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The Truth About Ag: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Kristjan Hebert, Evan Shout
A raw, off-the-cuff discussion on the real time issues in agriculture today.
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- 2 days ago1h 3m
The Truth About the Structural Breaking Point in Agriculture
Kristjan and Evan take a timely look at the decisions, risks, and structural pressure building across Canadian agriculture. They discuss the real-time decisions farmers are facing around seeding, canola acres, crop insurance, market risk, and the cost of pushing through difficult conditions. The episode moves into the larger structural questions facing the industry. Land values, rental rates, equipment, infrastructure, capital access, tax, succession, labour, and management are all part of the conversation as they consider what happens when old assumptions no longer hold. They discuss how land appreciation has covered up losses for some farms, why infrastructure can limit flexibility, and why the next phase of agriculture may require different financing models, different HR systems, and a clearer focus on operating profitability. Kristjan and Evan also talk about the human side of the business, including time, family, health, and the long-standing belief that hours worked are a measure of success.
- 2 weeks ago1h 15m
The Truth About Agricultural Regulation and Innovation with Pierre Petelle
After catching up on how seeding is going, Kristjan and Evan sit down with Pierre Petelle, President and CEO of CropLife Canada, to talk through crop protection, seed technology, regulation, and how Canada competes for new agricultural tools. Pierre explains CropLife Canada’s role in representing companies involved in crop protection, seed technology, distribution, and other agricultural inputs, while also drawing on his previous experience working with the pesticide regulator. A major focus of the conversation is the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, or PMRA, and why timelines, predictability, and regulatory efficiency matter. Canada represents about 4% of the global pesticide market, so if the process becomes too slow or uncertain, companies may prioritize larger markets like the U.S. or Brazil instead. Kristjan, Evan, and Pierre also talk about activist pressure, access to information requests, European-style agricultural policy, trade concerns, and proposed changes to the Pest Control Products Act. The episode comes back to a larger question for Canadian agriculture: how do we keep the system rigorous without making it so difficult that farmers lose access to the tools, technology, and innovation they need?
- May 6, 20261h 43m
The Truth About Canada’s Position in a Changing World with Gary Mar
After an introduction with Kristjan and Evan discussing the hot topics in ag, they are joined by Gary Mar, President and Ceo of Canada West Foundation. Gary Mar has worked across provincial politics, diplomacy in Washington and Asia, and that varied experience shows up in how he talks about trade and policy. It’s less about theory, more about what actually moves decisions. One point comes up early and keeps resurfacing: agreements don’t carry as much weight as people think. They set structure, but they don’t solve problems on their own. Relationships are what push decisions forward. That same thinking carries into how Canada approaches the U.S. and global trade more broadly. Framing negotiations around “they need what we have” can work against you if it removes leverage before the conversation even starts. At the same time, influence isn’t just federal anymore; governors, state relationships, and long-term positioning matter more than most Canadians assume. Agriculture fits directly into that conversation. Canada has a strong story across food, fertilizer, energy, and critical minerals, but it doesn’t translate into influence on its own, especially when many decision-makers haven’t seen how modern operations actually run. Production alone doesn’t move the needle if infrastructure can’t keep up. Rail, ports, and corridors ultimately decide whether output turns into revenue. The opportunity is there, particularly in Western Canada, but it depends on aligning policy, infrastructure, and market access. And at a basic level, better decisions start with better understanding, something that still doesn’t happen often enough.
- Apr 22, 20261h 28m
The Truth About John Deere and Data Driving Farm Decisions with Jahmy Hindman
After an introduction featuring Ryan Denis from the What the Futures podcast, John Deere’s inaugural CTO, Jahmy Hindman, joins Evan and Kristjan for a conversation. They cut through the noise around AI and ag tech and get into what’s actually changing on the farm. From his roots in Iowa to leading technology at Deere, Jahmy brings a practical lens to how data, machines, and decision-making are starting to come together. A big part of the conversation comes back to the gap between how much data farms have and how little of it turns into something useful. What does “good” actually look like? How should farms compare performance? And where does Deere fit as equipment shifts from standalone machines to systems that have to work together? They also spend time on the tension farms that they are feeling right now. Technology is moving fast, equipment is becoming more complex, and the way it’s paid for is changing. Nothing about that is simple. This episode lays out where things are headed, where they’re not, and what that means for how farms operate going forward.
- Apr 8, 20261h 27m
The Truth About Turning Farm Data into Decisions with Devin Lammers
After an introduction featuring Maverick Ag CTO Taylor Phillips, Devin Lammers joins Evan and Kristjan to talk about where AI in agriculture is actually creating value and where it still falls short. From a bison ranch in South Dakota to MIT, FBN, and now TerraClear, Devin brings both a tech and farm lens to the conversation, grounded in what works in the field. The discussion starts with TerraClear’s work on HGV’s farm, mapping over 60,000 rocks and improving efficiency during one of the least liked jobs on the farm. Beyond rocks, the bigger opportunity: using high-resolution data and AI to understand what’s happening in the field in real time and make better decisions, faster. This episode is really about turning data into action. From clean data and simple systems to ROI and real-world execution, the conversation highlights what needs to happen for agtech to move from ideas to something producers actually use.
- Mar 25, 20261h 15m
The Truth About Where Ag Needs to Go Next with Arlene Dickinson
Kristjan and Evan are joined by the renowned Arlene Dickinson, who shares how her early experiences with food insecurity shaped her thinking about food, business, and opportunity. From growing up without reliable access to groceries to building one of Canada’s leading marketing firms, her path into agriculture was not linear, but it was intentional. Through her work in venture capital, she began to question why a country with such strong agricultural production was not creating more value from what it grows. That realization led her to invest directly in the agri-food and consumer packaged goods space, where she now has a front row seat to both the opportunities and the gaps in Canada’s system. Arlene challenges the idea that agriculture ends at the commodity level, pointing to the missed opportunity in processing, branding, and commercialization. She speaks to the need for better access to capital, stronger partnerships, and a willingness to think differently about how agricultural products move from field to shelf. At the same time, she highlights the importance of understanding markets, building products people actually want, and recognizing what skills are needed beyond primary production.
- Mar 11, 20261h 14m
The Truth About Innovation in Crop Protection with Mike Frank
This episode of The Truth About Ag has Evan and Kristjan in conversation with Mike Frank, CEO of UPL. What follows is a wide-ranging conversation that starts on a mixed farm near South Saskatchewan and ends in boardrooms and fields across 140 countries. Mike breaks down how the crop protection business has shifted from mostly on-patent products to a world dominated by off-patent actives, and why the next decade of innovation might be less about brand-new molecules and more about formulation, mixtures, and better fit-for-purpose tools. What’s actually happening with biologicals (and the difference between yield promise and real-world ROI), how resistance management is driving adoption in places like Brazil, and why regulatory speed matters when you’re trying to commercialize anything new are all questions they dig into. They connect dots between ag, health, defence, and AI, and why Canada has a real window right now to attract talent, build commercialization capacity, and expand export opportunities.
- Feb 25, 20261h 27m
The Truth About Building Value in Canadian Ag with David Marit
After catching up with Kristjan and Evan on their recent travels and conversations, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Agriculture, David Marit, joins them on this episode of The Truth About Ag. David reflects on his path from farming near Fife Lake to municipal politics, leadership within the rural municipalities association, and ultimately cabinet. He speaks candidly about mentorship, the importance of surrounding yourself with strong people, and the responsibility that comes with representing agriculture at the federal-provincial table. The conversation quickly shifts to what is pressing on producers right now. Cost of production, return on investment, and the impact of trade disruptions sit at the centre. They discuss value-added processing and why expanding crush and processing capacity inside Saskatchewan changes the math for farmers. The discussion expands into research capacity, infrastructure gaps, and how Canada scales agricultural companies beyond small and mid-sized operations. There is also a clear focus on telling a better story about production practices, emissions performance, and the competitive advantage Western Canada already holds. Bank lending structures, grain storage capacity, business risk programs, crop insurance design, and how large farms fit within existing rules all come under the microscope. David shares his concerns about regulatory bottlenecks at the federal level and their impact on innovation and livestock movement.
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