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. ...