AgAnnex Talks

Welcome to the second episode in our Top 4 Under 40 series. These four episodes will feature conversations with the winners of Fruit & Vegetable’s recent contest, which sought to recognize the industry’s young trailblazers.

Hayden Dooney may have studied grape and wine production, but apples are where he's making his mark. In our second episode, Fruit & Vegetable associate editor Alex Barnard chats with Dooney, general manager of the Norfolk Fruit Growers Association and co-owner of Suncrest Orchards. He discusses his journey to becoming part of the Canadian fruit and vegetable industry, the impacts of COVID-19, and the importance of temporary foreign workers.

Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to the first episode in our Top 4 Under 40 series. These four episodes will feature conversations with the winners of Fruit & Vegetable’s recent contest, which sought to recognize the industry’s young trailblazers.

Susan Judd combines a love of agriculture with a keen business sense in her many projects and pursuits. In this episode, Fruit & Vegetable associate editor Alex Barnard chats with Judd, retail processes manager at Heeman’s and co-creator of Ride the Bine. Judd shares her thoughts on the importance of networking, consumer misconceptions about agriculture, and produce as the new fast food.

In our last focus on future-proof farming, we speak with experts from Olds College and Purdue University about how drones, automation and data are changing the ag world, and what barriers exist that prevent adoption.

Digesters are widely regarded as a great way to repurpose farm waste into alternative energy sources, while also helping out in other areas – like cutting down on nutrient losses and producing on-farm resources like bedding. And although the demand for digesters is increasing, prices remain high, and farm operators want to know that their ROI will be strong.

We speak with representatives from both the Canadian Biogas Association and EPA AgStar to find out why digesters are so useful – and what the average farmer can do to find their path toward digesters.

Check out https://www.epa.gov/agstar and http://farmingbiogas.ca to find out more about their programs.

As we continue our season focused on farming with the future in mind, we speak with farmers and industry leaders on how they've pivoted and coped throughout COVID-19 and what it's taught them about dealing with future disruptions down the line.

This podcast episode is sponsored by the FCC.

In our new season focused on farming with the future in mind, we look at what role landowners, producers and drainage professionals can play in keeping soil healthy, how different bodies can work together and why soil health matters in the long run.

By day, Kristen Phillips is a farmer, agronomist, and general manager of Manitoba Ag Days. But she’s also a wife and a mom, raising the fifth generation of farmers on her family’s land in Roseland, Man. In this episode of AgAnnex Talks, the sixth and final interview in our Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture series, Phillips shares what keeps her excited about agriculture, the profound advice she carries with her through her career, and her thoughts on the future of the Canadian industry.

IWCA is a program created by the agriculture brand teams at Annex Business Media, designed to honour women making a difference in Canada’s ag industry.

Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Karen Schuett, co-founder and CEO of Livestock Water Recycling (LWR), is a highly regarded manure expert. Her Calgary-based agtech company has developed one of the global livestock industry’s most sought-after manure treatment innovations. In pursuing her work towards lagoon-free food, this visionary has received numerous awards.

Canadian Poultry editor Brett Ruffell chats with Schuett in this episode of AgAnnex Talks, the fifth in our series of podcasts with six Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture. IWCA is a program created by the agriculture brand teams at Annex Business Media, designed to honour women making a difference in Canada’s ag industry.

Stay tuned to hear from the rest of the 2020 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture. Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Peggy Brekveld wears a lot of hats. She’s vice-president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, and her family operates Woodstar Farms, a dairy farm near Thunder Bay, Ont. She’s a graduate of the Rural Ontario Institute’s Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP), and is currently also vice-president of the Agricultural Adaptation Council. But, of all the things she’s done in the agriculture sector, Peggy believes that her work as an ag advocate is where she’s really made her mark.

Top Crop Manager associate editor Alex Barnard chats with Brekveld in this episode of AgAnnex Talks, the fourth in our series of podcasts with six Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture. IWCA is a program created by the agriculture brand teams at Annex Business Media, designed to honour women making a difference in Canada’s ag industry.

Laura Van Eerd, a professor at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus, is well-known for her soil fertility research which influences agriculture, not only in the province, but nationally and internationally. Van Eerd shares what motivates her, some personal career highlights, and what she’s learned from mentors and her experiences along the way.

Fruit and Vegetable editor Stephanie Gordon chats with Van Eerd in this episode of AgAnnex Talks, the third in our series of podcasts with six Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture. IWCA is a program created by the agriculture brand teams at Annex Business Media, designed to honour women making a difference in Canada’s ag industry.