The Ag Podcast

Generate Canada
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Generate Canada, with support from Co-operators and the Smart Prosperity Institute, has launched The Ag Podcast. Hosted by agricultural communications leader, Crystal Mackay, the podcast features frank conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing farmers and their communities, from succession planning and human resources to sustainable farming practices and carbon markets.

Episodes

  1. 11/05/2024

    The Next Generation of Farmers - The Ag Podcast

    With 60% of farmers aged 55 and over, over 40% of Canadian farms will pass the torch onto the next generation in the next ten years. As this transition happens, young farmers will not only be stepping into a new role, but they will be experiencing opportunities and challenges that look different from previous generations. Host Crystal McKay talks with two farmers of the next generation, Katie Keddy and Audrey Morneau, to discuss their experiences as their family farms transition. They share the current realities of farming, the challenges and opportunities they’re encountering, and their tips for other young farmers. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:45 Examining the demographic shift in farming 02:25 Guest introduction 03:25 Katie Keddy tells the story of her farm 05:26 Audrey Morneau tells the story of her farm 06:42 How changed Audry’s perspective 08:08 Skills for success in farming 10:30 Obstacles facing farmers in transition 13:30 Opportunities for Women in Agriculture 17:35 Stepping up in your community 19:13 What excites you about agriculture today? 23:03 If you could change one thing about agriculture, what would it be? 27:20 Continuous Learning and Networking in Agriculture 29:35 Final Thoughts and Conclusion Links: Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s 4-H Canada: https://4-h-canada.ca/ Video: FCC Future of Young Farmers (4-H Canada): https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1374758479745855 Article: How leadership programs set young farmers up for success (FCC) https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/knowledge/leadership-programs-set-young-farmers-up-for-success Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ Questions or comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  2. 10/29/2024

    The Power of Collaboration in Agriculture and Food - The Ag Podcast

    In today’s society, supply chains are built for competition — competing for supplies, suppliers, and market share. But over the past decade in the agri-food space, businesses that were once fierce competitors have been standing side-by-side to overcome the sector’s biggest challenges together. Driving down emissions in the agri-food system is one of those challenges. Host Crystal Mackay sits down with Nick Betts, Managing Director at the Canadian Alliance for Net-zero Agri-food (CANZA), and Benjamin Eastman, Senior Farm Consultant at Co-operators, to talk about collaboration and its important role in Canada achieving a net-zero agri-food system. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Shift towards Collaboration in the food system 02:21 Ben Eastman, The Cooperators, and the role of collaboration 03:58 Nick Betts, CANZA, and the role of collaboration 04:31 Pre-competitive collaboration 05:55 Net zero food production: balancing the environmental scorecard 08:05 Capital investment and short-term business risks 10:12 Promoting collaboration and overcoming hurdles 13:15 Opportunities for farmers 16:20 Examples of where it’s working 18:20 The future of collaboration and net zero work 19:48 What we can all learn from belgian horses 21: Collective effervescence 22:20 Farmers telling their story and leading with curiosity Links: Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s Canadian Alliance for Net-zero Agri-food - https://canza.ca/ Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s The Co-operators - https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef - https://crsb.ca/ Collective effervescence - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_effervescence Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ Questions or comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  3. 10/22/2024

    Digging Deep on Soil Health - The Ag Podcast

    Human life heavily depends on a thin layer of topsoil. It grows food, retains water, and sequesters carbon. However, topsoil degradation is compromising the resilience of our soil against flooding, droughts, and pests, as well as destabilizing our food security. Many farmers have played, and continue to play, an important role in maintaining and increasing the health of our soil, but the urgency for farmers to implement and document soil-smart practices is growing across the value chain and amongst the general public. In this episode, host Crystal Mackay digs deep with Cedric MacLeod, Farmer and the Executive Director of Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, and Tim Wray, Cattle Rancher at Wray Ranch, about why soil health is so important, how farmers can farm with the soil in mind, and the opportunity that stakeholders across the agri-food value chain have to support farmers in this work. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:30 The importance of soil health 06:45 Intensively managed rotational grazing  09:05 Barriers to implementing soil health practices 14:03 Regenerative ag versus extractive finance 15:05 Financial incentives and support programs 17:30 Alignment of the stakeholder community 19:49 Advice for farmers and ranchers 22:08 Conclusion Links: Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s  Sustainable Food and Agriculture (FAO): https://www.fao.org/sustainability/news/detail/en/c/1274219/ World Soil Day information and activities (FAO): https://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/ Report: Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada's Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health (Senate of Canada): https://sencanada.ca/en/info-page/parl-44-1/agfo-critical-ground/ Report: Efficient nitrogen and fertilizer management (Smart Prosperity Institute): https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/sites/default/files/NitrogenFertMgmt_Report_final.pdf Blog: Innovating Canada’s business risk management programs for climate resilient outcomes (Smart Prosperity Institute): https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/InnovatingBRM Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and  Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ Questions or Comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  4. 10/15/2024

    The Rise of Regenerative Agriculture - The Ag Podcast

    Canadian farmers have been farming with people and the planet in mind for a long time. While previously known as ‘best management practices,’ ‘sustainability’ quickly became the word of choice when discussing farming practices that improve yield to feed a growing world and have limited impacts on the planet and future generations. And now there is a new kid on the block: regenerative agriculture. How do sustainability and regenerative agriculture relate to one another? How has sustainability in agriculture evolved over time? What are the challenges in farming sustainably, and what is needed to continue the increased adoption of sustainable practices across the country? In today’s episode, host Crystal Mackay explores sustainability in agriculture with Tim Faveri, Vice President of Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations at Nutrien, and Chris Perry, Farmer and President of CKP Farms Ltd. Chapters:00:00 Introduction guests and topic 02:40 Defining sustainability in agriculture 04:25 Defining regenerative agriculture 06:33 Innovative practices on CKP Farms 08:22 Progressing farming on the Perry Family Farm 09:40 Sequestering carbon through soil health 12:17 The Importance of collaboration in the agricultural industry 14:10 The role of data and technology in sustainability 15:14 Like and subscribe animation isn’t there 15:33 Barriers for farmers investing in regenerative agriculture 20:00 Tim’s motivation - incremental progress 22:50 Discussions across the value chain 23:50 The argument for the term Regenerative Agriculture 25:00 Chris’s motivation - thinking generationally 27:48 Advice for farmers - share your stories Links: Video: Carbon Markets 101 (Generate Canada - CANZA) https://youtu.be/wRY8hujkNMM?si=pyg9Fjy1MJp20IDeVideo: Explore Sustainability and Innovation at the Perry Family Farm in Chin, Alberta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA-oBFxaDiYNutrien’s sustainability strategy: https://www.nutrien.com/sustainability/strategyVideo: Regenerative Agriculture on a Saskatchewan Farm (Canadian Food Focus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxsh5omTTyg Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/Questions or Comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  5. 10/08/2024

    Turning Waste Into Energy with Biodigesters - The Ag Podcast

    It is estimated that globally, 8-10% of total greenhouse gas emissions are a direct result of food waste. Canadians contribute to that global total, creating an estimated 50 million tonnes of food waste every year. Meanwhile, emissions from manure represent 20% of a farm’s carbon footprint. These two challenges may seem unrelated, but there is an emerging agricultural solution that can both reduce food waste and transform the emissions from food and animal waste into energy and fertilizer: anaerobic biodigesters. Host Crystal Mackay chats with George Dick, owner of Dicklands Biogas, about how biodigesters work and what is needed for biodigesters to become a more feasible option for more farms across Canada. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:05 Food waste statistics 02:22 Understanding anaerobic biodigesters 03:55 Why purchase a biodigester? 05:00 The need for education and support in biodigester adoption 07:25 Procuring food waste 08:35 What would make biodigesters more popular? 10:00 The challenge and economics of procuring food waste 11:20 The market for a fertilizer pellet 13:00 Opportunities for biodigesters in the agricultural sector 14:30 Recognizing the Progress and Importance of Agriculture 16:00 Advice for farmers Links: Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s E-book: Taking Action on Methane Emissions (CANZA) https://canza.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taking-Action-on-Agricultural-Methane-Biodigester-Opportunity-E-Book-March-2024.pdf Video: How a biodigester works (Saskatchewan Research Council) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMX1Na-_oUg Video: Monument Farm’s biodigester (Vermont Public) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlVxuqORXe4&t=16s Food Waste Statistics in Canada (Made in CA) https://madeinca.ca/food-waste-canada-statistics/ Food Waste Key Statistics (Newmarket Food Pantry) https://newmarketfoodpantry.ca/food-rescue-program/#:~:text=Redirecting%20surplus%20edible%20food%20could,complexity%20hinder%20surplus%20food%20donations Canadians create over 50 million tonnes of food waste every year. Canada has pledged to reduce that by half: https://madeinca.ca/food-waste-canada-statistics/ Redirecting surplus edible food could save 3.82 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of food: https://newmarketfoodpantry.ca/food-rescue-program/#:~:text=Redirecting%20surplus%20edible%20food%20could,complexity%20hinder%20surplus%20food%20donations In Canada emissions from farm manure represent up to one fifth (18%) of a farm’s carbon footprint: https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/en/sustainability/manure-management#:~:text=The%20best%20scientific%20estimate%20we,impact%20each%20individual%20farm's%20footprint Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ Questions or comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  6. 10/01/2024

    The Economic Opportunity of Farming Carbon - The Ag Podcast

    While Canada’s carbon market scene is far behind that of Australia and Europe, it is developing into a new economic avenue for farmers, where getting compensated for climate-smart farming practices is a real possibility. However, there remains a lot of uncertainty around this emerging opportunity. What is it? How does it work? And can it be trusted? Host Crystal Mackay chats with Marty Seymour, CEO of Carbon RX, about agriculture’s “pineapple on pizza” debate: the carbon market. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to the Carbon Market in Agriculture 01:48 Meeting Marty Seymour 03:00 The origin story of the Canadian carbon market 04:44 Keeping politics out of the carbon market 06:05 Keeping carbon in the soil 08:05 Zero Till and Cover Crop as Foundational Practices 09:15 Measuring organic matter in the soil 10:57 Measuring carbon, collecting data, increasing fertility 12:40 Verifying the data 13:35 Monetizing the credits 14:02 Pooling Carbon Credits and Market Opportunities 15:50 How long does the process take? 17:30 The economics of carbon credits 20:00 The advantage for larger farms 23:48 The Future of the Carbon Market 24:55 Carbon insets and offsets 26:00 Marty’s motivation 29:04 Advice for Farmers in the Carbon Market Links: Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s Guide: Carbon Offsets for Farmers (Smart Prosperity Institute) https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/carbon-offsets-for-farmers Blog: Demystifying Agricultural Carbon Markets (Smart Prosperity Institute) https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/AgriculturalCarbonMarkets Video: Climate-Smart Farming Initiative - Saskatchewan Pilot Project (CANZA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5yUhR0RKv0&t=5s Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/ Questions or comments? Reach out to us at info@canza.ca

  7. 09/24/2024

    The Labour Shortage Challenge - The Ag Podcast

    There are currently 122,000 vacant jobs in Canada’s agriculture sector. This number is only expected to grow due to an aging workforce where more people are expecting to retire, alongside fewer working people and fewer young people entering the industry. These vacancies are impacting farmers. We’re seeing people working unsustainably long hours, giving up on expansion plans, and leaving the industry altogether. So, how can we start closing this gap? Host Crystal Mackay explores with Jennifer Wright, Executive Director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), the extent of the human resources challenges facing the industry and what supports there are for farmers to navigate some of these obstacles. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:50 Data on farm-worker shortages 05:04 Attracting new people to agriculture: overcoming hurdles 08:00 Strategies for addressing the labor shortage 09:15 Use of temporary foreign workers 10:05 Reimagining the workforce 12:00 Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council - CAHRC 13:30 Supporting farmers with human resource management 16:00 Jennifer’s story 17:50 The future of human resources in Canadian agriculture 19:50 Advice for farmers Links: -Video: Carbon Farming 101 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRY8hujkNMM&t=72s -The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council: https://cahrc-ccrha.ca/ -AGRI Jobs: https://cahrc-ccrha.ca/programs/agri-jobs -Video: How AgriSkills helps farm workers keep their skills up to date (CAHRC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvicPJJ4goY -Report: Skills Needs for Workers in the Growing Plant-Based Protein Industry in Manitoba and Saskatchewan (Smart Prosperity Institute) https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/Plant-Protein-Jobs-Skills-Needs Credits: Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/

  8. 09/17/2024

    Farm Succession Planning - The Ag Podcast

    In the next ten years, over 40% of Canadian farms will change hands. With 97% of farms being family-owned and operated, this means a lot of challenging – but necessary – discussions between family members on the future of their farm. But when do you start these discussions? Where do you have these discussions? And how do you approach these discussions? Host Crystal Mackay chats with Maggie Van Camp, Farmer and Founder of Farmers’ Bridge, and Patti Durand, Certified Family Enterprise Advisor, on farm succession planning – the challenges that arise during this process, the importance of doing this big task, and tips on making your farm transition a success. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:11 Facts about farming in Canada 02:58 Guest introduction 03:51 Is there a typical Canadian farmer? 06:50 The biggest challenge to succession planning 08:30 Megatrends in Canadian agriculture 09:00 Challenges are also opportunities 10:00 Key principles farmers should be thinking about 12:00 Learn to communicate 12:40 Maggie’s experience 14:25 Building trust 15:15 Different discussions will have different people 17:00 How do you deal with contentious issues? 19:20 Getting third party help 23:26 Things to avoid 25:30 Succession planning - free advice Links: Farmers Bridge: https://loft32.ca/farmersbridge/ Farm Credit Canada: https://www.fcc-fac.ca/ Video: Farm Transition - Turning Roadblocks into Building Blocks (Farm Credit Canada): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7DqUARnwEE Host: Crystal Mackay https://ca.linkedin.com/in/crystal-mackay-683b26a Producers: Meredith Martin https://twitter.com/meredithmartin and Cara Stern https://twitter.com/carastern Production coordinator: Rebecca Babcock https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-babcock Music: Dustin Stern http://dustinspace.com The Ag Podcast is produced by Generate Canada https://generatecanada.ca/ with support from Co-operators https://www.cooperators.ca/en/insurance/farm and the Smart Prosperity Institute https://institute.smartprosperity.ca/

  9. 09/09/2024 ·  Bonus

    Carbon Farming 101

    About a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the important task of feeding the world. But farms have a unique opportunity to reduce emissions by pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through soil and trees. There’s even a way to measure the carbon in the soil so that farmers are compensated for it.  In this video, host Crystal Mackay answers some common questions about farming carbon, discusses carbon in agriculture, and goes through the steps farmers can take to pull carbon into their soil and get compensated for it.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Generate Canada, with support from Co-operators and the Smart Prosperity Institute, has launched The Ag Podcast. Hosted by agricultural communications leader, Crystal Mackay, the podcast features frank conversations about the challenges and opportunities facing farmers and their communities, from succession planning and human resources to sustainable farming practices and carbon markets.

Information

  • Creator
    Generate Canada
  • Years Active
    2024
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Generate Canada
  • Show Website
    The Ag Podcast