As big data aims to boost Sask. agriculture, some are skeptical

Jun 27, 2022

The word ‘data’ has become what some farmers in Saskatchewan would describe as a four-letter swearword.

“Farmers can get taken advantage of by suppliers, buyers and equipment providers, who dwarf them, so that makes farmers apprehensive,” said Jesse Hirsh, who farms in eastern Ontario and does consulting work in the agriculture technology industry. “They have every reason to be because we’ve seen how the technology industries have ravished every other industry.”

Hirsh was part of a panel discussion at Canada’s Farm Show on Wednesday looking at the pros of data, but also lingering concerns about sharing it.

For example, Ken Jackson’s company VeriGrain collects data from farming customers so they know the exact quality of their grain.

Those farmers can then use that data to reassure buyers that their grain meets quality standards, Jackson said, helping build trust and optimizing profitability.

Further, data can be used to help inform farmers on when they should upgrade equipment, when to plant and what to spray.

Bryan Prystupa, who helps farmers digitize their records through Farm Credit Canada AgExpert, used the ‘moneyball’ analogy when describing data.

The idea is based on the popular book where baseball coach Billy Beane used statistics to create an unbeatable team.

“It’s finding a way to take that information, translate into data and then make better decisions over that,” Prystupa said. “That’s what we’re trying to do.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.