Academics Switching Out Bales for Books

Kicking off the new academic year

As summer slides into fall, the hallways once again filled with excitement and enthusiast chatter of returning students. While the excitement is more likely a result of friends reuniting and reminiscing rather than the commencement of new classes, it’s still a welcome sound. Although I expect that many students are happy to be back in classroom, they may not want to admit it right now.

While there have been few students around over the past few months of summer, things have continued at a rapid pace at the U of S for myself. I’m pleased to announce that my research chair has been renewed for another five-year term, as the Chair of Agri-Food Innovation and Sustainability. I’m looking forward to undertaking a demanding research agenda and communicating the results with as broad an audience as possible. Informing the public about the innovative changes in food production is an increasingly important aspect for the agriculture industry.

What’s to come this fall to SAIFood

With a federal election in Canada in October, there will be no shortage of important agricultural policy issues. Commodity trade with China, regulation of new plant breeding methods and food product labels are all issues that have great importance for the industry. Climate change and plant-based proteins have also created considerable policy attention. To some extent, there are more pressing policy issues that capacity to write about them. However, we at SAIFood will be doing our best to keep on top of as many of these as is possible.

My staff and I have enjoyed the holidays we have taken this summer, but we also have been hard at work preparing new blogs to publish this fall. I would like to acknowledge the significant efforts of Chelsea and Claire, who have both done a great deal of research and writing on various topics. I’m looking forward to sharing their work with you over the coming weeks.

I hope your summer has been a good one as well. Safe harvest to everyone hard at work taking their crops off over the coming weeks and months. For those of us that no longer live on farms, we greatly appreciate the long days you will spend working to ensure that our food security is guaranteed. Thank you for all that you do and may you have optimal weather this fall.