Southwest Ag Conference

January 6th & 7th, 2026

southwestagconference.ca ◥
Register Here ◥

Main Sponsors

Ridgetown, ON

Conference Information

Date: 
January 6th & 7th, 2026

Location: 

University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus
120 Main Street East, Ridgetown, ON N0P 2C0

Join the Southwest Agricultural Conference in Ridgetown, In-Person on January 7th & 8th, 2025. There will be four concurrent sessions every hour offering attendees over 25 sessions to choose from. This year's conference will offer a 2-hour planter clinic offered twice each day. Pre-registration will be required.

Returning, is the ever popular “Taste Ontario” Social, our traditional trade show and 2 Feature Speakers.

Sessions from SWAC will be recorded and included as ON DEMAND sessions on the OAgC Web Platform as they become available until March 31st, 2026.

 

Ridgetown Accommodations

Retro Suites Hotel
2 King Street West
Chatham, ON N7M 1C6
519-351-5885
 
Holiday Inn Express Chatham
575 Richmond Street
Chatham, ON N7M 1R2
519-351-1100
 
Comfort Inn Chatham
1100 Richmond Street
Chatham, ON N7M 5J5
519-352-5500

View full agenda in the brochure!

2026 Special Events

FEATURE SPEAKER - January 6th ONLY

Stories that Grow Trust
Terry O’Reilly
Host of CBC Radio’s Under the Influence, Terry O’Reilly is one of Canada’smost dynamic advertising minds. With decades of experience helping brands craft powerful stories, Terry now turns his focus to agriculture and brings fresh insight on how farmers can tell their story, connect with the public, and grow trust in agriculture.

Taste Ontario 🍸 - January 6th ONLY

RDC Gymnasium
A cocktail social featuring amazing Ontario Foods and great conversation among peers.

FEATURE SPEAKER - January 7th ONLY

Reignite!
Dr. Jody Carrington
In today’s plugged-in world, it is easy to get down and disconnected. Jody has the spark you’ve been looking for! With energy, humor, and real-world insight, Jody will show you how to reconnect, recharge, and reignite your passion for people and purpose.

2026 Agenda at a Glance

Marketing Masters 1
Steve Kell, Kell Grain Elevators
Why didn’t we all forward contract? Steve’s excellent insights into strategies moving forward.
King Korn
Dr. Fred Below, University of Illinois
A master of high yield corn, Fred will focus on key factors driving high yield.
Presented by:
Resilient Soils
Dr. Eileen Kladivko
From tillage and earthworms to drainage and nitrogen cycling, ways to help weatherproof your soils.
Presented by:
Soybean Secrets
Dr. Adrian Correndo, UG; Horst Bohner, OMAFA
Fan favourites Horst and Adrian sift through mountains of data for the secrets to soybean success.
Staying Ahead of Diseases
Dr. Alison Robertson, Iowa State University; Albert Tenuta, OMAFA
The latest in disease forecasting and control options to manage diseases and maximize yields.
Presented by:
Production Pundits
Dale Cowan, AGRIS Cooperative; Peter Johnson, RealAgriculture; Marijke Vanderlaan, Syngenta; Colin Elgie, OMAFA [Moderator]
Get your burning questions answered by this passionate panel of agronomists.

Main Sponsors

Proud Sponsor: Pride Seeds

Pride Seeds is a key sponsor of the Southwest Agricultural Conference. We appreciate their support in advancing crop performance and education across Ontario.
Visit Pride Seeds

Proud Sponsor: Syngenta

Syngenta proudly supports the Southwest Agricultural Conference. Thank you for investing in farmer-focused research and innovation.
Visit Syngenta

2026 Tradeshow (TBA)

  • BASF Agricultural Solutions Canada 
  • Desjardins Agriculture Banking
  • Maizex Seeds Inc.
  • O'Farrell Wealth and Estate Planning
  • Agroliquid 
  • Canadian Wollastonite 
  • Ontario Soil & Crop Improv. Association
  • Ottawa Valley Seed Growers Association
  • Speare Seeds
  • Belchim Crop Protection Canada
  • OMAFRA 
  • PT Sullivan Agro 

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Thank You To Our OAgC VIRTUAL Sponsors!

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There are 2 registration options:


1. In-person Registration (Virtual Registration Included!)


To register for any of the three in-person conferences, visit the respective location’s website:



Southwest Ag Conference (SWAC)

southwestagconference.ca



Midwest Ag Conference (MWAC)

heartlandsoilcrop.org/mwac/



Eastern Ontario Crop Conference (EOCC)

eocc.eastontcropconference.ca/



 

2. OAgC VIRTUAL Only Registration



Visit southwestagconference.ca to register for OAgC Virtual.

Want to Learn More about OAgC Virtual?