This category acknowledges an innovator who has made a positive impact on their local community through agricultural initiatives, education or outreach.

The Doolie Project, led by Janel Delage of Delage Farms

Janel Delage is a Saskatchewan grain farmer, agricultural leader, and community advocate who farms near Indian Head as vice-president of Delage Farms, a 30,000-acre family operation. Raised on a grain farm herself, Janel pursued her passion for agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture, where she met her husband, Marc Delage. Together they built their life in agriculture, eventually returning to Marc’s family farm and growing the operation alongside his parents while raising their son, Leo.

Marc, affectionately known as “Doolie,” was widely recognized for his enthusiasm for agriculture and his natural ability to share the realities of modern farming with others. Long before farm storytelling became common online, he used social media to showcase life on the farm and connect people—both rural and urban—to the technology, innovation, and daily work behind food production.

Following Marc’s passing in 2019, Janel and the Delage family created The Doolie Project to honour his legacy and continue the work he cared deeply about: opening the doors of agriculture to the broader community. The initiative invites students, families, and industry professionals to experience farming firsthand through on-farm demonstrations, crop tours, and interactive learning opportunities designed to highlight the technology and sustainability behind modern agriculture.

Today, the project continues to evolve under Janel’s leadership. What began as a single on-farm open house has grown into a year-round digital learning experience featuring immersive tools such as interactive maps and 360-degree farm tours.

Through Marc’s passion for sharing the realities of modern farming and Janel’s continued leadership in expanding that vision, the Delage family has built meaningful connections between agriculture and the broader community. Together, their work through storytelling, education, and hands-on learning continues to inspire curiosity, strengthen understanding of modern agriculture, and create pathways for the next generation of agricultural innovators.

This category recognizes an up-and-coming Innovator to the agricultural sector who has made significant contributions to innovation in their field.

Darby Kreitz, founder of Red Leaf Pulp

Darby Kreitz is a professional engineer, entrepreneur, and ag-innovation leader with a proven track record of building and scaling complex organizations. He is the Founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Allnorth Consultants Ltd., a privately held Canadian engineering consultancy that he grew from a single office in Prince George, British Columbia, into a multidisciplinary firm with more than 700 employees operating across Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Over three decades, Darby has earned a reputation as a visionary leader known for strategic planning, technical excellence, and the ability to deliver results in highly regulated and capital-intensive industries. His work has been widely recognized by both business and government leaders for its impact and integrity. 

More recently, Darby has turned his focus to agricultural innovation through the founding of Red Leaf Pulp Ltd., Canada’s first large-scale agricultural fibre–based biomaterials platform. Through this venture, he applies his engineering expertise and systems-level thinking to agriculture by recognizing the untapped potential of agricultural residues such as wheat straw. By transforming this abundant by-product into a high-quality, non-wood pulp alternative for sustainable packaging, tissue, and paper products, Darby is helping create new value streams for producers while advancing circular solutions that support rural economies and environmental stewardship. 

Darby is redefining how agriculture can contribute to sustainable industrial solutions while creating tangible value for farmers and rural communities. His work challenges traditional assumptions about agricultural by-products and positions producers as key contributors to a new, low-carbon fibre economy. This innovation not only addresses global fibre supply constraints but also creates new revenue opportunities for farmers, reduces agricultural waste, and supports environmentally responsible production.  

Darby’s ability to translate complex engineering concepts into practical, producer-focused solutions demonstrates how cross-industry expertise can unlock new markets for agriculture and strengthen the long-term resilience of the sector. Motivated by the opportunity to solve real, system-level challenges, Darby is driven to ensure farmers benefit directly from innovation—not only as suppliers but as partners in building new industries. Through long-term thinking, engineering discipline, and collaboration, he is helping agriculture evolve in ways that make the sector more competitive, sustainable, and well-positioned for future generations. 

This category recognizes digital, electronic, or advanced technology solutions that improve farm decision-making, efficiency, or data management. 

John Deere X9 Split Frame Concave – MAD Concaves by Bushel Plus

Developed by Bushel Plus Ltd., a Canadian agricultural technology company focused on improving harvest efficiency and reducing grain loss, the MAD Concaves™ X9 Split Frame addresses one of the most persistent challenges during harvest: changing concaves safely and efficiently in large modern combines. Designed specifically for John Deere X9 combines, the system was created to help farmers adapt quickly to changing crops and field conditions while reducing downtime and physical strain during concave swaps. 

Traditional concave systems can weigh up to 50 pounds per component and require significant time and labour to replace. According to official John Deere guidelines, a full concave changeover on an X9 combine can take trained dealer technicians up to four hours, including levelling. In many cases, farmers working in the field spend even longer completing the process. 

The MAD Concaves X9 Split Frame introduces a modular system that dramatically simplifies this task. Once the split frame is installed, the levelling process is eliminated entirely, allowing operators to swap concave components quickly and efficiently. The lighter modular design reduces individual component weight, making it possible for a single operator to perform a full concave change in approximately 15 minutes. 

This rapid-change capability allows growers to easily install the most appropriate concave for different crops and field conditions throughout the harvest season. By adapting equipment settings more quickly, farmers can improve threshing performance, maintain grain quality, and reduce losses caused by suboptimal configurations. 

Developed with direct feedback from farmers and technicians, the system prioritizes safety, efficiency, and ease of use. The result is a concave solution that improves uptime during critical harvest windows while delivering cleaner grain samples and more productive harvesting days. 

This category recognizes new services or business solutions that support farmers and improve how they operate their businesses. 

ForwardProtect, Agrienhance and Farmelevate by Agi3 Risk Services

Agi3 Risk Services is introducing a new technology-driven approach to agricultural risk management in Canada. Crop insurance has traditionally been slow to evolve, often limited by rigid policy structures and systems that separate farm analytics from actual insurance decisions. Agi3 brings these elements together in a single digital platform that integrates field-level data, insurance-grade modelling, and product delivery to create more responsive and customizable risk-management solutions for modern farms. 

Designed to serve the growing segment of large, progressive Western Canadian grain operations, the Agi3 platform offers individualized coverage tailored to each farm’s specific production practices and risk profile. Built around Legal Land Description (LLD) precision, the system uses geospatial intelligence—including satellite imagery, documentation, and a permanent decision trail—to support underwriting, servicing, and claims processes. This evidence-based workflow improves transparency, defensibility, and service quality while reducing paperwork and simplifying insurance decisions. 

The platform includes several complementary products—ForwardProtect™, AgriEnhance™, and FarmElevate™—that help farmers manage different aspects of risk. One key offering, ForwardProtect™, enables producers to confidently forward contract their grain by protecting them from the risk of production shortfalls that could prevent delivery. This allows farmers to secure stronger prices earlier in the season, improve cash flow, and reduce financing costs. 

By encouraging earlier grain marketing, the system also benefits the broader value chain. Grain companies gain greater certainty when planning international sales and logistics, while producers can move grain sooner and operate with greater financial stability. 

Agi3’s platform has already been deployed across approximately 5 million acres and more than 500 farms, with workflows supporting quoting, underwriting, servicing, and claims support. Backed by patented and patent-pending technologies—including IoT capabilities such as Crop Sentry—Agi3 is helping modernize agricultural insurance while strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of Canadian producers.