The Back 40

24 hours a Day. 7 Days a Week. 365 Days a Year. The Farmer Wellness Initiative provides access to free counselling services and tailored mental health support for Ontario farmers and their families. Bruce Butter, Zone 12 Director OFA & Chair of the Farmer Wellness Initiative Advisory Committee, joins us to discuss how the Farmer Wellness Initiative helps connect farmers with a support network rooted in rural Ontario. Support professionals are trained and have backgrounds in the ag industry to help support the unique needs of the farming community. . The mental health helpline for farmers can be reached at 1-866-267-6255. Additional resources can be found on the Farmer Wellness Initiative website and learn more by watching the “Let’s Break Silence Together” Video. . OFA has partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) - Ontario Division and Lifeworks to develop and launch the initiative. . Join us on your favourite podcast player/app or visit our website (www.the-back-40.castos.com) to listen to more episodes. Sponsored by Trillium Mutual Insurance.

Do you know where your food comes from? . That may seem like a simple question, but for many youth across Ontario it’s not a simple idea. . This week we spoke (https://the-back-40.castos.com/podcasts/19751/episodes/there39s-different-types-of-tomatoes) with the 2022 Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education Winner, Nigel Carlisle. Nigel is a Secondary Teacher at Cornwall Collegiate Vocational School is using ag-focused teaching methods to empower students to become food literate community members. His ultimate goal is to change how his students learn using hands-on experience over tests and books. . The Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education Award is provided by AgScape in partnership with Canada's Outdoor Farm Show. . As the voice of Agriculture in the Classroom Ontario, AgScape provides factual, balanced, curriculum-linked food literacy programs and resources to Ontario's educators and students. Learn more about AgScape's programs and resources visit their website here: https://agscape.ca/. . Join us on your favourite podcast player/app or visit our website (www.the-back-40.castos.com) to listen to more episodes. Sponsored by Trillium Mutual Insurance.

Run by youth for youth. That’s the idea behind the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario. Meghan McLeod, Director of Communications, joins us to discuss her experience with the JFAO and why rural youth should consider joining to develop strong community leaders. Contrary to their name, all rural youth are free to join whether or not they are directly involved in farming operations. . To learn more about the Junior Farmers Association, join or find about local events visit their website here: https://www.jfao.on.ca/. . Join us on your favourite podcast player/app or visit our website here: http://the-back-40.castos.com/. Sponsored by Trillium Mutual Insurance.

6 Years. 15 Teams. Plans to future proof Canada’s food production. Tamara Rebanks, Chair of the Homegrown Innovation Challenge Taskforce and Director at Weston Family Foundation, joins us to discuss the Homegrown Innovation Challenge and how it aims to bring new solutions to allow Canadian farmers to compete with out of season produce. This massive undertaking being championed by the Weston Foundation aims to identify tools and technologies that enable Canadian farmers to sustainably and competitively grow berries out of season. . To learn more about the Weston Family Foundation (https://westonfoundation.ca/) or the Homegrown Innovation Challenge (https://homegrownchallenge.ca/) please visit their websites. . Join us on your favourite podcast player/app or visit our website here: http://the-back-40.castos.com/. Sponsored by Trillium Mutual Insurance.

We spoke with Tatianna Schrieber (Social Research Director) and Arthur Davis (UNRP Director, Researcher & Portable Toilet Co-Ordinator) of the Rich Earth Institute about how their organization is researching ways to reclaim nurtients from waste, mainly urine. Can this be a suitable addition or replacement to current options? How can this benefit farmers? We discuss the technical & social hurdles they have had to overcome, but also the uses and comparison to conventional fertilizers. . If you’d like to learn more about the Rich Earth Institute and their research programs please visit their website here (https://richearthinstitute.org/). . To listen on the go with your favourite podcast app visit our website here: http://the-back-40.castos.com/. Sponsored by Trillium Mutual Insurance.

On this episode of The Back 40 we spoke with Mike Bachner, Vice President at Grasslands Recruitment Specialists, regarding the current state of career opportunities in the agricultural sector. Mike discussed looking for new hires away from the farm, how the talent gap is driving technological innovations and how they are helping employers fill those gaps with skill sets that matter the most. . Looking for a career change and interested in the Agricultural Industry? Visit Grasslands Recruitment Specialists website for more information.

Are you ready to have a G'Day? This week we spoke with Scott Schoenfeldt about his website that connects consumers with farmers and food called G'Day. Scott, and friend Sean Menzie, combined their passion for food and farming to create a simple, easy to use direct to consumer platform. G'Day makes shopping local easy and gives consumers the freedom to connect directly with the faces behind their food! . Visit their website here (Shop G'Day) for more information.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to float in space? What about travel to the Moon? Maybe Mars? Our next guests on The Back 40, Lenore Newman & Evan Fraser, look at the incredible challenge within agriculture to bring food to Mars! Their new book Dinner on Mars shows how planning for futuristic colonies will help develop new innovations in products and technologies that address food sustainability & adaptability on Earth. . Get a sneek peak into their book and the thought process behind it by checking out the podcast episode below! . You can get a copy of Dinner on Mars everywhere books are sold on October 11th, 2022! . Guests: Lenore Newman Director, Food and Agriculture Institute; Canada Research Chair, Food Security and Environment & Evan Fraser Professor; Director, Arrell Food Institute.

Join us this week as Mike sits down with Renee Van Acker, the Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph. Mike and Renee discuss the notion that there are limited or restrictive careers in Agriculture that dissuade many from entering the industry. As an educator for those looking to pursue careers in Agriculture Renee explains where these notions may come from as well as providing examples of the need and opportunities for those in the agriculture field. Renee also gives a breakdown of the OAC, giving examples of the experiences of the program as well as long term goals that can be achieved with the education.

Join us this week as Mike sits down with Jenn Pfenning on her back deck as they discuss Food Insecurity. The conversation explores personal experiences with food insecurity and the cycle of food insecurity that many face on a daily basis. Jenn and Mike go into the factors that can lead to instability in food systems that are often filled with low quality low cost alternatives. As we discuss the issues and reasonings behind food insecurity we also provide ideas and theories that seek to inspire improvement for insecurity in our food networks.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Dwayne Henderson with Great Lakes Helicopters. Join Mike and Dwayne as they discuss the ins and outs of the helicopter business. Dwayne became interested in helicopters as a hobby but now operates Great Lakes Helicopters out of Cambridge. Dwayne breaks down how he and his family got into the helicopter business and how they now operate the business. Dwayne and Mike talk about the most common jobs they see throughout their season from their helicopter school, chartered flights, agriculture spraying and more.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Christoph Wand, a Livestock Sustainability Specialist with OMAFRA. Christoph and Mike look at the agriculture industry and its relationship with sustainability. Sustainability being the practice of attempting to reduce damage or degradation caused, has various everchanging processes, goals and needs from industry to industry or even farm to farm. Christoph utilizes his insight and experience with sustainability to explain how sustainability operates within our government and our communities, with a focus on sustainability for different breed of livestock.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Scott Shearer, who works for The Ohio State University as professor and chair for the department of food, agriculture and biological engineering. Mike and Scott sit down to discuss the impacts of technological innovation in the agriculture industry. They break down the importance of technology in agriculture, the reasoning behind tools of automation and the future of AI for machines on the farm.

Join us this week on The Back 40 as we are joined by the founder of Do More Ag as well as High Heels in Canola Fields, Lesley Kelly. Lesley and Mike sit down to discuss how Lesley’s organizations promote positivity in lifestyle and the importance of understanding mental health in the farming community. Lesley shares personal stories of mental health in farming as well as her mission to advocate for mental health awareness, the creation of supporting communities and awareness for available resources to help farmers with mental health.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by John Cranfield, the Associate Dean of External Relations with the Ontario Agriculture College at the University of Guelph, specializing in agriculture economics. John and Mike discuss the series of short courses that teach agriculture business management skills that is offered free to those interested in learning the various skills necessary for farm management. We explore the breakdown of these courses to highlight why they are important for farm business management and how to take these lessons from practice to application on the farm.

This week on The Back 40 Mike is joined by a member of the Canadian Space Agency, Matt Bamsey. Bamsey is currently involved with The Deep Space Food Challenge, an initiative that looks to create sustainability in low input, high yield, food growth processes that are necessary for extended travel in low to no resource environments such as space. Mike and Matt discuss The Deep Space Food Challenge, why it is necessary and the benefits the challenge can have on our food security across the world.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by the Director of Trillium Mutual Insurance Pat Bushby. Pat has had a distinguished career in grain, working with Viterra and acting as President for the Grain Elevator and Processing Society. Mike and Pat kick off this week’s episode with discussion surrounding the grain industry. They then break down the impacts of the Russian war against Ukraine on various aspects of agriculture including the growing and transport of crops in these areas of strife. We finish the episode by breaking down the uncertain future of food security on the world stage.

We are joined this week by Mel Luymes, the owner and operator of Headlands Ag-Enviro-Solutions, a one person consulting firm that specializes in on-farm support for families and farmers to grow relationships through effective communication and understanding. Mike and Mel discuss the difficulties of dealing with people or imposed changes in our day-to-day and how we can overcome these challenges through recognition of personalities, strengths and weaknesses in ourselves and in others. When we are able to understand the feelings of those we interact with we can build better relationships, resulting in more effective information networks, an increase in happiness and the opportunity for progress. Join us to hear more about how Mel and other farmers use effective communication on the farm and with their family.

This week we are joined by James Smith (Director of Agri-Food) and Aaron Martin (Agri-Food Supervisor, Development & Operations) from The Grove in London, Ontario. Whether you are looking to grow your business from the ground up or need access to resources to take that next big step, The Grove’s agri-business hub, by Western Fair District’s, should be your next stop! The Grove provides companies with a space to develop with access to mentorship and business planning support including marketing and day to day operations. Join us as James & Aaron discuss the role The Grove plays in fostering business growth and success in the agri-food industry, while educating the local community.

This week on The Back 40, we are joined by Lisa Thompson, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Minister Thompson joins us to discuss the current issues that are impacting Ontario’s farmers. Join us as we discuss growing a resilient supply chain, labour shortages and what the future holds for agriculture across Ontario.

This week we are joined by Kelly Daynard the Executive Director for Farm and Food Care Ontario, a coalition of agriculture business representatives working to build trust and confidence in our food farming systems. Join Mike and Kelly as they discuss the impacts of working virtually during the pandemic and how their events, such as Breakfast on the Farm, have adapted successfully and created opportunities to showcase agriculture in a virtual world. Kelly provides great insight into their events and how they have grown to incorporate a wider audience, opening the possibilities for increased relationships across the food supply chain.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Abby Stec, Director of Business Development at Elephant Thoughts. Elephant Thoughts, located in Durham ON, was founded in 2002 with the goal of putting education first to create sustainable change for youth facing barriers. Their local farm property is over 135 acres and boasts farm land, hiking trails, several event facilities, overnight accommodations and much more. Their focus is to be inclusive and by providing these resources to those facing any type of barrier they can start to improve access to quality education to as many as possible!

Today, February 22nd, Canada’s Ag Day, we are joined by a very special guest, The Hon. Rob Black, Senator for Ontario. Senator Black has been heavily involved in agriculture with OMAFRA, 4-H, Junior Farmers, AALP and in February of 2021 he was recognized by the Canadian Western Agribition as one of the top 50 most influential people in agriculture. Senator Black joins us to discuss a number of topics including his journey & role in the Senate, the importance of celebrating Ontario’s Agriculture industry and what’s in store for the future of agriculture across Canada.

This week on The Back 40 we spoke with Chris Van Esbroeck, Stewardship Services Coordinator at the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority. Chris joins us to discuss the various programs they offer to help farmers with advice or funding to address their land concerns. They work with each individual land owner to meet their specific needs to help combat climate change, land erosion or increase the diversity of their natural areas.

This week we are joined by Martin Pochtaruk, President of Heliene. Heliene is a company that is challenging the status quo or what solar panels can do. Solar panels have become more abundant over the years as more people look towards renewable sources of energy for their operations needs. Martin joins us to discuss how their technology is allowing farmers to not only produce energy, but also grow crops using the same area.

This week on The Back 40 we spoke with Cole Jones, CEO of Local Line. Local Line is an online marketplace for the food industry that helps farmers list, sell and manage their products. They build e-commerce, CRM and inventory management solutions that helps farmers, wholesalers and other food system stakeholders manage and grow their business. Listen here as Cole discusses how their platform supports and connects over 12,500 farms with the right customers.

What a year it's been! First, a huge thank you to all of our guests and listeners for your support throughout the year! Because of you we have been able to share the stories of 46 different guests doing incredible work in agriculture! For our last and final episode of the year, we are joined by Tracy MacDonald, President & CEO of Trillium Mutual Insurance. Tracy joins us as we take a look back at some of the incredible stories and highlights from The Back 40 in 2021. We have been joined by some inspirational and motivating guests this year and we look forward to bringing you more stories from the ag industry in 2022!

This week on The Back 40, we are joined by Randall Schwartzentruber, CEO & Co-Founder of BinSentry. BinSentry eliminates the risk of climbing into the bin or running out of feed to provide the farmer a clearer view into what’s going on inside their feed bins. Using 3D sensor and IOT technology their solution provides timely and relevant information to increase efficiencies both on the farm and at the feed mills. BinSentry allows feed supply companies to work more collaboratively and efficiently with farmers to avoid an empty bin and costly mistake!

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Joe Dales, Co-Founder & President, Agri & Food Innovation at the RH Accelerator in London, Ontario. Joe has had an extensive career in the agricultural industry including as a co-founder of Farms.com. The RH Accelerator is an investment company that helps new and rising agri-businesses grow by providing them with expert advice, industry resources and financial capital. Listen in as Joe and Mike discuss the RH Accelerator, the state of innovation in agriculture and creating an eco-system where unique ideas can grow and thrive.

This week on The Back 40 we spoke with Dr Jeff Wichtel, Chair of the One Health Advisory Board, and Dr Cate Dewey, Director of the One Health Institute, at the University of Guelph. The Institute operates by a strength in numbers approach. By working collaboratively they bring together individuals from multiple disciplines to solve our planet’s most complex plant, animal and environmental health problems. Listen as Cate & Jeff talk about how One Health is helping to solve today’s critical health issues, how collaboration can lead to innovative solutions and create a culture of change makers for the future.

On this episode of The Back 40, we spoke with Bryan Gilvesy CEO of ALUS. ALUS provides farmers and ranchers the opportunity to implement nature-based solutions to climate change that contribute to cleaner air, cleaner water and more biodiversity. Currently their network of over 1,100 farmers in 31 communities helps deliver eco-system services to their community such as carbon sequestration, flood control and much more.

This week on The Back 40, we sat down with Rory O’Sullivan, Founder & CEO of Grain Discovery. Grain Discovery is an Ontario based company that is working to digitize the entire supply chain from seed to the end consumer. Their focus is to provide a tool for producers to meet the increasing consumer demand for transparency using blockchain technology to create a digital food passport. Rory joins us to discuss how this passport and digitization will help standardize data, increase efficiency & security, while allowing consumers to have a stronger connection with their food.

This week we are joined by Jackie Fraser, Owner of Fraberts Fresh Foods in Fergus, Ontario. Fraberts is a family-run market that specializes in providing fresh, local food from all across Ontario. Jackie joins us to discuss how they differentiate themselves in an already crowded industry and how they have overcome many different challenges since opening their doors.

This week on The Back 40, we spoke with Cole Powers Co-Founder of IntelliCulture. IntelliCulture provides farm management solutions to address three of the industries largest challenges: labour availability, pest prevention and machine safety. Cole joins us to discuss the importance of collecting data, how it can help farmers prevent breakdowns and ultimately gain more insight into their operation.

This week on The Back 40, we spoke with Cher Mereweather, President & CEO of Provision Coalition. Provision is focused on developing a circular food economy while helping companies grow by making food sustainably. Cher joins us to discuss one of their recent projects The Re(Purpose) Incubator. The project works with local businesses to create a new Upcycled ingredient or product with their unavoidable food waste.

This week on The Back 40, we spoke with Jenny Butcher and Wes Kuntz of Little Brown Cow farm near Brantford, Ontario. As this year’s winners of the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmers contest they have a very unique and extraordinary story to tell. A winning combination of a passion for agriculture and a commitment to local food has pushed many across Ontario to visit their storefront. Listen in as we discuss their operation, how a viral video boosted their business and what the future may hold for the Little Brown Cow.

This week on The Back 40, we spoke with Amy Cronin, Chair of the Ontario Outstanding Young Farmers program. Amy and her husband Mike started farming in 1995 as pork producers and have since expanded their operation, along with their six kids, to include poultry and cash crop on farms all across Ontario and some parts of the United States. Listen here as Amy discusses her experience going through the Outstanding Young Farmers Program, what she learned and how the program is still helping farmers.

On this episode of The Back 40 podcast we spoke with Kim Timmer, Manager of Stakeholder Relations at Clean Farms. Cleanfarms is an industry stewardship organization that focuses helping farmers recycle plastics that are used on farms. Over their 10 years of operating Cleanfarms has recovered more than 50,000 MT of Ag-Waste, including jugs, grain & fertilizer bags, unwanted pesticides and livestock medications, for recycling. Join us as they discuss the many programs they have available that are contributing to their ultimate goal of zero waste through proper disposal of these items.

This week on The Back 40 we spoke with Barb Swartzentruber (Executive Director, Smart Cities Office, Guelph) and Justine Dainard (Smart Cities Project Manager for Wellington) from Our Food Future & the Smart Cities Challenge in Guelph, Ontario. They both join us to discuss the Smart Cities Challenge, which is working to imagine our food system as a circular economy where we produce no waste and every community member has access to affordable, nutritious food.

On this episode of The Back 40 we spoke with Carolyn Webb (Ontario Edible Education Network Coordinator) and Nicole Hambleton (Ontario Lead for Farm to School) about how Sustain Ontario is helping to bring farm education to the classroom. Sustain Ontario provides support to classrooms across Ontario to help them develop farm education programs. Their ultimate goal is to transform Ontario’s food system by working collaboratively with schools, farmers, chefs and other industry stakeholders. Listen to the full episode where Carolyn and Nicole talk about some of the school programs and how Sustain Ontario can help bring farm & food literacy to a school near you. . Additional Resources: Sustain Ontario Website (https://sustainontario.com/) Farm to Cafeteria Canada (http://www.farmtocafeteriacanada.ca/) Farm to Cafeteria Canada Resources (http://www.farmtocafeteriacanada.ca/resources/f2s-resource-centre/) Farm to School Stories (http://www.farmtocafeteriacanada.ca/our-work/farm-to-school-canada/farm-to-school-grants/)

This week on The Back 40 we are talking to Anne Wasko, Rancher, Market Analyst for the Beef industry and Chair of the Canadian Roundtable For Sustainable Beef. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef’s mission is to advance beef sustainability in Canada by bringing together many different stakeholders from across the industry. She joins us to discuss how the Roundtable is working to help improve the sustainability of beef particularly from the perspective of greenhouse gases.

This week on The Back 40 we spoke with Emma Butler of J & E Meats who has recently opened up an on-farm retail location. The Butler’s are the fourth generation operating their family farm in the Chatham-Kent area. They have over 1200 acres of crops, along with sheep and cattle, which provide the fresh, quality meat for the store. Emma joins us to talk about how they found and connected with new customers and what they have learned since opening their store. Emma also talks about how she uses the store as a platform to educate customers about their farm and livestock.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Martin Ritsma. Martin is the Deputy Mayor from Stratford Ontario, local farmer, Principal, Vice Principal and Teacher at the local school. Martin joins us to discuss an initiative that is tackling the drought in Western Canada, called Hay West. The severity of the climate conditions has impacted local farmers there so much that Martin has organized for loads of hay to be sent to farmers most in need. Martin ran the same initiative in 2002 and moves forward in 2021 with the goal of helping one farmer at a time to make a huge impact.

There is no question that technology plays a major role in farming all across Ontario. Whether it be robotic milkers, driverless farm machinery or drones, farms are becoming increasingly reliant on technology. Sougata Pahari, Founder & CEO of Koretchi Innovations, joins us to discuss how his company is using robots to automate many repetitive and sometimes unsafe farm tasks. His company is continuing to adapt and look for new ways for autonomous technology to be used to meet the growing demands of Ontario farmers.

This week we are joined by Amanda Brodhagen who has grown up in rural Ontario and has an extensive amount of knowledge regarding the ag sector including the beef industry. Amanda grew up on a beef farm near Bruner, Ontario and is currently an Agriculture & Agri-Food Associate at the Pathway Group. Amanda wears many different hats including being a Counsellor for the Township of Perth East as well as working on her multi-generational family farm in Perth County. Amanda joins us to discuss her experiences, what the future looks like and what some of the challenges are that producers will face.

Branding is an important step in clearly defining your values and communicating your story to customers. Whether you mean it or not, your brand is shaped by every interaction you have, on and off your farm. Len Kahn, President of Kahntact, joins us to discuss what goes into a brand and how our actions shape consumer perceptions of our products & services. A brand is so much more than just the logo and Len outlines how taking small steps can have a huge impact for your farm operation.

On this episode of The Back 40 we spoke with Robin Anderson, Communications Co-Ordinator for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA). CASA works as a hub to provide resources, training and programs to make farms a safe place to live and work. Join us as Robin discusses not only how to make your farm safer, but how to create healthier farm communities for future generations.

This week on The Back 40 we are chatting with Maggie van Camp about the importance of succession planning. She is a farmer, CEO of RedCrest Farms, Founder of Loft32 and currently is the National Agricultural Practice Development Leader at BDO Canada. During our conversation, Maggie discusses her personal experiences and the importance of having a plan in place to ensure a smooth transition from generation to generation.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Amie Peck, Public & Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association & Producer of the Guardians of the Grasslands documentary. The documentary released in 2020 highlights the importance of protecting Canada’s Prairie ecosystem. Amie joins us to discuss the process of making the documentary and the role of cattle in preserving Canada’s grasslands.

This week on The Back 40 we are joined by Chantal Lewington, Owner of Click Fork & Co-Owner of Dalew Farms. Chantal has been involved in the food and agricultural industry for over 16 years and runs a grass-finished beef operation with her husband and three kids. Click Fork is an online marketplace where local producers can market and sell their products directly to consumers. The website allows consumers to connect with farmers and enjoy a variety of fresh, local products delivered directly to their home.

On this episode of The Back 40 we spoke with Denise Philippe, Senior Policy Advisor with the National Zero Waste Council. The National Zero Waste Council works by collaborating with various sectors to drive change towards waste prevention & reduction through the design, production and usage of goods. Denise joins us to discuss some of the ways we can contribute to reducing our waste footprint and the costs associated with food loss.