The Truth About Ag

Policy uncertainty has become a constant in agriculture, but the bigger question is what producers should focus on. Evan and Kristjan are joined by Shaun Haney and Tyler McCann for a farm-level look at the forces shaping Canadian agriculture right now, including trade, global markets and the broader policy decisions influencing costs, commodity prices and business risk.

The conversation ultimately comes back to management. In an environment where markets can move quickly, and outside factors are difficult to predict, knowing your numbers, understanding how much risk your business can carry and making decisions with a longer view...

After an introduction in which Evan discusses what he would do to help agriculture in the future, Evan and Kristjan are joined by Andrea Gruza and Mitchell King of Bonnefield Financial for a conversation about farmland, access to capital and the role of private investment in Canadian agriculture.

Andrea and Mitchell explain how Bonnefield works with farmers, including sale-and-leaseback arrangements, land unit exchanges and expansion-related land purchases. They discuss how lease rates are determined, how long-term leases and buyback options can be structured, and what they look for when deciding which farm operators to work with.

After an introduction with Evan and Kristjan discussing the beginning of harvest and how important it is to sit in someone else’s seat, Colin Brisebois joins them. Most people know Farm Credit Canada for lending, but they talk about the work happening beyond what you’d expect, including the partnership with Maverick Ag. From advisory services and strategic partnerships to transition planning and business education, Colin explains how FCC is working with producers as farm businesses become more complex and the demands on owners continue to grow.

The conversation moves through some of the challenges facing farm...

Kristjan and Evan kick off the episode with a wide-ranging discussion on the major challenges impacting the agricultural industry. They share insights into evolving global market conditions and practical financial strategies farms can use to navigate policy shifts, manage finances, and plan strategically. 

Then, live from Ag in Motion, they’re joined by Craig Davidson, CEO of Taurus Ag and the newest sponsor of The Truth About Ag. Craig shares the story behind Taurus as the company marks 25 years in business, his roots on a fifth-generation farm, and the philosophy that has shaped much of the company’s app...

Live from Ag in Motion at the John Deere booth, Kristjan and Evan are joined by Deanna Kovar, President of Deere's Ag and Turf Division. She grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm, started as a summer intern decades ago, and has since worked her way through nearly every corner of the company. It's a chance to talk shop with someone who's both run the numbers on a combine's R&D budget and filled the drill herself.

The conversation ends up being less about any single product and more about how Deere thinks. How a company built...

Evan and Kristjan sit down with Dick Wittman, farm management consultant, educator, and longtime faculty member of Texas A&M's Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP).

The conversation takes a hard look at an uncomfortable trend: using a proficiency checklist tracked over 25+ years, Dick reveals that farm operators, even massive, sophisticated operations doing hundreds of millions in sales, are scoring worse on basic management fundamentals today than they were two decades ago. We talk through why: gaps in agricultural education, a generation that hasn't been tested by a truly bad year, and an industry-wide habit of avoiding...

The episode opens with Taylor Phillips setting the table on AI and tools in a practical way: what they are, how they are used, and why the starting point should be the problem you are trying to solve, not the technology itself. That carries into the full conversation with Nick Horob, who joins Evan and Kristjan to discuss farm software, AI, and the difference between building something interesting and building something useful. Farms do not need more disconnected tools. They need better ways to see their numbers, manage information, and make decisions with less friction.

The conversation...

Bryce Eger returns to The Truth About Ag for a wide-ranging conversation on professional capability, leadership, follow-through and why the ag industry needs to get more comfortable being uncomfortable. From basic networking and follow-up to the difference between credentials and real knowledge, Bryce challenges the idea that experience, titles or confidence automatically equal capability.

Evan, Kristjan and Bryce talk about what separates valuable advisors, salespeople and industry professionals from those who are simply showing up with a pitch. It comes down to asking better questions, respecting people’s time and teams, solving problems the customer actually believes ar...

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...

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 gl...

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 decisio...

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 usef...

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...

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 no...

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 an...

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 im...

Premier Scott Moe joins Evan and Kristjan for a wide-ranging conversation that connects farming roots, political leadership, and Canada’s place in a rapidly shifting global economy. Moe reflects on growing up on a mixed farm in Saskatchewan, what drew him into politics, and why thick skin, long-term thinking, and collaboration matter in public life. He shares how early experiences shaped his belief that provinces, communities, and industries succeed together or not at all.

The discussion moves from COP28 to China, unpacking how Saskatchewan approached global trade conversations with a practical, unapologetic focus on food, fuel, and fe...

The first recording of 2026 opens with a realistic read on the mood coming out of Crop Production Week. Many producers are still coming to grips with what 2025 actually looked like once yield met real pricing, and the optimism some were hoping for hasn’t fully shown up. The conversation walks through what that means for grain marketing right now, why so much grain remains unsold, and how flat spreads and cautious buyers are leaving more acres exposed than many are comfortable with.

Evan and Kristjan discuss the pressure points showing up inside farm businesses. Fertilizer prices haven’t re...

In this episode, Evan and Kristjan sit down with first-generation farmer and long-time ag industry leader April to explore what it really takes to build both a business and a life on the farm. April and her husband Chad started their operation from scratch east of Regina over 20 years ago, and she’s spent much of that time balancing “church and state” – growing a farm, raising a family, and leading big teams in corporate agriculture.

They dig into how boots on the ground experience shapes better decisions in head offices, and how boardroom skills like hiring, benefits, leadersh...

It’s a catch-up Christmas special on The Truth About Ag. With nearly 50 episodes behind them, Evan and Kristjan look back at the conversations that shaped the show. From CEOs who started on the ground floor to guests who opened up about health, mindset, and the realities of modern farming. They revisit the moments that stuck, the one-liners they still use, and the guests who shifted how they think about leadership and life.

The conversation moves into the big issues farmers are facing now: grain dryer grants and why infrastructure, not price, is the real bottleneck; rising la...

Evan and Kristjan sit down with Ken Seitz, CEO of Nutrien, whose journey from a Saskatchewan dairy farm to leading one of the world’s largest ag companies is a story rooted in humility, hard work, and curiosity. Ken shares how growing up on the farm shaped his leadership approach, the mentors who taught him the value of truth, discipline, and community, and how those early experiences continue to influence his perspective on business and community.

The conversation covers everything from global fertiliser trade flows and market volatility to the future of technology and talent in agriculture. Ke...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Kristjan and Evan are joined by longtime friend and Canadian agriculture executive Bryce Eger. They get into how their small-town roots shaped the people and professionals they’ve become, despite all three of them ending up in careers they were once told not to pursue.

Bryce’s leadership has guided teams through mergers, cultural shifts, and major innovations in seed technology and commercialization. Today, Bryce continues to bring his trademark people-first approach to an industry that’s constantly evolving.

The conversation ranges from leadership and business advice to tec...

John Heimbecker of Parrish & Heimbecker joins Kristjan and Evan to share what four decades in Canadian agriculture have taught him about leadership, diversification, and long-term thinking. From his start in a Toronto trading office to leading one of the country’s largest family-owned agribusinesses, John talks about how P&H develops people from the ground up, why family members start at the bottom, and how empowering non-family managers has kept the company moving forward.

The conversation dives into marketing discipline, hedging strategies, and the role diversification plays in managing volatility across grain, feed, flour, and eggs. 

J...

Evan and Kristjan welcome Warren Kaeding, third-generation farmer and MLA for Melville-Saltcoats, for a conversation that ties farm life to global trade. Warren shares how his roots in pedigreed seed and recognition through Outstanding Young Farmers shaped his path into politics, and why “engagement, engagement, engagement” is the thread running through both farming and government.

The discussion ranges from recent trade missions in Asia to the role of Saskatchewan’s trade offices and STEP in opening doors, building trust, and keeping Canada competitive. Warren explains how volatility today is driven less by supply and demand and more by geo...

This week on The Truth About Ag, we’re tackling the theme “Fear Sells—Who’s Buying?” Evan is joined by Todd Andries, repeat guest Dean Klippenstein, and U.S. farmer Rich Bronec for a wide-ranging roundtable on what’s really happening in agriculture as 2025 winds down.

From land transitions and rental opportunities to rising fertilizer costs, shifting rotations, and the reality of cash flow crunches, the group dives into where the opportunities are even in a margin-tight environment. They cover long-term leases, machinery costs, lender expectations, and the growing importance of financial acumen on today’s farms.

W...

In this episode, Evan and Kristjan welcome Leta LaRush, Vice President of Business Management for BASF Canada Agricultural Solutions. What follows is a conversation that weaves together agriculture, leadership, innovation, and the realities of life outside of work.

Leta explains why it takes as long as twelve years to bring a new agricultural product to market, how regulation and red tape impact innovation, and what Canada needs to do to stay competitive. She talks about the importance of spending time in the combine each year, the debate between brands and generics, and the role trade barriers play...

Kristjan and Evan sit down with Jace Young, Founder and CEO of Legacy Farmer, to take a hard look at the financial side of agriculture and why it’s so often misunderstood.

They talk about why so few people are giving farmers solid financial advice, and how easy it is to misread just how long the rope is when working with the bank. They share their perspective on a big industry problem: banks chasing new customers while letting existing ones drift without real, up-to-date support.

The conversation goes well beyond banking. They get into succession pl...

In this episode, Evan sits down with Dallas Simmonds of Raptor Enterprises for his second appearance on the podcast. This time, the conversation goes deeper.

Dallas opens up about what it really means to find fulfilment after farming. He reflects on the coaching programs he's taken, the leadership skills he's built, and how his personal definition of success has shifted over time. Together, Evan and Dallas talk about the emotional toll of generational succession, the pressure to conform to old-school work expectations, and why guilt often follows those who step away from the family operation—even if it...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan and Kristjan are joined by two key leaders in Canadian agriculture - Justine Hendricks, CEO of FCC, and Darren Baccus, EVP of Agri-Food, Agribusiness Alliances and FCC Capital.

The conversation is anchored in one of the most ambitious investment announcements in Canadian ag history: FCC Capital’s $2 billion commitment to accelerate innovation in agriculture and food. It’s about what this funding makes possible and how it’s already being deployed. In just 18 months, the team has already moved nearly $200 million into the sector.

They discuss the st...

In this episode, Evan sits down with Kristjan and Jeff to talk about the lead-up to harvest, a time filled with anticipation, preparation, and pressure. They start by comparing planning the night before versus the morning of, and how that small difference can shape the tone of the entire day. The conversation quickly broadens into how harvest has evolved over the last decade, largely due to advances in technology. 

They get into how to train effectively, especially when every hour counts. They discuss the importance of knowing whether a breakdown is due to process or people, and h...

In this episode, Evan sits down with Trent Klarenbach, Special Crops and Grain Marketing Analyst, to dig into one of the most emotionally charged and financially complex topics in agriculture: land. 

They unpack a century of Saskatchewan farmland values and debate whether a market correction is overdue. How farmers think, how they’ve evolved, and how the human desire to own land has stayed surprisingly constant, even as economics, policy, and risk have shifted dramatically over the decades.

Trent shares insights from his latest blog and video, and they reflect on how land has always fel...

Ben Voss has lived many lives in one: engineer, CEO, global ag-tech leader, and farmer. In this episode, he shares how his career has taken him around the world—everything from orange juice farms in Brazil to dairy operations in Europe—only to circle back to his roots in Saskatchewan. Now splitting his time between leading sales at Raven Industries and working on his family farm, Ben brings a rare perspective that blends international ag-tech with day-to-day farm realities.

We get into how leadership styles shift between the boardroom and the farm, how equipment decisions reveal more than...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, we’re joined by Todd Andries, newly minted Chief Operating Officer of Maverick Ag and a long-time leader in ag finance. With more than 25 years in the financial industry and roots in his family’s 2,600-acre farm, Todd brings a blend of boardroom insight and boots-on-the-ground understanding.

We talk about what’s really happening in the farm equipment market, the role of personal tax and budgeting in strategic planning, and how fear and stress show up when you’re making big decisions. We share lessons from Strategic Coach, what it’s bee...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Kristjan and Evan are joined by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and widely known as The Food Professor. They discuss the complex dynamics shaping Canadian agriculture—from the persistent misunderstandings about farmers and food production, to the political realities of how ag policy actually gets set.

They talk about the pecking order in Ottawa, the gap between policy conversations and execution, and what’s holding Canada back when it comes to global competitiveness. Dr. Charlebois offers a candid perspective on growth, sust...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan and Kristjan sit down with Dustin Duncan, former Saskatchewan MLA and cabinet minister, to talk about what it’s really like behind the scenes of provincial politics. Elected at just 26 and serving under both Brad Wall and Scott Moe, Dustin reflects on nearly two decades in public service, shares his thoughts on the current government, and talks candidly about what he’ll miss as he transitions back to private life.

They cover everything from dealing with Twitter/X comments to what it takes to lead in agriculture, and why...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan Shout sits down with Tyler McCann, Managing Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), for a candid conversation about the state of ag policy in Canada. They start with the role CAPI plays in shaping agri-food dialogue, including the value of its regular newsletter, before diving into the aftermath of Canada’s recent federal election.

They examine how policies around capital gains, tax incentives, and trade disputes are shaped, not always by evidence or industry needs, but by shifting politics. The conversation also takes a critical look at...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan and Kristjan sit down with their first repeat guest, Dean Klippenstine, CPA, CA — a Partner and Business Advisor with MNP’s Agriculture team —  for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about the financial realities shaping Canadian agriculture today.

They explore how national economic trends are influencing farm-level decisions, what the Canadian election could mean for fiscal policy, and why interprovincial trade barriers continue to hold producers back. They chat about the complexities of AgriStability and other risk management tools, questioning whether the current systems are doing enough, or doing too muc...

What are 417 farmers—each with operations generating over $1 million in revenue—thinking as they head into the 2025 crop year? In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan Shout and Kristjan Hebert sit down with Kent Fraser, VP at Stratus Ag Research, to unpack the results of a collaborative survey between the Hebert Group and Stratus. This episode is all about turning data into insight. Evan, Kristjan, and Kent dig into what producers are most concerned about, what they say the next generation truly needs, and how they feel about the direction of ag education. They tackle the evolving role of g...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Evan Shout sits down with Shaun Haney, founder of Real Agriculture, to talk about the journey that took him from small-town Alberta to becoming one of the most trusted voices in Canadian ag media.

Shaun opens up about his early days growing up in Picture Butte, how being more comfortable in the office than in the cab shaped his path, and why he believes talking about real issues in agriculture—not just headlines—matters more than ever. From starting out writing 15 columns a year to launching Real Ag, he shar...

In this episode of The Truth About Ag, Kristjan and Evan sit down with Lisa Ashton, Agriculture Policy Lead on RBC’s Climate Action Institute Team, to dive into the big questions shaping Canadian agriculture.

Lisa shares insights from RBC’s latest reports, including the Food First Report, breaking down why RBC is investing in this research and how they’re gathering ideas to drive success for Canada’s ag sector. We discuss Canada’s relationship with the U.S. and its position on the global stage, the challenges and policy implications shaping the future of agriculture, and the br...