Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 6854 Exploring ideas and views on all aspects of the seed industry. TABLE TALK More than 150 industry leaders, farmers, ranchers, dietitians and communicators gathered for this year’s Farms At The Table conference in Saskatoon, Sask. The annual event explores ways to encourage public trust in food and farming. “Today, less than two per cent of Canadians have a direct link to the farm,” says Clinton Monchuk, executive director of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan, which organized the conference. “Naturally, con- sumers have lots of questions about how their food is produced. However, with a click of a mouse these days, people can consult all kinds of ‘experts’ through Google, Facebook, blogs and Twitter. That makes it more impor- tant than ever for all of us in agriculture to share the ‘real dirt’ on farming.” The conference kicked off with a ‘Table Talk’ discussion panel, which contemplated communications in a time of shifting trust. Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan invited three media and food industry representa- tives to talk about communicating effec- tively in a time when trust in mainstream media is low, and when more people than ever find their news on Facebook. “It’s important for the ag industry to think and to talk about what our message is,” Monchuk explains. 4-HERS TO REPRESENT CANADA IN GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL SUMMIT Against a backdrop of the increasing disconnect of young people from farming and a world population that is forecast to soar to 10 billion by 2050, visionary thinking, a long-term approach and creativity are needed to develop solutions. That is why Bayer and two Belgian young farmers associations invite young thought leaders from around the world to apply to attend the third Global Youth Agriculture Summit from Oct. 9 to 13, 2017, in Brussels, Belgium. About 100 young delegates from around the world will share ideas, develop solutions and engage in an open discussion on one of the world's most challenging questions: How do we feed a hungry planet sustainably? To apply, young people aged 18 to 25 are asked to submit an essay on the underlying causes of food insecurity and the effect it can have on a growing population. For more, visit www.youthagsummit.com. Canada remains involved for the third-installment of the Summit, and will send four young leaders represent Canada—two of which will be current members or alumni of 4-H Canada. “We believe in empowering young people with the skills they need to be leaders … and work- ing with their peers to discuss tackling global food security at this Summit will do just that,” says Shannon Benner, CEO of 4-H Canada. GENOMICS FUELS INNOVATION Investing in transformative genomics-based technologies and ideas will help tackle some of Canada’s toughest challenges, create new market opportunities and spur job growth. On Dec. 9, 2016, Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île- des-Soeurs, announced $9.1 million in federal support for disruptive innovation in the field of genomics. This involves new genomic-based technologies or the application of an exist- ing technology from another field, applied to genomics, that is truly transformative. The funding is from Genome Canada’s 2015 Disruptive Innovation in Genomics Competition. Twenty projects at the idea phase will receive support. Another five projects at the prototype stage will be funded, to develop and help com- mercialize promising ideas. Ideas to be explored include: a new tool to visualize the millions of genomes that exist in a single tumour; the creation of highly sensi- tive insect surveillance systems that could revolutionize pest management and preserve Canada’s position as a leading exporter of forest and agricultural products; and a new technology to provide near-instant recognition of infection by DNA diagnostics, which could save lives and ease the high cost of infections not only in human health, but also in the agri- culture.