Canadian Agri-Food Podcast Episodes
The Future Herd is a Canadian agri-food podcast about leadership, adaptation, food systems, technology, and collaboration. Each episode is a working conversation about long-term change: how people adapt, coordinate, and lead together under real-world constraints.
Browse conversations with farmers, researchers, policy leaders, organizers, educators, and people building new relationships across the food system. For the ideas that continue beyond a single conversation, explore the knowledge archive and thematic story threads.
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34: Biomanufacturing Is the Next Agricultural Superpower PlayEp 34 · July 15, 2026John Rafferty, CEO of Ontario Genomics, makes the case that Canada's combination of vast acreage, abundant water, and clean energy positions it to become not just an agricultural superpower but a biomanufacturing one — if it can close the capital gap in scaling infrastructure. Rafferty argues that genomics is moving from a specialised research field into the operating system of a circular economy, where biomass inputs from Canadian farms can replace petroleum-derived plastics, food colourants, and industrial chemicals. The episode is a call to action for policymakers, farmers, and investors to treat biomanufacturing not as a science project but as Canada's next major export industry. -
33: Meeting People Where Their Futures Already Are with Tianna BrandEp 33 · July 10, 2026Tianna Brand is a foresight practitioner who spent years introducing futures thinking into one of the world's oldest international scientific bodies — the World Organisation for Animal Health — by working, as she puts it, by stealth. In this conversation with Jesse Hirsh, Brand makes the case that humility is not a soft quality but a practical leadership requirement, and that the challenge facing sectors like agri-food is not a lack of data but a failure to hold multiple futures at once. Her argument grounds foresight not in prediction or futurism-as-escape, but in agency: the recognition that we are already creating the conditions for what comes next, whether we acknowledge it or not. -
32: Food Security Cannot Be Separated From Ecological HealthEp 32 · July 7, 2026Sarah Elton — journalist-turned-academic and author of Locavore — argues that genuine food security requires expanding our definition of 'all' to include not just every human being but every organism and ecosystem that sustains the food system. Drawing on posthumanist theory, microbiology, and years of empirical research, she makes the case that health is not a condition possessed by individual bodies but a property that exists across socioecological systems. The conversation traces her intellectual journey from covering the local food movement to situating the human colon inside the food system itself. -
31: Dark Data and Edge Computing Are Reshaping Canadian Farm StrategyEp 31 · June 24, 2026This episode brings together Canada's sharpest minds at the intersection of AI and agriculture to make a concrete case: the future of Canadian farm competitiveness will be decided not by whether producers adopt AI, but by how intelligently they manage, govern, and deploy the data they already have. -
30: AgriFood Names the Tension Between Capital and Care with Elaine PowerEp 30 · June 19, 2026Elaine Power, associate professor at Queen's University, joins Jesse Hirsh for a conversation that refuses to soften the contradictions at the heart of Canada's food system. Power argues that the agri-food sector systematically renders invisible the labour that sustains it — from racialized farmworkers and underpaid grocery workers to the domestic kitchen — and that this invisibility is not incidental but structural. The episode names what many in the sector sense but rarely say plainly: that a food system built on the logic of capital cannot also be built on the logic of care. -
29: Throwing Out the Business Textbook to Save the Family FarmEp 29 · June 10, 2026RJ Taylor, second-generation fish farmer and co-owner of a multi-site Ontario aquaculture operation, makes the case that the conventional business-school wisdom of focusing on core competencies nearly sank his family's business — and that deliberate diversification across species, markets, and sales channels is what actually builds resilience. In this episode, RJ walks Jesse through the geography and culture of Ontario aquaculture, explains why over 75% of the province's net-pen farms operate on First Nations territory, and argues that Indigenous partnerships aren't a policy aspiration but the structural backbone that has allowed the sector to grow when provincial licensing effectively stalled. Listeners will come away with a richer, more grounded picture of a food system hiding in plain sight on Georgian Bay and across Canada's coastlines. -
28: The Politics of Standing Up for Farmers with John BarlowEp 28 · May 29, 2026John Barlow, Member of Parliament for Foothills, Alberta and shadow minister for agriculture, makes a direct case that Canadian governments have confused the performance of consultation with the practice of actually listening to farmers. Drawing on years of first-hand visits to farms and ranches across the country, Barlow argues that the disconnect between what Ottawa decides and what producers experience at the farm gate is not incidental — it reflects a deeper failure of political values, not just policy process. This episode explores what it would take to close that gap, and why Canada keeps reaching for an agricultural gold medal while stumbling at the start. -
27: Applied Ecology as a Leadership Philosophy for a Changing Food SystemEp 27 · May 26, 2026Donald Killorn, Executive Director of the PEI Federation of Agriculture, makes the case that ecological thinking — not agronomic expertise — is exactly what Canada's food system needs from its leaders right now. Drawing on two decades spent working in rainforests, coral reefs, and Bay of Fundy fisheries before arriving in agriculture, Killorn argues that systems thinking and multi-stakeholder partnership-building are the core competencies for navigating an era of climate volatility, trade disruption, and accelerating technological change. This episode unpacks how Killorn applies that lens to one of Canada's most agriculturally dense provinces, where potatoes, dairy, and a cooperative food culture make PEI a surprisingly rich laboratory for the future of the sector. -
26: Agroecology Is the How-To of Food SovereigntyEp 26 · May 22, 2026Charles Levkoe, food systems researcher at Lakehead University, makes the case that agroecology is not simply a set of farming techniques but the practical expression of food sovereignty — the means by which communities assert democratic control over how food is grown, harvested, and governed. Drawing on his background as an agroecological farmer, nonprofit practitioner, and academic, Levkoe argues that isolating any single dimension of the food system — whether soil science, policy, or indigenous knowledge — guarantees worse outcomes than thinking through their interconnection. The conversation challenges listeners to move beyond individual consumer choices and reckon with the structural, historical, and political forces that shape what kind of food system is even possible. -
25: Leaving Every Organisation Better Than You Found ItEp 25 · May 19, 2026Kaitlyn Kitzan, Saskatchewan farmer, entrepreneur, and board leader, argues that lasting leadership means improving every organisation you touch and passing it on stronger than you found it. Drawing on lessons from her family farm, her early entrepreneurial ventures, and the volunteer ethic instilled by her parents in a 300-person rural community, Kaitlyn makes the case that the foundation of great leadership is not ambition alone but the habits, values, and emotional intelligence cultivated from childhood. In this conversation with Jesse Hirsh, she offers a candid, grounded look at what it actually costs — and what it gives back — to lead in Canada's agri-food sector today. -
24: The Grocery Store Is a Media Environment: What Sociology Reveals About Food, Power, and ChoiceEp 24 · May 14, 2026Sociologist Alissa Overend of MacEwan University argues that the food choices Canadians make every day are shaped by forces most of us never consciously examine — from curated grocery store layouts and deceptive package labelling to the deep social meanings we attach to what we eat. Drawing on her research into undiagnosed illness, food politics, and media, Overend shows how industry, advertising, and cultural norms work together to define what counts as healthy, who gets to eat well, and whose knowledge about food gets taken seriously. This episode makes the case that understanding food requires more than biochemistry — it requires a sociological lens. -
23: Measuring What Matters: Transforming Canada's Agri-Food SystemEp 23 · May 12, 2026A panel of experts discuss the critical challenges and opportunities in developing a more robust food system in Canada. The conversation explores key strategies around infrastructure, food waste reduction, measurement, and investment to enhance national food security and resilience. -
Episode 22: Rural Food Security and Community Resilience with Rob RainerEp 22 · May 6, 2026Jesse Hirsh explores the nuanced landscape of rural food insecurity through a conversation with Rob Rainer, executive director of The Table Community Food Centre in Perth, Ontario. The episode reveals the complex challenges and innovative approaches to addressing food security in smaller communities. -
Episode 21: Technology as a Democratic Force in AgricultureEp 21 · May 1, 2026In this episode, Jesse Hirsh speaks with Mohamad Yaghi from Farm Credit Canada about how technology can democratize agricultural knowledge and empower farmers. Yaghi explores the potential of AI and digital tools to help farmers manage complex environmental risks and transfer critical expertise across generations. -
Episode 20: From Mistakes to Mentorship: Leadership in Agricultural Ecosystems with Jennifer MacTavishEp 20 · April 29, 2026Jesse Hirsh sits down with Jennifer MacTavish, Interim Executive Director of the Agricultural Adaptation Council, to explore the nuanced pathways of leadership in agriculture. Through her unique journey from international development to agricultural leadership, MacTavish offers insights into creating supportive, learning-focused organizational cultures. -
Episode 19: The Infrastructure of Care with Neil HetheringtonEp 19 · April 27, 2026Neil Hetherington, CEO of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank, offers a revealing look inside one of Canada's most critical food security organizations. Through his lens, the episode explores how food banks have evolved from emergency response to essential urban infrastructure. -
Episode 18: The Rise of the Computational BreederEp 18 · April 24, 2026Dr. Mohsen Yoosefzadeh Najafabadi explores the emerging field of computational plant breeding, revealing how artificial intelligence and data science are transforming agricultural research. Through his work at the University of Guelph, he demonstrates how machine learning can accelerate crop development and address future food security challenges. -
Episode 17: Can We Eliminate Food Waste?Ep 17 · April 21, 2026Lori Nikkel, CEO of Second Harvest, offers a transformative perspective on food waste and food security in Canada. Through data-driven insights and systemic thinking, she challenges listeners to see food redistribution not as charity, but as critical infrastructure for societal change. -
Episode 16: Manitoba's Agricultural Advocacy in a Time of Constant ShiftEp 16 · April 17, 2026Colin Hornby, Executive Director of Keystone Agricultural Producers, joins The Future Herd to explore the complex landscape of agricultural representation in Manitoba. Through his lens, the episode examines how policy, risk, and advocacy intersect in a province that sits at the center of Canada's agricultural innovation. -
Episode 15: Proximity and Participation in Agriculture's Next Generation with Jordyn DomioEp 15 · April 14, 2026Jordyn Domio, President of the Junior Farmers Association of Ontario, explores the unspoken conditions that shape agricultural participation. Her conversation challenges conventional narratives about youth recruitment by focusing on the subtle cultural dynamics that determine who gets invited into the sector. -
Episode 14: When Learning Lived in the Community with Barb Scott-ColeEp 14 · March 30, 2026Barb Scott-Cole explores the often-invisible social systems that sustain agricultural communities and knowledge transfer. Her insights reveal how learning, leadership, and adaptation happen through participation, challenging our understanding of innovation beyond technology and formal structures. -
Episode 13: Food Security, Dignity, and Community Resilience with Treska WatsonEp 13 · March 30, 2026Treska Watson, Executive Director at The Mustard Seed Street Church, confronts the stark contradictions of food insecurity in a nation known for agricultural abundance. Through innovative food rescue and distribution strategies, she reveals how collaborative leadership can transform broken systems and restore human dignity. -
Episode 12: Why Culture Decides What We Eat with Raj ThandhiEp 12 · March 24, 2026Raj Thandhi — chef, recipe developer, and food educator behind Pink Chai Living — joins Jesse Hirsh to explore how culture shapes demand, why food has to 'belong' before it moves, and what diaspora cuisine reveals about the infrastructure that actually connects agriculture to everyday life. -
Episode 11: Making Innovation Real: Bridging the Gap Between Research and the FarmEp 11 · March 20, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with Todd Ormann of Olds College about why so many promising agricultural technologies struggle to reach the farm, and what it actually takes to close that gap — from applied research and Smart Farms to workforce development and Canada's fragmented innovation system. -
Episode 10: Rebels, Radicals, and the Future of Agriculture — A Conversation with Jamie ReaumeEp 10 · March 17, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with Jamie Reaume — nearly three decades inside Canada's agri-food sector — about why the sector's institutional conversations rarely change, what independent thinking costs, and why dissent is essential if agriculture is going to navigate the decades ahead. -
Episode 9: Building Indigenous Agriculture at Scale with Camden LawrenceEp 9 · March 9, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with Camden Lawrence of First Nations Agriculture & Finance Ontario about Indigenous agriculture as economic development, the capital requirements of modern farming, and the demographic opportunity that First Nations communities represent for Canada's agri-food sector. -
Episode 8: Curiosity, Trust, and the Next Generation of Farm Leadership with Steph TowersEp 8 · March 5, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with farm leader Steph Towers about curiosity, transparency, emotional intelligence, and the relationships needed for agriculture to lead through uncertainty. -
Episode 7: Leadership in a Volatile World (with Tyler McCann)Ep 7 · March 1, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with Tyler McCann of CAPI about geopolitical volatility, policy leadership, value-added capacity, and what it means to treat agri-food as a strategic sector. -
Episode 6: Dana McCauley - Building Canada's Food Innovation EcosystemEp 6 · February 23, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with Dana McCauley about food innovation culture, commercialization realities, and what Canada needs to build a more competitive agri-food system. -
Episode 5: Leadership, Knowledge, and the Next Generation (with Rene Van Acker)Ep 5 · February 17, 2026Jesse Hirsh speaks with University of Guelph President and Vice Chancellor Rene Van Acker about leadership, collaboration, and long-term institutional responsibility in building a resilient agri-food future. -
Episode 4: Building the Workforce of 2050 (with Jennifer Wright)Ep 4 · February 9, 2026Jennifer Wright (CAHRC) joins Jesse Hirsh to explore the skills, training models, and collaboration needed to prepare Canada’s agri-food workforce for 2050. -
Episode 2: The Dance of Foresight with Ruth KnightEp 2 · February 2, 2026The Dance of Foresight: Reimagining Leadership in Agri-Food -
Episode 1: Welcome to the Future Herd!Ep 1 · February 1, 2026This introductory episode sets the foundation for the season by introducing the core idea behind the “future herd”: food systems are made up of many independent actors—farmers, animals, ecosystems, institutions, technologies, and communities—coordinating without central control. Adaptation emerges from interaction, not command.