This May 10, 2025 article by Salma Ibrahim for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news online website illustrates the timeliness of the upcoming Agriculture and Agrifood Sector panel, Note: Links have been removed,
As Canada’s reliance on U.S. produce hits the spotlight, one Ontario farmer has a pitch: locally grown, year-round produce, grown by artificial intelligence and automation.
In a sprawling two-hectare greenhouse, partially tucked inside a wooden red barn in King City, Ont., an animated Jay Willmot, farmer and entrepreneur, shared his vision.
“From sowing and seeding, all the way through to harvest and packing, no one touches this crop,” he said in front of rows and rows of lettuce shoots.
Instead, multimillion-dollar AI and machinery does the work; the whirring and clicking of conveyor belts, hooks and levers, fills the space that was once part of his family’s horse farm.
Willmot built his business, Haven Greens, to tackle the Canadian winter and a laundry list of obstacles that farmers face — from high labour costs to unpredictable weather. He’s not alone; federal and provincial governments have offered incentives to encourage automation.
Some experts do urge caution though — saying widespread adoption could have unintended consequences.
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Even before trade tensions pushed Canada’s dependence on U.S. produce back into the spotlight, there was a push to incentivize agricultural technology, to make Canada more self-sufficient.
In Ontario, for example, the government dished out $547,720 in 2021 to Great Lakes Greenhouses Inc, an operation in the heart of Leamington, Ont. — dubbed North America’s greenhouse capital for having the highest density of greenhouses on the continent. The cash was to help the company pilot an artificial intelligence system that would “allow greenhouse operators to remotely grow cucumbers and eggplant crops, reducing in-person contact,” a provincial press release reads.
B.C. also has an On-Farm Technology Adoption Program, offering cost-sharing funding for labour-saving tech like autonomous weeders, harvesters and sorters.
The country is heavily reliant on temporary foreign workers for farm labour. Nearly half of the people working in Canada’s agriculture sector were employed on a seasonal basis in 2022, according to Statistics Canada. It is a gap that Willmot believes automation can fill.
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I have not done justice to Ibrahim’s May 10, 2025 article, so, if you have the time, I recommend reading it in its entirety as it provides some insight into Canada’s current situation vis-à-vis agriculture and the pros and cons of new agricultural technology.
Getting back to the upcoming panel, here’s more from a May 8, 2025 Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) newsletter (received via email),
Panel on May 21 [2025]: Navigating Geopolitical Shifts: Canada’s Innovation Strategy for Agriculture and Agrifood Sector
The global agrifood sector is facing a period of unprecedented transformation, driven by shifting geopolitical landscapes, evolving trade relationships, climate pressures, and the growing influence of digital technologies. These forces are redefining how food is produced, processed, and moved across borders—bringing both significant risks and new opportunities for industry and governments alike.
Geopolitical shifts are transforming industries worldwide, and Canada is no exception. Canadian businesses and innovation ecosystems face new pressures to adapt in order to stay competitive in light of emerging trade disputes and other local and global challenges.
The goal is to stimulate dialogue on innovation challenges and opportunities in the agriculture and agrifood sector under changing conditions and to explore how Canadian industry and innovation policy can adapt to strengthen Canada’s competitive standing and safeguard our citizens’ well-being.
Each panel will bring together sector insiders and broader science, technology, and innovation (STI) stakeholders, ensuring a mix of perspectives. CSPC will publish a final report synthesizing the insights from the panel discussion. There is a planned symposium for the first morning of the conference that will further discuss the challenges and opportunities that present across all sectors.
Moderated by: Senator Mary Robinson
Prince Edward Islander, Senator
A proud Prince Edward Islander, Senator Mary Robinson was appointed to the Senate in January 2024. Coming from a 6th generation family farm operation, she has been a strong voice for industry at the provincial, national, and global levels. She was the first female Chair of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resources Council, the first female President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and vice president of the World Farmers’ Organisation. In 2021, she was named one of the Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada by the Atlantic Business Magazine.
Joe Dales
Cofounder and Partner of RHA Ventures Inc.
Joe Dales has gained 35+ years of agriculture industry experience beginning his career in sales, marketing and management, working with leading companies such as Pfizer, Cyanamid Crop Protection (BASF) and NK Syngenta Seeds (Ciba Seeds).
In 1997, he co-founded with his wife Sandra, www.AgCareers.com, one of the first ag business websites on the internet and in 1998, he co-founded Farms.com, where he helped grow the business for 20 years. In 2019, he co-founded RHA Ventures Inc. and leads their value adding investments in the agriculture and food innovation and start-up sector. RHA (www.RHA.Ventures) has made more than 35 investments and continues to support entrepreneurs with hands on, experienced business mentoring.
Joe has been involved in successfully launching over 40 agri tech innovations ranging from crop protection products (Pursuit, Odyssey), seed varieties, herbicide tolerant canola, biologicals (HiStick), start up companies like Farms.com and AgCareers.com and a range of innovative products and services. He is passionate about bringing innovation to agriculture and helping farmers improve productivity.
Joe has gained extensive corporate governance board experience with several companies such as Canterra Seeds, Vive Crop Protection, Haggerty AgRobotics and as the Chair of the Board of Governors for the Western Fair Association. He has been a supporter of CAMA his whole career. Joe has an Honours BSc in Chemistry from Western University and a Masters in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Ian Affleck is the vice-president of plant biotechnology for CropLife Canada. In this role, Ian works with domestic and international agricultural stakeholders and governments on the development of policies, regulations, and science related to plant biotechnology. Prior to joining CropLife Canada, Ian worked at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for 10 years, where his work focused on the regulation of novel plants and new varieties. He holds a bachelor of science in agriculture from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, concentrating on agronomy and pest management. He also holds a master’s degree in agriculture from the University of Guelph, specializing in horticulture and plant breeding and has been involved in agriculture from an early age, having grown up on a potato farm in Bedeque, Prince Edward Island.
Kathleen Sullivan
Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, Maple Leaf Foods
She brings to the role 30 years of government, advocacy, trade, and food sector experience. This includes senior leadership positions at several industry organizations, including Food and Beverage Canada, the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, and Restaurants Canada. She also spent three years as a senior policy advisor in the Ontario government, including to the Minister of Education and in the Cabinet Office.
Ms. Sullivan has a deep understanding of how business is affected by policy and regulatory frameworks and has been a key industry advisor on domestic food laws and on agri-food trade policy. She has also served as a senior industry lobbyist in major Canadian trade negotiations and trade missions.
Rodney Bierhuizen
President, Sunrise Greenhouses Ltd.
Rodney Bierhuizen is the owner and General Manager of Sunrise Greenhouses in Vineland, Ontario. Founded by his parents in 1982, a few years after immigrating from the Netherlands, Sunrise Greenhouses is a second-generation farm that has grown to operate four locations across Niagara, with over 1 million square feet of production. The company specializes in potted plants for retail markets and young plants for other producers across Canada and the U.S.
A key differentiator for Sunrise Greenhouses is its exclusive product lines, with in-house breeding and development of unique plant genetics that are licensed worldwide. Sunrise also has an inhouse automation firm- BOLD Robotics that supplies automation solutions to the agricultural sector.
Rodney is actively involved in the horticulture industry and agricultural advocacy. He currently serves as:
*Member of the Niagara Region Agricultural Action Committee and Vineland Research and Innovation Stakeholder Advisory Council
*President of Flower Canada Ontario
*Director on the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Association, Niagara Greenhouse Growers, and Greenhouse Growers Alliance of Lincoln
Dr. Steven R. Webb
CEO, Global Institute for Food Security
Steven joined the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) as Chief Executive Officer in 2019, following a 23-year career with Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences) in Indiana, United States. At GIFS, he has led the transformation of the institute to an agri-food connector and innovation catalyst, delivering valuable programs, technologies and services to scale up and accelerate R&D, deliver greater impact for Canada’s agri-food sector and enhance its global competitiveness.
His most recent role at Corteva was Research and Development Director of External Technology, where he led many research collaborations with private sector companies, research institutes and universities around the world.
Tiffany Stephenson
CMO, Protein Industries Canada
As CMO, Tiffany is responsible for member engagement, brand management and strategic communications to support Protein Industries Canada in their goals of growing the value-added processing sector in Western Canada, with a focus on creating plant-protein based products and co-products. With more than 15 years marketing, communication and stakeholder engagement experience in Canada’s agriculture and food industry, Tiffany is a proud advocate for the sector.
Chuck Baresich
President and Founder of Haggerty AgRobotics and Haggerty Creek
