Pre-Conference Intensives- Wednesday & Thursday Sessions

We invite you to a full-day session with Gary Zimmer, a leading voice in organic farming. This intensive workshop is crafted for those who are serious about optimizing soil health in organic systems.

Gary Zimmer is known as the “father of biological agriculture,” is an internationally known author, speaker, and consultant. He owns the 1000 acre Otter Creek Organic Farm near Lone Rock, WI, and is the author of three books, The Biological Farmer (Second Edition), The Biological Farmer and Advancing Biological Farming, and numerous articles on soils and livestock nutrition. He has empowered farmers from around the world to enhance crop yields and environmental sustainability through regenerative agriculture methods.

Want healthier plants, bigger yields, and fewer inputs? This practical session is all about biostimulants—natural substances that help your crops thrive by improving plant growth, stress tolerance, and quality. Whether you’re a greenhouse grower or simply passionate about organics, you’ll learn how these products can give your plants the boost they need without relying on chemicals.

Dr. Av Singh is one of Canada’s leading authorities on organic agriculture. Dr. Singh has authored over 200 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and extension articles and has been an invited speaker to over 500 workshops, conferences, and symposia as well as guest-lecturing at over 30 universities in Canada, the US, the UK, and India. Emphasizing a union of traditional knowledge with science, Av works with growers to cultivate an appreciation of plant:soil interrelationships.

M. Brochu, was born on a dairy farm in the Centre du Quebec where he got his first taste for agriculture and animal husbandry. He later studied Animal health technologies in Trois-Rivières before he joined the team at Nexia Biotechnologies who engineered the first Transgenic Goat in Canada. It is in 2011 that he shifted to organics and join Agri-Fusion as the Director of the Service Center and since 2020, assumes the role of General manager.

Since 2020, Alison has been working at Agri-Fusion. She earned her Bachelor's degree in agronomy from Université Laval in 2022 and is a member of the Ordre des Agronomes du Québec. She now holds the position of Director of Agronomy and, over the years, has had the opportunity to experiment with various approaches and techniques in organic farming, thanks to the diversity of crops, soil types, and equipment on the farm.

Olivia began working at Agri-Fusion as a summer intern and, after graduating from McGill University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, joined the team full-time alongside Alison. She contributes to large-scale cash crop production and assists with on-farm trials to improve crop rotation and specialty crop options in southern Quebec.

Join Jack Algiere, Chief Agroecologist at Stone Barns Center, for an inspiring ½-day session exploring the practices and partnerships that are reshaping regional food systems. Stone Barns Center, a leader in sustainable farming, education, and culinary innovation, has long been at the forefront of agroecology, fostering connections between land, food, and community.

Jack Algiere is the Chief Agroecologist at Stone Barns Center, a renowned farm and education center located in New York. The center serves as a hub for sustainable farming practices, agricultural education, and culinary innovation, fostering connections between land, food, and community. Jack has worked with agricultural, culinary, ecological research and food community partners in the Hudson Valley for 2 decades to study and strengthen the bioregional food shed. In this half-day session, Jack explores topics ranging from ecosystem monitoring and soil health analysis to the benefits of diverse agricultural systems, bioregional partnerships and incentives for habitat restoration projects.