Ag-West Bio hosts its Annual Meeting at Innovation Place on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. The meeting will be followed by a 25th Anniversary networking reception.
The meeting features a panel discussion with Grant Devine, John Cross, Curtis Pozniak and Alanna Koch, focussing on the evolution of the ag bioscience sector, including opportunities and challenges.
Grant Devine was the Premier of Saskatchewan when Ag-West Bio was created in 1989. John Cross is a well-respected business leader, and founding partner of one of Saskatchewan's first biotech companies, Philom Bios. Curtis Pozniak is a prominent wheat researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. Alanna Koch, Saskatchewan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Saskatchewan Agriculture Hall of Fame inductee, will serve as the moderator.
Wilf Keller, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio, says he is thrilled to be at the helm of Saskatchewan's bioindustry association in this milestone year. “Ag-West Bio has helped numerous companies along the way, and the industry continues to grow and evolve.”
Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart will be in attendance at the reception and will bring greetings. Stewart says innovation is a priority for the Province. By investing in biosciences, Saskatchewan’s agriculture industry will continue to be profitable and competitive.
“Our Government is committed to advancing the knowledge and technology that we have available to our industry,” Stewart says. “The work that Ag-West Bio has done in the last 25 years has had a real impact on the productivity and profitability of our producers.”
Keller notes that there have been important technology developments over these 25 years: “When Ag-West Bio was founded, not a single genome had been sequenced. Today genomics is an important tool in all areas of biotech research. With world-class infrastructure, talent and a positive business climate, Saskatchewan is an exciting place to be involved in biotechnology.”
Download a PDF of this article here.