Seeding scientific knowledge on farms

Coffee shops aren’t conventional bridges — but for Toban Dyck, they might be the connective tissue between farmers and new research.

Coffee shops, infographics, editorials, cartoon videos, possibly songs and skits. Dyck and colleagues are keeping all options on the table to make science accessible.

“You have an industry … that is forging ahead on multiple files,” Dyck said, adding farmers have “not necessarily” been brought along.

He co-founded Burr Forest Group three years ago. Government-funded farming organizations tap Dyck’s team to translate technical research into public-friendly messaging. Recently, Burr Forest Group launched a workshop to train organizations on better communication.

Dyck started the company after noticing, from his view, a gap between producers and novel research.

He farms grains near Winkler. Over the decades, he’s watched agriculture extension resources in the province — and across Canada — downsize and shutter.

Manitoba has six agriculture extension specialists on Crown land, a government website shows. Agriculture extension is, broadly, sharing and explaining new industry information with farmers.

Twenty-one Manitoba agricultural service offices closed in 2021 under the Progressive Conservatives. Then-agriculture minister Blaine Pedersen said an online chat program would be created to assist farmers.

Extension is also found in businesses and non-profits. Large farms might have their own agronomists; government extension specialists sometimes train groups of producers or extension agents to spread knowledge.

Still, there’s a need for more in-person relationships and resources to spread awareness about science, Dyck said.

“I believe there’s a lot of farmers — and a lot of people out there in general — who don’t do the right thing. Not because they don’t want to, but because they may not understand what it is they should be doing,” he said.

“If we can … (communicate) in a way that facilitates learning, in ways that aren’t patronizing, then I believe the whole sector will improve.”

Government policy and climate initiatives can seem opaque to farmers, Dyck added.

He’s worked as a journalist for several news outlets, including CBC and the National Post. Now, he and a handful of Burr Forest staff and contractors convert scientific findings into media such as infographics, videos and articles.

Clientele include the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

Dyck said he noticed organizations wanting their own employees trained on communications. Often, farming associations have staff who share information about advancements. The workers may not have a background writing for the general public.

“There is a need for professionals, agrologists, to understand how to do extension,” said Daryl Domitruk, executive director of the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers.

Especially because demands on farmers are seemingly increasing — to produce cheap, healthy food while reducing greenhouse gas emissions — while the number of people in extension has decreased, Domitruk added. “We have to deal with modern issues.”

Burr Forest Group spent years developing its extension workshop content. It’s landed on seven modules covering presentation skills, social media use and writing engagingly, among other items. The course spans 1.5 days.

Andrew Hector, an agronomy extension specialist with the Manitoba Crop Alliance, was an attendee of the first workshop in May.

Hector and nine other participants were tasked with filming on the Winkler grounds of Dead Horse Cider Co., the pop-up workshop’s location. He shot a video about weed control.

“One of the biggest (things) I took away is that there’s many ways to approach communication,” said Hector, whose job involves writing blog posts.

Local gathering places can’t be discounted, Dyck stressed. His father — also a farmer — meets for coffee with neighbours every weekday morning of growing season. It’s where tips are shared and misinformation can spread, Dyck said.

TikTok and YouTube shorts are popular with younger producers, he noted.

“So much money gets put into ag research,” Dyck said. “It’s just critically important that that research gets seen by the people who could benefit from it.”

Building relationships takes time, he emphasized. He plans to take Burr Forest Group’s workshop to Saskatchewan and Alberta later this year or in early 2026.

Meantime, he’s co-hosing a podcast on agriculture extension called The Extensionists.

The province’s agriculture department has changed due to technological advancements, a provincial spokesperson wrote in a statement.

“Digital technology and a more participatory approach complement the traditional one-on-one methods of extension,” they continued. “Fewer people are now needed to reach a much larger audience.”

Producers can access the department’s webinars, among other digital items, any time.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com