The Future Herd

Agriculture is navigating a period of rapid change. Markets shift quickly, public conversations about food are shaped by social media, and the next generation of farm leaders is stepping into roles that previous generations never had to imagine. In this episode of Future Herd , Jesse Hirsh sits down with farm leader Steph Towers for a conversation about what leadership looks like in a sector facin...

Guest: Tyler McCann, Managing Director, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) Global trade is shifting. Geopolitics is intruding into supply chains. Food is no longer just food — it is leverage, resilience, and power. In this episode of Future Herd, Jesse Hirsh sits down with Tyler McCann, Managing Director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), to explore what leadership looks li...

If Canada is serious about competing globally in agri-food, commercialization can’t be an afterthought. In this episode of The Future Herd, Jesse Hirsh sits down with Dana McCauley — chef-turned-strategist, former food manufacturing executive, and one of Canada’s most influential food innovation leaders. Dana’s career spans fine dining, food media, corporate leadership, and national ecosystem deve...

In this episode of The Future Herd , Jesse Hirsh sits down with Rene Van Acker, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Guelph, to explore the evolving role of universities in shaping the future of agriculture and food. At a time when climate volatility, technological disruption, and political short-termism are redefining the operating environment for farmers and institutions alike, wha...

In this episode of The Future Herd , Jesse Hirsh speaks with Jennifer Wright of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council about what it will take to prepare Canada’s agri-food workforce for the decades ahead. Their conversation explores why technology alone cannot deliver the future many envision, and how skills, training systems, and collaboration form the real foundation of innovation. Th...

What does it really take to prepare the agri-food sector for the future? In this episode of The Future Herd , Jesse Hirsh is joined by Ruth Knight, director with the Agriculture Adaptation Council and chair of the Agri-Food 2050 committee, for a wide-ranging conversation on foresight, leadership, and cultural transformation in agriculture. Rather than treating the future as something to be predict...

Many independent actors, adapting together Food systems are changing faster than most of our institutions can keep up. The Future Herd is a podcast about understanding where our food actually comes from—how it’s grown, governed, financed, regulated, and lived with—and what it will take to adapt together in the decades ahead. Hosted by Jesse Hirsh , the show explores leadership through collaboratio...