Advertise on podcast: AgAnnex Talks

As a field marketer and sales coach at Hensall Co-op in Ailsa Craig, Ont., Meghan Scott has learned a lot about building relationships with growers, interns, summer students and co-workers. When it comes to cropping systems and making recommendations, there’s not always a perfect answer. That’s why relationships are so important. But it takes time to get to know people and to figure out the best means of communication. Meghan is still partial to meeting face-to-face and to a phone call over a text.    With years of experience in her role, Meghan has learned that mistakes do happen. It’s always better to acknowledge them honestly and to tackle challenges head-on.  In this episode, Meghan speaks with agriculture editor Kaitlin Berger about how much there is to learn when you work in agriculture - and the importance of pursuing educational resources and keeping up-to-date in the industry. She’s also discovered that agricultural seasons go in waves of busyness. It’s important to recognize the busy seasons won’t last forever, especially as she balances her work with her personal life.  Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science Canada, platinum sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this series.  

There's no typical day in the life of Cathy Lennon. As the executive director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, a "typical" day can be filled with different advocacy and lobbying activities, which can take place on a small family farm or in Queen's Park. This means she's had to hone her communication skills, her mental flexibility and agility, and her empathy. It's those qualities that have made her an Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture honouree for 2025. In this conversation with agriculture editor Bree Rody, Lennon shares her journey into agriculture and gives insights to the transferrable skills gained across her various positions, from an administrative role with a family law firm to communication and management roles with agricultural industry groups. She also discusses the influence of her own mentors, as well as the importance of female friends – professional and personal – and reflects on the influence she has on her own daughter. Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science Canada, platinum sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this series. Special thanks to FCC, gold sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this episode.

In this episode of the Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture podcast series, Dr. Martine Boulianne shares insights from her career as a leader in veterinary science and agricultural research. As a professor at the Université de Montréal, she has mentored countless students and worked closely with industry to advance animal health, food safety, and sustainability. Martine reflects on her journey, her approach to leadership, and the evolving role of women in agriculture.

Fuelled by a passion for agriculture, Jolene MacEachern is an advocate for the family farm. She is the director of strategic projects in the faculty of agriculture at Dalhousie University and works to improve learning opportunities for students to set them up for success in the ag industry. MacEachern even took the unconventional path to acquire her dairy farm while balancing her career and a family. She's also an Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture honouree for 2025. In this conversation with agriculture editor Jill Filmer, MacEachern stresses the importance of education and research to improve economic development and the success of the agriculture sector. She discusses the value of farms in the community and the importance of building social license for agriculture. She also shares her thoughts on farmer perspective and bringing their “ground-level” approach to planning and developing effective policy. Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science Canada, platinum sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this series. 

Emily Ford is a senior agronomist with Quattro Farms in Bow Island, Alta. Ford always knew she had a passion for agriculture, and spent her early career gaining new experiences at both ends of the country as she learned more about which environments she thrived in the most. Ultimately, Ford is driven by a passion for helping Canadians understand where their food comes from – and she executes this crucial advocacy through programming work with the Irvine Ag School, while also serving as a voice for producers through the Potato Growers of Alberta. She's also a Nuffield Scholar, and is the Canadian delegate for the Global Farmer Network Round Table. Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science Canada, platinum sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this series. 

Growing up on a grain and dairy farm, Candace Mitschke has always been involved in agriculture, but her career path has taken many turns. She’s worked in animal nutrition, hay exporting, functional food development, marketing and communications, crop insurance - and more - all of which eventually led to her role as executive director of SaskFSA (Farm Stewardship Association) and project lead for SaskDEN (Drainage Extension Network) in Saskatchewan. Mitschke is also a nominee of this year’s Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture (IWCA) award.  In this episode, Mitschke speaks with agriculture editor Kaitlin Berger about water management and drainage management in Saskatchewan - and the importance of representing the landowner voice on those issues. With plenty of experience in communications, she emphasizes how storytelling is essential for connecting communities and ideas. She also shares how her core values - discipline, creativity, confidence and the ability to connect with others - show up in her professional roles, and why it’s important to be your authentic self in business.  Never miss an episode by subscribing to AgAnnex Talks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Special thanks to Bayer Crop Science Canada, platinum sponsor of the 2025 Influential Women in Canadian Agriculture program, for sponsoring this series. 

Athyna Cambouris has played a pivotal role in paving the way for precision agriculture in Canada. As a research scientist at the Quebec Research and Development Centre for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, her work is driven by her goal to help farmers manage their crop production challenges. Athyna carries a passion for soil science and takes any opportunity to collaborate with farmers and other researchers.  Tune into this conversation with agriculture editor Jill Filmer as Athyna walks us through her journey into the research field, how she prioritizes getting important knowledge into the hands of farmers and policy makers, and her invaluable advice for women interested in pursuing a career in agriculture.

Blanket tariffs — like the proposed 25 per cent tariffs on all imports into the United States from Canada, set to come into place March 4 – affect every single industry. However, although the effects on almost all of Canada's industries are significant and negative, they're also all unique. Those who work in export commodities know that these complexities extend beyond consumer-level "buy Canadian" sentiment. In this special episode of AgAnnex Talks, we discuss the unique ways in which the agriculture, agri-food and growing sectors would be affected by the planned tariffs. They discuss the subsectors that would be most affected, how our current trade processes work at a granular level, what lesser-known factors have industry groups worried and how these tariffs fit into an already at-times fraught context when it comes to labour, infrastructure and more. Hosts Bree Rody (Manure Manager, Potatoes in Canada and Drainage Contractor editor) and Amy Kouniakis (Greenhouse Canada editor) also feature economic perspectives that touch on historic precedence of both tariff and non-tariff-related trade disruptions and what the industry learned from those times, innovation opportunities and just why the U.S. became such an important trade partner in the first place. Today's guests of AgAnnex Talks are Colin Hornby, GM of Keystone Ag Producers, Victoria Stamper, GM of United Potato Growers of Canada and Amanda Norris, senior economist with Farm Credit Canada

We're mostly all about tile talk here on Focus on Drainage. But today's guest is detailing an alternative to tile: mole drains. While not as common in North America as they are overseas, mole drains are a cheaper alternative to tile drainage. While they don't work in every soil type or topography, a practical use case for mole drains – even when combined with traditional tile drainage – isn't that hard to see, says Ghane.

Some drainage doubters have legitimate concerns about whether or not drainage would worsen the effects of drought conditions in fields where soil moisture is significantly lacking. Dr. Vinayak Shedekar of the Ohio State University agrees that drainage could potentially worsen field conditions in areas experiencing significant drought – like the one experienced by Ohio in the summer of 2024, when more than 20 counties were declared to be on a D4 drought condition, some even into November, resulting in a significant decrease in yield for grain crops across the interstate. But Shedekar points out that, at least in Ohio's case, drainage still helped overall. Fields with drainage systems had the advantage of a better planting season, due to a wet spring. Even as drought conditions worsens, Shedekar says arguments that drainage systems significantly worsen field conditions don't – no pun in tended – hold water. This podcast is sponsored by Timewell.

Denitrifying bioreactors are a key edge-of-field practice for removing excess nutrients from agricultural water before it enters our nation's waterways. But adoption of bioreactors is a tough sell, in part because it requires a less traditional ROI approach. Dr. Laura Christianson shares the details of how bioreactors work, what the ideal pairings are of edge-of-field practices and how they pay off in the long run – even in the less traditional senses. This episode is sponsored by Timewell.

Loralee Orr grew up on the farm. But as commercial leader for Corteva Canada, she’s also passionate about letting people of all ages know that one doesn’t have to grow up on the farm to find a fulfilling career in agriculture. In fact, Orr is passionate about introducing people to all of the diverse aspects of agriculture beyond primary production. Government relations, communications and the vast world of innovation are all spaces to watch, says Orr, and that’s why it’s important to invest in and nurture young talent and attract them to the diverse and exciting ag industry. Special thanks to Corteva for its support of the IWCA program.

It can take time to find your true strengths. FCC's Aimée Ferré Stang shares how she's discovered, honed and grown her strengths in crucial, business-related skills since starting her career. And many skills, such as HR, marketing and other skills deemed more "soft" often are not taught in high school. But these skills often help farms succeed – from leading your teams to applying for a loan. Ferré Stang shares the skills she wish she learned when she was younger, how she learned to sell herself, and how she applies those skills to those she helps in her day-to-day work. Special thanks to gold sponsor FCC for its continued support of the IWCA Program.

How far can you go if you truly challenge yourself? Bayer's Arvel Lawson shares her insights into her career, including how things changed when she internalized feedback. Having always thought of herself as a technical and science-based individual, Lawson found that when she channeled her curiosity into improving her people skills. She also discusses how she's formally and informally honed and improved her skills, what she's learned from her mentors and how people in all aspects of ag can learn from their relationships. Special thanks to platinum sponsor Bayer for their continued support of Influential Women in Agriculture.

Fourth-generation contractor Jesse Tait was born into the industry. But he's never rested on his laurels. Believing that "can't lives on won't street," Tait strives to help farmers better understand the long-term payoff of drainage, while contextualizing the work that goes into drainage. In this episode, Tait shares his experiences not only with working as a contractor in Northern Ontario, where subsurface drainage remains relatively new, but also his perspectives on working with restrictions, learning on the go and bringing a collaborative approach to drainage.