The gene gun, the first of which literally used a .22-calibre bullet, was invented by plant geneticists working at Cornell University in the 1980s as a way of injecting DNA into plant cells. The technology made the process of introducing new genetic material to many major crops, including corn and wheat, much more efficient, helping to create plants with resistance… Read More

It was another busy few days for Farm Forum Event attendees in Saskatoon last week. The conference featured Saskatchewan’s own Brent Butt as the opening act, followed by an incredible lineup of speakers, including Kevin Folta, Jon Entine and Mike Boehlje. Related: Agri-Trend to be Bought by Trimble But why read a note from us trying to wrap… Read More

A farm consulting company that grew from one person in Red Deer, Alberta 17 years ago to a network of over 200 specialists today has been sold to one of the heavyweights in the precision agriculture and geospatial business, as Trimble announced Tuesday it is buying all the assets of Agri-Trend. Agri-Trend’s network includes more… Read More

Related: Saik’s Agri-Treks: Sunflowers, Sheep and Ieuan Evans (Pt. 1) In this episode of Saik’s Agri-Treks, we are back on the tour of Ieuan Evans’ “4.5 acres of ecosystem.” Rob Saik, host of Agri-Treks and founder of Agri-Trend, shows us an edible mountain ash, apple grafts, cherry and plum trees. He then gives us a tour of the greenhouse,… Read More

Saik’s Agri-Treks has taken us to favelas in Brazil, not-quite-elephant-proof fencing in Africa, Agritechnica in Germany and desert irrigation in Arizona. But this time, Rob Saik takes us on an exploration of our own backyard — or, Ieuan Evans’ backyard — in sunny Alberta. Related: Will Agriculture be Allowed to Feed 9 Billion? Rob Saik’s TEDx Talk Evans is… Read More

The Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation hosted its annual conference last week, with the theme “Fixing Fences — Bridging the Urban/Rural Divide.” Rob Saik, CEO of Agri-Trend, was one of the panelists in the “Found at the Farm Gate”  Friday afternoon session, and he suggested that one of the first steps to bridging the divide would… Read More

Pre-production work and fundraising has started for a million dollar film project aimed at informing people about the use of biotechnology in food and farming. “Know GMO: An Uplifting Discussion About Food” will explore the impact of genetic modification, asking questions about how to feed a growing human population, says Rob Saik, the executive producer… Read More

We’re about to embark on our third adventure in Brazil with Rob Saik, host of Agri-Treks and founder of Agri-Trend. We’ve explored Brazil’s Carnaval celebrations in São Paulo and Rio De Jainero, the favelas in Rio and now, we will experience the Port of Paranaguá. Located in the state of Paraná, the Port of Paranaguá has a long history, dating back to colonial times, as it was through Paranaguá that settlers first… Read More