Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Opening Ceremony
5:30 – 5:45 pm
Rachèle Prud’homme, Algonquin Elder
A traditional prayer ceremony will be performed ahead of the Presidential Address.
Rachèle Prud’homme
has dedicated her life to working towards bringing awareness to Aboriginal history and culture. She takes part in Traditional Pow Wows every year as Woman Traditional Dancer. She strongly believes that: ‘To dance is to pray, to pray is to heal, to heal is to give, to give is to live, to live is to dance.’
Presidential Address
5:45 – 6:30 pm
Kara Beckles, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Rise of AI: Death of the Economist?
Kara Beckles discusses her role as Chief Data Officer at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, and contemplates the rising role of data analytics and its potential usurping of the agricultural economist profession. She examines the evolution of data availability, collection and uses, such as advanced data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, specifically within the agriculture and agri-food sector. She also shares examples of how private companies and public institutions, including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, have tapped into a variety of new data sources to improve social, economic and environmental elements of farming in the sector. Specific implications for agricultural economic research are discussed, as are challenges that impede the development and use of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analytics in general. A data vision is shared, and the future relationship between data and the agricultural economist is imagined.
Kara Beckles is the Director General of Research and Analysis and Chief Data Officer at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Kara has held a wide range of policy roles across many Government of Canada organizations including: Finance Canada; the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; the Treasury Board Secretariat; the Privy Council Office; and Statistics Canada. Kara joined AAFC in 2007, first as a Regulatory Policy Analyst, then as Chief of Bioeconomy Policy, where she developed broad, collaborative departmental strategies. She took on more data-driven roles starting in 2014 as Director of Economic and Industry Analysis where she re-discovered her academic roots in economics before becoming Director General in 2017. Her journey as the data lead for the Department began in 2016, and she has enjoyed experimenting with new ways of using data to solve problems, answer questions and make better decisions ever since. Kara holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in economics and business from the University of Winnipeg and a Master of Arts from Dalhousie University.
Welcome Reception
6:30 – 8:30 pm
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Fellows Address
8:00 – 9:00 am
Jill Hobbs, University of Saskatchewan
Heterogeneous Consumers and Differentiated Food Markets: Implications for Quality Signalling in Food Supply Chains
The address begins by noting some recent consumer food trends and the changing way in which we perceive value-added. The address then focuses on the topic of heterogeneity in consumer behaviour, reviewing contributions from the literature that enhance our ability as economists to model and measure heterogeneity. Supply chain responses to consumer heterogeneity are examined, including a discussion of information flows within supply chains and the role of certification and verification. The address closes with a consideration of policy implications flowing from consumer heterogeneity.
Supported by the Canadian Agricultural Economics and Farm Management Foundation
Dr. Jill E. Hobbs is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan, and became a Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society in 2017. Her research focuses on consumer behaviour, supply chain economics, and food policy. Her work has examined consumer trust and attitudes towards novel food technologies, public and private standards for food safety and food quality, the regulation of health foods in Canada and internationally, and the changing nature of agri-food supply chains. Jill previously served as a co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics (2013-16) and President of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society (2003-4).
Annual Business Meeting
9:00 – 10:00 am
Annual Awards Banquet
7:00 – 9:00 pm
CELEBRATE WITH US!
Recognize the 2019 award winners and new CAES Fellows and take in funny songs about economics sung by economist David Pannell from the University of Western Australia. Purchase tickets HERE >
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Keynote Address
9:00 – 10:00 am
David Pannell, University of Western Australia
Understanding, Predicting and Influencing Farmer Behaviour
Behaviour is all the rage in economics, with thriving research, a recent Nobel Prize, best-selling books, and behavioural units in many governments. But behaviour has always been a focus of agricultural economics. Through modelling, surveys, statistics and natural experiments we have sought to predict farmer behaviour in response to markets, policy, land degradation, agricultural research, and innovation. This address is a rationalization of old and new thinking about behaviour in agriculture, aiming for cross-fertilization of ideas and methods.
Supported by the Canadian Agricultural Economics and Farm Management Foundation
David Pannell is Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia; Director, Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy; Distinguished Fellow and past president of the Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society; Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia; and a Director of consulting firm Natural Decisions Pty Ltd. His research interests include: farmer adoption of new practices; the economics of land and water conservation; environmental policy; risk; and economics of farming systems. He is author of 200 journal articles and book chapters, with awards for research in Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia.
Student Job Fair
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Morning Meet & Greet and Afternoon Interviews
Friday, July 12, 2019
Post-Conference Workshop
8:30 am – 4:00 pm