Podcasts

Navigating the Digital Revolution in Farming (ft. Robert Saik and Kyle Courtney)
Emerging Grower has been rebranded to Grand Farmer! Our goal is to put growers first and allow them to share their perspectives on the latest innovations in the industry and we believe we can better fulfill our goal of fostering a dialogue between growers and the broader agricultural ecosystem with this name.
In this month’s episode, we have Rob Saik and Kyle Courtney discussing the Digital Revolution in Farming and how it should be Navigated. Rob is the Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of AGvisorPRO. A company that started in early 2020 which connects decision makers in agriculture to the advice, professionals, and services that they need to move forward with confidence. Kyle is a grower from Dickey County, ND. On his farm he grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. He is also a past member of Dickey County Water Resource board, as well as former chairman of the Dickey County FSA board and current CEO of Rentease.
This Podcast is energized by Grand Farm and Emerging Prairie.
Learn more about Grand Farmer and Grand Farm by visiting the Grand Farm website linked HERE!
PLAY EPISODE (March 24, 2023)

Connecting Farmers for a Sustainable Future:  The Power of Agricultural Networks
In this episode, Robert Saik, CEO of AdvisorPRO, shares how their agricultural network is driving success for farmers by connecting them with experts through their technology platform. Their vision is to build the most credible independent agricultural network, while their mission is to enhance sustainability, profitability, and global food security. Robert emphasizes the importance of finding common ground between different religious and denominational beliefs to make agriculture sustainable. He also discusses the communities within their organization and how teachers align with their vision. Other topics covered include the sustainability index on the packaging, organic labeling, genetic modification, and ESG efforts toward transparency, traceability, and trust.
Based out of Calgary, Alberta, AGvisorPRO connects decision-makers in agriculture to the advice, professionals, and services they need to move forward with confidence.
Future Food Cast
PLAY EPISODE (Episode 143 – March 9, 2023)

2. The Nitrogen Discussion
Joining our host Rob Saik for the discussion is Ray Dowbenko, a professional agrologist and crop consultant with over 30 years of experience specializing in soil fertility and crop nutrition. We also have Craig Davidson, President and Managing Partner of Taurus Agricultural Marketing Inc., and Greg Flint, Director at Mississippi Crop Improvement. 
In this episode of The AGvisorPOD, our panel of guests give you tips and tricks to help you make the most of your nitrogen dollars, and navigate the policy landscape.  It’s a deep discussion that farmers need to hear. Enjoy!
Author – AGvisorPOD
PLAY EPISODE (Episode 2 – Mar 3, 2023)

1. Long Term Wealth, Farm Liquidity & Succession Planning
Learn all about wealth planning and management, taxation and difficult transitions on your farm. We have a great panel of speakers including CEO/Founder of AGvisorPRO
– Robert Saik, CEO/Founder of 33Seven – Derryn Shrosbree, Dean Klippenstine – Partner and Business Advisor at MNP, and Elaine Froese – Author, coach and farm family transition expert.
Author – AGvisorPOD
PLAY EPISODE (Episode 1 – Feb 21, 2023)

Agriculture needs sustainable intensification
Saik discussed sustainable intensification, as well as a long list of other key issues facing the industry ahead of going on stage at the recent Farm Futures Summit. From the challenges of broadband to the role of smallholder farmers, to the challenge of Europe’s Farm to Fork program, he covers a lot of topics. The key is that farmers are up to the challenges ahead, provided ideologies don’t get in the way of achieving increased sustainability.
Author – Willie Vogt
PLAY EPISODE (Episode 4 – Jan 27, 2023)

225 – Trends and Tech Shaping Ag’s Future – Highlights From The Vision Conference
Sustainability has been a buzzphrase for the past decade but how do you define it? That was a major subject at the recent Vision Conference with sessions devoted to accurately measuring emissions and how to compensate Ag for Earth-friendly practices. Also discussed at the conference: Tech’s advance via autonomous machinery (there are 130 robotic orchard sprayers already deployed in the west) and the growing influence of consumers on food production. Ag entrepreneur and friend of show Rob Saik, founder of AgVisorPro, shares highlights from the Vision Conference as we discuss what it means for the Business of Agriculture.
Sponsored by LandTrust landtrust.com
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture – 225 – Jan 24, 2022)

AGMO:  Myths and Facts with Robert Saik –
Between the latest online fads and the crazy media headlines, it’s easier than ever to get confused about your health. If you want to make better decisions about your health today so you can feel better and live longer, you’ve come to the right place.  Do you try to avoid GMO foods in an effort to eat more healthfully? Are genetically engineered crops really as harmful as they are portrayed to be? Is it true that there is a beta carotene-rich golden rice that could solve Vitamin A deficiencies and cure blindness that is illegal to use in Africa? What information surrounding GMOs, glyphosates, and pesticides is true, and what is simply misinformation? I know you have a lot of questions and I want to make sure that we’re examining this topic from every angle.
PLAY EPISODE (GMO: Myths and Facts with Robert Saik – September 3, 2021)

Making Agriculture Sustainable Pt. 2 (#180)
Rob Saik has been featured on the “How’d It Happen Podcast” episode #179, and having massive experience as a professional agrologist, entrepreneur, and consultant, one episode was not enough to uncover everything that has to do with making agriculture sustainable, so here we are with part. 2!
PLAY EPISODE (How’d It Happen Podcast #180 – Aug 9/21)

Making Agriculture Sustainable (#179)
Rob Saik defines himself as an “Agricultural Futurist” as he’s always been obsessed with finding ways to optimize agriculture. If you think about it, the vast majority of the food we eat comes directly from agriculture. That’s why by making agriculture more sustainable, you can bring positive change to the whole planet. The way to do that is by deploying agricultural technology.
PLAY EPISODE (How’d It Happen Podcast #179 – Aug 4/21)

VISIONaries Series
Robert Saik, Founder and CEO of AgvisorPro, discusses his work with startups, the uberization of agronomic consulting, ROI at the farmgate, carbon credits, investment trends for the next generation of farm service providers, and farmer prosperity and consolidation in 2021. 
PLAY EPISODE (VISIONaries Series – Apr 28/21)

AgTech as an “experience” and its Impact on Decision Making on the Farm – AGvisorPRO’s Founder and CEO, Rob Saik and Wilson Acton, CGO at Verge chat this week about: Why farmers farm, How agtech is impacting decision making on the farm, Where the pinch points are to using agtech, Constraints, The need for system integrators, How agriculture is NOT resistant to change, That we’re seeing real innovation in agtech, Why do we have the innovation that we do in Canada, lack of government support and corn and barley investment.
PLAY EPISODE (Verge Agriculture – Monday Morning Coffee – May 3, 2021

Ready Set Grow Podcast: Robert Saik, CEO at AGvisorPRO -In this episode of the Ready Set Grow Podcast, we got to sit down with Robert Saik, CEO at AGvisorPRO.
PLAY EPISODE (Ready Set Grow Podcast – Jan 14/21)

Handheld Technology, Hypocrisy, and The Future with Rob Saik-Rob Saik joins me to give highlights from his address to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, where he stood up for a vilified modern agriculture. We discuss the hypocrisy of anti-agriculture movements, global reality, COVID’s lessons for Ag, technology shortening time and distance for food production, and the future. Pull up a chair for never-dull discussion.
Sponsored by Harvest Profit harvestprofit.com
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture 172 – Jan 18/21)

Rob Saik and Peter Johnson on the Future of Agronomic Technologies -The future of agronomy is likely even more tech-heavy than it is now, but that’s not to say that robots, drones, and sensors will replace human intelligence, experience, and judgement. To tackle what the next 10 years in scouting and agronomy might look like, we go to Peter Johnson, RealAg’s resident agronomist, and Rob Saik
PLAY EPISODE (The Agronomists, Ep 8 – Dec 22/20)

Finding Product-Market Fit and Talent with Joe Dales –In this episode, we talk about the importance and the elusiveness of product-market fit – meaning creating not just a great product or service, but one that the market is eager to pay for. We also talk a lot about attracting and retaining talent to the ag industry, and the future of work.  Be sure to stay tuned to the end of this episode for great stuff from Joe, but also a startup spotlight. This one is another Canadian company, from a few provinces over in Alberta. Rob Saik makes his third appearance on this show to talk about his newest venture AgVisorPro, so make sure to stick around for that at the end of today’s show. 
PLAY EPISODE (Future of Agriculture 227 – Oct 14/20)

Understanding Genetically Modified Food – GMO sounds scary!  Most of us associate genetically modified food as a bad thing and think organic is inherently better.  But is that even the case?  
PLAY EPISODE (Curiosityness  092 – Sept 8, 2020)

Was Bloomberg Wrong About Farmers? –Yum yum, food – glorious nutritious and delicious food produced in Canada. In his book, Food 5.0 Agrologist and international consultant Robert Saik points out that less than 0.2 percent of the population of this country are farmers of consequence. That’s just enough people to fill the stands at a professional hockey arena and it’s enough skilled people to feed Canada and millions – if not billions – of others around the world.
PLAY EPISODE (Conversations That Matter Ep 303 – Sept 7/20)

A Conversation with “Rob Saik” Continued – Rob Saik is the founder and CEO of Ag Visor Pro a new way of delivering information to farmers. he was developing the system when COVID hit and things went to warp speed. The system has applications outside of agriculture but for now, he is kept busy with things on the farm.
PLAY EPISODE (Everybody Has a Story with Les the Book Coach Ep 13 – July 24/20)

A Conversation with “Rob Saik” – Rob Saik, is the author of Food 5.0.  He has been an agronomist for more than 30 years, has authored two books, and built two successful agricultural companies from his home base in Alberta, Canada.
PLAY EPISODE (Everybody Has a Story with Les the Book Coach Ep 12 – July 17/20)

How We Feed the Future | Rob Saik –  Rob Saik, CEO of AgVisorPRO, believes that the next thirty years could be the most important in the history of agriculture, and he claims that in order to support the global population in 2050, agriculture will have to become infinitely sustainable. Listen in as he explains his vision of farming technology and how innovation is the key to sustainable agriculture. 
PLAY EPISODE (Ag Future: Innovation in Agri-Food Ep 147 – July 14/20)

AGvisorPRO Hopes to Connect Farmers with Experts  – Farming is complex and it requires deep expertise in a variety of fields. So what can a farmer do to access that expertise especially in a remote environment, especially during COVID-19? Rob Saik of AgVisor Pro has a solution: he calls it the Uberization of agricultural knowledge..
PLAY EPISODE (California Ag Today – June 10/20)

Food 5.0  How We Feed the Future Part 1 – In this episode, we chat with Rob Saik about his latest book, Food 5.0 – How We Feed the Future, in which he describes the history and future of agriculture.  Rob has forty years of experience as a professional Agrologist and an international consultant who’s worked with everyone from Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture to Bill Gates.  He has been hailed as an agriculture futurist with unparalleled insight into where the industry is headed.  He is the founder of AGvisorPRO, a platform that “uberizes” knowledge and wisdom., enabling farmers to instantaneously connect with agriculture experts worldwide.  
PLAY EPISODE (FOCUS on Agriculture Ep 22 – May 11/20)

Food 5.0  How We Feed the Future Part 2  – This episode is the second part of our interview with Rob Saik about his latest book, Food 5.0 – How We Feed the Future.  It it he explains how bioengineering, precision agriculture, automation, and big data are converging to make farmers more effective at producing food than ever before.  Rob has forty years of experience as a professional Agrologist and an international consultant who’s worked with everyone from Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture to Bill Gates.  He has been hailed as an agriculture futurist with unparalleled insight into where the industry is headed.  He is the founder of AGvisorPRO, a platform that “uberizes” knowledge and wisdom., enabling farmers to instantaneously connect with agriculture experts worldwide.
PLAY EPISODE (FOCUS on Agriculture Ep 21 – April 29/20)

Hands On Expertise In a World of Social Distancing?  It’s Possible! -Rob Saik joins me to discuss technology that will allow farmers and Ag professionals to seek and share information. Rob is the founder of AgVisorPro, an app bringing together those who need answers with those possessing expertise. Knowledgeable experts load up their profile and make themselves available for consultation. Those seeking a solution from an experienced person find said person online. The best part: the expert gets compensation, and the person seeking an answer saved time (most problems can be resolved in 10 minutes). If this sounds like a foreign concept that will never achieve lift off, remember: riding in a stranger’s car that you hailed with your iPhone seemed crazy once too. And that’s the gist of AgVisorPro.
Sponsored by Harvest Profit harvestprofit.com
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture Ep 132 – Apr 20/20)

Growing the Future -Founder of numerous businesses in the Ag world, Professional Agrologist and Certified Agricultural Consultant; Rob Saik talks innovation, leadership, and mental health.
PLAY EPISODE (Growing The Future Ep S1Ep6 – Feb 3/20)

Food 5.0 and The Future of Food Production -Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his new book, Food 5.0 and the future of food production. He explains the 5 iterations of Agricultural advancement then tells us what will change moving forward. We share our predictions (some of which you may agree with and some of which you won’t!). What if the world’s most used herbicide is pulled from the marketplace? What sort of technology will enable us to be productive in rural North America even as the population declines? What changes are coming to Ag based on the demands of affluent consumers? This is a fun conversation about the future of food and food production!
Discussion
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture Ep 112 – Nov 25/19)

#TechTuesday with DOT Technology Corp -the pros of autonomous machinery.

PLAY EPISODE (Ag News Daily – Oct 8/19)

Food 5.0 – How We Feed the Future -Robert Saik is an agronomist and entrepreneur with a lifetime of experience in farming.   For years he has been a leading advocate for farmers, and a passionate voice promoting the newest technologies, whether they are genetic or engineering marvels on the farm.  The 200th episode of the Talking Biotech Podcast aptly hosts Rob and the introduction of is new book, Farming 5.0, How We Feed the Future.  Rob discusses the five waves of agricultural history and speaks to their convergence in the modern farm. It is an accessible and important text that helps everyone understand the modern tenor of food and farming.
PLAY EPISODE (Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta – Ep200 – Aug 17/19)

Food 5.0 with Serial Ag Entrepreneur Robert Saik – Robert joins me today to discuss AGvisorPRO and how it works to support farmers. He shares his reason why he is continually starting new companies, his inspiration to write books, and his personal take on the current state of the ag industry. He describes the importance of sustainability in supporting a growing population as well as provide ideas on how to improve farm efficiency. Robert also explains how the DOT system works and the biggest contribution it can provide the industry.
PLAY EPISODE (Future of Agriculture 166 – Aug 14/19)

Food 5.0  – In order to feed the world, we have to grow 10,000 years’ worth of food in the next 30 years, which means farmers worldwide must increase their food production by 60 to 70%.
PLAY EPISODE (Author Hour – Aug 13/19)

Food 5.0 – GMOs, Robots and the Future of Farming  – Thanks to dramatic advances in technology, less than 2 percent of the US population works in agriculture today, growing the food the other 98 percent depend on. Such a highly productive farm sector plays an important role in maintaining America’s status as an economic powerhouse, but it’s had a less desirable impact as well: Most consumers don’t know the first thing about farming.
PLAY EPISODE (Science Facts & Fallacies – Aug 13/19)

A Conversation With a Guy Who’s Started 15 Companies  – Rob Saik, is a serial entrepreneur with a lot of lessons to share from his journey. He’s started 15 companies. In December of 2018 he closed out the sale of his most recent company to a multinational corporation. Rob and I talk about a lot of things in this episode including: Why empathy is the fifth trait of success, the importance of self analysis, how to break down big initiatives into 1% moves, and why you must be brutally honest with yourself to succeed as an entrepreneur. Lots of gold nuggets here along with some recommended reading.
PLAY EPISODE (Do Business Better – Ep6 – Mar 2/19)

Evaluating Bleeding Edge vs Leading Edge Farm Technology  – When it comes to navigating the very noisy space that is farm technology, Rob Saik, agrologist and agriculture technology leader, says these questions are a good place to start. Technology, after all, must be useful. But just as it’s important to evaluate the cost and type of app, hardware, or automation you may adopt, it’s just as important to give that technology adequate commitment of human resources, as well.
PLAY EPISODE (Mind Your Farm Business – Ep36 – Feb 25/19)

Autonomous Farm Equipment -Friend of show, Rob Saik, joins me to discuss his latest initiative. Rob is the founder of Agri-Trend, a company he sold to Trimble, and is the new C.E.O of DOT – a Canadian based autonomous machinery manufacturer. We discuss autonomous machinery’s application and future in farming. When and why will we see this new technology? What are the benefits (and downside) of autonomous farm implements? And why time and technology march on in the Business of Agriculture.
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture Ep 68 – Jan 14/19)

Brockovich’s Deceptive Guardian Article -On December 6, 2018 environmental advocate Erin Brockovich published a high-profile opinion piece in The Guardian.  The piece was laced with scientific inaccuracies and inflammatory rhetoric about glyphosate, indicating in no uncertain terms that it causes cancer and is present in just about all food. None of these claims are supported by peer-reviewed literature.  Further examination shows that Brockovich is a consultant for the law firm that is managing the class action against one company that manufactures the compound. In this week’s podcast Rob Saik and Kevin Folta sit down and discuss the piece and the sad tale of a powerful voice for environment and consumer protection selling out to non-scientific interests. 
PLAY EPISODE (Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta – Ep164 – Dec 15/18)

Glyphosate Trends in Agriculture -The herbicide glyphosate has been in use for over 40 years.  It is non-selective (kills all plants), it is inexpensive and has extremely low toxicity.  These attributes made it an important tool for municipalities, farmers, and homeowners. Use increased starting in 1996 with the advent of glyphosate-tolerant (marketed under the brand name “Roundup Ready”) crops, which have expanded in acreage ever since. Rob Saik (@rsaik) is an agronomist with significant experience and accolades in Canadian agriculture.  Along with his collaborator Chris Dufault, they compiled and analyzed Ontario government data on glyphosate use, and reported these trends. Rob describes the report and its findings.
PLAY EPISODE (Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta – Ep150 – Sept 8/18)

Could Organic and GMO be on the Same Team with Rob Saik – Rob joins me today to discuss the mission behind The Agri-Trend and the connection between the organic movement and the non-GMO movement. He explains how he believes GMOs can impact the future of agriculture, sustainability, and the food supply around the world as well as the impact they can have on the health of consumers. He also shares why he believes many consumers refuse to use GMO-friendly products and the importance of due diligence when educating yourself about organic and genetically engineered crops.
PLAY EPISODE (Future of Agriculture 095 – Apr 4/18)

the Past, Present, and Future of Food Production -Friend of Show, Rob Saik joins me to deliver his take on Agriculture past, present, and future. What innovations make it possible for 1% fo the populace to feed the other 99%? What agricultural advancements allowed human advancement? We talk about the 5 iterations of Agriculture: Muscle, Machinery, Chemistry, Biotechnology, and Convergence. This episode explores where food production and the business of agriculture are headed.
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture Ep 26 – Feb 26/18)

Ag Innovation & GMOs -When Ford or Google advance humanity through technology, we hail their progress. So, why is innovation in food production treated differently? I sit down with Ag entrepreneur, businessman, and authority on genetic engineering in Ag, Rob Saik. We have a spirited, and informative talk about: the environmentalism of GMOs, how The Non-GMO Project proliferates ignorance via “butterfly bullshit,” and Rob’s assertion that we’re entering the era of Agriculture 5.0.
PLAY EPISODE (The Business of Agriculture Ep 12 – Dec 1/17)

Sensors, satellites and recreational tillage -In this episode of the show: Rob Saik, founder of Agri-Trend, on the 19th Farm Forum Event, coming up next week in Calgary, AB. Top Ag News Monsanto’s chief technology officer, Robb Fraley, joins the show to discuss his role with Monsanto, the controversy surrounding Dicamba (and vapour movement/volatility), restricted use, the future of big… Read more »
PLAY EPISODE (RealAg Radio – Nov 30/17)

The Canola 100 Challenge, research on emotions in livestock and Black Sea wheat markets -Glacier FarmMedia Editorial Director Laura Rance talks with Agri-Trend’s Rob Saik about the Canola 100 challenge, Alexis Kienlen of the Alberta Farmer Express reports on a high tech approach to detecting emotions of cattle and sheep and Bruce Burnett looks at Black Sea wheat markets.
PLAY EPISODE (Between The Rows – Aug 17/17)

Late soybeans, Know GMO movie, & goodbye Glen Murray -It’s Agronomy Monday, hosted by Shaun Haney and Kelvin Heppner — highlights: Peter Johnson takes a few minutes from harvesting wheat to discuss soybean issues growers are seeing — late maturity, downy mildew, aphids and more, as well as western bean cutworm in corn; Rob Saik, Agri-Trend founder and executive producer of the “Know GMO” film, discusses food marketing and where the film project is at.
PLAY EPISODE (RealAg Radio – July 31/17)

U.S. Farm Group Meetings & Speaking to Bill Gates -As seeding ramps up in parts of the prairies, much of Ontario is facing more wet weather… Today’s show features Jim Wood of Rocky Mountain Equipment on changes in the farm equipment retail business, Ron Bonnett of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture on recent meetings on trade with U.S. farm groups, and Rob Saik of Trimble (Agri-Trend) on his opportunity to talk about the future of ag technology to a group that included Bill Gates.
PLAY EPISODE (RealAg Radio – May 3/17)