U of G Student Receives Inaugural AgCareers.com Scholarship

Dec 07, 2022

A University of Guelph student has won the first-ever Canadian Feed Your Future Scholarship presented by AgCareers.com.

Allison Visser, a fourth-year student in the Honours Agriculture program at the Ontario Agricultural College, plans to help Canadians connect to agriculture “by educating them on where their food comes from.”

In her application essay for the competition, Visser wrote: “I am going to feed the world with my talent by promoting sustainable practices that will allow producers to earn consumer trust and remain productive and profitable into the future, and by leveraging all available food sources, along with reducing food waste to increase global food security.”

The Feed Your Future scholarship supports post-secondary students in Canada who are studying agriculture or who intend to pursue an agricultural career.

The scholarship is part of AgCareers.com’s initiative, also called Feed Your Future, that helps American and Canadian agricultural organizations in recruiting, training and connecting with individuals within the industry.

Source : News.Uoguleph

Video: Independent Seed, National Impact | On The Brink: Episode 9

A survey of 200 independent seed businesses reveals what Canada's seed sector actually contributes — and what it stands to lose.

On the Brink, Justin Funk, a third-generation agri-marketer, shares the findings of a national survey conducted in early 2026. The numbers reframe the conversation: independent seed companies in Canada represent upwards of $1.7 billion in dedicated seed infrastructure, approximately 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs in rural communities, and an estimated $20 million in annual community contributions. And roughly 90% of Canada's cereals, pulses, and other small pollinated crops flow through them.

The survey also asked how dependent these businesses are on public plant breeding to survive. The answer was unambiguous. For policymakers evaluating the future of publicly funded breeding programs, Funk argues the economic case for this sector and the case for public plant breeding are the same argument.

On the Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture.