Time to explain how the innovation sweeping through farming can bring many benefits to consumers.   Ottawa—The agrifood sector needs to go bold in its communications with consumers who are more than ever looking for information on where their food comes and whether it is produced sustainably, more than 500 people attending Canada Ag Day here were told. The message came Tyler Groeneveld, Grains and Oils Leader for Corteva Agriscience, during a panel discussion on exploring the future of food, one of the sessions at the day-long event. It could have also been billed as many helpings of food for thought. “Canada has awesome potential in food production,” he said. “Producers have messages to deliver to consumers and they, in turn, need access to farmers.” The need to connect farmers and consumers is one more reason for beefing up rural Internet service so the two sides can establish contact. Al Driver, Country Division Head for Crop Science with Bayer Canada, endorsed the bold approach. “Canadians can compete in markets around the world and we should be proud of that.” Trevor Heck, President of Syngenta Canada, said the agrifood sector also needs to embrace a common definition of environmental sustainability, and then work at getting it internationally recognized. “Everywhere we go, we find a different definition of sustainability. Unless we have a credible one, other countries will impose their version on us.” Driver said while sustainability “is the foundation of our industry, we have done a horrible job of explaining that to the public.” For example, few people realize that it takes a decade or more to fulfill all the safety regulatory requirements needed for approval of a new crop or pesticide. Better use of data could be the next big step in improving sustainability as farmers increasingly use real time data to determine when to apply pesticides and undertake other jobs. “We should be using it to make the best choices for us and the environment.” Heck said data technology being used in other sectors should be applied in agrifood to bring innovative products to market faster. “We should be super excited about the future for agriculture.” Groeneveld said a good example of kinds of innovations under development is research aimed at finding increased uses for the meal left over when canola seed is crushed for its oil. “It can be used to increase the protein content in livestock and aquaculture feeds. It would help our farmers and replace imports of similar products. Picking up on earlier pitch by Sean Finn, Corporate Vice-President of CN Rail, to the youth in audience who will be looking for jobs in the near future to apply to his company, Jean-Marc Ruest, Senior Vice-President of Richardson International, who moderated the panel, said careers in agriculture in the next 10 to 15 years will be “so different than in the past. Companies will have to be creative in attracting young people.” Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.