Conversations That Matter

Farming is a Risky Business

Guest: Kristjan Hebert

 

 

 

Farming is a risky business.

 

According to Kristjan Hebert, reducing that risk comes down to numbers. “You used to be able to blame financial losses on the weather,” he says, “You can’t do that anymore.”

 

He uses an 8,000-acre (32 square kilometre) farm as an example. To him, that’s one seeder, two combines, one sprayer and three full-time workers plus the owner.

 

“The cost to operate that farm runs about $400 an acre, he says. It means the farmer needs to have access about $3.2 million in cash and working capital to operate the farm from January through to harvest. The farmer also needed another $350 an acre in capital investment.

 

Knowing the farm’s costs exactly allows farmers and their lenders to make informed decisions and run sophisticated enterprises.

 

“Central to risk management,” he says, “Is the adoption of technology in farming.”

 

Hebert said technology today allows much more sophisticated data collection, allowing farmers to produce budget projections while allowing for unpredictable weather. Through the use of proper risk management programs, “you can get your variants to be a lot smaller” on the downside.

 

We invited Kristjan Hebert for a Conversation That Matters episode about the business of farming in Canada.

 

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Ep 342 - Do you put your money where your mouth is?

Guest: Sean Carter

“Social entrepreneurship is the road less travelled, but is one of the paths that can lead to the building of hybrid businesses with triple bottom line,” said Oscar Auliq-Ice, the founder of Icetratt. The company focuses on investments in socially responsible companies that include the arts.

 

Auliq-Ice also said, “There is no better way to make money than doing what you love and are passionate about” – which is a great idea and a wonderful concept, right up until the moment you realize you don’t have the money nor the network. John MacLachlan Gray knew this when he wrote and produced “Billy Bishop Goes to War.” Fortunately for Gray, angel investor Haig Farris came along with money and a network of people who took an East Vancouver production to stages internationally. Farris says the success of the play “was a career highlight.”

 

Not all artists are so fortunate. Sean Carter knows this and he is a passionate supporter of passionate artists. And he wants you to be as well. He just published a book titled “Creative Impact - Impact Investing” – a book that speaks about a growing number of foundations that support the arts. Carter says, “Artists raising money is extremely difficult because when they sit down across the table from millionaire venture capitalists, there is a deficit of legitimacy” making it next to impossible to raise money and stay in control of artist ownership.

 

We invited Sean Carter to join us for a Conversation That Matters about putting your money in investments that support artists.

 

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Ep 341 - Is British Columbia leading the way in digital health?

Guest: Sylvain Moreno

 

When the COVID-19 pandemic forever changed our lives, it also forever changed the way we receive primary healthcare. In an instant, healthcare went digital. Thankfully, foundational tools were in place that allowed us to connect with our doctors and clinics and we were afforded the opportunity to receive basic care. 

 

Telehealth has been in place for seniors in remote and rural communities that were enrolled in the community paramedic program. That same healthcare interface was not available to most British Columbians; they were required to visit their doctor even if they had mobility challenges.

 

Now we’re all eligible to receive ongoing monitored health care from home. The delivery of those services, however, demands a complex and multi-disciplinary approach that relies heavily on technology. It can be done, but doing so will require a rollout of many new mobile applications that we apparently want. In a recent poll, more than 55% of us said yes, we like digital health and we want more of it. In other words, no going back please.

 

That’s great. However, developing, testing and implementing healthcare technology is challenging. Healthcare professionals are not technology developers and vice versa. Thankfully, we’re on the cutting edge here in BC. The Digital Health Circle is drawing on a centre of excellence in technology development in BC, coupled with healthcare rollout experts.

 

We invited Dr Sylvain Moreno of Digital Health Circle to join us for a Conversation That Matters about the delivery of healthcare going forward, the expertise he and his team bring to technology innovators, and why BC is positioned to be a world leader in online healthcare.

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Ep 340 - What is the Magnitude of the Alienation Plan?

Guest: Preston Manning

 

Western Alienation is one thing – separation is another. Preston Manning says, “Separation does not enhance Alberta’s clout. In fact, it diminishes it.” As a standalone landlocked entity, Alberta will have less bargaining power than it has now, according to Manning. He says it’s time to think big.

 

Alberta was carved out of the massive region known as the Northwest Territories to limit its influence politically and economically in 1905. And Manning asks, “What is the magnitude of your objective? Do you want to be a small little country that would be under tremendous pressure to join the United States within 20 to 30 years? Or do you want to re-invigorate the role and magnitude of the great northwest?”

 

Manning maintains that the future belongs to the West: “We’re on the right end of the country as Asia-Pacific influence continues to grow.” With a smile, he says, “That’s my optimism showing!”

 

We invited Preston Manning to join us for a Conversation That Matters about Alberta, the current state of discontent and a potential path forward. 

 

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In a Conversation with Patrick Moore, he stated the Great Barrier Reef is not dying. Marine biologist and reef expert Gareth Phillips says that is true. “The reef is not dying. It is the healthiest reef in the world but that’s not to say it isn’t being affected by changes in climate.”

 

Phillips runs Reef Teach located in Cairns, Australia, which is about 50 kilometres by boat from the closest point of contact to the reef. And he says, “The reef is beyond great – it’s gigantic. It’s made up of trillions, gazillions of jellyfish-style animals the size of a pinhead, known as coral polyps. These polyps are the nucleus of the ecosystem that is home to 70 unique bioregions that are a living, breathing organism which changes to meet environmental conditions.”

 

It’s important to know the reef is a living organism and like all living beings, it is affected by changes in its environment. Phillips says, “Just like you and me, when the temperature changes we change, we shed and we embrace elements in our bodies that are going to ensure our comfort and survivability. It’s the same with the reef.”

 

One way the reef stays healthy is through bleaching, which Phillips says “is a natural part of the life cycle of a reef. Mass bleaching, however, isn’t. And when that happens, it is a sign of stress and a telltale sign of human impact such [as] was seen in 2016 and ’17. The good news is we are not seeing the mortality rates that were originally predicted.”

 

We invited marine biologist Gareth Phillips to join us for a fascinating Conversation That Matters about the Great Barrier Reef and what we can all do to ensure it remains as healthy as possible.

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Ep 338 - Agriculture - Problem or Solution?

Guest: Dr Jeff Seale

 

Agriculture and climate are inextricably connected, according to Jeff Seale, the Director of Climate Policy and Strategy at Bayer Crop Science. Agriculture is the number two contributor to atmospheric greenhouse gases.

 

The good news, according to him, is that agriculture can be a part of the solution. Seale says, “Essentially, it boils down to the things we can do on the farm to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. The soil, he says, has the potential to be the second largest carbon sink on the planet behind the ocean.

 

Seale goes on to ask out loud, "How do we leverage that?" Central to the answer is an understanding of the relationship between growing organisms and carbon in the photosynthetic process. All plants, grasses, trees, fruits, and vegetables utilize carbon as the cornerstone of their structure. The enzyme RuBisCo separates carbon from oxygen and keeps the carbon as the building block of the plant and returns the oxygen to the atmosphere. 

 

Seale says, “The question is, how can we more effectively drive more of that carbon below the ground? As well as, once it's there, how do we keep it there?” He claims one of the exciting aspects of his work is determining how to work with microbial species that exist in the soil below the ground. 

 

We invited agricultural climate specialist Dr. Jeff Seale to join us for a Conversation That Matters, Food For Thought episode, about working with plants to help reduce carbon in the atmosphere.

 

 

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Ep 337 - Did Four Pillars Fail?

Guest: Julian Somers

 

Twenty one years ago, the city, the province and the feds signed the Vancouver Agreement, which is better known as the Four Pillars strategy. It was designed as a shared “vision of creating a healthy, safe and sustainable” Downtown Eastside. A long list of objectives were designed to improve health and access to emergency and crisis interventions, better access to hospital care; reduce preventable deaths; reduce overall costs to the economy related to substance misuse; reduce crime; make the Downtown Eastside safe; and promote economic links between it and the city as a whole. The list of missed objectives is long.

 

According to Dr. Julian Somers, a Simon Fraser University addictions, mental health and homelessness expert, “If we want to bring about real change, you can’t do it the way we are. To affect real change, we have to come to understand the causes of addiction and the conditions that promote positive change. Under the current leadership, we have been backed into a corner where the civic duty of every British Columbian now includes knowing how to administer narcan.”

 

We invited Dr. Julian Somers to join us for a Conversation That Matters about how we can develop a path to recovery from homelessness and addiction – a path, he maintains, is attainable for everyone but not by the current methods. 

 

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Ep 336 - Can Business be a Social Enterprise?

Guest: Chief Clarence Louie

 

In 2020, Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame. It was another recognition of the business successes that he and Band Council have developed. Since 1988, the Osoyoos Indian Band Development Corporation has focused on business development as a social enterprise.

 

Louie says, “These businesses are owned by the band and they are managed and run by Chief and Council with the sole purpose of creating opportunities for our members and generating revenue to support the community.” The band has 460 members and employs more than 700 people. “We have a job for every member of our band,” Louie emphasizes.

 

We invited Chief Clarence Louie to join us for a Conversation That Matters about his businesses, his strategies and how he manages his dual roles as Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band and as head of the development corporation.

 

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Ep 335 - The Age of Uncertainty

Guest: Dr. Vikram Mansharamani 

 

When you cast your eyes out over the horizon, do you see storm clouds rising? When you do, what is your response? Do you rely on insights from experts and technology or do you think for yourself? Do you have a default reaction to threats or do you employ a multidisciplinary approach?

 

These are valid questions especially after the year we all have endured. Nothing is as it was, which begs the question – how do you prepare for what may be? According to Harvard lecturer Dr. Vikram Mansharamani, you have to connect dots and think for yourself. He says, “Generalists may be better suited to navigate ambiguous situations than specialists.”

 

The key, he says, is to learn how to anticipate the future, manage risk and spot opportunities. In his book, “Think For Yourself,” he urges a return to common sense. He says, “You have to look at each situation through a variety of lenses. Some are financial. Others include a technological perspective as well as changing demographics, to name a few.”

 

We invited Dr. Vikram Mansharamani to join us for a Conversation That Matters on how to navigate uncertainty.

 

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Ep 334 - Do Catastrophic Predictions Come True?

Guest: Dr Patrick Moore

 

In the course of our lifetimes, we have been bombarded with dire warnings about the fate of the planet. In the late 60s, Paul Ehrilich’s book “The Population Bomb'' predicted the Earth would not be able to feed three and a half billion people. Today, there are more than 7.8 billion people and climbing.  Ehrilich was wrong. Not only are we feeding more people, the percentage of people who are undernourished has been steadily falling since 1990.

 

In the 1970s, the news about climate indicated we were headed for another ice age. That didn’t happen.

 

The Maldives are supposed to be underwater by now, based on a 1988 prediction. That 30-year prediction was revised in 2015 to happen in 30 years from now. 

 

In the early 2000s, polar bears were apparently on the brink of survival. National Geographic wrongly published a photo of an ailing polar bear with the headline, “This is What Climate Change Looks Like.” The magazine has since said it “went too far” with the caption.  Recent population numbers of polar bears are up from 24,000 in 1984 to more than 26,500 at a minimum today.

 

Last year, we interviewed a scientist who was part of an expedition to the Gulf of Alaska in search of plastics in the ocean. His thesis was that plastics are impacting salmon in the Gulf of Alaska. Upon his return from five weeks of sampling, he was speechless. At first, he thought he had made a mistake. Months later, after reviewing his work and analysis, all he could say was that he didn’t find plastics in the Gulf of Alaska in the winter of 2019.

 

In January 2021 the Sahara Desert was blanketed with ice and recently it snowed in Madrid and Malibu, California. What is going on? Patrick Moore, one of the controversial environmentalists on the planet, says, “Predictions of invisible threats aren’t real.” He says we’ve been duped.

 

We invited Dr. Patrick Moore to join us for a Conversation That Matters about predictions of catastrophic threats.

 

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