Agriculture
Red Deer Ag Innovator joins leading Ag company DOT Technology Corp
From DOT Technology Corp.
Agri-Trend founder to bridge farming and technology gap and lead large-scale global commercialization of autonomous Dot Power Platform for agriculture.
DOT Power Platform
EMERALD PARK, SASK.
Dot owner and founder Norbert Beaujot is pleased to announce the addition of agricultural technology expert Robert Saik to the Dot Technology Corp. leadership team. As Chief Executive Officer of Dot Ready Retail (DRR), Saik will work with farmers in Canada and globally to establish a retail and distribution system to support autonomous farming.
“Given Rob’s vast experience in the agriculture industry and his record as an agri-business thought leader, he brings a unique set of skills to help grow the Dot Power Platform by connecting agronomics with data and robotics.” said Beaujot. “The way producers buy farm equipment has evolved. His mandate is to work with farmers to better understand their decision making when it comes to purchasing new equipment and how they want to be supported in today’s high technological agricultural market.”
Robert, a veteran entrepreneur and Distinguished Agrologist has founded many agricultural ventures. Most recently he completed the sale of Agri-Trend and Agri-Data to Trimble. He is passionate about farming with an interest in an operation in Uganda and facilitates the PowerFARM peer group for farmers. As consultant, speaker, author, filmmaker and outspoken advocate for agriculture, Robert always has had his eye to the future of farming. He has published over 50 articles on crop agronomics and is a thought leader on the integration of technology in crop production. His book, The Agriculture Manifesto was recognized as a “Best of Amazon Book” and in 2014, he was awarded the Canadian Agri-Marketer of the Year by the Canadian Agri-Marketing Association. Last fall it was announced that the Dot Power Platform would be available for sale in select regions of Saskatchewan and Alberta throughout 2019. To prepare market demand of Dot and Dot Ready Implements, Saik will lead DRR to help bridge the farming and technology gap for new generations of farmers.
“Autonomous farming through the Dot Power Platform opens up an opportunity to engage a whole new generation in farming. With labour being a major constraint on many farms, the evolution to autonomous operations makes sense and will bring a renewed interest from young people looking to pursue careers in agriculture,” Saik explained. “As we develop a global retail network for Dot, we are looking to bring together technology with people to create a new type of sustainable and profitable arable farming.”
Standardized autonomous ‘power units’ have the ability to complete limitless tasks for farmers while freeing their time for higher level tasks. The Dot Power Platform is a mobile diesel-powered platform designed to handle a large variety of implements commonly used in agriculture, mining and construction. Working for farmers, Dot completes tasks autonomously and enables farmers to spend more of their time focusing on the overall operation of their farms.
About Dot Technology Corp.
Dot Technology Corp, established in 2017, is a technology company that manufacturers Dot, a patented autonomous diesel-powered platform, in Saskatchewan.
Agriculture
Bill C-282, now in the Senate, risks holding back other economic sectors and further burdening consumers
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Bill C-282 currently sits in the Canadian Senate and stands on the precipice of becoming law in a matter of weeks. Essentially, this bill seeks to bestow immunity upon supply management from any potential future trade negotiations without offering increased market access to potential trade partners.
In simpler terms, it risks holding all other economic sectors hostage solely to safeguard the interests of a small, privileged group of farmers. This is far from an optimal scenario, and the implications of this bill spell bad news for Canadians.
Supply management, which governs poultry, egg, and dairy production in Canada, has traditionally enabled us to fulfill our domestic needs. Under this system, farmers are allocated government-sanctioned quotas to produce food for the nation. At the same time, high tariffs are imposed on imports of items such as chicken, butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, and eggs. This model has been in place for over five decades, ostensibly to shield family farms from economic volatility.
However, despite the implementation of supply management, Canada has witnessed a comparable decline in the number of farms as the United States, where a national supply management scheme does not exist. Supply management has failed to preserve much of anything beyond enriching select agricultural sectors.
For instance, dairy farmers now possess quotas valued at over $25 billion while concurrently burdening dairy processors with the highest-priced industrial milk in the Western world. Recent data indicates a significant surge in prices at the grocery store, with yogurt prices alone soaring by over 30 percent since December 2023. This escalation is increasingly straining the budgets of many consumers.
It’s evident to those knowledgeable about the situation that the emergence of Bill C-282 should come as no surprise. Proponents of supply management exert considerable influence over politicians across party lines, compelling them to support this bill to safeguard the interests of less than one percent of our economy, much to the ignorance of most Canadians. In the last federal budget, the dairy industry alone received over $300 million in research funds, funds that arguably exceed their actual needs.
While Canada’s agricultural sector accounts for approximately seven percent of our GDP, supply-managed industries represent only a small fraction of that figure. Supply-managed farms represent about five percent of all farms in Canada. Forging trade agreements with key partners such as India, China, and the United Kingdom is imperative not only for sectors like automotive, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology but for the vast majority of farms in livestock and grains to thrive and contribute to global welfare and prosperity. It is essential to recognize that Canada has much more to offer than merely self-sufficiency in food production.
Over time, the marketing boards overseeing quotas for farmers have amassed significant power and have proven themselves politically aggressive. They vehemently oppose any challenges to the existing system, targeting politicians, academics, and groups advocating for reform or abolition. Despite occasional resistance from MPs and Senators, no major political party has dared to question the disproportionate protection afforded to one sector over others. Strengthening our supply-managed sectors necessitates embracing competition, which can only serve to enhance their resilience and competitiveness.
A recent example of the consequences of protectionism is the United Kingdom’s decision to walk away from trade negotiations with Canada due to disagreements over access to our dairy market. Not only do many Canadians appreciate the quality of British cheese, but increased competition in the dairy section would also help drive prices down, a welcome relief given current economic challenges.
In the past decade, Canada has ratified trade agreements such as CUSMA, CETA, and CPTPP, all of which entailed breaches in our supply management regime. Despite initial concerns from farmers, particularly regarding the impact on poultry, eggs, and dairy, these sectors have fared well. A dairy farm in Ontario recently sold for a staggering $21.5 million in Oxford County. Claims of losses resulting from increased market access are often unfounded, as farmer boards simply adjust quotas when producers exit the industry.
In essence, Bill C-282 represents a misguided initiative driven by farmer boards capitalizing on the ignorance of urban residents and politicians regarding rural realities. Embracing further protectionism will not only harm consumers yearning for more competition at the grocery store but also impede the growth opportunities of various agricultural sectors striving to compete globally and stifle the expansion prospects of non-agricultural sectors seeking increased market access.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is senior director of the agri-food analytics lab and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University.
From StosselTV
Activists have a new goal: “DEgrowth.”
They say “growth is killing us.” They couldn’t be MORE wrong.
“Growth is not killing us. It’s saving us!” says author Johan Norberg. He explains why growth is essential to human progress, especially for poor people. “In poor countries, if you manage to grow by 4% annually over 20 years,” he points out, “that reduces poverty in that country on average by 80%.
But DEgrowth activists insist that growth means “climate chaos.” They say a smaller economy would be “sweeter.” They say “We must urgently dismantle capitalism!” It’s destructive nonsense. This video explains why.
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After 40+ years of reporting, I now understand the importance of limited government and personal freedom.
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Libertarian journalist John Stossel created Stossel TV to explain liberty and free markets to young people.
Prior to Stossel TV he hosted a show on Fox Business and co-anchored ABC’s primetime newsmagazine show, 20/20. Stossel’s economic programs have been adapted into teaching kits by a non-profit organization, “Stossel in the Classroom.” High school teachers in American public schools now use the videos to help educate their students on economics and economic freedom. They are seen by more than 12 million students every year.
Stossel has received 19 Emmy Awards and has been honored five times for excellence in consumer reporting by the National Press Club.
Other honors include the George Polk Award for Outstanding Local Reporting and the George Foster Peabody Award.
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