Ontario AgCast

Chef, author and entrepreneur, James Whetlor founded Cabrito Goat after keeping a few goats to solve a land management problem. Being a successful chef, a few of the goats ended up on the menu. After goat outsold beef the first week (still don’t believe it), James thought perhaps there was a larger market for kid goat meat and it turns out there was. We go deep into the history of why goat meat is considered the poor man’s food and Wendell commits to trying something new.

www.cabrito.co.uk

Author Harold Rudy has documented 30 years of soil conservation in his book “The Soil Fixers: Land Stewards Committed to the Cause”. From the days when OMAFRA was just OMAF to the pioneers of no-till to the 4 R’s of soil health. As the former Senior Manager with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), his passion for Ontario Agriculture makes this a must read and a great gift idea for the farmer (or non-farmer) on your Christmas list.

www.thesoilfixers.com

Jenn Doelman is a grain farmer in the Ottawa Valley, but corn and soybeans barely crack the top three on the list of her favorite crops. She is canola’s biggest cheerleader, but likes wheat pretty good also. Bringing leadership home to the farm and giving back to the industry. Please don’t refer to Jenn as a female farmer; just farmer is fine.

It’s cannabis, not marijuana and it’s now legal in Canada. Sarah Miner, quality assurance manager at Natural Med Co. gets some funny looks (or smells) picking up kids at daycare. If you work on a pig farm, you smell like pigs; when you work in a cannabis farm…. This female focused company is removing the stigma around weed, while generating green for shareholders.

www.evecannabis.ca

I believe a cold glass of milk is just about the best drink there is. So, it makes sense that if you want to make superior spirits, you start with high quality, Canadian dairy. Omid McDonald is the founder of Dairy Distillery where they make Vodcow, dairy based alcohol. Listen to the end to find out how to get your free samples. (disclaimer – there are not actually any free samples)

www.dairydistillery.com

What do the Canadian telecom and grain industries have in common? They can both be a roller coaster of ups and downs and both have benefited from Victoria Berry’s passion for telling their stories. As the new Manager, Communications with Grain Farmers of Ontario, she has embraced the farming community as her own.

www.gfo.ca

www.goodineverygrain.ca

Andrea De Groot traded in a ruthless banker gig to head up the Ontario Pork Industry Council (OPIC) to help pork producers navigate the issues in the swine business. Sometime work/life balance is as simple as saying no and giving yourself permission to not bake cookies. Also, find out what sport is more Canadian than hockey. Hint - it's like hockey, only nicer.

www.opic.on.ca/

What would possess a hospital IT expert to start raising rare ducks and geese? Apricot Valley Waterfowl is not your typical poultry farm. In fact, one of Colin Davis' goals is to be the exact opposite of a conventional farm. At the end of the day preservation farming still has to pay the bills to be sustainable.

www.apricotvalleywaterfowl.com/

Succession planning is what you do when you want to overthrow the king. Why Transition Planning is the better way to frame a difficult conversation. This and other great advice from Farm Family coach Elaine Froese.

www.farmfamilycoach.com

www.elainefroese.com

Making that white, liquid gold in the Pacific Northwest, Dwayne is a firm believer in free-market capitalism. He also believes that it's possible to disagree with your neighbours and still be friends. Supply management, fair trade practices and the global dairy market.