Tyler McCann, managing director of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), delivered a presentation on digital agriculture and ag innovation at the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s (CFGA) 16th Annual Conference: Greener Horizons: Technological Innovations in Forage and Grassland Management. Held Nov. 18 to 21 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, the conference was organized in partnership with the New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association (NBSCIA).

With CAPI, Tyler has spent almost a decade advising ministers. He has also worked as a consultant for farm groups, industry associations and small and large agri-food businesses, advising on government relations, policy and association management and operates a beef and goat farm with his wife and kids in Western Quebec. 

Tyler noted that the report highlighted issues with investment, skills development and broader structural issues. He told attendees there is no denying that digital adoption is a significant aspect of the next generation of agri-food innovation. But, he added, the current challenges, such as the long-term decline in investment, impact the adoption and future innovation of digital technology.

“A survey of stakeholders suggested the system is struggling and actively discourages collaboration between stakeholders,” he said. “Barriers to change in innovation identified in the survey included regulatory issues, private and public investment, knowledge transfer as well as lack of public and private collaboration.”

He stressed the struggle is understanding the difference between data and digital. The digital system, or the tools needed to use the data, is part of the focus of CAPI’s work.

A key challenge is tech adoption on farms. Tyler said the survey data indicates one issue with adoption is the perception that the cost is greater than the benefits received. Other adoption barriers included confidence to interpret and make decisions using digital technology and concerns over data privacy.

The Policy School at the University of Calgary surveyed farmers prior to the federal election for their top three priorities. Tyler showed his audience that research, innovation and tech adoption, were not a top-five priority for producers. He said this is why science is getting cut in federal budgets.

“I’ll say this over and over again,” he said. “We need to get farmers to care more and we need to get farmers to tell more people that they care about research innovation and the potential for digital agriculture.”

The challenge is Canada is falling behind in terms of digital agriculture. However, Tyler said the good news is we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; there are successful strategies at play. He highlighted the work being done by the Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick to develop a digital Ag strategy. He says the ongoing challenge is to measure the success and potential of impact of digital agricultural, but the potential includes boosting productivity, competitiveness while reducing environmental impacts with the potential to unlock a further $750 million to $1.5 billion in annual net revenue over the next decade.

2025 conference recordings  
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