Agriculture Roundup for Monday, December 12, 2022

Dec 12, 2022

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan wants a proposed federal bill to protect the rights of producers to maintain and service their equipment and give options for third-party services.

The group was asked to testify in a meeting of the standing committee on industry and technology in relation to C-244. The bill would allow everybody to have access to manufacturer tools and procedures on repairing software and parts.

The North American Equipment Dealers Association said they are not against the farmers’ right to repair, but President John Schmeiser said the bill was initially introduced for electronics and household appliances.

He said if people have access to the software for tractors, they could increase the speed to 70 km/h, even though the brakes aren’t designed to handle that.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies