Reconnecting with the food on your table

Food is an expression of culture and a way to connect with family and friends. It fuels our bodies and drives our economy, but the average urbanite knows very little about their food’s journey before it reaches grocery store shelves.

By understanding where our food comes from, we are empowered to make smart, sustainable decisions about what fills our fridges. Join us to discuss how the agriculture industry is evolving to match an ever-growing population and bridging the rural-urban divide through community outreach and education.

Cherie Copithorne-Barnes

Chief Executive Officer, CL Ranches Ltd.; Director, Calgary Stampede Board of Directors

Cherie is a fourth-generation rancher with a passion for driving innovation as it pertains to how people perceive agriculture. She is a respected agricultural leader, having sat on numerous boards where principle, integrity and strong strategic management are key.

Ravinder Minhas, BSc (Eng)’05

Co-Founder, Minhas Brewery; Director, Calgary Stampede Board of Directors

A father and husband born and raised in Calgary, Ravinder chose the entrepreneurial path after completing a degree in engineering. With his sister, Manjit Minhas, a dragon on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Ravinder built distilleries and breweries in Canada and the U.S., with products selling in five provinces, 41 states and 19 countries. He has received many prestigious awards, including Graduate of the Last Decade from UCalgary, Calgary and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, JCI’s Outstanding Young Calgarian, and the FASD Service Award.

Dr. Ed Pajor, PhD

Director, W.A. Ranches at the University of Calgary; Anderson-Chisholm Chair in Animal Care and Welfare; Professor of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Department of Production Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary

Ed is an internationally recognized expert on the behaviour and welfare of a wide variety of species, as well as having expertise in animal welfare standards and legislation. He has served on the scientific animal welfare advisory committees for numerous retail and commodity organizations including the Calgary Stampede. Ed earned a PhD in biology from McGill University, specializing in animal behaviour. Prior to joining UCalgary, he worked at Purdue University.

Deborah Yedlin

Chancellor, University of Calgary

Community leader and Calgary journalist Deborah Yedlin became the 14th chancellor of the University of Calgary in 2018. She has been observing, commenting and writing about business and politics for more than two decades as a journalist for the Financial Post, Globe and Mail and Calgary Herald. In addition to her writing, she has been a regular commentator for the CBC and CTV since 1996. Follow @ddyedlin on Twitter.