The Extensionists

The Extensionists Conversations with great thinkers in agriculture. Find The Extensionists on all major podcasting platforms with episodes released every other week on Tuesdays.

01/14/2026

In our first live recording of The Extensionists, Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck will be joined by Media Personality Dez Daniels on stage at Ag Days next Wednesday. The three will chat about Dez’s time as host of Great Tastes of Manitoba, her years working in radio and how she came to now be part of the world of social work.

They’ll discuss how she gained a better appreciation for her time growing up on a farm near Ituna, SK and how Great Tastes made her more interested in cooking with pulses.

We can’t wait to see you in Brandon at Ag Days. Join us at 3:45 p.m. in the MNP Theatre on Wednesday, Jan. 21.

If you aren’t able to attend in person, we will be releasing the episode on Jan. 27 online.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

01/13/2026

How can researchers better understand what motivates farmers to make certain decisions? The University of Guelph’s Tongzhe Li decided that buying a farm was one way.

“All of those experiences (growing crops) really helped me gain perspective on how actual decisions are made on the farm,” she says.

For her, it has been an eye-opening experience that has helped shape the research work she does. In today’s episode, Tonghze shares how she has learned that day-to-day farming work impacts the decisions farmers make.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DZLHG2-0s&t=4s

Join us at Ag Days in Brandon for our first ever live episode!On Wednesday, January 21 at 3:45 p.m. in the MNP Theatre, ...
01/09/2026

Join us at Ag Days in Brandon for our first ever live episode!

On Wednesday, January 21 at 3:45 p.m. in the MNP Theatre, we will be recording our episode live in front of you. Join us for what will be a memorable interview. We will be announcing our special guest next week. You won’t want to miss it!

If you aren’t able to attend in person, we will be releasing the episode on Jan. 27 online.

We can’t wait to see you in Brandon on January 21.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

How do you know when a researcher is dedicated to agriculture? In the case of Tongzhe Li, there is no question. She took...
01/06/2026

How do you know when a researcher is dedicated to agriculture? In the case of Tongzhe Li, there is no question. She took her commitment to ag and research to a new level when she bought her own farm.

In next week’s episode of The Extensionists, Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down for a conversation with Tongzhe, a professor and Arrell Family Chair in Behavioural and Experimental Economics at the University of Guelph. The three talk about Tongzhe’s research into farmer thoughts on cover crops.

They discuss how Tongzhe found herself connecting deeper with farmers after buying her farm, and how she is trying to amplify farmer voices.

Listen on Jan. 13 to learn more.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

12/30/2025

As we take a look back at 2025, how has the podcast changed? What has improved in the eyes of The Extensionists team?

“We’ve had more people knowing about us. We have talked to some people who don’t know who we are outside of the agriculture space that have still agreed to come on,” Ashley Robinson says in this week’s episode.

In today's episode, we take a look back at the year that was with the whole Extensionists team, including those behind the scenes, and we share about just how much the podcast has grown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-yOf4YW3qI

The past year was a big one for The Extensionists team. From winning awards and attending conferences to having countles...
12/23/2025

The past year was a big one for The Extensionists team. From winning awards and attending conferences to having countless interesting discussions with guests from around the globe, it has been a busy year.

In next week’s episode of The Extensionists, Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck share their highlights from the guests we’ve welcomed to our studio the past year. Our behind-the-scenes team also joins this episode to talk about what it takes to put The Extensionists together.

And finally, we take a look at what we’re looking forward to in 2026.

Listen to reminisce on what was a great year on Dec. 30.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

12/18/2025

Does the governmental process really need to be so protracted? According to Senator Robert Black, there’s an important reason for the procedures.

“There is a reason why we go through first, second, referral to committee, third reading, debate, etc. Otherwise, things can get snowballed through and may not be as good as they should,” Senator Black explains in this week’s episode.

He adds it’s important to get your message across and talk to as many people as possible before going into the chamber to make sure he and his colleagues fully understand everything in order to make the most informed decision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZwPPze23W8&t=3s

12/16/2025

Senator Robert Black found his calling in politics after a colleague encouraged him to find something to keep him from getting bored.

“Ag is my background - rural community development - and I have fun with it. I like to be busy. I’m proud of the work that happens, that I’ve been able to [do] here in the Senate of Canada,” Senator Black says in today’s episode.

From the beginning of his political career, he has worked hard to represent Canadian agriculture in the Senate, ensuring its front-and-centre among his colleagues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riJ4vw0Xh7g&t=2s

How did the agriculture champion Senator Robert Black find his passion? And why does it take so long to get a Bill passe...
12/09/2025

How did the agriculture champion Senator Robert Black find his passion? And why does it take so long to get a Bill passed?

In next week’s episode of The Extensionists, Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down for a conversation with the Honourable Robert Black, Senator for Ontario and Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. The three dive deep into Senator Black’s passion for soil health and how it came to be.

Senator Black also takes the time to explain how the parliamentary process works through Bill S-230, which concerns the development of a national strategy for the health, conservation, and enhancement of soil. Why in the world does it take so long? Hint: you’ll have to listen to the podcast.

Listen on Dec. 16 to learn more.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

12/04/2025

Has the focus on ag technology in Canada led to a disconnect between the policymakers and farmers?

“I think it’s been at the cost of understanding that technology policy,” Sabrina Perić, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Calgary, says in this week’s episode. “When somebody else develops technology’s policies, it gets taken up by producers. We’ve forgotten that this is really a two-way street.”

She shares how we’ve lost that connection between the two groups when it comes to developing policy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anFv49BWcr8

12/02/2025

How interconnected are the ag and energy industries in Western Canada? Sabrina Perić, an energy researcher, experienced Deja vu when talking with her fellow ag researchers.

“A lot of the stories they were telling me about this mistrust and skepticism, they actually sounded very familiar…to stories I heard in Alberta,” Sabrina says in today’s episode.

For Sabrina, it really stirred an interest to investigate this skepticism in ag, which she had already been researching in the energy sector.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyRyqa2ZB7E

What can we do to combat soil health policy skepticism? Sabrina Perić is an anthropologist with a fresh and decidedly hu...
11/25/2025

What can we do to combat soil health policy skepticism? Sabrina Perić is an anthropologist with a fresh and decidedly human perspective on this issue.

In next week’s episode of The Extensionists, Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down for a conversation with Sabrina, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Calgary. The three discuss the national disconnect when it comes to soil health policy and how Sarbina’s research revealed higher skepticism in Western Canada.

They also talk about how important regionalism is to combat skepticism and how more and more people are starting to doubt science. How can we work together to cultivate an awareness and love of soil?

Listen on Dec. 2 to learn more.

Listen to The Extensionists wherever you get your podcasts. Share, rate, and review to help grow our audience.

https://theextensionists.com

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