John Burns didn’t start out as a farmer. He grew up on one, though. But when he finished high school he was shoed away and encouraged to attend university, which is where he discovered his love of science. This launched him into a career teaching science. After some time - no longer able to resist the call, he started farming in his spare time, always approaching it as a science.

Over the years, John has worked with his family to build Windy Poplars Farms near Kandahar, Sask. Through it all, he has used his scientist mind to fastidiously grow crops and care for the land. In the 19th episode, John shares the work he has done over the years on his farm and the role extension services have played in his operation. John talks about everything from how important data collection is to farm management to why you should have regular meetings and do succession planning.

Listen to learn more about John and his career as a farmer.

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The Extensionists - Conversations with Great Thinkers in Agriculture is a Burr Forest Group production with new episodes airing every other week on Tuesdays. Hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter have in-depth conversations with industry experts, researchers, innovators, and farmers about the latest developments in agriculture and their implications. With a focus on making complex agricultural topics accessible and engaging, The Extensionists bridges the gap between research and farming by connecting the agricultural community to great ideas and thinkers.

The Extensionists is produced and edited by Abby Wall, coordinated by Ashley Robinson, and directed by Ryan Santschi.

How do you respond to emergencies? How do you get the correct information out to producers if there's a disease outbreak or natural disaster? On the eighteenth episode, Jenelle Hamblin, director, swine health with Manitoba Pork, joins co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck to offer invaluable insights on communications during tense, urgent situations.

Jenelle helps pork producers through moments of crisis during disease outbreaks. She makes sure they get the information they need, whether it’s via email, a town hall, or text messages. She also shares how she got into this work from her experiences working with the province of Manitoba during the 2011 flood to growing up on a cattle farm in Fisher Branch, MB.

Listen to learn more about Jenelle and the world of crisis communications extension work.

Website: https://theextensionists.com

X: https://x.com/thextensionists

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104093329/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563563092114

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theextensionists/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheExtensionists

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theextensionists

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theextensionists.bsky.social

The Extensionists - Conversations with Great Thinkers in Agriculture is a Burr Forest Group production with new episodes airing every other week on Tuesdays. Hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter have in-depth conversations with industry experts, researchers, innovators, and farmers about the latest developments in agriculture and their implications. With a focus on making complex agricultural topics accessible and engaging, The Extensionists bridges the gap between research and farming by connecting the agricultural community to great ideas and thinkers.

The Extensionists is produced and edited by Abby Wall, coordinated by Ashley Robinson, and directed by Ryan Santschi.

How did a farm boy from Manitoba end up in Silicon Valley? In the 14th episode, The Extensionists co-hosts Jay Whetter and Toban Dyck sit down with Scott Day, an agronomist and director with Fall Line Capital. Scott and Jay go way back, having grown up on the farms surrounding Dand, MB.

In this episode, Scott shares the story of how he went from working in extension for the Manitoba government to working in farm real estate investment and ag tech in San Francisco. He shares the stories of his travels over the years and how those connections lead to his current work.

Listen to learn more about Scott and his work at Fall Line Capital, along with the stories of the time he was mistaken for Donny Osmond and his run-in with Catherine Zeta Jones.

Website: https://theextensionists.com

X: https://x.com/thextensionists

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/104093329/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563563092114

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theextensionists/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheExtensionists

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theextensionists

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theextensionists.bsky.social

The Extensionists - Conversations with Great Thinkers in Agriculture is a Burr Forest Group production with new episodes airing every other week on Tuesdays. Hosts Toban Dyck and Jay Whetter have in-depth conversations with industry experts, researchers, innovators, and farmers about the latest developments in agriculture and their implications. With a focus on making complex agricultural topics accessible and engaging, The Extensionists bridges the gap between research and farming by connecting the agricultural community to great ideas and thinkers.

The Extensionists is produced and edited by Abby Wall, coordinated by Ashley Robinson, and directed by Ryan Santschi.