Spoiler alert: if you’re headed to TechTour LIVE in Red Deer on Thursday or Lethbridge on Friday, this post contains some highlights and a preview of what you can expect!
The TechTour Live bus is rolling west across Western Canada, as the four-cities-in-four-days event tour hosted by RealAgriculture and Corteva Agriscience kicked off in Brandon on Tuesday.
Inspired by the TechTour video series here on RealAgriculture, the tour features stops in Brandon, Saskatoon, Red Deer and Lethbridge, with speakers challenging the status quo on farm business management, emerging technology, and agronomy.
Bus ride shenanigans aside, here are some highlights and take-home points from the fourth annual TechTour LIVE event:
Highlights
Nick Bontis
A business strategy professor at McMaster University and vice-president of Canada Soccer, Nick kicks off the day with a high-energy talk on how to navigate new technology and set your business apart in the future.
“Our most scarce resource isn’t our time. It’s our attention,” says Bontis.
The digital onslaught and bombardment is only beginning, he says. “How many IP-enabled devices do you have? What happens when inanimate objects want your attention?” That’s starting to happen with more connected devices in our homes and business.
Ultimately, Bontis says businesses must understand their competitive advantage.
Really enjoying my first time @ #techtourlive! Great opening speaker w/ @NickBontis Fast paced, entertaining & informative #nimble #thinkoutsidethebox #socializationiskey #learnandunlearn #talktostrangers#learnanewlanguage #java pic.twitter.com/rbK1auDZO7
— Tennille Wakefield (@WakefieldAgro) March 14, 2018
Next up…
Bryce Eger
Bryce leads the Canadian division of Corteva Agriscience, the newly-named agriculture division of DowDupont, and joins Shaun on stage for a wide-ranging fireside/live interview chat about mergers, agribusiness trends, and what they could mean for farmers.
“Efficiency and innovation are driving marriages in crop inputs,” says Eger.
“We have to look outside our agriculture box to find solutions.”
Tom Wolf and Jason Deveau
We’re used to seeing the Spray Guys bust myths here on RealAgriculture, but Tom Wolf of Agrimetrix and OMAFRA’s Jason Deveau have transformed their comedic video series shtick into a live act.
The sprayers101.com duo is launching a new (and satirical) Group 101 herbicide called “Confusicol” — a funny and satirical take on how complicated labels are, and the need for clear, concise directions for spraying. Somehow Tom and Jason have turned this into a large focus group on what pesticide labels and manuals should look like.
From there, Jason and Tom launch into a chat about their pop culture preferences, their ideal sprayer design, and the most common mistakes or improvements that can be made when it comes to spraying.
Great new ideas coming from @Spray_Guy and @nozzle_guy , as always, delivered in an exciting way. A “quick start guide” for pesticide application. Our metrish system poses challenges. #techtourLIVE pic.twitter.com/wOekLHnaUu
— Trent (@thilderman8) March 14, 2018
Carl Gould
Wrapping up the day, New Jersey-based business coach Carl Gould explains and leads us through the seven stages of building a business with a legacy — strategic planning, specialty (mastering your craft), synergy, systems sustainability, salability, succession.
“The personality of a business will mirror the personality of its owner,” notes Gould.
“The way we’ve always done it isn’t necessarily the best way to do it.”
Fascinating question at #TechTourLive pic.twitter.com/Ka2fUyLUR2
— Ron Krahn (@RonKrahn) March 13, 2018
#TechTourLive has had a great day in Brandon. The audience is hearing about the 7 stages of a legacy business with @carlgould pic.twitter.com/0JG8qUxBt1
— RealAgriculture (@realagriculture) March 13, 2018
Thanks to all the farmers, agronomists and RealAg friends who are joining us this week! Stay tuned for interviews and more from TechTour LIVE.
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