Meet the team
Originally from Altona, MB in the heart of the Red River Valley, it surprises a lot of people to find out that I don’t come from a farming background. I actually grew up in a construction family, with my dad still running the company he bought in his 20’s. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I went to work on a farm for the first time, but it was enough to hook me. The following summer I did custom spraying for Agricore and worked on another farm during non spray days, then decided to go to school.
I did the Diploma program at the University of Manitoba and graduated with the Finance option, to go into Ag lending. However, the marketing class got me hooked within the first two months and changed my focus. As a summer job for two years I worked as a grain buyer at Bunge in Altona, buying canola and flax for the crush plant.
I enrolled in the Degree program immediately following Diploma, and two years later finished with a B.Sc. in Agribusiness. While in the Degree program, I started working part time as an advisor with Ag-Chieve out of Winnipeg, advising farmers on selling their grain.
In 2010 I was looking for a change and started a franchise of Agri-Trend Marketing, building it over the next six years, before selling it in 2016 and going independent.
IntelliFARM is the culmination of nine years of working in the market analysis and consulting world, and I am excited to be part of this to continue helping farmers improved their bottom line through strategic marketing decisions.
I grew up on a grain farm just south of Winnipeg in Domain. From an early age, I was involved with many aspects of the farm including seeding, pesticide application, harvest and running the seed processing plant during the winter months. Following high school, I completed my undergraduate degree in Agri-business at the University of Manitoba. I currently reside in Altona with my wife, Ashley, and our daughters, Ada and June. I still involve myself with the family farm as much as possible, particularly during harvest.
The experience I have working as product support for a local machinery sales company has given me a passion for working with farmers and an ability to relate to the challenges that the family farm faces. One such challenge being finding a balance between work and family. No matter what time of year, there never seems to be enough hours in a day to check off all the items on “the list”. Furthermore, new technologies and methods are continually emerging that require time and energy to learn and incorporate. Being a market advisor with IntelliFARM allows me to lessen some of this burden on farmers as well as to help them become more profitable.
Growing up on a family farm southwest of Winnipeg near Brunkild, Manitoba, farming has always been a part of my life. As a young boy, I have fond memories of working on the farm alongside my grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles. As I grew older, although I wasn't farming, I knew that my life would remain in agriculture.
In my early twenties, I went back to school to obtain my Ag Diploma. After graduation, I started working with United Grain Growers in Fannystelle, Manitoba on the Ag Retail side of the business. Soon after that there was an opportunity to work in the Grain Terminal. On the grain farm, while spending time at the elevator with my father, I was always intrigued with the procedure at the grain elevators. When this opportunity presented itself I jumped at it and proceeded to work my way up to Manager of the Grain Terminal and Ag Retail. I've spent 22 years working in the industry forming relationships, gaining knowledge of grain procurement and handling. Over the years, and after a few company mergers, I also took on the role of Grain Buyer and quickly realized that the marketing aspect of my job, and working with and advising customers was becoming my main interest and focus.
With the dissolution of the CWB resulting in increasing competition for business, I realized that the marketing situation for the producer was not going to get any easier. The pressure for producers to sell their grain increased my focus on analyzing the markets to determine how to best understand and maneuver through the volatile markets, while trying to achieve a better bottom line for the producer.
My experience in all aspects of grain procurement combined with knowledge of the industry, will achieve strategic and efficient grain marketing plans and there will be much benefit available to future customers. I am excited to start this next chapter with IntelliFARM, looking forward to analyzing the dynamic grain and oilseed markets, providing unbiased marketing advice to the producers I've met over the years, and focusing on increasing their profitability.
Growing up on the family farm close to Rosenort, MB, I was involved in agriculture from a young age. I realized very young that agriculture would be my career. After graduating from high school, I farmed with my dad while working off the farm full time. In my mid-20s, I decided to go to the University of Manitoba for my Diploma in Agriculture. My wife and I moved to Alberta shortly after graduating from University where I have been involved in agricultural sales in several different fields. Most recently, I was a grain buyer for Viterra for 18 years.
In my experience, I have found that most farmers do a fantastic job of growing a high quality grain. My passion is assisting customers with the marketing of their product by market analysis and exploring different market options. My goal is to assist my clients in making the best possible marketing decisions. I feel there is a real need for unbiased marketing advice, which is why I made the switch to IntelliFARM.
I grew up in a small farming community in northeast Saskatchewan. Once I graduated high school I spent the first couple years working at a local alfalfa dehydration plant then in 2000 I started working for UGG as an elevator assistant at a local high throughput at Valparaiso. After a couple months there I was transferred to a wooden elevator in Melfort where I remained until 2009. At that point, I took a position with P&H where I was initially hired as a cleaner operator due to my experience but since they were still building the elevator they sent me on the road to get word out about P&H, and that’s where I got my start into the customer service role.
Once the CWB was dissolved and the industry moved to the open market that’s when I really took an interest in how markets work and what drives them, and I spent the next 13 years building relationships on the farm and became the go to guy for what is going on in the marketplace. I look forward to working with clients to assist them in meeting their marketing needs and goals.
In my downtime I like to spend it at the cabin with my wife, two adult kids, and friends where we spend many hours cruising the lake in my boat.
Like Brian I came to the industry in a different way than most. Growing up in Winnipeg I was exposed to agriculture through my Great Uncle, hundreds of stories told to me by my Grandparents about growing up on the farm and a summer working on a farm. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with a B.A. in Geography, I knew I needed a more specific direction of education, so I enrolled in the U of M School of Agriculture where I graduated in 2001.
After 20 years in the ag industry with most of my experience based on grain buying, I have concluded that as a grain buyer it can be a challenge to juggle the needs of both parties involved in the transaction, especially if you are customer focused. That is why being an advisor with IntelliFARM is the right place for me to be. My only focus is my client’s success.
Farm operations are not exempt from the limitations of a 24-hour day and just like the rest of the world, it has become much faster and markets more volatile. That is where I see the value of an advisor, as an extension of clients’ businesses. I will be there to help you through the peaks and valleys of the market, the opportunities and the pitfalls that come with being a business. In the end, it is about helping you make informed market decisions, so you continue to be viable now and in the future.
I look forward to helping SK farmers meet their goals!
We are a growing group of consultants working in Western Canada, who work together with grain farms to create customized grain marketing plans. These plans are created around your farm’s cost of production, cash flow needs, bin space capacity, personal preferences, market outlooks, and risk tolerances.