Jo-Ann: Sometimes, opinions are like you-know-whats; everybody has one. In this instance, though, it was great to see this Opinion piece in the Globe & Mail. It’s time for Canada to lead and leverage our natural advantages to develop rather than import innovation! I’m a firm believer in added-value products and the economic benefits of exporting finished products instead of raw materials. Hopefully, as this piece suggests, our ag-sector is waking up to the potential in our prairies.
Len: Canadian agriculture has been a leader and aggressive early adopter of any number of recent tech innovations, including drone technology, autonomous driving tractors, and even smartphones. Several ag-focused venture capital firms and incubators have emerged recently, which should help drive domestic investment in the ag-tech sector. Among these are AG Capital Canada, led by my old Cyanamid buddy Jay Bradshaw. RH Accelerator, led by another Cyanamid alumni, Joe Dales, is forging a similar path. With this level of ag savvy, experience, and capital, I can easily see a surge in ‘made in Canada’ innovations, with the potential for domestic adoption and export.
Learn how the next wave of agri-tech in Canada could provide a welcome (and needed) jolt to our economy in this article from The Globe & Mail: Canada needs to move faster on agricultural technology investment
