Joining us on this episode is Graham Hill from the non-profit Food for Life. The organization’s mission is to rescue food, impact lives, and give everyone access to healthy food. They aim to cut food waste, and Graham is here to discuss how he came to head up the charity and what is in demand in the non-profit sector. Graham has a varied background, initially being a scuba diving instructor. He then became involved in charity before going to school to obtain a post-grad degree in Fundraising and Volunteer management. After working for various organizations involved with health, he came to wor ..read more

Joining us on this episode is Mike Schreiner, the Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and a member of the Provincial Parliament for Guelph. Mike is here not to talk politics, but to discuss his lifelong passion for food and agriculture. Before politics, Mike was an entrepreneur and advocate for the local food movement. Mike grew up on a cash crop farm, raising crops and cattle. He worked from 7 am to 7 pm almost every day, and to entertain himself he would practice political speeches by himself. This led to a lifelong interest in politics and brought him to the Green Party, along with his fo ..read more

Joining us on this episode is Darren Anderson, who is co-founder and CEO of Vive Crop Protection. Darren talks to us about his path from science to agriculture and biotech business owner, and how students can prepare for a career in entrepreneurship. Vive Crop Protection makes more sustainable and effective pesticides for growers, enabling them to get the best results from the products they use. Darren wasn’t always on the path to agriculture and entrepreneurship, but while at university he was influenced by speakers at his school who would come and discuss how they used their science backgrou ..read more

In today’s episode we sit down with Owen Roberts, an instructor and faculty member at the University of Illinois in the Agricultural Leadership and Communications Program. Owen joins us to discuss his career and why communication is key in agriculture. Growing up in Mitchell’s Bay, Owen’s father was a conservation officer, and his mother’s family were farmers. The town was a renowned hunting and fishing spot, and his family would sell their produce there. He worked on farms in the area and saw the produce side of the industry close up. From there, he studied journalism in university and bounce ..read more

This episode of the Feeding Innovation podcast we're speaking to Nigel Carlisle -an Ontario Secondary school teacher living in Cornwall, Ontario. A few weeks after recording this conversation, Nigel was the recipient of the Award for Teaching Excellence in Agriculture and Food Education. Nigel discusses the creative and unique ways he incorporates teaching agriculture and food into his classes including a green industry and technology. His goal as an educator is to make an impact on how lessons are taught, encouraging hands-on experience over tests and textbooks. This past school year, Nigel ..read more

Joining us on Feeding Innovation this week is Madeline Rodrigue who, at the time of this interview, worked at Farm & Food Care Ontario. Madeline speaks to their mission at Farm & Food Care Ontario, what they're doing to accomplish that mission, as well as some of the joint programs AgScape and Farm & Food Care Ontario work on together. Madeline discusses her education and her career experiences that led her to Farm & Food Care Ontario. We also talk about our organizations shared goals of bridging rural and urban communities together, so that everyone has a connection and unde ..read more

In this week’s episode of AgScape, we are talking to Perry Wilson, Vice President of Farm Credit Canada. Perry is here to discuss the creation of FCC’s Agriculture More Than Ever Program and all things agriculture education. Unlike many people that come to work for FCC, Perry started out in the automotive industry before changing directions. Initially, he obtained a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. After a while, he went back to school and studied business. By working for an agricultural lender for 3 years, he landed a role at FCC. FCC is an institution wholly dedicated to agricultural bus ..read more

Randy Swain, Ontario Teacher joins us this episode to talk about how he built a unique, experiential learning agriculture & food based program at his school. He explains how teachers can take advantage of grant opportunities and collaborate to build similar programs. Randy has been teaching for 16 years, and started the Food For Thought Program 8 years ago. Episode Specific Links: Food for Thought - Sustainable Urban Farming Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Food-for-Thought-Sustainable-Urban-Farming-446998588743714/ Taking IT Global - F.A.R.M. Collaboration Activity - S.T.E.A.M. A ..read more

In this episode of Feeding Innovation Podcast, I talk to Agriculture Writer Kaitlin Packer. Kaitlin shares about her experience of realizing that writing was her passion, and discovering a creative career in agriculture and farming was for her. We also talk about how opinions around food and agriculture differ between rural and urban communities. How emerging technologies like social media can both be a bridge, and widen that gap, depending on how they're used.    Kaitlin Packer Links: Website: https://www.kaitlinpackerwriter.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/escaping_urba ..read more

In the second episode of the AgScape Feeding Innovation Podcast, we talk to Chef and Educator Katherine Jones of Growing Chefs Ontario. Katherine talks about how Growing Chefs Ontario is changing the way we learn about and develop healthy relationships with food. Growing Chefs! Ontario is a registered charity based in London, Ontario that unites chefs, growers, educators and community members in children’s food education projects.    Links: -------------------------- Growing Chefs Ontario https://growingchefsontario.ca/ -------------------------- Growing Chefs Social Media: Instagr ..read more