The food system is undergoing profound change. Technology, climate change, COVID, and consumer demand are all driving changes to how food is produced, the structure of supply chains, and, most importantly, what people are choosing. In this episode Mike speaks with Rene Van Acker, the Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College, about what those changes mean for curriculum and training students to contribute in the evolving food system.

What do you know about the food you eat? What should you know about the food you eat? Do we have the skills to make good choices? Do we have the skills to make good food? In this episode, Mike talks to Alicia Martin, a PhD student in the Department of Geography who studies food literacy. We talk about what food literacy is and why its important? version with complete host audio track

What do you know about the food you eat? What should you know about the food you eat? Do we have the skills to make good choices? Do we have the skills to make good food? In this episode, Mike talks to Alicia Martin, a PhD student in the Department of Geography who studies food literacy. We talk about what food literacy is and why its important?

Jen Christie is our guest this episode. She and Mike talk about the challenges women often face in farming or agriculture industries. Its not only an issue of equity, but in an industry starving for staff its also an issue of supporting the future. What can and should we do better to allow women to make the incredible contributions they are capable of?

In this episode Mike speaks to Kyle Oakley who produces apples and fresh vegetables on their farm near Thornbury Ontario. They talk about the farm, selling direct to consumers, and the challenges that COVID brought. This farm produces lots of vegetables incorporating new technology - not at all like the garden I remember as a kid. It's an interesting and wide ranging conversation.

After a hiatus to recharge, the Food Focus podcast is back. Everyone has a picture in their head of what a farmer looks like. In general, that picture isn't of a 20 something young Bachelor of Commerce graduate. While an aging demographic is the reality in farming, there are actually young people who are keen to get into farming. In this episode Mike chats with two young University of Guelph graduates who aspire to farm. They talk about what attracts them to farming, what people don't understand about farming and what some of the challenges to getting started are.

The war in Ukraine is a humanitarian disaster caused by an unjustifiable aggression by Russia. The world is focused, rightly, on the impacts on the Ukrainian people. There are, however, ripple effects of the disruption of the Ukrainian agricultural economy being felt across the world. Wheat exporting countries in North Africa and the Middle East will see shortages and significant price inflation. Countries like Argentina are constraining exports in an effort to keep food prices low for their urban populations. North American consumers will also feel the pinch, although likely less than some of those developing countries. There is the potential for benefit for North American wheat producers but there are some factors that may limit the gains. Mike speaks with Dr Alfons Weersink about all of these factors to get a better understanding of the impact on the global food system of the war in Ukraine.

In this episode Mike speaks with Dr. Alfons Weersink, Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics at the University of Guelph, about GHG emissions from crop production. Alfons provides a perspective on the economic returns to fertilizer application and the implications for emissions from crop production. He also provides some insight into policy initiatives to help farmers adapt and reduce emissions.

There is considerable discussion about reducing emissions across the economy. Mike's guest this week suggests that there are real ways to reduce emissions from crop production without dramatic disruptions in production and that we continue to learn more about approaches. Dr Claudia Wagner-Riddle does say that it will require more management but that we can get there.

Mike's guest this episode is Lesley Kelly. Lesley talks about her farm, her path to farming, and her efforts through social media and blogging to help the broader public understand farmers and farming better. She also talks about some of the challenges of engaging broadly through these channels. Mike and Lesley also talk about mental health in agriculture, one of her passions. She is very open about the challenges in her family and talks about her commitment to bringing the issue forward and developing supports - like Do More Ag - to help people who need it.