YOUTUBE LIVE: MOOSE JAW CONFERENCE RECAP - CROP MARKETING MADE COOL

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Okay. Can you hear me, Ryan? [00:00:07] Speaker B: We are live. You bet, Foreign. Folks. Welcome to the live what the Futures podcast update. Here we're going to talk about Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, and the Crop Marketing Made Cool conference, of course. Back in the UPL studio. Off of the UPL stage now in the UPL studio. Yvonne joining me. Yvonne Kuchta joining me in this week's live episode. Yvonne, how is your Wednesday going? [00:01:14] Speaker A: It is going really good. I did everything outside and I don't plan on leaving again. It is a white out out there. And I saw the roads on Facebook in Saskatchewan and I'm glad we're not in Moose Jaw this week. [00:01:26] Speaker B: I, I just saw grain elevators saying they were shutting down early. I saw the food bank in Moose. I was sending folks home early as well, so I, I didn't see the actual pictures, but, but yeah, snowing here as well. And happy that I just had to commute from garage one to garage two for today's recording. So. So we haven't chatted since the conference. We, we've been talking about Moose Jaw for a year and I thought it would be fun to, to just do a recap live, live on YouTube, live on X. If you were at, at the event, please put your comments in the chat here. I will attempt to look for them later. But I thought it'd be fun just to go over the raw review of Moose Jaw. So you've had a few days to recover, to recoup. What comes to mind when you think about last week? [00:02:32] Speaker A: Well, you're right, this is pretty raw because we have not talked since Moose Jaw, which is probably a good mental break for both of us. But on the way home, on the long drive home, Rob, my husband, came, which was so nice, basically to be my chauffeur, which I appreciated. And I said, oh, Ryan's gonna want to debrief this after. And so I made some notes of some really funny stories, but one that I thought that, you know, the farm community, which I think sometimes we can be scroungers, everybody would appreciate is we stopped and it was like minus 30 for a bathroom break on the side of the road. Of course, our son was with us and we found a brand new, a brand new shock in the box. Like a big, like a big shock that, like, certainly you could get used somewhere. Used somewhere on the farm. And yeah. And so we were like, man, the, the, the perks of driving to and from Saskatchewan, you know, it kind of like eased the long journey. So that was a fun, a fun moment just Like. [00:03:33] Speaker B: Like a shock for, like, a vehicle or something. Like. [00:03:35] Speaker A: Yeah, like, even bigger. Like that. You might, like, off of a tractor door or something. Like, shock. [00:03:41] Speaker B: All right, okay. If someone's missing a shock, reach out to Vaughn. [00:03:47] Speaker A: Yeah. Hit us up. [00:03:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:03:48] Speaker A: But no, the conference, you know, it was different than in Drumheller, and I felt it. And it was interesting talking to some of the guests who came up and shared who'd been there, you know, last year and this year. And it was Rachel who said to me, like, there was such an urgency, you know, for them as they drove home to, like, get their crop marketing sorted out. And we got it. We gotta dial this in. And. And part of that was maybe, you know, part of that was them, and probably part of it was us. This year was different. Something felt different. The information shared was, like, so tangible and important. But also the energy of the whole conference had this strong community vibe to it. And for me, that was undeniable. Like, I. I don't come from the grain farming community. I come from the feedlot community. So, like, I don't have history with these people, but after these few events that we've done, there was. There just seemed to be so much more. Yeah. Like, emotional community and support at this year's conference. And that really stood out to me. [00:04:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I think. I think community is. It's just a good way to summarize it as well. Like, the people in the room, the conversations, the learnings from each other. Like, two thirds of that room, pardon me, did not attend Drumheller, and you couldn't have even really known that. It just seemed like everyone had known each other for. For such a long time. So I think you're referencing Dwayne and Michelle as well. And I know last year not to speak for them, but they kind of left. The comment I got was that a lot of this was on. Was on Dwayne leading into drum mailer, but leaving. They were unified and together working on their farms plan and their crop marketing plan. And then to see them have that full year, another conference, and then to walk in with the confidence and then continue to leave and learn. Right? So, yeah, and she said they just. [00:05:56] Speaker A: Left feeling so much more refreshed. Like, not like, oh, my gosh, we're behind the eight ball. Like, okay, we're on. We're doing this. [00:06:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:06:06] Speaker A: So that was. [00:06:08] Speaker B: So there's like, two community moments for me, like, right off the start. So before we. We start the event, the Lunchbox Crew guys, I did a little market update for Them. And we had a couple of beverages and just were, you know, hanging out for a little bit. And within that hour, Pete. Pete is there and Ron is there. Ron accidentally booked his room at a different hotel, or I should say his wife booked at a different hotel. There's a little bit of. Little bit of tension there. But anyways, delete. Yeah, Pete has a. Has a newborn baby and lives in Regina. So Pete's like, I really just want to get home after the conference to. To go and help my wife with the new baby. And so by the time that hour was done, Ron was staying at the hotel. Pete using Pete's room. Pete was happy to be going to. Home to the baby every night. Ron was happy to be in the action. So there was that. Then the second thing Tuesday night, some folks went to karaoke. Allegedly. Um, and so video footage of that. [00:07:13] Speaker A: I. I never saw anything. [00:07:14] Speaker B: I have a. There's a picture, too, but I don't think any video. Everyone is very respectful. And so these guys are all sitting together, and it's like the guys from, like, I would call them, like, Rose Town area. I think Will and Ryan are sitting in there. And then you've got the Smoky Lake guys. You know, there's others, too, but they're all chatting. I'm like, how do you guys all know each other again? They're, like, from Drum Heller. I'm like, oh, right, right. But just, you know, seeing each other after a year, getting into it a little bit on Tuesday night, and. And it was funny. I think there was one other connection there, too, but it was just funny because that's, you know, that again, that goes back to the community. So. Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:54] Speaker A: And Rosie's. We went to Rosie's on Thursday night after the conference. Like, came down in, like, 10 minutes. It was incredible. Like, the family. [00:08:02] Speaker B: Yeah, the family. The roadie crew teared it down in a hurry. [00:08:07] Speaker A: And then we go to Rosie's. I'd heard about Rosie's in Moose Jaw, like, as being this great restaurant. And I'm like, hey, we gotta go. And my family was like, are you crazy? It's so cold out. I'm like, I haven't been outside, really, in three days. Like, we're walking. I need some fresh air. I need some sunshine. There was no sun. [00:08:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:22] Speaker A: But anyway, we made it to Rosie's, and I was like, that was a dumb idea. We should have drove. But. But we go into Rosie's, and it's all people from the conference eating and, you know, catching up. And. And also, yeah, Carrying on the conversations. And then we go back and the spring, like, the pool is awesome. Like, if you've never been to Moose Jaw, like, you gotta go. I mean, I love Hot Springs, but it was great. So we go back to the pool and everybody's in the pool, right? And so, yeah, I got to catch up with Suzanne and Sarah and your mom and dad. And so, yeah, it was. Yep, it's. That is something really special. And on that note, my husband, who doesn't farm at all, he caught a couple of the sessions. And you know, that was interesting that there were so many takeaways, general business decision making, succession planning, mental health, that it wouldn't even matter if you weren't a serious grain farmer if you went to this. There was so much value. And he said that, he said, like, I. He didn't think that he would find anything interesting or whatever. And he, like, took. There were so many things we, we. Great discussions we had on the way home because the speakers were just. What they brought was a high level of expertise and you could apply that to other businesses. [00:09:40] Speaker B: You know, I would say, like, coming across in the, in the commentary as, as well, like from the surveys, like, there was a lot of. Everyone had like a different favorite. And so to me, that also, like, resonates is like, you know, we had the right people, the right speakers in the room, but it's like, it's a challenge when you're thinking about who to invite to a crop marketing conference. And then the moment you step away from crop marketing and you're like, oh, no, like, if I throw this, you know, Ryan Copperthorne in the mix to talk about hedging cattle because is that going to be a big miss on. On my end? And of course not. You know, Ryan's sessions were well attended. And in fact, the gentleman I spoke to today said that was one of his biggest takeaways was. Was about hedging his cattle and on his cattle operation. So I'm like, all right, so we got that. And then you throw in something around succession or. Or, you know, the guys over at 337 or. Or even Derek's farmer experience. Like, it's not crop marketing. Like, here' you need to execute this. But yet there's so much to learn from these great people that it's going to help or influence your farm business. So, yes, it's about crop marketing, but yet you try to mix in a few other ones and try to round it out to just a nice event. And I feel like that was a Good accomplishment on our end. [00:11:10] Speaker A: I agree. And in fact, I wore my Hockey hall of Fame shirt kind of in your honor, Ryan, because I know you're a hockey guy, but I was like, I was like, well, what am I gonna wear on Ryan's podcast? And I know you're always a fan of like wearing what you're comfortable in and I think that I got that comment from people. I love that this wasn't like, you know, we had to look a certain way. People would just come and be relaxed. But I wore my hockey hall of Fame shirt because I was thinking it really felt like, you know, an agriculture like hall of Fame lineup of speakers this year and maybe, maybe it will always feel like that, but it was just like really high level. And I was like, man, if there was a crop marketing hall of Fame, maybe we have to do that, set that up because that's kind of what it felt like. [00:11:55] Speaker B: Well, I tried to throw Castle into the, into the hall of Fame early on Tuesday night, but we got some good cheers. But I got a lot of respect for some of the folks that if there was a Hall of Fame, they'd be in there. And Costell is definitely one of them. So you know, I, I, if he's retired or not. I don't know officially, but, but the way it sounds, I'm getting a lot of people asking and you know, he, he did a great job for a couple decades. So anyways, yeah, I thought the Hockey hall of Fame would be a nod to Brandon's hockey theme as well. I guess it works for both, eh? [00:12:29] Speaker A: There you go. There you go. [00:12:32] Speaker B: I, I'm still wearing my Saskatchewan gear that I picked up. This was from Prairie Print House in Saskatoon. I got some stuff from them. And then this hat I bought at Clothes Encounter because I think I said this before traveling. I'm not gonna really pack much for clothing because this one great store was supposed to be open when I got there and they weren't open every day nine to five. Except for that day that I needed to buy a couple T shirts but closing counter got me. They're right across the street from Temple Garden Spa and they got me hooked up so I'm still that I'm still rocking this. And it's Wednesday. I've been home since midnight last Thursday and the truck is still completely packed of from everything from Moose Jaw and hasn't moved. It's just sitting in the garage. So I, I think I need to do it tonight cuz car seats, car seats have to go in for tomorrow Morning. So I definitely got to do it. [00:13:26] Speaker A: Tonight, but, yeah, but also way to go. Because you know that. That those events, they take a lot out of you. And if you don't sort of take a break, what do they say? Like, lack of sleep and stress is cumulative. Like, you have to rest from it. So, you know, that was like, pushing through harvest and taking a few days rest. So that's important, too. [00:13:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, like, so we're wrap up Thursday. The crew, everyone, it's. I went upstairs to pack my bags because I'm like, you know what? I really. I really want to get home. And so I'm like, I'll go pack my bags. I'll come downstairs and I'll just see what's going on. I come downstairs, my truck is started, warmed up, loaded up. My brother is putting the last strap of, like, in the truck, securing everything, and I'm like, you know what? I'm going for it. Like, I'm. I'm going home. And everyone, My parents are like, don't do this. You're nuts. Everyone's like, this is crazy. And I'm like, okay, guys, we'll just take a step back here. Like, the worst highways are in the first two hours of the drive in daylight. And then after that, my scouts were ahead of me, traveling back to Alberta. Everything was really good on the highways, and the temperatures were just going to get colder. You know, by the time I hit Lloyd Minster, it was only minus 24 in Lloyd Minster. By the time I got home, I think it was minus 30, but, you know, it's minus 30 when you guys left the next morning, so true. [00:14:50] Speaker A: I can't believe you said only minus 24. Well, I did unpack some stuff Ryan and I flagged. So we did these cool postcards. And I want to share some of these because some of them are pretty funny and they're just so awesome. Like, this is, like, my favorite part. This is the after perk. Like, you feel like. Anyways, so we did these postcards, and we have people fill out something on the postcard, and then we mail it to somebody else. So that's the context. Reading them, it feels like an inside look into people's minds at the conference because they're sharing something totally anonymously. We have no idea who's written what, and we're going to send it to somebody else sometime in the summer. And so I flagged a couple comments, so I'm going to read some of those. Okay, sure. So here's one that I loved because I think this was a common theme. There are more people than you think facing the same challenges. So this idea that this group of producers comes together and realizes, like, they're not the only ones struggling with whatever it is, whether that's. [00:15:54] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:15:55] Speaker A: Crops or grain or selling or whatever it is. And I think that's, that's a real benefit of the conferences, is that awareness. [00:16:02] Speaker B: Yeah. A room of people going through the same, the same markets, the same weather, the same economics. Yeah. Yeah, that's a big one. You're not alone. [00:16:13] Speaker A: And then this other one says, don't market your grain based on how your local area looks. Keep in mind world markets. And you brought in two speakers from the States. And I think that was really a profound message this year. [00:16:30] Speaker B: Yeah, I, you know, when Stephen Nicholson from Morobank gets on stage and starts highlighting the production that the globe, you know, what we produced in 2025, like, there were no misses out there from a production standpoint. So to have him come on stage and, and, you know, highlight that and, and some of the, some of the things to look for around that, that was big. And then, and then, you know, Susan Stroud from Noble Ag, like, again, I'm sitting in the lobby in Drumheller booking speakers for Moose Jaw, and she responded right away. And we had everything tidied up before I left Drum Heller. And she was going to talk about biofuel. Biofuel policy. Didn't think in a year, like, would that even matter. And it mattered today, like it's mattered this week in how it's impacting our market. So, yeah, the challenge for next year is figure out who to bring in from a global perspective in Brandon. So, yeah. [00:17:32] Speaker A: And Susan almost didn't get home. That's kind of a fun story. So we book her a cab to go from Moose Jaw back to Regina. And then the cab company is like, to catch your flight, like, very. At two in the morning. [00:17:44] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [00:17:45] Speaker A: And the cab company's like, well, there's a blizzard coming. And so if the driver deems it's not safe, like, we won't go. And I'm like, okay, then what do we do? Right. [00:17:54] Speaker B: Like, yep. Yeah. Who's plan B and plan C? And is it you or I that's going to be driving to Regina at two in the morning? Yeah. [00:18:04] Speaker A: Fun stuff. I like this one too. Remember, during challenging times, you were born for such a time as this. You are capable of the solution. And I think there was a number of speakers who really brought sort of that inspiration of resiliency you know, Derek and Darren and Deb, all the Ds. That was a really strong feeling through the conference. [00:18:29] Speaker B: I think I said on stage on day two at some point about, like, we're all. We're all sitting here, we're all. We're all talking about a tough environment, a tough economic environment for Western Canadian farms, a tough pricing environment, but yet nobody presenting here is rooting for that. Everyone wants higher prices and wants this to get better. But in the meantime, you know, let's. Let's do the best we can in this current environment. You still need to do that. And yeah, I think that was a theme that definitely kind of shone through for me, is this might be bad, but we're nobody up here out of the 15 speakers. We all want better. You know, we want it to get better and we want it to improve as fast as possible. But in the meantime, this is what we can work on. [00:19:22] Speaker A: So, yeah, don't let your wife go shopping in Moose Jaw. [00:19:27] Speaker B: You know, the shopping. Hey, like, I. I hit up Clothes Encounter. I did grab some maple syrup as well from the. The Capone hangout there, the Hideout. But the shopping is legit. Like, you don't go to Musha just for the spa. Like, if you want some nice clothes and stuff, like, I bought some. How about some jeans? This hat. I got some nice pieces. So. [00:19:53] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I agree. And then this one is an inside joke. If you're at the conference, you'll get this. If you weren't there, you have to come. Yeah, ask us, but don't get a honey badger as a pet. [00:20:07] Speaker B: Nice. [00:20:10] Speaker A: Yeah. And what else we got here? Yeah. And then here's a really practical one. We'll end on that one. Understand your green contracts and double check within seven days of delivery. Delivery. I mean, solid advice, right? [00:20:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think both Suzanne and Sarah's presentations there, that came up a lot in the survey results. Like just some of those. Those tangibles, things you have to look for, things you have to watch for and just some real takeaways. Just focus on this and do this. Like. Yeah, those are very practical, like, important sessions. And farms got a lot out of that. So that was cool. [00:20:52] Speaker A: Yeah, they did. Yeah. Yeah. And then the tunnel tours. We haven't talked about the tunnel tours, but that was fun. I had never been underground in Moose Jaw, and my family actually went on all three tours. Of course, the group went on the Al Capone one. And yeah. Rave, rave reviews about that whole experience. Like, Moose Jaw has done well for themselves to create Such a tourist attraction. [00:21:19] Speaker B: Yeah, really well done. And like, I don't know when you'd go back in your emails to see when you had first contact with Bobby, but like, Bobby just with that organization, just a true leader in the downtown community there and put a lot of wheels in motion for us with certain organizations and businesses and like, it's shone through in that experience. But having that local person that, that true promoter of the downtown core was special as well. [00:21:56] Speaker A: Yeah, you bet. [00:21:59] Speaker B: So in one of the survey results, so we had, of course, we're chatting before the event and we're like, okay, well, we're doing tunnel tours. Do people know what that really is? And so the idea popped up of having some of the actors from the tunnel tour, like, come in to the conference and do a quick spiel. So we're trying to figure out how to pull that off and what that would look like. And, you know, the standard conference would say, well, let's just 9:05 agenda. Have them up there and talk for five minutes about the conference. We decided to do things a little differently. We decided. We. We had a. A poker game set up and apparently we didn't pay the right people in town. The police chief, we thought was the guy. So we're have this great game organized and then these two wise guys burst into the scene here. And Yvonne, I'm on stage, you know, panicking a little bit. But from your vantage point, what did you see going on? [00:23:03] Speaker A: Oh, it was awesome. That was, that was a highlight moment for sure. So the conference. So everybody's pretty, like, focused on you on the stage with their poker hands, trying to figure out, like, you know, are they winning or not? [00:23:14] Speaker B: What do I got? [00:23:16] Speaker A: And. And then these guys come in and they are, like, not impressed with the poker game. And I think it kind of caught. I think it caught everybody, like, by a surprise because they were pretty intense and they were going around like, are you guys doing this Isn't, you know, this isn't your town. [00:23:32] Speaker B: This isn't a sanctioned game. Yeah, not a sanctioned game. Yep. [00:23:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And it was awesome and kind of shaking people up. And I think it, I think it set. Yeah, it's. It set the vibe for the evening. And when you do the tunnel tours, everyone's in character and they're like, they're in character. You don't mess around in, you know, in Moose Jaw. And so, yeah, I mean, it was just so nice to have the, have the conference and have the fun piece. And I think you work really hard at. And I think You. I think that's part of, like, your core is that you value fun and find the joy in life, and you brought that to the conference, and I think that's why people enjoy the experience. [00:24:18] Speaker B: I think you're. You said experience, right? Like, you again, the people I've been chatting with the last couple days, and, you know, we had similar vibes coming out of Drumheller too. But, like, I chatted with the one gentleman this morning, and he's like, I have been to so many conferences, and he's like, without a doubt, this, miles above anything, is the best conference I've ever been to. And. And he's like, I was at a couple conferences already this winter, and I got more that on the agenda. And like, he's like, I just so far above and beyond, which, like, you know, as much as I know. We. Like, I joked about on the podcast a few weeks ago, but, like, I think I joked about waking up in the middle of the night, like, did we order the thong underwear along with the briefs? But. But we. That's what stresses me out at the end is like, the. The little things of, did we get all this right? Did we get everything we wanted as a goal, as a vision? Did we have. We put ourselves in a position to execute? And then as it happens and you see it unfold, it's like, all right, you know, it's. It's coming, it's happening, and. And it feels good, but that's the stressful part. [00:25:35] Speaker A: And not everything lands right. Like, not. [00:25:37] Speaker B: Oh, no, no. [00:25:38] Speaker A: I was laughing. Do I have it here? Oh, yeah. I was laughing because one of. I. I think this was my big idea that didn't land was to have huge decks of cards. And I was like, ryan, we' have huge decks of cards. And I was thinking they would be like 3ft tall. I'm like, I found them on Teemu. And we'll have this, you know, stack them up and anyways, I get my deck of cards from teemu. It's that big, right? Like, they were not as. [00:26:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:26:04] Speaker A: So, yeah, sometimes we have lots of ideas and they don't all work out. And, you know, I think it's the law of averages, right? Like, hey, as long as there was more good happening than not, then we're on our way. [00:26:17] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And yeah, that was funny when those showed up, because I was convinced those are going to be like 3, 4, 5ft tall as well. So that was good. Yeah, you always get those little hiccups. I know. Weather was a challenge. Everyone sharpened up their driving skills and stuff like that heading into Mosha, but. But it's winter across the prairies. It kind of is what it is. [00:26:41] Speaker A: I'm flying to Brandon, though. [00:26:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I had a few people ask, are you chartering a plane to Brandon? And I said, we are looking into it. So, yes, we are looking into it. [00:26:53] Speaker A: Who's we? Are you we or am I we? [00:26:57] Speaker B: It just, so far, it's just me until the budget gets sorted out. And then it'll be Involve you, and then it'll involve Mark when we want to wrap it with the crop marketing me. Cool plane. Then you'll have to get involved as well. So. [00:27:09] Speaker A: Yeah, I like that. Crop marketing. Really cool playing, but unhinged, Ryan. Like, everybody's like, unhinged. I think some people thought you were unhinged already. And so I. [00:27:21] Speaker B: So I. I view like two things with unhinged. Like, I think it gets more intense from a farm business perspective. So I. I do think it gets more intense over the next 12 months. So unhinged to me is. Is just more about passion and, like, and resilience and how deep we're gonna have to dig here in the next year or two. Like, I think it gets harder. And so every decision I make from a consulting or farm business standpoint is it's just based around, at least for the next while, that in three months it's gonna be a little bit harder. In six months, it's gonna be even harder than that. It's just the trend that we're in. And. Yeah, so I think unhinged for me is. Is. Is kind of the intensity. But also, did you ever go into, like. Did you ever get to go into, like, your school, like, on a weekend or after hours when, like, all the lights were turned off and you just got to goof around? [00:28:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Like, the Keystone center, if I'm saying it correctly, in Brandon is like a giant indoor playground. Like, there is a hockey rink, the Brandon Wheat Kings hockey rink. There is the curling rink. There is. We could run a. We could run a. Like a cattle show through there while we're there. Like, there's barns, like, to, like the. For an indoor activity. The sky's the limit. So I'm really. I think a few of those things are going to be a bit unhinged when they come together. So. Yeah. [00:29:06] Speaker A: Yeah, I. I think so. I think so. [00:29:10] Speaker B: I know for myself, you know, the agenda. I told somebody today, the agenda for next year is like, 75 baked already. Like, it's coming together. Quick for next year. But it is going to be just a little bit more, a little bit more intense as well. We are going to try to fit in an extra session on the first day so there's, there'll be that and then the second day undecided on how we can. How we complete so complete the event yet. So I just noticed and it doesn't matter where you go to but the, you get to the second. Well you got the first night event, then the second or the big full day and that second day after lunch it's really hard to keep that energy level as high. And so I'm just tinkering with how do we, what time do we end this thing and in what way. So. So stay tuned for that. But yeah, I think that's unhinged. [00:30:07] Speaker A: The other fun thing going into year three is I mean we've got some more experience but also we have some great like great partners who have creative ideas. You know the upl, Brett Young, John Deere. These, these partners are like open to doing really unique things and kudos to them because not every, you know, I've been in EGG sort of marketing sponsorship for a long time and that's not always the case. And so when you go to these events and you have these great partners who are willing to get creative and do fun things like that means a lot. So I'm excited for that too. [00:30:44] Speaker B: Yeah it. When they say a lot of yes and not very many nos, you know you're, you're on the right path and having fun and yeah, so that, that's been great just to go back to to Moose Jaw. So I like personally myself like going into town changed it up from drum Heller went in the day before for setup. I felt really good. Like Monday night by 10pm I was feeling really good. The next morning it came together quick. I felt pretty calm and cool and not as stressed or as much anxiety as in Drumheller. So leading into the event felt a lot better but also like coming down is coming down. Like it, it. It is a bit of a thing. Like that Friday I was a zombie but at home. But also the recovery was a lot faster this year. Like did you notice a difference for yourself personally like heading into it and then also leaving how you felt? [00:31:53] Speaker A: Yeah, like I, I really well I tell you when we would at AIM this summer and and drove home like I could hardly do the drive myself like I did I was by myself. But that was really hard. But for me it was so nice to you know and I and I get why you want to drive home because you have these hours in your brain to, like, process things. And for me to drive home, you know, with Rob and Debrief, that was helpful, but the brain fog is so real. Like, I was decision fatigued out. Like I couldn't make a decision. Like, I, I just. You couldn't. Can't sort of handle stimulation for a few days. And then I just came home and I. I had two massages booked in three days. Went to a yoga class every day. You know, feed yourself well. And yeah, I'm feeling like capital. Like, I'm doing. I've been working like crazy today and yesterday, and so I'm glad I'm not sick. Like, I'm really grateful for that. You're not sick. That's awesome. I think we're learning how to take care of ourselves better. [00:32:59] Speaker B: That could be it. And I had some late nights. I had some late night later nights in Moosha than I did in Drumhaler. I don't think people expect like, the host or the guy who's gotta be on stage at 8am the next morning to also be beside them at 1am yeah, they don't, but they, you know, like, I don't get a chance to do this very often. And I, and still, like one of my consulting clients, a guy that I work with every week, I didn't actually lock eyes with him until supper the second the Wednesday night. And I was like, when did you get here? He's like, I got here yesterday afternoon along with everybody else. I'm like, I. This is the first time I've seen you. And he's like, that's crazy. And we're joking today. He's like, I get to talk to you every day or week if I want. I'm not the one who's going to be bugging you there. You got lots to do and lots of people to talk to. But I thought that was. That was pretty wild anyway. I thought it was pretty funny. [00:33:56] Speaker A: So I, I feel so welcomed by your community, Ryan, because, you know, they're so. They're so kind. Not just to me to like, they're so kind to the whole team. And yeah, you work with some pretty special people, so it feels good to be among that group. [00:34:11] Speaker B: I think, I think to summarize it for, for me and, you know, you look at the surveys and you're. You're trying to figure out what, you know, what were our weak points that we can fix and work on and what were our strengths. But you Know, at the end of the day, what comes through time and time again is just community and being able to sit at a table with other farmers. And even one guy said, or a couple people said in their surveys, like just the conversations in the breaks, the conversations in the breakout rooms, the openness of the group, like, and you got to remember like two thirds of the people were not with us in Drumheller. It's not like this is a reunion of everybody. This is a third, you know, past attendees and two thirds new. But you could feel it in, in that room and, and I, I had a few people tell me the, the room got a little bit younger as well. From Drumheller to Mushon. That's not a slight against anybody that's older than me or older than 40. But I also, because I'm only 40. [00:35:17] Speaker A: Ryan, so watch it. [00:35:18] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly. So I was going to say there's, there's not much hair left up here. So like I get it. But, but also the youth in the room, like it didn't matter if it was, you know, this great young farm from Elbow, Saskatchewan with the daughter and the two brothers and the sister in law, you know, there and professionals and like have done all this stuff, but crop marketing, being new to them, you know, and even the young guys from my hometown, you know, telling me what they like what their favorite parts on the podcast are or you know, what for things for me to work on, like things for me to focus on from a knowledge perspective and just giving me that insight that hey, dad throws me in the tractor for six hours, I'm looking for something and you know, I'm what the futures is on the list. But you know, you could, if you could do a bit more on the education side for us young guys, like that's, that's the powerful stuff that comes through the week for me. And so the room got a little bit younger, but I think that is also great and for farms to invest in the youth on the farm to come and learn from these events and, and challenge themselves, educate themselves and take away some meaningful steps to, to help the farm the next day. Right the next week. So. [00:36:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up because my son was there, you know, kind of to help us and hang out, but he's 12 and he didn't. [00:36:47] Speaker B: He's the man. He's the man. He, he's, he's our best, our best setup and tear down guy. So. Yeah. [00:36:53] Speaker A: Yeah. Is he the youngest guy in the room? He's 12. [00:36:55] Speaker B: Right. [00:36:56] Speaker A: And we don't grain farm. But he's sitting there taking notes. And I did make me go, man, if you have a kid on a farm, on the farm, don't be afraid to bring them. Don't be like, oh, you know, this is so over their head because you never know what they're picking up. And there was a book recommendation, I think that came out at the conference and like, Keshe can hardly read, but he came home and he was like, mom, we have to get this book. And I was. It was like, about visioning and stuff. And I was like, okay, yeah, we'll get it for sure. So, yeah, don't be afraid to bring younger people to the conference because that's, that's where it starts. [00:37:31] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I saw a few, a few university kids there. I know the Froats. Their daughter was there in between exams. Tough time of year, writing exams. But. But yeah, you know, that. That's really, really cool to see and, and to hear. So, you know, if you are from the Moosha area, I just want to say thank you. If it's the folks at, at the Temple Garden Spa, you know, Dusty and her team, Justin. If it's Alex from the Crush, can. Bobby from the Tunnel tours Montana with photography. Yvonne. I can't remember the bus driver's name, but his willingness for Rob to be willing to be flexible on pickups later in the evening for folks Peekaboo levels. Yeah, the whole. Everybody was just fantastic. So, yeah, and one last thing. Shout out to the Moose Jaw Food Bank. I did a little interview yesterday with the Moosehaw Express, but at these events we do a silent auction. 337 upl. Brett Young, Trigger Grain. 16 grains. I'm missing some. But backsw management, everyone donated their services or gifts and all that money raised went to the food bank. And it's like a surprise. Like, you don't. You don't tell the food bank like months in advance we're coming and we're going to do this. You just kind of show up and say, oh, by the way, here you go. You know, put it to good use. And these farmers raised this money. So, you know, shout out to the food bank and shout out to the, to the companies that donated in the farmers that bid as well. So it was great. [00:39:19] Speaker A: Awesome. Yeah. [00:39:22] Speaker B: All right, Yvonne, any. Any little hints for Brandon Manitoba, December 1st and 2nd. We've got, we've got Clarenbach is confirmed. We've got Depap is confirmed. Como's confirmed. I won't say any of the Others yet. So the, the roster is building. Crop marketing Made Cool Unhinged. What stands out for you so far for, for next year in Brandon? [00:39:53] Speaker A: Yeah, it's just, it's going to be totally, it's going to be totally different because. Yeah, it's just, it's not Moose Jaw and so is gonna be totally different. And, and there's gonna be some major. We've got some major new thoughts on some swag stuff. So. Although the alpaca socks, I have to say that was a top hit and I'm enjoying them. [00:40:15] Speaker B: I don't even know what came back for swag. I know. I was trying to get rid of everything and, and then like yesterday, Chantal's giving me the gear. She's like, you didn't. You haven't started your Christmas shopping yet. And I'm like, I know, but don't worry, like, I'll, I'll pull it off. Like, I wonder if I have any of those socks in the truck because that would be one, one thing done. So fingers crossed for that. [00:40:36] Speaker A: Three decks of cards, Ryan. Mid size cards. [00:40:38] Speaker B: All right. Yep. That's, that's the cards we use with the seniors at the Christmas party. Those are the cards we use, so we shouldn't joke. That's actually what we use is giant playing cards. But yeah. [00:40:51] Speaker A: See you in Moose Jaw then, Ryan. Or we'll see you in Brandon. [00:40:54] Speaker B: I guess. Moose wants to know when we're coming back, though. The guy from the paper is like, will we see you back next year? And I'm like, no, but I could see us coming back. Like, I really could. It was that good. So thanks for this candid conversation, Yvonne. Thanks for the live debrief. I had to message you when you get on. We are live. Just so you know, Yvonne, this is a real live show, so thanks for doing that. [00:41:23] Speaker A: Good stuff. All right, see you later. [00:41:24] Speaker B: Take care. Yeah, see ya.