The Future Herd

In this episode, host Jesse Hirsh speaks with Chris Hildreth, founder of AgriKit.ca, about decentralizing agri-food infrastructure through modular, custom-built facilities. Drawing on his background as a social entrepreneur and urban farmer, Hildreth argues that small- and medium-scale producers need better on-the-ground support to foster genuine food sovereignty. Together, they explore how moving away from centralized mass production toward community-driven processing can build a more resilient Canadian food system.

Show notes:

In this episode of The Future Herd, host Jesse Hirsh is joined by Chris Hildreth, founder of AgriKit.ca, to explore a fundamental shift in how Canada's agri-food sector approaches processing and cold storage. Building on years of hands-on experience running an urban agriculture enterprise called Topsoil in Victoria, Hildreth discusses how small- and medium-scale producers are often left behind by an industrial food system optimized entirely around massive scale. The central question of the conversation examines how communities and independent farmers can reclaim food sovereignty by utilizing modular, adaptable infrastructure that bypasses the capital-intensive hurdles of traditional commercial facilities.

Developing a core insight from his academic research and entrepreneurial journey, Hildreth critiques the post-World War II consolidation of North American food production, which relies heavily on monoculture farming concentrated in regions like California. He explains that true resilience requires shifting away from distant supply chains toward hyper-local models where food is grown, processed, and consumed within the same community. By designing custom 20-foot and 40-foot processing units that integrate seamlessly into existing local workflows—whether farming, fishing, or hunting—AgriKit.ca allows producers to drastically reduce labor bottlenecks, eliminate unnecessary transportation emissions, and retain economic value locally.

The conversation also tackles the complex tension between bureaucratic regulatory burdens and the practical needs of grassroots food producers. Hildreth emphasizes that while regulations are necessary, navigating them as a DIY bootstrap operation can exhaust even the most dedicated entrepreneurs. To solve this, AgriKit builds its units to national building code compliance and food-safe standards, effectively removing regulatory friction for communities that lack the literacy or resources to navigate municipal red tape. This proactive approach transforms compliance from a barrier into an enabler, giving local operators the professional tools they need to succeed.

Ultimately, listeners will take away a compelling vision for a distributed agri-food economy that champions what writer John Moody famously called "production by the masses" instead of mass production. Hildreth demonstrates that profitability and social enterprise are not mutually exclusive, and that empowering local actors with the right infrastructure is essential for Canada's long-term food security. This episode matters because it offers a tangible, actionable alternative to an increasingly fragile industrial food model, proving that the future of agriculture lies in local adaptability, deep listening, and community empowerment.

Topics: Modular Food Processing, Food Sovereignty, Social Entrepreneurship, Distributed Supply Chains, Cold Storage Infrastructure, Local Agri-Food, Regulatory Compliance, Urban Agriculture

Reimagining Food Systems Beyond Industrial Scapegoats And Binaries

Summary:

In this lively salon conversation, Jesse Hirsh, Jeanette Herrle, Sherida Ryan, Barb Scott-Cole, Jennifer MacTavish, Elaine Power, RJ Taylor, and Tianna Brand critique the popular book Feed the People for its American-centric worldview, reductionist view of livestock, and failure to address capitalism head-on. The panel contrasts the lived realities of agricultural risk and market competition with academic punditry, exploring alternative frameworks like Indigenous governance and dynamic food pricing. Together, they unpack how moving past simplistic binaries is essential for a resilient Canadian agri-food sector.

Show notes:

In this episode, host Jesse Hirsh is joined by a diverse panel of agri-food experts for a critical salon discussion of the book Feed the People. The conversation tackles the book's core American-centric blind spots, examining how popular food writing often reduces complex agricultural realities to simplistic villains and heroes. Rather than engaging with the true systemic drivers of modern agriculture, the authors lean heavily on the term "industrial" as a convenient cover for the realities of global capitalism.

Throughout the discussion, the panelists pull back the curtain on the actual risks and economic pressures carried by primary producers. Barb Scott-Cole and Jennifer MacTavish highlight how crop and livestock production are squeezed by unpredictable weather, global market competition, and the unreasonable expectation of zero-impact food production. The group critiques the book's reductionist caricature of livestock and its failure to acknowledge the essential ecological role of ruminants, pointing out a frustrating double standard that praises industrial efficiency for crops while demonizing animal protein.

The conversation also expands into structural and cultural critiques of how we consume and regulate food. Jesse Hirsh and Tianna Brand draw a sharp contrast between passive, television-like grocery store design and modern, interactive media, while pushing back against rebranded capitalist buzzwords like "democratic hedonism." Bringing a distinct regional and sector perspective, RJ Taylor contrasts cumbersome, outdated provincial aquaculture regulations with Indigenous-led governance models from First Nations which anchor resource management in generational stewardship and direct community accountability rather than bureaucratic paperwork.

Ultimately, the episode challenges listeners to look beyond polarizing food narratives and confront the true cost of food production. Elaine Power notes that while good-quality food should cost more to properly support farmers, systemic policy safety nets like a basic income floor are vital to ensure equity for workers and consumers alike. This salon offers an engaging, unfiltered look at what it truly takes to build a resilient, multi-faceted food system in Canada without relying on scapegoats or false binaries.

Topics: Food Systems, Agricultural Economics, Livestock Production, Capitalism, Food Sovereignty, Indigenous Governance, Aquaculture, Agricultural Policy

In this episode, Jessica Regan joins the show to explain how FoodMesh tackles Canada's agri-food waste crisis not as a shortage issue, but as a complex logistical and distribution challenge. By building digital infrastructure that connects commercial surplus food to safe alternative outlets—from human donation to animal feed—Regan demonstrates how turning waste into value requires aligning economic ROI with operational viability. The conversation explores everything from municipal zero-waste policies and backhaul transportation efficiencies to the evolving role of food banks in a circular economy.

https://foodmesh.ca/

Food waste in the modern agri-food system is an illogical inefficiency driven by a connection and distribution problem rather than a lack of food. In this episode, Jessica Regan joins the show to discuss how FoodMesh operates as a digital matchmaker and data-tracking platform, routing surplus food away from landfills and into safe, compliant alternative outlets within tight timeframes. The conversation unpacks the hidden social infrastructure of food rescue, examining how large supply-chain generators often overlook their waste due to snapshot audits and accepted shrink tolerances, while small and medium-sized enterprises struggle on tight margins without dedicated sustainability staff.

A central insight from the discussion is that sustainability initiatives must be anchored in economic reality to succeed. Regan argues that cost is king for businesses, meaning diversion strategies only scale when they directly reduce heavy waste disposal fees, tipping costs, and operational inefficiencies. To overcome these barriers, FoodMesh replaces unpredictable grant funding with a revenue-share and data-stipend model that provides partner food banks with stable, predictable income. This financial backing allows community organizations to hire professional staff, coordinate pickups, and handle perishable goods effectively, turning a chaotic charitable scramble into a streamlined logistical operation.

The conversation also tackles the complex web of municipal policies, regional disparities, and agricultural realities across Canada. Urban businesses and rural producers operate on vastly different stages of the waste diversion journey, leading to billions of dollars worth of nutritional biomass ending up in landfills while farmers face soaring feed costs. Regan highlights the enormous potential of utilizing logistical backhauls—empty return trucks and trains heading east from western supply routes—to move surplus food back where it is needed most. Moreover, high-fidelity data collection across tens of thousands of annual pickups reveals supply chain hotspots, exposing the absurdity of manufactured waste where producers overgrow crops simply to guarantee customer supply.

Ultimately, this episode challenges listeners to rethink food waste as a systemic design flaw that requires both regulatory carrots and sticks, such as circular waste taxes. Regan shares a visionary outlook where recovered and upcycled food transitions from an emergency measure driven by food insecurity to a mainstream, values-based consumer choice. For Canada's agri-food sector, embracing circularity offers a vital blueprint for building a resilient, collaborative, and economically viable food system from farm to fork.

Topics: Food Waste, Circular Economy, Supply Chain Logistics, Agri-Food Innovation, Food Security, Sustainability Data, Municipal Policy

Summary:

In this conversation, Jennifer MacTavish, Kaitlyn Kitzan, RJ Taylor, and Tianna Brand examine the deepening leadership crisis in the agri-food sector against a backdrop of compounding global and economic crises. The panellists explore how systemic risk aversion is paralyzing traditional governance, and argue that building resilience requires abandoning obsolete status-quo models in favor of radical collaboration, peer-to-peer connection, and reimagined engagement.

Show notes:

The agri-food sector is navigating an unprecedented era of overlapping turbulence, from supply chain disruptions and climate volatility to shifting trade dynamics. Yet beneath these operational pressures lies a deeper, less discussed crisis: a severe shortage of leadership. In this episode of The Future Herd, co-hosts Jesse Hirsh and Jennifer MacTavish are joined by panellists Tianna Brand, RJ Taylor, and Kaitlyn Kitzan to confront this challenge head-on. The central question of the conversation is whether traditional leadership frameworks are fit for an era of chronic uncertainty, or if the industry's default governance models are actively repelling the next generation of changemakers.

A recurring theme throughout the discussion is how recent economic shocks have bred a profound risk aversion among producers and sector organizations. RJ Taylor, a second-generation fish farmer and industry association lead, shares how market volatility and broken supply chain commitments forced his business into extreme caution, creating a painful paradox where he publicly advocates for sector growth while privately pulling back on expansion. Kaitlyn Kitzan, a Saskatchewan grain and cattle producer and consultant, echoes this sentiment, noting that the combination of market penalties and digital toxicity has driven many agricultural leaders to become intensely reserved. Both guests illustrate how the emotional and financial toll of recent years has made conventional leadership roles look less like opportunities and more like endless 'shit sandwiches,' contributing directly to the burnout and vacancies seen on boards today.

To counter this paralysis, the panellists explore practical, grassroots interventions that challenge legacy governance structures. Kitzan shares success stories of shifting annual general meetings from sterile local venues to collaborative, all-inclusive international retreats where members are compelled to connect away from the pressures of the farm. Similarly, Taylor emphasizes the necessity of carving out intentional social spaces and funding peer-to-peer networks for up-and-coming leaders rather than cutting travel and connection budgets during lean times. Tianna Brand adds a crucial foresight perspective, arguing that because historical forecasting data is no longer reliable in a disrupted world, leaders must move away from rigid prediction models and instead build anticipation muscles by asking different questions and tapping into collective community intelligence.

Listeners will take away a refreshing, grounded perspective on how the agri-food sector can survive and innovate through crisis not by doubling down on rigid hierarchies, but by embracing radical flexibility, shared responsibilities like co-chair models, and authentic cross-sector collaboration. This episode matters because it pulls back the curtain on the human cost of agricultural leadership today, offering actionable blueprints for how Canada's food system can redesign its institutions to attract and retain the brilliant minds needed for the future.

Topics: Agri-Food Leadership, Leadership Crisis, Risk Management, Sector Collaboration, Agricultural Innovation, Governance Models, Strategic Foresight

Summary:

Dr. Suresh Neethirajan joins host Jesse Hirsh to explore how artificial intelligence, bioacoustics, and digital twin technology are transforming livestock farming from a transactional model into biological co-creation. Together, they discuss bridging the gap between traditional farmer intuition and objective data to improve animal welfare, farm resilience, and food security across Canada.

Show notes:

In this episode of The Future Herd, host Jesse Hirsh sits down with Dr. Suresh Neethirajan, an agricultural engineer and research chair in digital livestock farming, to examine how cutting-edge technology intersects with animal agriculture. The central question of the conversation is how the agri-food sector can move past urban-centric technology strategies and black-box AI models to embrace multidisciplinary, context-aware tools that serve both livestock and producers. Dr. Neethirajan shares his unique perspective on why biology must anchor engineering and computer science, arguing that successful innovation requires respecting the complex, five-sense intuition that experienced farmers bring to their barns every single day.

Dr. Neethirajan unpacks the emerging concept of digital twins in livestock agriculture, explaining how multi-modality data—from continuous environmental metrics and computer vision to bioacoustic vocalizations—allows researchers to build virtual avatars of animal husbandry systems. Unlike static dashboards that only show historical data, digital twins enable farmers and researchers to run complex "what-if" simulations regarding feed supply chain disruptions, heat stress mitigation, and methane emission reductions without placing animals under external stress. This capability represents a monumental shift from reactive management to proactive, predictive stewardship that directly supports net-zero goals and operational sustainability.

The conversation also tackles the vital realities of data ownership, open-source research, and interoperability across both small-scale and large-scale farming operations. Dr. Neethirajan emphasizes that technology must be designed as a pull rather than a push, ensuring that farmers retain ultimate decision-making authority and are never burdened with prohibitive licensing costs or chaotic, proprietary data silos. By focusing on non-invasive computer vision and accessible mobile applications that translate animal vocalizations, his research team demonstrates how tiny operational adjustments—such as optimizing ventilation timing or slightly shifting poultry production cycles—can yield dramatic improvements in animal welfare and recovery resilience.

Ultimately, this episode challenges listeners to rethink the foundational philosophy of animal agriculture by advocating for a transition from transactional farming to biological co-creation. As Dr. Neethirajan explains, technology should act as an empathetic bridge between the human and animal kingdoms, fostering harmony, shared prosperity, and robust food security during tumultuous global times. For Canadian producers, policymakers, and technologists alike, this conversation provides a visionary roadmap for integrating artificial intelligence with deep biological respect to secure the future of our food systems.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, Precision Livestock, Bioacoustics, Animal Welfare, Data Interoperability, Agri-Food Policy, Biological Co-Creation

Summary:

Chef-farmer Joel Gray of Down Home Restaurant discusses how integrating small-scale farming, live-fire cooking, and intimate agritourism fosters rural economic development and community resilience. In conversation with Jesse Hirsh, Joel explores how moving beyond toxic restaurant cultures and embracing seasonal, 'perfectly imperfect' ingredients creates a transparent, high-empathy food system.

Show notes:

In this episode of The Future Herd, host Jesse Hirsh sits down with chef-farmer Joel Gray, co-founder of Down Home Restaurant in Grey County, Ontario, to explore how grassroots culinary models are reshaping the future of Canadian agri-food. Joel shares his journey from working in urban kitchens sourcing from dozens of small farms to establishing an integrated, 16-seat farmhouse dining experience where agriculture and hospitality merge. The central argument of the conversation is that true rural resilience relies on human-scale infrastructure, direct relationships between growers and eaters, and an economic model that recirculates capital directly back to neighboring small-scale producers.

Throughout the discussion, Joel unpacks the shared psychology of chefs and farmers, noting that both operate under the pressures of perishable goods, unpredictable elements, and an ever-changing economy. By eliminating standard a la carte menus in favor of a curated 'take care of me' dining experience, Joel removes traditional kitchen stress and mirrors the unpredictability of agriculture. This philosophy extends to team building, where he deliberately rejects the toxic burnout tropes popularized in modern media in favor of a sustainable, human-first workplace built on emotional health and shared purpose.

The conversation also tackles the systemic hurdles facing Canada's local food movement, including rigid zoning laws, regulatory bottlenecks around local abattoirs, and a risk-averse agricultural focus on monocultures. Joel argues that restaurants should act as powerful advocacy tools for sustainable food by proving to consumers at the table that ecologically conscious farming produces superior flavour. Rather than relying on industrial food systems driven by fear and bureaucracy, pioneers like Joel and his network of regional collaborators are building decentralized infrastructure, such as on-farm stores and direct-to-consumer supply chains, that empower rural communities.

Listeners will take away a renewed appreciation for the revolutionary power of shared food, as well as practical insights into how small-scale agritourism can drive regional economic development. This episode matters because it offers a tangible blueprint for what a decentralized, ecologically sound Canadian food system looks like in practice, proving that local resilience starts with caring for the soil, the community, and the human beings at both ends of the supply chain.

Topics: Agritourism, Farm-To-Table, Rural Resilience, Soil Health, Culinary Innovation, Local Food Systems, Restaurant Culture

Summary:

This episode explores how artificial intelligence functions in agriculture not as a tool of rigid control, but as a facilitator of human intuition and field-level improvisation. Host Jesse Hirsh is joined by Donald Killorn and Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi to examine the practical, ethical, and computational realities of deploying AI across Canadian agri-food systems.

Show notes:

In this episode of The Future Herd, hosts Jesse Hirsh and Jenn MacTavish bring together two of Canada's leading voices on technology and agriculture—Donald Killorn and Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi—to examine how artificial intelligence intersects with the day-to-day realities of farming and agri-food leadership. While AI is frequently marketed as a technology of absolute control and automation, agriculture presents a unique counter-narrative. Farming requires constant adaptation to unpredictable weather, volatile markets, and biological complexity, meaning that any effective technology must support—rather than replace—human intuition and improvisation.

Donald Killorn shares insights from the front lines of agricultural deployment in Prince Edward Island, detailing how his team manages the tension between blue-sky technological curiosity and the immediate operational needs of farmers. He discusses the architectural necessity of building localized "harnesses" and sentinel layers to protect sensitive farm data while leveraging large language models for complex tasks like carbon credit documentation and climate risk modeling. Killorn argues that the rollout of AI on farms is fundamentally an infrastructure and design challenge that demands human-centered aesthetics and rigorous cybersecurity.

Expanding on the research side, Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi explores the intersection of computational biology, plant breeding, and artificial intelligence at the University of Guelph. He addresses the critical challenge of AI hallucination and data verification in research, warning that circular citation loops by AI agents can skew scientific findings if not properly governed. Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi also introduces the revolutionary potential of quantum AI to process complex genetic and environmental combinations, offering a way to breed crop varieties tailored for the extreme climate conditions of the next decade.

The conversation closes with a grounded evaluation of the environmental costs associated with generative AI and the imperative of maintaining grower trust above all else. Listeners will walk away with a deeper appreciation for the governance, infrastructure, and leadership required to navigate the AI transition in Canada's agri-food sector thoughtfully, ensuring that technology serves as an enabler of freedom and resilience rather than a black-box constraint.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Agricultural Technology, Plant Breeding, Climate Adaptation, Data Governance, Quantum AI, Cybersecurity, Human-Centered Design

Host Jesse Hirsh sits down with Alissa Overend, Charles Levkoe, and Elaine Power to dismantle the illusion of cheap food, corporate grocery monopolies, and the systemic capture of agricultural policy. Together, they argue that true food sovereignty requires moving past superficial market-driven fixes to reclaim food as a public good and a catalyst for democratic renewal.

Show notes:

In this episode of The Future Herd, host Jesse Hirsh is joined by food scholars and advocates Alissa Overend, Charles Levkoe, and Elaine Power for a rigorous examination of the Canadian agri-food sector. The conversation cuts past the comforting rhetoric of federal food strategies to confront a stark reality: an industrialized food system defined by extreme corporate concentration, captured regulatory bodies, and the externalization of ecological and human costs. The central argument challenges listeners to see food not merely as a retail commodity or a line item in a household budget, but as the foundational infrastructure of our democracy, health, and social fabric.

Opening the discussion, the panel tackles the myth of "cheap food," exposing how low sticker prices at the supermarket mask massive subsidies, exploited labor, and environmental degradation. With just five major grocery chains controlling roughly 80% of Canada's retail market—and two multinational firms dominating 95% of beef processing—the food chain operates as a consolidated oligopoly that squeezes primary producers while raking in record profits. The guests discuss how government interventions frequently amount to toothless market tinkering rather than addressing root structural problems, noting that corporate lobbyists enjoy direct backroom access that renders public consultation forums largely theatrical.

The conversation also explores the dangerous intersection of international trade agreements, deregulation, and surveillance capitalism within modern retail environments. From attempts to fast-track U.S. pesticide regulations to the rise of ag-gag laws that shield industrial slaughterhouses from public scrutiny, the panel outlines how policy is actively weaponized against public health and food sovereignty. Yet, despite these heavy structural barriers, the discussion pivots toward powerful counter-weights, including the vital insights held by front-line food workers, the necessity of evidence-backed policies like basic income, and the organizing potential of local food policy councils.

Ultimately, this episode offers both a sobering systemic critique and a hopeful call to action for Canada's agri-food sector. Listeners will walk away with a deeper understanding of why reforming the food system is inseparable from reforming our democracy itself. By shifting our perspective away from shareholder-driven models and toward human- and environment-centered governance, the episode proves that food remains one of our most potent arenas for building shared culture, demanding accountability, and finding common ground across a polarized society.

Topics: Food Sovereignty, Corporate Concentration, Agricultural Policy, Democracy, Food Distribution, Labor Rights, Trade Agreements, Basic Income

Feed the People! live Future Herd salon

- Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026

- Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT

- Duration: 90 minutes

- Book: [*Feed the People!: Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better*](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jan-dutkiewicz/feed-the-people/9781541603783/) by Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg

- Participant RSVP: [email protected]

The salon uses the book as a shared starting point for a Canadian conversation about the systems that feed people, how they change, and how public narratives shape what is possible to see and do.

Summary:

Urban-rural divides dissolve when young people experience the agricultural food system firsthand. In this episode, high school educator Dan Kunanec joins host Jesse Hirsh to discuss how Don Mills Collegiate's campus farm and circular food economy are successfully growing the next generation of urban farmers, food system thinkers, and city builders.

Show notes:

Canada's agri-food sector faces an urgent demographic and labor crunch, yet the traditional pipeline of talent relies exclusively on youth migrating out of rural areas. In this episode of The Future Herd, host Jesse Hirsh sits down with Dan Kunanec, a veteran teacher at Toronto's Don Mills Collegiate, to challenge that paradigm. For 26 years, Dan has turned a high school campus into a thriving applied ecosystem featuring a 40-tree orchard, a 160-vine vineyard, an aquaponics setup, and a full kitchen. Together, they explore a radical proposition: instead of waiting for rural youth to save agriculture, we can cultivate agricultural literacy and channel urban talent back into the food system.

Central to Dan's teaching philosophy is the 'loaf of bread' metaphor, which demonstrates how a single food item can anchor a multidisciplinary curriculum spanning science, history, engineering, and community-building. Rather than forcing students through dry, abstract textbook units, Dan builds exciting, tangible projects first—such as planting rare indigenous corn seeds or harvesting produce for Michelin-recognized restaurants—and maps them back to the Ontario Green Industries curriculum. This approach treats students as active co-learners, proving that traditional classrooms can be replaced with vibrant, project-based environments where young people build real-world confidence and problem-solving skills.

The conversation also tackles the complex intersections of food security, cultural identity, and crisis response. Dan shares how the school farm pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to distribute nutritious meal packages to vulnerable urban families, inspiring students to pursue careers in food security and community advocacy. By leveraging urban microclimates, saving heirloom seeds, and connecting students with regenerative farmers, chefs, and craftspeople across Ontario, Dan bridges the urban-rural divide. These experiences teach students that seasonality, soil regeneration, and ecological stewardship are not distant concepts, but sensory, lived realities.

Ultimately, this episode offers an inspiring blueprint for how Canada can address its agricultural succession crisis by transforming urban schools into incubators for future food leaders. Listeners will walk away with a fresh appreciation for experiential education, the power of local food economies, and why growing farmers must begin long before young people ever step foot on a commercial farm. It is a vital conversation about finding examples of the future that are already alive and thriving in the present.

Topics: Urban Agriculture, Agri-Food Talent, Experiential Education, Circular Food Economy, Food Literacy, Regenerative Agriculture, High School Innovation