Sustainable Agriculture Discussed At 2017 Manitoba Agronomists Conference

 

Sustainability in agriculture was a common theme at the 2017 Manitoba Agronomists Conference which wrapped up Thursday at the University of Manitoba.

 

Michelle Nutting of Agrium kicked off the event Wednesday with her presentation which looked at the topic of sustainability.

 

Nutting is also a board member of the U.S.-based group Field to Market, which is a multi-stakeholder organization which includes over 130 members with participants such as Walmart and Pepsi.

 

She talked about some of the work the group is doing north of the border.

 

"In Canada, there's a really interesting across-the-border project that's being run by General Mills...where they're engaging oat growers in western Canada to do some field printing of oat production, so that General Mills can understand the sustainability of that supply chain for oats for their Quaker Oats products," explained Nutting. "What growers get out of it is to understand how efficient they are in their production, what their impacts are on the environment, as well as socially, what their impacts are."

 

In the United States, Field to Market is involved in over 45 projects across 32 states.

 

Video: Syngenta Ag Stories - Robyn McKee, Government and Industry Relations Manager

Syngenta Ag Stories - Robyn McKee, Government and Industry Relations Manager.

You don't need to grow up on a farm to build a career in Canadian agriculture. Robyn grew up in Richmond, Ontario - not on a farm, but in a community shaped by them.

Now she works at the intersection of policy, innovation, and the people who grow our food. Her drive? Making sure the right people understand what Canadian agriculture needs to thrive.

Her message to the next generation: "Agriculture today is full of possibilities - science, technology, business, communications, and policy. You're helping grow the food we eat, and it's hard to think of many things more impactful than that."