be using it? After all, saline soil is a large, widespread problem. Soil scientists say the only solution is to leach salts out of the root zone, but that requires a source of water along with underground drainage. Therefore, the long-standing recommendation for saline soils is to seed them to salt-tolerant forage crops.
I bit my lip as I listened to the presentation, but I didn’t ask any questions to rock the boat and neither did another agrologist in the crowd. However, we both came away shaking our heads. Sadly, many of the conference attendees were convinced by the sales pitch and engaged with the speaker after the presentation to find out more and probably try some of the products.
There are many similar companies employing lots of salespeople. Most of those people aren’t agrologists or certified agronomists, but they talk a good game. Their fancy terms and explanations sound convincing even though the rigour of scientific testing is usually lacking.
The only way to know if something truly works is to conduct randomized trials in multiple sites over multiple years. Ideally, those trials would be conducted by a neutral third party. The farmer testimonials typically used to sell products don’t prove much and should be taken with a grain of salt.
The regenerative agriculture movement, however you define it, has contributed to the push for products outside the established norm. Biological products do hold a lot of promise and some do work. Unfortunately, products that may have a place somewhere in the world may not be economically viable for the climate and the crops grown in Western Canada.
Even top soil scientists are hesitant to say that something won’t work unless they’ve actually tested it. They will have their suspicions, but only testing can separate the winners from the losers.
If you want to do your own on-farm testing of a product, set it up so you have a genuine analysis. Trying something on one field is unlikely to tell you much. Even splitting a field with the product on one half and no product on the other half has big limitations. Fields are seldom uniform and rainfall patterns can vary over short distances.
Alternating strips in a field can be more instructive as long as you go to the time and effort of accurate yield determinations. Unfortunately, even that rigour can give inconclusive results.
When a product or practice shows some promise, applied research institutions will often conduct research trials. However, they don’t have funding to disprove all the miracle products being promoted.
As the old adage goes, if something seems too good to be true, usually it is.
WHEN THE FARM IS A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
BY ANGELA LOVELL
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAMANTHA JOHNSON
Mark and Nichole Neubauer’s farming career has been about seeing beyond the obvious to connect the dots to opportunities in ways others maybe don’t see.
A good example is how getting involved in agricultural education brought new opportunities for the farm to diversify into selling farm products direct to consumers in addition to building connections that benefit the whole industry.
With a background in early childhood education, Nichole Neubauer began her working career helping connect parents with very young children to specialized care and support services while at the same time running a busy farm with Mark. Moving in these two spheres made her realize there was a big disconnect and knowledge gap for kids and families about farming and food production.
“I thought the missing link was that kids needed to get out on the farm and understand more about where their food comes from, and create a positive association at a young age, so when they thought about a farmer, agriculture and food, that experience would lead to a positive memory,” Neubauer says.
She invited a friend, who was a kindergarten teacher, to bring her class out to the farm, and saw immediate positive results.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” Neubauer says. “I was
well aware that some of the students in that group had significant developmental delays and sensory processing issues, and they were petting chickens, saying moo when they saw a cow, playing in the garden, feeling different kinds of plants and sampling different foods that they’d had aversions to. It was a motivational environment and the kids were thriving in it.”
The experience motivated Neubauer to write a business plan, reduce some hours at her off-farm job and open the farm two days a week during spring and fall for hands-on educational trips for children in the surrounding area. Over the past 20 years, the farm has hosted over 23,000 schoolchildren, and was a catalyst for the Neubauers to diversify into a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture selling produce from the farm garden to local customers.
“The CSA seemed like a natural fit. I already had an established customer base because so many people were visiting the farm and were interested in the garden and its produce,” she says. They signed up 40 shareholders in the first year and hired summer students to help with the expanded garden.
The Neubauers: Nichole, left, and Mark, right, with their children Evie and Logan.
While the CSA is not by any means the core enterprise of their 2,000-acre mixed farm near Medicine Hat, Alberta, it has allowed them to interact with people who want to learn more about where their food comes from and dispel some of the persistent misconceptions that many people have about modern farming practices. These dialogues, they believe, are vitally important to their future as farmers and for agriculture as a whole.
“Even though we are conventional farmers and the CSA is a tiny sector of our business, it gave us that chance to build positive pathways with people, talking to them about food production, and define the why behind how we farm,” Neubauer says. “I think we need to remember that we’re growing food for people and those people are our customers. We’re not going to change our practices, but we need to be more responsive to the needs of our customers by taking the time to share the justification for how we farm and be empathetic to their concerns. It is through this process where we can build trusting relationships, which leads to trust in the food system.”
A decade of change
When the Neubauers took over the original family farm in 2015, they had a different vision about how it should operate than Mark’s father who was still summer fallowing, cultivating to manage weeds and growing only cereals. That meant a lot of changes were inevitable.
They started by improving the health of the soil through continuous cropping and adding pulses to the rotation, switched to minimal till, purchased an air seeder to reduce soil disturbance, and began to use fertilizer and chemical weed control. They switched their cattle herd to a new breed that is more conducive to their system of using rotational grazing to maintain the health of the native and tame grasses on their property. Next came major equipment and building upgrades and renovations.
“We needed to make the farm more manageable for us,” Neubauer says. “Even though we haven’t expanded the land base, we have basically more than doubled production just by using modern farming practices.”
The original Neubauer farm, established by Mark’s greatgreat-grandfather over 100 years ago, is near the small hamlet of Irvine, Alberta in an arid region, and back in 1991, Mark had purchased another quarter section of irrigated land closer to Medicine Hat so he could reliably grow hay for the farm’s cattle. He and Nichole built a house at the location after they were married in 1996, where they raised their two children, and still live.
When the Neubauers took over the original farm in 2015, they had a different vision about how it should operate.
They also bought a piece of land in a creek with a unique water licence agreement that allows them to flood irrigate in the spring. The heavy clay-based soil that was once a lake bed is highly productive for alfalfa, and can be used for additional fall grazing when it dries up later in the season.
Today, the Neubauers crop around 2,000 acres, lease 500 acres of grassland and are patrons of the Seven Persons Grazing Association. They run between 50 to 60 head of Hereford cow/Angus bull crosses that give them the desirable traits they want, like a calmer temperament for handling. They produce vigorous calves with a lower birth weight –around 80 pounds – that don’t go through as much stress during birth, and get up and start nursing sooner, which is easier on the cows that cycle and re-breed sooner.
Building a turnkey operation
Their two children have helped on the farm since they were young and still do when they can, but they have also taken their parents’ advice to follow their dreams before making any decisions about farming. Logan (21) is a commercial pilot, although he is adamant about becoming a farmer and is going to build a home on the original farm site in the future. Evie (19), who is taking an education degree, comes home every weekend partly because she misses the farm and also because she is building a herd of purebred Nigerian dwarf dairy goats that she is committed to improving through genetics and selective breeding.
But Mark and Nichole are also committed to making the next farm transition – if there is one – as smooth as possible. “We are committed to having a plan for the future of our farming operation,” Neubauer says. “Consulting with experts in financial and legal matters is such an important first step.”
The couple feel fortunate to have two children who are both deeply committed to the farm. “It defines the decisions that Mark and I make. We would like to keep expanding and refine our practices so the farm can be more productive and the land in the best shape possible. So, if our children do want to take over, it’s a turnkey operation for them. They are not going to be trying to rebuild something.”
Neubauer Farms received the Medicine Hat and District Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 2017, which speaks to the couple’s strong commitment to business and financial management.
“There is huge cash going out, and cash coming in and you’ve got to stay ahead of all of that and try to balance your risk with risk management programs and by making good marketing decisions,” Neubauer says. “At this stage in our farming career we make investments in things that are going to make farming a little easier. We place high value on that because we don’t want to be overburdened by manual labour jobs if we can replace them with a machine or use technology to make the job easier and more efficient.”
Logan and Evie Neubauer helping out at the farm where the Neubauers crop 2,000 acres, lease 500 acres of grassland and run between 50 to 60 head of Hereford cow/Angus bull crosses.
They buy good quality used equipment and don’t skimp on things like quality seed, seed treatments, vaccines, mineral programs, good feed for the cattle and preventative equipment maintenance.
“We work together on the monthly accounting, have meetings that include our children and collectively come to a decision about what the big spends are going to be,” Neubauer says.
“Right now, we’re in a place where we would like to expand and we know what our spending threshold is for that.”
The future is bright but needs talent
The Neubauers are optimistic about the future of Canadian agriculture but feel there needs to be more emphasis on educating people about the possibilities and opportunities in the sector.
“We are on the verge of a revolution where technology is going to become such a big player on farms and ranches across Canada. We need to start attracting the best and the brightest to come and serve in our industry to help us become that global leader in food production,” Neubauer says. “We need to become more intentional as producers about how we support the education system to represent the potential for agricultural career pathways to students,
then we need to provide meaningful hands-on opportunities for students to explore the industry.”
That’s not just a pipedream for the Neubauers. In 2021, their farm partnered with Prairie Rose Public Schools to build the Irvine School Agricultural Discovery Centre, a 200-ft by 200-ft fully functioning farm located at the K-9 school. The farm, operating from April to October, raises feeder steers, bottle calves, goats, lambs, hogs, chickens, bees and has a garden, all managed by the students. In three years of operation, it has generated $160,000 from selling livestock, grants and fundraising that have gone into developing a program called AgPro that offers agriculture-related courses for junior high students as part of their career and technology foundation program.
“What we’re trying to do is create a connection through hands-on experiential learning and subject matter experts to get these kids excited about agriculture and understanding that there’s a great career waiting for them,” Neubauer says. “So, when they go to high school, they pick the course content that they’re going to need as prerequisites to get into a school to become an agronomist or veterinarian or whatever pathway they choose. We want to open those pathways up for students.”
Nichole and Mark Neubauer are committed to making the next farm transition – if there is one – as smooth as possible for their children.
WELCOME TO THE 2025 CYPRESS FARM & RANCH SHOW!
We are so excited to be premiering a new agricultural trade show located in Medicine Hat. Strategically positioned in the heart of the Western Prairies, this event is designed to leverage the strong community of innovative farmers across this large and diverse trading area.
From June 12 – 14 we will be welcoming a number of exhibitors and expert speakers to bring value to farmers and ranchers. With over 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exhibits, a Speaker Series featuring industry experts, entertainment, and exciting prizes, Cypress Farm & Ranch Show has something for everyone. We look forward to welcoming the farming and ranching community through our doors for a valuable event full of networking, education, and business opportunities.
For any event to be successful it needs an element of entertainment and fun, so we have timed our show to run in conjunction with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Races each evening! To round out the entertainment package, we are also excited to have live music on site. Rob Hudec, will be joining us to provide entertainment at the end of each day – so grab a beverage from our all-day beer gardens before heading over to the chucks for a great evening at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede.
Lastly, we would like to thank our partners and local community for their support of this new venture as well as their commitment to the agriculture industry in Southeastern Alberta and the trading area that reaches into Saskatchewan.
On behalf of the team at the Cypress Farm & Ranch Show we look forward to hosting you in Medicine Hat, June 12 – 14!
See you soon!
Dave Fiddler, Show Manager
ABOUT THE CYPRESS
FARM & RANCH SHOW
The inaugural Cypress Farm & Ranch Show (CFRS) is coming to Medicine Hat, Alberta, June 12 – 14, 2025 – bringing a new, large–scale agricultural trade show experience to the heart of one of Canada’s most productive farming regions. Held alongside the World Professional Chuckwagon Association Races at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede grounds, CFRS is where producers, innovators, and ag professionals from across Southern Alberta and Southwestern Saskatchewan come to connect, learn, and do business.
From crops to cattle and everything in between, CFRS brings together over 100 exhibitors under one roof to showcase the latest in equipment, technology, and services across the ag sector. The Speaker Series offers practical education and insight from industry experts, and visitors can also enjoy live music, contests, and great prizes throughout the event.
As a bonus, CFRS attendees can also explore the energy of the WPCA chuckwagon races happening onsite during the show. It’s an exciting pairing of ag innovation and Western tradition –all in one place.
Rooted in a region that leads Canada in beef production, irrigation, dryland farming, and greenhouse operations, CFRS is built to reflect the full spectrum of modern agriculture in Western Canada.
SHOW DETAILS
LOCATION:
Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede
Cypress Centre
2055 21 Ave SE, Medicine Hat, AB
Thursday, June 12: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday, June 13: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, June 14: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
TICKETS :
General Admission (16+): $10 at the door
Youth and children free.
Free Parking
*Free admission for WPCA Chuckwagon Races ticket holders.
SPEAKER SERIES
12 JUNE
11:00 AM
1:00 PM
HIGH TECH REDNECK –USING DRONES FOR CATTLE AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Speaker: Steve Kenyon, Greener Pastures Ranching & Markus Weber, LandView Drones
Discover how drone technology can revolutionize your ranching practices and transform your approach to grazing.
TAKING CONTROL OF TRACE MINERALS IN THE BEEF HERD WITH MULTIMIN 90
Speaker: Jack Fisher, Axiota Animal Health
Multimin 90 is a one–of–a–kind solution that delivers essential trace minerals to support cattle health and reproductive efficiency.
3:00 PM
CREATING CONNECTIONS – STOCKMANSHIP IN COW CALF
Speaker: Lee Sinclair, Merck Animal Health
A practical video presentation on stockmanship basics, featuring tips and techniques for low-stress cattle handling throughout the cow/calf production year.
13 JUNE
11:00 AM
INNOVATIONS IN AGRICULTURE – SYMPHONY VISION TECHNOLOGY
Speaker: Trevor Sandau, Precision Planting
Advancements in sprayer technology are helping farmers improve weed control. Instead of a blanket application, Precision Planting’s Symphony Vision system uses cameras to adjust the application based on weed severity, allowing farmers to save on chemicals and control weeds more effectively.
1:00 PM
THE MAGIC OF WORMS –TAKING FOOD WASTE TO CREATE PRODUCTS THAT AID IN FOOD PRODUCTION
Speaker: Michael Launer, Johnston’s Regenerative & Annelida Soil Solutions
Farmers today face rising input costs, soil degradation, and unpredictable weather. What if you could naturally boost soil health, reduce input costs, and increase yields – without compromising on performance? That’s exactly what Johnston’s Regenerative’s products are focused on.
1:30 PM
BUILDING SOIL HEALTH TO ACHIEVE FARM WEALTH
Speaker: Dr. Karthi Narayanan, Croplands Analytics
Dr. Karthi holds a PhD in Applied Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan and is truly a wealth of knowledge when it comes to soil and plant health. During this session, he will deliver an insightful and engaging presentation on the importance of soil health, highlighting how many of the common soil challenges faced by Western Canadian farms can often be addressed with minor adjustments – whether through practice changes or choosing different crop input products. From humic/fulvic acids, and calcium-based amendments to water conditioning for spray tank solutions, there are a variety of effective tools available to help increase on – farm profitability.
3:00 PM
BIO-SUL PREMIUM PLUS – LONG TERM FERTILIZER SOLUTIONS
Speaker: Craig Roberts, Chinook Spreaders
Bio-Sul Premium Plus is the most efficient and longest lasting elemental sulphur on the market. By using compost as a carrier, Bio–Sul reduces production costs, as the product breaks down naturally over time.
14 JUNE
11:00 AM
USING COVER CROPS TO EXTEND THE GRAZING SEASON
Speaker: Keegan Miller, Covers & Co
Learn how producers across Western Canada are implementing multi–species cover crops to reduce input costs, extend the grazing season and improve soil health.
1:00 PM
COULD THERE BE A BETTER WAY FOR MEATS TO GET TO MARKET?
Speaker: James Bradbury, Bradbury & Company
It’s time for change! James Bradbury explores how today’s meat supply chain limits both producers and consumers – offering little control to farms and few choices at the store. Learn how alternative models could shift power back to producers and bring meaningful variety to the marketplace.
3:00 PM
INNOVATIONS IN FORAGE INSURANCE
Speaker: Dave Sullivan, Global Ag Risk Solutions
Discover the latest in innovative insurance solutions designed to deliver more accurate, localized coverage – helping livestock producers reduce risk and boost profitability in today’s challenging environment.
June 12 - 14, 2025
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
EXHIBITOR LIST
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
FRIEND
Farmer Innovations Drive Problem Solving at Thunderstruck
By Becky Zimmer
When problems arise on the farm, there is no one more motivated to solve the issue and get back in the field than a farmer.
As a distributor of agricultural innovations across North America, Jeremy Matuszewski, owner of Thunderstruck Sales & Marketing in Winkler, Manitoba, knows this all too well. In business since 2013, with a strict agricultural focus starting in 2016, Thunderstruck currently represents 13 farm innovators who have brought a beneficial product to market.
Farmers are hungry for innovation at any and every age, says Matuszewski. Everyone is looking for an edge, and he has been lucky to surround himself with farmer innovators and early adopters willing to help with that testing and development process.
Farmers want to do better, he explains, and in working with farmers from across Canada, the United States and Australia, they can share farming practices from around the world. No-till farming has been prominent in the United States for a while and has been an ever-growing practice in Canada. With over a dozen Martin-Till products on their website, Matuszewski says they have had a relationship with the Martin family for some time. Howard Martin – the “godfather of no till” – according to Matuszewski, invented
“As it becomes a bigger and bigger thing up here [in Canada], we’re ahead of the trend, if you will.… It’s maybe been the last four or five years that it’s really starting to get more popular, and still barely scratching the surface of what it’s capable of.”
What’s unique about the farming industry is that farmers don’t want to sit on something because it gives them an advantage over their neighbour. They want to share the secrets to their success, and Matuszewski has an entire community that allows him to help farmers do that.
“If I have a different product come in from a different farmer who wants us to represent it, I send it to my group of farmer inventors and say, is this a good idea? The R&D starts there, and then we’ve got a pretty amazing group of customers that we’ve served over the last 12 years.”
Farmers then take these preliminary prototypes to test in real-world situations, giving performance feedback or writing testimonials before the invention is signed off for mass production. From there, Thunderstruck Ag markets and sells products to both farmers directly and through dealerships. Matuszewski knows first-hand how nerve-racking this process can be. He recently developed his own invention –
the Martin Row Cleaner in 1991.
the Razors Edge Concave – right from the initial drawings on a napkin to the sales floor.
The Razors Edge Concave changes the flow of different grains through the combine to reduce bottlenecks and increase capacity. Wanting to put the concaves through the toughest harvest conditions possible, Matuszewski sent the prototypes to trusted farming partners in Australia, knowing that if they performed there, they’d perform anywhere.
“What we learned was, when you design something around how the material flows through, not only can you do all the different types of crops with one set of concaves, but you can actually increase the capacity of that combine, because you’re really balancing out the separating area.”
The response has been overwhelming, with 50 per cent of the initial order sold, and Matuszewski is expecting to be completely sold out by July or August.
Harvest loss is a major concern for farmers across North America, he says, whether that’s at the header, rotor or sieve. With market uncertainty and high input costs chafing farmers, they want to ensure they get every grain they can into the bin and on the market.
With the different brands, makes and models hitting the field, one-size-fits-all solutions are not always possible, especially when a field of wheat provides a different set of challenges than a field of canola.
Thunderstruck Ag understands that from the get-go. With a “by the crop” section on their website, farmers are directed to the different products available for whatever they are growing.
“We want to make it so that if somebody is growing corn and beans, they can find the solutions we have for them, and if they’re growing canola or flax or wheat, all of the solutions are different, because all the problems are different,” says Matuszewski.
Marketing for this problem-solving process is about more than just fluff, he notes, because the heart of bringing solutions to farmers is telling the story. Matuszewski built the marketing side of Thunderstruck Ag from the ground up because he felt most other firms had a misguided marketing process that didn’t fit with the stories he was trying to tell. Over the years, Matuszewski has seen the benefits of pairing the marketing and sales worlds, writing their own stories of problem solving from the farm up.
“We only do marketing if we are controlling the leads. The reason being is because we have such a unique process that we go through, which is problem solving on this side. It was
really important that the two of them work together.”
According to Matuszewski, buying trends have changed with their digital presence a vital part of doing business, but much of the legwork still needs to be done at the ground level. With a staggering amount of trade shows on the docket every year, Thunderstruck’s core is centred on this connection with farmers on the trade show floor and at the dealerships. They get to see the product in action as Matuszewski and his team show off what they have to offer.
In promoting their new concave, Matuszewski says their amazing videographer Steve Langston went to every farm in North America that was testing the product to get quality testimonials and video content to demonstrate how grain operations are benefiting from the product.
Over the years, Matuszewski has worked with over a dozen or more farmers to develop, test or market their farm-made innovations or to just offer advice and support.
“There have been farmers and products that I’ve come across where I could offer ideas on how to bring them to market – even if they didn’t quite fit within what we do,” says Matuszewski. “That doesn’t mean we don’t want to help. At the end of the day, it’s about lifting the whole industry – one invention at a time.”
Jeremy Matuszewski, owner and president of Thunderstruck.
Making the Hay in Medicine Hat
The stories behind a thriving agricultural area
By Becky Zimmer
Being home to Canada’s largest irrigation district and 330 days of sunshine, it is no wonder Medicine Hat is a region of strong agriculture and agri-food economic success.
And industry players aren’t taking this for granted. Many people are working to maintain and grow agricultural opportunities in Alberta’s sixth largest city.
With 842 farms, 158,000 head of cattle and approximately 526,000 acres of cropland, the area generated an annual average in farm cash receipts of $6.3 billion for cattle and calf sales, $3.4 billion for canola, and $2.8 billion for wheat between 2019-2023, according to statistics provided by Cypress County.
With both irrigated and dryland acres in production, Cypress County economic development officer Beth Cash says farmers aren’t afraid to try new crops or farming practices. Her job focuses on attracting investment while expanding and retaining local businesses within the regional municipality. And being located just 90 minutes from the U.S. border gives Medicine Hat-area producers access to domestic and international markets to keep their supply chains competitive.
According to Cash, the prosperity of the greenhouse sector means access to fresh, locally grown food all year round. With technology and the political landscape constantly changing, Cash is seeing the resilience and adaptability of local farmers. Traditional markets are unstable, and as a result both the “support-local” movement and finding new global trade partners are essential during these uncertain markets.
“Producers have been through ups and downs for so many years,” says Cash. “We can get through this and our producers in Cypress County are very resilient. We’re well positioned to weather the storm and get out on the other side.”
However, it takes a village to keep the area sustainable and thriving. There has been plenty of growth in the restaurant and agritourism sectors, and room for both sectors to grow. Two-way support, with local restaurants supporting local agriculture and vice versa, creates win-win opportunities, adds Cash.
“We’re definitely fortunate to have the support of producers that want to support these restaurants, but also restaurants wanting to support our producers.”
One priority for both Cypress County and Medicine Hat Economic Development has been expanding the food processing industry in the area.
Al Sharma, Medicine Hat Economic Development, notes 48 per cent of the region’s output is through a value-added economy, which is a huge achievement. With so many potatoes grown in the region, he believes a potato processing facility would be a valuable addition. According to the 2016 census, 487 farmers are growing over 300,000 acres of pulses, including chickpeas and lentils, and eating habits are changing as consumers are shifting to plant proteins. “There is potential there, as well,” says Sharma.
And with Big Marble as a prominent player in the greenhouse game – the 35-acre high-tech greenhouse is Alberta’s largest year-round greenhouse – Sharma believes a salsa plant or snack food facility would also be a good fit.
As the manager of investment attraction, Sharma is focused on bringing in new investment opportunities to the area and he always has positive interactions with companies that want to set up shop in or around Medicine Hat. Unfortunately, that can be a long and complex process, says Sharma, and the companies have to be a right fit. They would rather find a few successful companies than 15 struggling enterprises.
AG CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE
Thursday November 13, 2025
Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Grounds
$55birdEarly Rate bird
JESSICA HOLMES
“Mental Health: The Good, the Bad, and the Funny”
Celebrated Comedian, Author & Mental Health Advocate as seen on Royal Canadian Air Farce and The Holmes Show
Sessions
Panel discussions
50+ Exhibitors
Networking
Door prizes
Sessions Include:
Tickets On Sale July 1, 2025 cypresscountybusiness.ca
Meals included Alberta’s DevelopmentProfessionalLargest Event for Primary Producers!DevelopmentProfessionalEvent
Marketing Strategies for Today’s Producers
Tariffs & Ag Profitability: Planning for an Uncertain Market
Innovations in Biosecurity & Disease Control
Leveraging Drone Technology in Agriculture
Smart Irrigation for Drier Times
Optimizing Livestock Nutrition
Unlocking Ag Funding Opportunities
MC KATELYN DUBAN
“The companies that we’ve got here, the business that they’re doing, that knowledge that they have of their business and the local market, that’s always a very good starting point.”
- Al Sharma
“There’s so many roadblocks that you have to overcome,” says Sharma. “Do you have the land available? Do you have the water available? Do you have the manpower available? Is it at a good cost? Can we create that long-term, win-win scenario for the client and for us?”
In terms of an economic strategy, Sharma says they are focusing on four pillars of development for long-term sustainability: workforce development, business development, investment attraction, and investment growth and readiness. Finding new businesses but supporting local opportunities or existing businesses goes hand in hand, he adds.
“The companies that we’ve got here, the business that they’re doing, that knowledge that they have of their business and the local market, that’s always a very good starting point.”
According to Cypress County, 20 per cent of the local municipal workforce works in the agriculture sector, comprising nearly 70,000 Albertans. With a shortage of farm labour being a growing concern in the agriculture industry, Nichole Neubauer, owner and operator of Neubauer Farms outside of Medicine Hat, has worked to keep that talent pipeline running for the last 25 years.
As an agriculture consultant for Prairie Rose Public Schools, she has opened up her family farm to 23,000 schoolchildren since 2005 and was a key player in the Irvine Agricultural Discovery Centre that opened in 2021. This has been a beneficial partnership to bring farmers and educators together to teach children where their food comes from, says Neubauer, and when she brings kids to the farm, the adults in tow are just as excited.
“Folks are multiple generations removed from a farm. When they get to explore and learn on the surface … that’s been a great opportunity to build relationships (and) establish shared values.”
Beyond teaching kids about how their food gets to the grocery store, Neubauer believes this also gets students talking about agricultural careers. Education is that pathway forward and has created excitement and enthusiasm within the Medicine Hat region, she adds.
“Recent workforce research done by Verge Economic Development shows that producers in the region are having a hard time finding a stable, secure workforce,” says Neubauer. “Up to 48 per cent of employers that were interviewed last year in our region face challenges finding qualified workers, and that is leading to substantial revenue loss…. That same report shows that 30 per cent of the current workforce is approaching retirement in the next decade. We are going to have a tsunami of producers who are going to look to retire.”
Education is what is going to keep that pipeline flowing, she says, and the Medicine Hat area has an abundance of educational opportunities for young people, including Medicine Hat College. Neubauer is working closely with the college to figure out the quick and basic training and certification that could benefit farmers, from basic business courses to farm welding.
Not only are people needed to physically operate farms and greenhouses, but the region needs to attract talent indirectly related to agriculture, positions like lawyers, bankers, lab workers and salespeople.
Neubauer also references the Southeast Alberta Economic Opportunity Strategy Implementation Framework and Action Plan 2025-2030, where talent attraction and development were a number one foundational priority. Of the three sector priorities, agriculture and agri-food came in number two on the list between aerospace/defence and regional tourism.
According to Neubauer, it’s going to take a strong workforce to grow those industries. “There’s tremendous potential, but we need to have the human capital to help get things headed in the right direction so that we’re capitalizing on that potential.”
Success in the region means success in all industries, adds Sharma, and there are plenty of diversification opportunities, like aerospace, defence and technological advancements, that will also benefit the agriculture sector.
“This takes time and effort, and Medicine Hat is playing the long game,” he says. “You’ve got to do things in a sustained fashion for a long time to get to your end objective.”
INSPIRING A FUTURE WITHOUT WASTE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
As stewards of the land, Albertans know the value of using every resource wisely. We’re proud to support communities across the province by giving new life to old materials—from used oil and tires to electronics and paint.
Together, we’ve kept over 2.3 billion litres of used oil, 149.5 million tires, 36.5 million litres of paint, and nearly 260,000 tonnes of electronics out of land lls.
Now, with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), an expanded electronics recycling program, and new initiatives exploring the recycling of solar panels, EV batteries, and wind turbine electrical components, Alberta is taking bold steps to reduce waste, protect valuable resources, and keep our land clean and productive for future generations.
Learn more about recycling at albertarecycling.ca
INSPIRING A FUTURE WITHOUT WASTE
