Agricultural leader envisions industry’s future

Reported by Karen Briere  (The Western Producer) During a recent presentation at Canada’s Farm Show, Saik said sustainability in all its forms figures prominently in the future. To feed a growing population agriculture has to be “infinitely sustainable,” he said, and that includes soil health, water-use efficiency, greenhouse gas balance and farm viability. READ MORE…

A New Document Goes to Bat for Glyphosate

By Marc Zienkiewicz – September 24, 2018 “Activists always equate GMO to more chemical. That’s not true for Bt and not true for glyphosate- and glufosinate-tolerant crops,” says Saik, an agrologist and founder of Agri-Trend (now Trimble), which helps farmers allocate scarce resources to produce profitable and environmentally sustainable crops. “I want the ag community to be…

A Q and A with Robert Saik: It’s Time to Get Big or Go Home for Agriculture Robotics

Robotics has been touted as a way to address some of the biggest issues in agriculture, namely when it comes to an ongoing labor shortage. Fifty-six percent of farmers in California alone have been unable to find enough workers in the past five years, according to a new report from the California Farm Bureau Federation….

As Presented to Canadian Deputy Ministers of Agriculture

On January 23rd I had an opportunity to present my thoughts on opportunities and challenges facing Canadian Agriculture to ALL the Deputy Ministers of Agriculture. I am not sure how I was chosen for this honour, however, I felt obliged to do a good job. Here are the issues I chose to present. BTW…no one…

Nourishing the World: Exponential Challenges, Exponential Technologies

Reported by Scott Bowman (clareo.com) for the TWIN GLOBAL 2018 Report INTRODUCTION In the coming decades, with a population booming to nearly 10 billion people, we will experience exponential growth in our global demand for food, while global food supply will continue to be under great stress.  The World Economic Forum projects that global demand…

Lack of trained workers, internet service hold back robotic expansion.

Reported by Ed Maixner  (Agri Pulse) Photo courtesy: University of Illinois-A vehicle the size of a Golden Retriever, designed and constructed at the University of Illinois, rolls on miniature tank treads between two rows of young plants in Arizona two years ago during a demonstration to assess a crop of semi-autonomous robots.   Global sales…

The EU will become the “Museum of Agriculture,” says Leading Agtech Entrepreneur

Reported by Jack Heald  (AgFUNDER NEWS) Editor’s Note: The Thought Leaders in Agriculture series is presented by IntelinAir, makers of AgMRI: a digital decision support system for farmers using aerial imaging. The first in the series is a conversation with Robert Saik, founder of Agri-Trend, a digital agronomy business that was acquired by Trimble in 2015….

SOME GOOD NEWS ABOUT GLYPHOSATE

By Christopher P. Dufault, P.AG., and Robert Saik, P.AG. CAC These days we are exposed to a great deal of negative, one-sided and inaccurate information in the media and online about a herbicide called gylphosate, often sold under the trade name Roundup. We interact with farmers and farm organizations on a regular basis.  We understand…

What is the Future of Your Farm?

Reported by Christina Herrick  (Senior Editor of American Fruit Grower® magazine, published by Meister Media Worldwide.) Where is the future of farming going? How is all the new technology being developed going to be integrated on the family farm in the next 20 years? Robert Saik Robert Saik, Founder of the Agri-Trend Group of Companies (now…

View From The Top: Robert Saik

Reported by Nate Birt (AGWEB Powered by Farm Journal) Background:  Born on a farm in Alberta, Canada, Robert Saik (robertsaik.com) studied agronomy and ag economics at university and went on to specialize in soil chemistry, plant physiology and crop nutrition. He built two independent fertilizer retailers in his 20s and in 1997 founded AGRI-TREND, a…

The Murder of a Molecule

The activist forces are marching against the molecule glyphosate. This one in a hundred year herbicide has done more to revolutionize sustainable farming than ANY other chemistry to date (and maybe all others combined). Yet, everyday activist organizations campaign for its de-registration. Consumers are being fed BS. It all stems from a review panel called…

Anti-science attitude threatens agriculture, humanity – WATTAgNet.com

Reported by Austin Alonzo (WATT Global Media) aalonzo@wattglobal.com Link to article First world consumers need to understand the role genetically modified organisms can, and will, play in feeding billions of people far into the future. Otherwise, a key technology will be lost.| Bigstock.com Whether or not humanity will be able to feed itself in the…

10 forces shaping the future of agriculture – WATTAgNet.com

Reported By: Austin Alonzo (WATT Global Media) aalonzo@wattglobal.com The future of agriculture is bright, thanks to emerging technology and innovative thinking. But, there will be challenges in achieving that vision. The big question in agriculture is whether or not the world’s ever increasing population will be able to feed itself with ever dwindling resources. One…

TOP TWENTY GMO FAQs – by the Robert(s)

By: Robert Saik, Professional Agrologist, Certified Agricultural Consultant, CEO Agri-Trend Inc., Executive Producer of KNOW GMO the MOVIE RSaik@AGRI-TREND.com and, Robert Wager, M.Sc  Biology Dept Vancouver Island University Robert.Wager@viu.ca What is a GMO? It stands for Genetically Modified Organism It is generally used incorrectly because most of our food has been Genetically Modified by one breeding…