Learning From The Field: Biological Inputs, Bioregional Supply Chains, and the Question of Where Regenerative Agriculture May Be Headed

Learning from the Field is a full day educational forum, about 6 hours, bringing farmers, researchers, and agricultural professionals together at Ivey Business School to explore a different path. The central question of the day is whether regional agri food systems can reduce or eliminate dependence on synthetic inputs while remaining ecologically and economically viable, and what a more bioregional supply chain for those inputs might look like.

The event is organized by a farmer project group within the Collective Action Program (CAP) for Regenerative Agriculture, an action research initiative hosted by the Office of the Endowed Chair for Regenerative Agriculture at Ivey Business School. Over two years of participatory inquiry, CAP cohort members identified biological and non synthetic input methods as a critical and underexplored piece of the regional food sovereignty question, and organized this event to bring that work to a wider audience. Ivey is proud to host the event at CAP’s request.

Four speakers headline the day: keynote Rick Clark, a leading North American practitioner of no till and cover crop farming; John Benitz, Founder and CEO of Libertas Land, introducing the Libertas operating model of Compounding Adaptation; Simeon Kleinsasser of Hiwassee Products, presenting on biological compost inputs; and local farmer Chuck Desmarais of Desmarais Family Farms, who composts and extracts nutrients on his own farm. The day is facilitated by Jury Gualandris, Session Chair and Ivey’s Abell Hodgson Chair in Regenerative Agriculture, who weaves in observations and anecdotes from the front lines of the Collective Action Program for Regenerative Agriculture (CAP), Ivey’s action research program with farmers across the region.

The day is education first and practitioner led. It is designed to build practical knowledge for farmers considering a transition, strengthen the regional farming community, and signal that a bioregional agri food supply chain is a present tense project already underway in Southwestern Ontario.

 This event is an OSCIA-recognized Knowledge Sharing Event (KSE) for applicants with On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) projects in the Nitrogen Management category

Quick Facts

• Event: Learning from the Field
• Organized by: Collective Action Program (CAP) for Regenerative Agriculture
• Hosted by: Ivey Business School, Western University, at CAP’s request
• Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
• Time: approximately 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, doors open at 8:30 AM for a meet and greet
• Meals: coffee service provided in the morning and throughout the day, with lunch included for all attendees
• Venue: BMO Auditorium, Ivey Business School, London, Ontario
• Audience: farmers, researchers, and agricultural professionals in Southwestern Ontario
• Tickets: $25 early bird through November 11; $50 starting November 12 (full event value approximately $75, subsidized by event sponsorship)

Registration: https://www.ivey.uwo.ca/sustainability/events/learning-from-the-field/