Dal agriculture students dig into sustainable agribusiness with podcast project

Feb 11, 2025

A team of Agricultural business students are hoping their new podcast will cultivate meaningful conversations about the future of food and sustainability.

The Harvesting Impact podcast, a student-led initiative developed under the guidance of Dr. Tasha Richard as part of the Issues in Sustainable Agribusiness course last fall, allowed the eight fourth-year students to dig into issues impacting their field and gain hands-on experience in podcast production.

"The project was designed to empower students to explore the impact they want to make in the agribusiness sector while developing practical communication skills,” explains Dr. Richard, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Agriculture's Department of Business and Social Sciences. “It was important to provide them with an opportunity to engage with real-world issues, challenge assumptions and share diverse perspectives in a format that could reach beyond the classroom.”

Ag affects everyone

The podcast was produced with the invaluable guidance of Podstarter, a Halifax-based podcast agency, where the students recorded their episodes.

The first episode features Dalhousie's own Jolene MacEachern, director of strategy and strategic project at the Faculty of Agriculture, discussing pressing issues in farming today, including the top misconceptions about agriculture. In the second episode, Class of 2024 graduate Grace Ashworth shares insights into why some young farmers are choosing not to return to the farm.

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Video: A Farm Song (Busy) | Parody of A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey

Lyrics:

My days begin with workin’, Alarm’s at 5 o’clock,
I Fill 5 gallon buckets, The feeders and the troughs,
This five to nine ain’t workin’, why the heck do I work so hard?,
I can’t worry ‘bout health problems, I can sleep in when I’m gone,

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

I’ve been working pretty stressed but,
I ain’t changing for some cash,
Lord knows that I’m very blessed (More chores),
But I gotta say it’s hard,
Workin’ outside gettin’ charred,
Living out here on the farm, (more chores)

One, here comes the two to the three to the four,
Tell em’ ‘buy another cow, we need plenty more’,
Blue jeans are gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history
There’s another 20 chickens that still need feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Everybody on the farm getting’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,

Fun, here on ranch that’s what you can’t ignore,
Might be pretty hard but I love it to its core,
Flannel’s gettin’ dirty, what else could I ask for,
Oh my, more chores (Tell ‘em sing with me)

Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
There’s another flock of sheep that still needs feed,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Someone pour me up another shot of sweet tea,
They know me and working hard’s got a history,
Watching cattle in the dark, don’t miss me,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
(Yeeeeeehaw)
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
Everybody on the farm gettin’ busy,
It’s the best bro, go get yourself a farm