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PODCAST

The Extensionists

Burr Forest Group

Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter talk to researchers, inventors, and farmers with ideas and discoveries for the economic, environmental, and social enhancement of Canadian agriculture.

science natural sciences

All Episodes

54:15

Episode 27 – The 2025 Holiday Special

The Extensionists ·

2025/12/30

In the 27th episode of The Extensionists, we take a look back at the year that was. Co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck share what they learned from the guests they chatted with in 2025.We then welcome our behind-the-scenes team, producer and editor Abby Wall and coordinator Ashley Robinson, to discuss highlights, what it takes to put The Extensionists together, and what everyone is looking forward to in 2026.Website: https://theextensionists.comX: https://x.com/thextensionistsLinkedIn:

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01:05:16

Episode 26 – Senator Robert Black

The Extensionists ·

2025/12/16

Is soil health really Senator Robert Black’s passion? And why does it take so long to get a Bill passed with the government?In the 26th episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with the Honourable Robert Black, Senator for Ontario and Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. Senator Black shares how he became a soil health champion and pushed for the new Senate report on soil health.Senator Black takes the time to explain how the

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01:15:59

Episode 25 – Sabrina Perić

The Extensionists ·

2025/12/02

Why are we so skeptical when it comes to soil health policy? Sabrina Perić, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Calgary, took a deep dive into what Canadian farmers are really thinking and feeling when it comes to soil health and other policy decisions.In the 25th episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Sabrina, who didn’t actually set out to work in agriculture but found herself drawn into it. The energy researcher grew up in Yugoslavia

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01:15:46

Episode 24 – Gerry Friesen

The Extensionists ·

2025/11/18

Being a farmer can easily become your identity, but what happens when that identity is threatened? For “The Recovering Farmer” Gerry Friesen, he found himself facing that very issue nearly two decades ago.In the 24th episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Gerry. The three dig deep into the mental health struggles farmers face and what you can do to support yourself and those around you. It really can be just as easy as listening when a friend decides they’re

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01:02:24

Episode 23 – Meaghan Seagrave

The Extensionists ·

2025/11/04

Meaghan Seagrave has very unique insights into the opportunities for Canadian agriculture.In the 23rd episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Meaghan, executive director for Bioindustrial Innovation Canada. This organization is developing programming and early-stage investments in bio-based technologies that fit along a green-based value chain.These bio-based inputs come from agricultural and forest sources, and are used to create products that will allow for

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01:03:23

Episode 22 – Rupp Carriveau

The Extensionists ·

2025/10/21

Why doesn’t the agriculture industry work together on research? Rupp Carriveau found himself asking this as he began working with the greenhouse industry in southern Ontario.In the 22nd episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Rupp, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Windsor and co-director of Agriculture UWindsor Centre of Excellence (AGUWin). Rupp shares how he became involved in the greenhouse industry

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01:20:50

Episode 21 – Jolanda Jansen

The Extensionists ·

2025/10/07

What is the best way to get information to farmers? According to Jolanda Jansen, you should leave out the facts and you shouldn’t tell them what to do. Instead, ask questions.In the 21st episode, and season 2 premier of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Jolanda, a communications consultant and co-owner of St Anna Advies, to talk about her work. She delves into why you should start by asking a question and how you can take your conversations from an eight to a

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01:14:09

Episode 20 – Ryan Barrett

The Extensionists ·

2025/06/24

How did a guy with a degree in dairy genetics end up working for the P.E.I. Potato Board? Ryan Barrett, after a job working in communications with Jersey Canada, found himself back on the island being hired by the P.E.I. Potato Board for his extension background. Over the years, his role morphed into its current form as the Board’s research and agronomist specialist. For Ryan, it has always been about doing work for farmers and connecting with them.In the 20th episode, and season 1 finale of The

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01:03:44

Episode 19 – John Burns

The Extensionists ·

2025/06/10

John Burns didn’t start out as a farmer. He grew up on one, though. But when he finished high school he was shoed away and encouraged to attend university, which is where he discovered his love of science. This launched him into a career teaching science. After some time - no longer able to resist the call, he started farming in his spare time, always approaching it as a science.Over the years, John has worked with his family to build Windy Poplars Farms near Kandahar, Sask. Through it all, he has

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01:24:15

Episode 18 – Jenelle Hamblin

The Extensionists ·

2025/05/27

How do you respond to emergencies? How do you get the correct information out to producers if there's a disease outbreak or natural disaster? On the eighteenth episode, Jenelle Hamblin, director, swine health with Manitoba Pork, joins co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck to offer invaluable insights on communications during tense, urgent situations.Jenelle helps pork producers through moments of crisis during disease outbreaks. She makes sure they get the information they need, whether it’s via

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01:22:00

Episode 17 – Scott Day

The Extensionists ·

2025/05/13

How did a farm boy from Manitoba end up in Silicon Valley? In the 14th episode, The Extensionists co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Scott Day, an agronomist and director with Fall Line Capital. Scott and Jay go way back, having grown up on the farms surrounding Dand, MB.In this episode, Scott shares the story of how he went from working in extension for the Manitoba government to working in farm real estate investment and ag tech in San Francisco. He shares the stories of his travels

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01:18:20

Episode 16 – Mark Campbell

The Extensionists ·

2025/04/29

How do you connect with farmers and nurture leadership in the industry? At the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) in the UK, Mark Campbell and his colleagues run a multitude of extension programs to support UK farmers. Mark is the knowledge exchange manager for one of them - AHDB’s AgriLeader Program. In the sixteenth episode, Mark joins co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck to share what AgriLeader is and some of his tactics for reaching farmers across the UK.The three also dive

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01:10:21

Episode 15 – Alison Sunstrum

The Extensionists ·

2025/04/15

The world of agriculture technology moves fast. Alison Sunstrum, managing partner of NYA Ventures, has been working in ag tech for decades and is now mentoring the next generation of inventors. In the fifteenth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck, sit down with Alison to discuss all the intricacies of ag tech from funding to the things that are changing the future of agriculture.Alison discusses what is needed to bring innovations to market and the role farmers can play

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01:08:04

Episode 14 – Diljeet Brar

The Extensionists ·

2025/04/01

In our fourteenth episode of The Extensionists, Diljeet Brar takes us back to his family farm in India, sharing the story of his family’s hundreds of years of farming and how the value his parents placed on education pushed him into the world of agricultural extension. Co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with Diljeet about his fascinating, creative, and refreshingly novel approaches to the discipline.Diljeet, the former extension coordinator with Manitoba Agriculture, talks about the role his

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01:06:43

Episode 13 – Francois Labelle

The Extensionists ·

2025/03/18

In the thirteenth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with farmer and retired Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers Executive Director Francois Labelle. Francois has had a long and illustrious career in the agriculture industry from working as a grain merchant at Continental Grain travelling the world to running a strawberry u-pick farm — he has done a little bit of everything.The farmer and retired Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers executive director shares the

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01:11:31

Episode 12 – David Sauchyn

The Extensionists ·

2025/03/04

David Sauchyn uses tree-ring research to connect with climate change skeptics. And if that alone isn’t interesting enough, he also has other strategies in his toolkit. In the twelfth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with David, who is the director of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC) and a professor of geography and environmental studies at the University of Regina.They talk about Dave’s love of hockey and how he is a scientific fan of the

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57:48

Episode 11 – Justice Acoose

The Extensionists ·

2025/02/18

In the eleventh episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with Justice Acoose, communications specialist with the National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food. In this in-depth conversation, Jay and Toban learn about everything from video game streaming to how the agriculture sector can move towards reconciliation.Justice shares how she’s working to get more youth involved in agriculture and the importance of community involvement. She talks about her own

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59:43

Episode 10 – Daryl Domitruk

The Extensionists ·

2025/02/04

In the tenth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers Executive Director Daryl Domitruk. In this wide-ranging interview, the three of them get to the heart of what agriculture extension is and how it seems to have fallen by the wayside these days. Or has it…Daryl shares how extension is a two-way street and to do it right you need to take the time to listen and understand before you present. He also discusses how extension can

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01:03:48

Episode 9 – Tracy Herbert

The Extensionists ·

2025/01/21

In the ninth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter speak with Beef Cattle Research Council Extension and Communications Director Tracy Herbert. Stemming from a lifetime of exposure and genuine interest, Tracy’s knowledge of cattle and everything related is comprehensive and comfortable. She grew up on a mixed cattle and grain farm in Saskatchewan, and her parents were involved in the development of the Speckle Park cattle breed.During this episode Tracy talks about how

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50:39

Episode 8 – Jeff Schoenau

The Extensionists ·

2025/01/07

In the eighth episode of The Extensionists, co-hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter chat with Jeff Schoenau, professor of soil fertility and the Saskatchewan Agriculture Ministry chair in soil nutrient management at the University of Saskatchewan. Jeff - otherwise known as Dr. Dirt - is passionate about soil health. In this wide-ranging interview, he divulges his inspiration for studying soil sciences and talks about what has kept him in the industry over the years.What can you do about phosphorus and

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