Rural Roots Canada

In this week's episode of Rural Roots Canada, we travel to Hoi An, Vietnam, where STREETS International is using food to empower and train underprivileged youth so they can be gainfully employed in the tourism industry. More coming up on the Oodles of Noodles program, which sources ingredients from local farmers. More on this story and much more at ruralrootscanada.com.

Using an IT skillset to grow a farm. In this episode of Rural Roots Canada, we travel to Melbourne, Australia where these skills are paying dividends for an organic vegetable operation. Peninsula Fresh Organics is owned by Natasha and Wayne Shields. Find out more about Rural Roots Canada.com.

A dairy farmer in Tokyo, Japan is redefining what it means to be sustainable. Masanori Isonuma’s farm has been around for 350 years, passed down through 14 generations of the family. Isonuma has worked with the community to build up his farm, sells his products straight to the consumer and works to educate the public on where their food comes from. Isonuma sat down with me to talk about his farm's sustainable practices, the importance of educating the public about where their food comes from and how working with community can help your operation. It is graciously translated by Ag journalist Masaru Yamada.

Vegetable and rice farming in northern Vietnam. We sit down with a farmer in Hoi An and talk about the passion his family has for producing fresh food and the importance of educating the next generation on their farm. The farm also serves as a draw for tourists looking to learn about food production in Vietnam.

Exploring media's impact on agriculture, is the message getting through? Nuffield Scholar and RRC owner Craig Lester is on a mission to shed light on the media's role in shaping our perception of the agricultural industry. Lester's Nuffield journey is sponsored by the Alberta Wheat Commission, Foothills Forage and Grazing, Western Stock Growers' Association through the James Hargrave Legacy Fund, Eastern Irrigation District, Rolling Hills Ag Society, Hemsing Farms, Curt & Lynn Lester and Stephen Lester & Chantal Larose.

There are over 39 million people living in Tokyo. At its heart, a farm with a mission to connect with consumers. A dairy farmer who farms in the middle of the biggest city on the planet. Speaking through translator, and local ag journalist Masaru Yamada, he talks with excitement and experience about the farm his family has maintained despite commercial and residential pressures from all sides for 350 years.

As the agri-food sector evolves, the inaugural Agri-food Innovation Expo will explore innovation and economic growth opportunities within one of Alberta's largest industries.  This new event, launching this spring, is set to be a platform for the industry to gather, learn, and grow while helping it capitalize on undiscovered and underutilized opportunities.

Using multiple layers of data to help optimize crop production, improve farm operation's bottom line and maximize success.  In this feature, we talk to the Chief Technology Officer of Digital Ag, Dr. Alex Melnitchouck, at Olds College about how the HyperLayer project will lead the next generation of digital farming in Canada.  This feature is powered by AGvisorPRO.com.

Life-long learning is a big part of a farmer's journey. We talk to Scott Gerbrandt, a graduate of the Canadian Cattlemen's Young Leaders program about how the journey grew their passion for the beef industry. More on his story at Rural Roots Canada.com. This feature powered by AGvisorPRO.com

The depopulation of herds and flocks on Canadian farms is becoming an increasingly concerning issue, with disease playing a significant role in the decline. Not only does that affect consumers, but it also has a massive effect on farmers and their mental health. AgKnow, a farm-focused initiative providing farmers with essential resources to support their mental health, is conducting a study on farm animal epidemics and depopulation and is looking for input from those who have been through it. You can join the AgKnow community on AGvisorPRO.com.

Mental health is a critical issue for ag workers, but a new farm-focused mental health initiative is looking to tackle the issue head-on. In this episode of Rural Roots Canada, we chat with Linda Hunt, program director of the new program called AgKnow.

Canada's Prairie grasslands have been identified as one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. It's a threat to producers, but the solution to mitigating that threat could be as simple as proper cattle management. Over five million acres of Canada's grasslands were surrendered during the mad cow disease crisis in 2003 when 26,000 ranch families left the beef industry. Most of the land was converted to cropland and other uses and continues to shrink.

Lethbridge College has ranked 16th on the list of Canada's top 50 research colleges, its highest-ever ranking and the first time it has cracked the top 20. The list, compiled by Research Infosource, also ranks the school fifth in research income growth, the third straight year Lethbridge College has been recognized as one of the country’s 10 fastest-growing research colleges.

The Advancing Women in Agriculture Conference is marking its tenth anniversary this year, a celebratory event that will highlight and recognize the incredible female talent and innovators in the ag industry.   The conference takes place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Calgary from March 12-14. As always, it will provide a forum for women passionate about agriculture and food and feature speakers from various industries discussing a number of different topics.

It's a new year, and that farm transition planning and conversation with your family that you have been putting off needs to happen. We talk to farm transition coach Elaine Froese about how to approach fairness with children. More on Rural Roots Canada.com. This feature is powered by AGvisorPRO.

Gathering the different generations of the family to the table for farm succession talks can be a daunting task.  We talk with Farm Transition Coach Elaine Froese on how to make this step easier . More on Rural Roots Canada, where we Amplify Canadian Agriculture.

Ontario dairy farmer and communication expert Andrew Campbell is urging farmers to tell their story. The Fresh Air Farmer, who farms with his family in Strathroy, Ontario, says no one else is going to tell consumers about their farm story and how they produce food if they don’t. Campbell was a keynote speaker at this year’s Banff Pork Seminar.

“One of the things we need to bring into the discussion is the discussion of the emotion of farming as well as the practicality,” says AGvisorPRO CEO and Founder Robert Saik referring to how agriculture can strengthen its relationship with consumers. In this interview, Rob and RRC’s Craig Lester also talk about why sustainable intensification at the farm level will help feed the world and why everyone in the industry needs to adopt technology at a quicker rate. They also take a trip back in time as Rob reflects on what he would tell his younger self if he had the chance. They conclude their conversation with a look into how the idea for AGvisorPRO formed and where it is headed as they look to help farmers connect with the expertise they need in a timely fashion. As Rob puts it: “AGvisorPRO shrinks time and space, while expanding minds.” This feature is powered by AGvisorPRO.

A Manitoba farm family turns a marginal piece of land into a thriving pasture for their cattle. They tell RRC how they were able to rejuvenate the land here on Rural Roots Canada.

Agriculture has seen a lot advancements in recent years. Entrepreneur and founder of AGvisorPRO Rob Saik provides insight on the current trends we are seeing. More on this story on Rural Roots Canada.com, where we Amplify Canadian Agriculture. This feature is powered by AGvisorPRO.