General Rick Hillier speaks to delegates at national AG conference

CALGARY , Dec. 2 /CNW/ - Leaders from Canada's agricultural sector will receive leadership insights from General Rick Hillier , former chief of defence staff for the Canadian Forces, tomorrow morning. Hillier is the final speaker at the GrowCanada(R) conference which began Tuesday and ends Thursday at noon.

"Canada's growers and their partners in production have a rich history of providing leadership on many important fronts such as adopting the latest innovations to ensure that we remain competitive with producers from around the world," said David Sippell, co-chair of the GrowCanada(R) conference and president of the Canadian Seed Trade Association.

"General Hillier has leadership experience that we know will interest our attendees, whether they are providing leadership at the farm level, within industry associations, in small businesses or at the helm of an international organization."

Hillier's presentation will explore leadership in tough times, drawing on the experiences of the Canadian men and women who represent our country around the world in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Hillier became Canada's top soldier in February 2005 and since then has been fighting two battles, each with his trademark passion and urgency. The first has been on the ground in Afghanistan , but away from the battlefield, Hillier waged another campaign, this one for the hearts and minds of Canadians. As the most outspoken Canadian military leader in a generation and a tireless military advocate, General Hillier has raised the profile of Canada's military.

The GrowCanada(R) partnership was formed in 2006 to provide a national, value-chain driven vision to federal, provincial and territorial governments as they looked at renewing the national agricultural policy. This year's conference is an extension of the group's successful collaboration and will highlight the importance of the entire agricultural value chain working together to establish Canada as a world leader in developing new products and new solutions to challenges in the production of food, energy, and industrial products; both here in Canada and around the world.

Media are invited to attend the conference, which is being held at the Hyatt Regency Calgary , 700 Centre St. S.E in the Imperial Room. Please register in the Grand Foyer 1 upon arrival.

Hillier will speak at approximately 10:45 a.m. Dec. 3, 2009 .

A full listing of conference speakers can be found at http://www.growcanadaconference.ca/2009/about.php

For further information: Nadine Sisk, Director Media Relations, P: [phone], [email protected]