Ask a Farmer

Can you imagine a team of detectives tirelessly working around the clock to solve mysteries that affect public health?  On today’s podcast we’re shedding light on foodborne illness investigations in a guest podcast episode from Inspect and Protect, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s podcast with hosts Michelle Strong and Greg Rogers. Today’s expert panel of guests includes Tanis Kershaw and Courtney Smith from the Public Health Agency of Canada's Outbreak Management Division, Fred Jamieson, the Food Safety Recall Specialist in the Food Safety Investigation Recall Unit, and Angela Catford, Section Head of Health Risk Assessment at Health Canada. 

From identifying outbreaks to tracing contaminated foods, their work is essential in safeguarding our health. Stay with us as we explore how these experts collaborate during outbreaks, from initial detection to risk assessment and more. 

Guest Episode  

Inspect and Protect is the official podcast of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency with a focus on sharing stories about safe food, healthy animals and disease and pest-free plants. 

Bios:

Greg Rogers 

Greg Rogers is the Communications Manager for the four Atlantic provinces at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. He also co-hosts “Inspect and Protect”, the CFIA's official podcast all about food safety, plant and animal health. He is based in Moncton, New Brunswick. 

Michelle Strong 
Michelle Strong is Senior Communications Advisor for Animal Health Programs for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. She is also co-host for “Inspect and Protect”, the CFIA's official podcast all about food safety, plant and animal health. She lives in Ottawa, Ontario. 

Tanis Kershaw  
Tanis Kershaw is an acting manager with the Outbreak Management Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Experienced Epidemiologist with a demonstrated history of working in local, provincial, federal and international levels of public health over the past 17 years. Skilled in outbreak detection and investigation, surveillance, data analysis and research. 

Courtney Smith 
Courtney Smith is a senior epidemiologist and works alongside the Outbreak Management Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

 Fred Jamieson 
Fred Jamison is the Food Safety Recall Specialist with the Office of Food Safety Recall in the Food Safety Investigation Recall Unit. 

 Angela Catford
Angela Catford is the Section Head of the Health Risk Assessment Section at Health Canada.

Resources
Subscribe to food recalls and alerts 

Find out where to report a food complaint or concern 

How we decide to recall a food product 

Investigating outbreaks of foodborne illness

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Do you ever wonder what all those dates on your food mean? What's safe to eat and what should you toss? Today, we're discussing food date labeling with a guest podcast episode from Inspect and Protect, The Canadian Food inspection Agency podcast with hosts Greg Rogers and Michelle Strong.  Today, Laura Reid, a date labeling expert from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency breaks down the difference between best before dates, which are about food quality, and expiry dates, which focus on safety. She shares tips on how to handle foods after their best before dates and why proper storage matters. Stick around to learn how these labels help prevent food waste and ensure your pantry stays fresh.

Guest Episode  

Inspect and protect is the official podcast of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency with a focus on sharing stories about safe food, healthy animals and disease and pest free plants. 

Related articles: 

Date labelling on pre-packaged foods 

Safe food storage (Health Canada) 

Love Food, Hate Waste 

RECYC-QUÉBEC – French only 

Canada's National Zero Waste Council 

Government of Canada launches Food Waste Reduction Challenge 

The First Sixteen Podcast -  The opportunity of food waste (Episode 007) 

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The role of any food system is to serve the end consumer. In the past, farmers, food processors, and retailers responded to the demand of consumers. Supply follows demand. For the most part Canada has kept a very scientific based approach to policy making when it comes to food and how food is grown. However, there is concern with a bit of a deviation of these policies when one considers what has and is happening in the European Union.  They have experienced a trend in policy-making that seeks to interfere in both the demand, and even more directly, in the supply side of the equation.  The question that comes up then, is will food policy sway away from science? With us today is Bill Wirtz from the Consumer Choice Centre to discuss how policy changes affect food choices.

Host
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest
Bill Wirtz is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Consumer Choice Center. He covers agriculture and trade policy in Europe and North America.

Resources
Consumer Choice Center
Canadian Food Focus

Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson and Michael Jordon, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road 

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We live in an age where technology is ever changing. Advancements in communication, transportation and health care seem to be seen and understood across this country, but what about new tech when it comes to food production? Olds College in Olds, Alberta specializes in testing new technologies that can be implemented on Canadian farms and ranches. Their ‘Smart Farm’ works with companies to develop solutions for tomorrow’s problems, while educating students in hands-on learning. David Fullerton, the Director of Applied Research at Olds College, highlights how this partnership between tech companies, Olds College and farmers/ranchers works.

Host:
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest
David Fullerton M.c., P.Ag.
Director of Applied Research, Olds College of Agriculture & Technology
David is the Director of Applied Research at Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI). He provides overall leadership and management of applied research and innovation activities at Olds College with a focus on efficient delivery of high quality applied research projects. He works closely with the Vice President of Research in defining strategic vision and business and operational goals for the Centre to ensure OCCI’s work is aligned with the College’s strategic plan. David brings years of experience in promoting, developing and managing industry-focused applied research activities at colleges and universities in Canada and Qatar. He also worked in entrepreneurial development and has decades of practical on-the-farm experience. David earned a Farming Technology Diploma and B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. He also has a M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Alberta where his research focused on enhancing rural economies through improved trading activities.

Resources
Smart Farm Newsletter
Smart Farm Website
AgSmart Educational Expo
Smart Farm Article
How are Farmers Using Drones
Precision Farming, What is it?

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One of the biggest risks in producing food is the weather. Uncertainty around rain, heat, frost, wind and other weather-related disasters results in a lot of sleepless nights for farmers and ranchers in this country. But what if we take the largest risk out of the equation? Vertical farming has been developing throughout Canada as a method to reduce risk and provide a localized food option for certain products. Alida Burke from Growcer, a Canadian start up modular, vertical farming company, will explain more about how vertical farming fits into our food system.

Host:
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest:
Alida Burke, CFO and co-founder, Growcer
Alida Burke is the co-founder and CFO of Growcer, which empowers communities to grow fresh, hyper-local produce year-round through its hydroponic modular farms. She fell into her role as an entrepreneur when she saw the impact the local food makes, but still enjoys working with numbers, by leading Growcer’s operational strategy to support customers growing year-round across the country. When Alida is not managing the behind-the-scenes at Growcer you can find her giving back to her local entrepreneurship community or curled up with a good book.

Resources:
Growcer
Modular Farms article

Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson and Michael Jordon, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road 

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With increases in food costs in recent years and the desire to eat healthier, canning foods to preserve them is a topic of interest for Canadians. People want to understand what is in the food they eat and where their food comes from. This podcast explores the topic of canning and the safety and science behind it as well as best practices for making canning at home a safe and successful experience. Connor Flynn and Martha Rogers, both Certified Master Food Preservers, provide their input to help develop knowledge, skills and confidence to safely preserve foods at home.

Host Clinton Monchuk 

Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy.
 In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers.
 Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest: Chef Connor Flynn
Connor Flynn is a Red Seal-endorsed chef and experienced High School Educator. His culinary journey has led him to explore various roles, including cheesemaker, bread baker, and most recently, a Certified Master Food Preserver (Cornell), showcasing his passion for food preservation. With over twenty years of experience in the food industry, Connor's deep love for educating others about food is the driving force behind his career.

Guest: Dr. Martha Rogers
Dr. Martha Rogers is a retired university professor in Health with a lengthy career as researcher, teacher, and academic leader. In 2018 she became one of Canada’s few Certified Master Food Preservers (Cornell) pursuing a lifelong passion for food preservation. She is committed to helping people develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to safely preserve food at home. She has designed and facilitated many food preservation workshops, is author of a bi-weekly newspaper column called “Worth Preserving”, and owner of The Valley Preservery in Kimberley Ontario.

Resources:
Fresh preserving
Bernardin
National Centre for Home Food Preservation
Healthy Canning
University of Georgia Extension, So Easy to Preserve

 Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road 

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Canadians have continued to move further and further away from food production. We can see this in our expanding urban centers and less individuals growing the food we consume. This has led to more discussions about consuming food that is more sustainable. Not only sustainable environmentally, but also economically and socially. The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan, was tasked in 2022 with understanding agriculture’s contributions to improved sustainable outcomes. As a part of this, GIFS has examined the carbon footprint of agricultural production in Saskatchewan and Canada and compared that to other producers across the globe. Dr. Steve Webb, who is the CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security in Saskatoon SK walks through how we’re doing growing cereals, pulses and oilseeds based on the latest research.

Host: Clinton Monchuk
 Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy. 

  In 2016, Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers. 

  Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, are active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest: Dr. Steven Webb
Steven joined the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) as Chief Executive Officer in 2019, following a 23-year career with Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences) in Indiana, United States. His most recent role at Corteva was Research and Development Director of External Technology, where he led many research collaborations with private sector companies, research institutes and universities around the world. 
Steven earned a PhD in immunochemistry (1998), a Master’s degree in biochemistry (1992) and a Bachelor of Science degree in microbiology (1990) from the University of Guelph, Ontario.  

 About the Global Institute for Food Security  

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) works with partners to discover, develop and deliver innovative solutions for the production of globally sustainable food. Founded by Nutrien, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan (USask), GIFS is agriculture’s innovation catalyst, connecting the agri-food ecosystem, advancing innovation and bridging the gap to commercialization to deliver resilient and sustainable food security for all stakeholders. Learn more about GIFS at gifs.ca

Resources:
GIFS Carbon Life Cycle Analysis
How Carbon Farming is Helping Fight Climate Change
How is Wheat Grown in Canada?

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Eggs are an excellent source of high-quality protein. In Canada, when we go to the grocery store there are so many different egg options available. We get a choice when it comes to egg size, egg colour, eggs based on different housing system, certified organic eggs, eggs enriched with Omega 3 or enriched with Vitamin D. In today's podcast, we will break down the different options available and talk about egg nutrition with Registered Dietitian Rosie Schwartz. 

 Host: Clinton Monchuk 
 Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy. 

In 2016 Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers. 

 Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, continue to be active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest: Rosie Schwartz
Rosie Schwartz is a consulting dietitian and an award-winning nutrition writer and author. Both in her private nutrition counseling practice and her extensive work with the media, translating the science of nutrition into healthy and delicious fare has been her focus. Her quest is to help Canadians become enlightened eaters by focusing on what they should eat, not what they should cut out.

Resources:
Egg options at the grocery store
Protein for Breakfast
Protein on your plate

Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road 

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There is a widening disconnect between those who grow food and those who consume food in Canada. To better communicate to Canadians, we must understand what their perceptions are of the food industry. Each year the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity performs a country wide survey to get a gauge on what Canadian consumers think about our food system and farming in general. Ashley Bruner from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity has been part of this survey for year and will give us insight into what Canadians think.

Host: Clinton Monchuk
 Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy. 

In 2016 Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers. 

Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, continue to be active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma.

Guest Ashley Bruner
As the Research Manager at the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, Ashley specializes in communicating public opinion research to the food system. Ashley translates numbers and trends over time into actionable insights to help Canada’s food system better connect with everyday Canadians on the issues they care about. With an eye for detail and passion for the food system, Ashley tells the story behind every data point. 

Ashley holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Simon Fraser University and has over ten years of research, presentation, and policy experience. Before joining CCFI, Ashley worked as a senior research manager at Ipsos Public Affairs working on hundreds of research projects for clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Ashley has experience with a wide range of research methodologies ranging from online, telephone, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and town halls. 

The long-term success and growth of Canada’s food system must be grounded in public trust. Over the past years with CCFI, Ashley has helped food system stakeholders understand and build trust with Canadians on key food system both big and small.

Resources:
Canadian Centre For Food Integrity
Why do food prices keep going up
How consumers are changing the grocery landscape
How to spot nutrition misinformation online
Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larson, Music by Andy Ellison-Track title: Gravel Road 

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The agriculture industry is not dissimilar from other industries in Canada.  We produce many different products but through the production of food, there is often some form of inorganic waste that is generated. To protect the environment and manage different aspects of primary production, we currently use plastics, and lots of them. Barry Friesen is the Executive Director of Cleanfarms who provides solutions to some of these challenges and how this is improving the environmental sustainability of agriculture in Canada.

Guest Barry Friesen
Barry Friesen is Executive Director of Cleanfarms Inc., a national producer responsibility organization operating coast to coast in Canada. In Quebec, Cleanfarms is known as AgriRÉCUP.  

 Barry is a Professional Engineer who has been deeply involved in solid waste issues since 1995, first as a government regulator for waste, a municipal waste operator servicing a half million residents and, since inception in 2010, running Cleanfarms Canada. His range of expertise is in demand at international meetings such as the OECD Conference on Rural Development, the Conference on Canadian Stewardship, Agricultural Film Americas and other circular economy and policy conferences.  

 Barry currently serves as Chair of the Conference on Canadian Stewardship and as a member of the AGRI plastics working group of the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organizations. A recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Medal, Barry is the past chair of the Board of the Compost Council of Canada, past Board member of the Recycling Council of Ontario, past Board member of the Alberta Plastic Recycling Association, past Chair of the National Task Force on Packaging and past Board member and recent recipient of a Paul Harris award from the Etobicoke Rotary Club.

Host Clinton Monchuk
Clinton Monchuk grew up on a mixed dairy, beef and grain family farm outside of Lanigan, Saskatchewan. He received his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture majoring in Agricultural Economics from the University of Saskatchewan and Masters of Business Administration in Agriculture from the University of Guelph. Clinton has enjoyed numerous roles across Canada, the United States and Mexico as a researcher, educator, manager, economist and director of trade policy. 

In 2016 Clinton accepted the role of Executive Director with Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan to promote farming and ranching to consumers. Clinton understands the value of increasing public trust in agriculture and actively promotes engagement between the agriculture industry and consumers. 

Clinton, Laura and their children Jackson and Katelyn, continue to be active partners on their family grain and layer farm in Saskatchewan and cattle ranch in Oklahoma. 

Resources:

• Recycling on the Farm
• What is Upcycling
• Carbon Farming
• Canadian Farmers Help Feed the World

Episode Credits: Research and writing by Dorothy Long and Penny Eaton, Produced and edited by Angela Larso

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