New podcast looks at agriculture and more

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This article was published 28/09/2023 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Westman farmer has joined a farmer across the pond to create a brand-new monthly podcast that looks at issues in agriculture and beyond.

Arron Nerbas, of Nerbas Bros. Angus, a family-run operation in Shellmouth, Man., located 214 kilometres northwest of Brandon, has joined with Amy Hughes, a cow and sheep farmer from Yorkshire, United Kingdom, for the endeavour. The pair bring their passion for communication and knowledge-sharing in agriculture to light in the “Think Outside the Fence” podcast, which focuses on inspiring positive change in agriculture.

This positive change is something that the industry desperately needs, Nerbas told the Sun.

“We’ve advanced so much in agriculture, but again, at the same time, we’ve regressed in a lot of ways,” he said. “In agriculture and the food system in general, we’ve gone way too far in terms of globalization — way too far. The pendulum has swung, and we’re in a bad place.”

Using agriculture as a launching point, Nerbas and Hughes also plan on speaking about — and interviewing special guests regarding — mental health and social media.

“Social media isn’t going anywhere,” Nerbas said. “There’s so much negativity that goes along with social media, but there is good, too, so we need to find a way to target the good. Our focus and energy will be on the good part of social media.”

Hughes contacted Nerbas about a year ago after she discovered his Twitter account for Nerbas Bros. Angus. Hughes, chair of the British Cattle Breeders at the time, asked Nerbas if he would speak at a conference on the topic of “challenging traditions.” Nerbas thought it would be a great fit.

“We kind of do things a little bit non-traditionally on our operation. We’re more holistic and regenerative-minded. That’s what we do,” he said.

Nerbas went to England in January for the conference, where he met Hughes in person. The pair quickly realized they had a lot in common, and a good rapport to go with it. They kept in touch after Nerbas returned to Canada, and the idea of a podcast soon cropped up.

“We talked a lot about podcasts. We both listened to a lot of podcasts, and we’re like-minded in a lot of ways,” Nerbas said. “We challenge each other’s thinking through discussion.”

By March, Nerbas and Hughes had committed to making a podcast together, as that medium has ballooned within the last few years.

An article published by FastCompany in April of 2021 stated there are more than 2 million podcasts in the world, made up of 48 million episodes — a large leap compared to more than 550,000 podcasts Apple identified in 2018.

So far, three episodes of the “Think Outside the Fence” podcast have been released — an introduction episode on July 25, an episode featuring fellow podcaster Michael Blanche, the host of the Pasture Pod podcast in the U.K., on Aug. 1, and an episode interviewing holistic rancher and educator Don Campbell from Meadow Lake, Sask., on Sept. 1.

“We want to keep our guests really different and really fresh, to keep people guessing about what might be coming,” Nerbas said.

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association (MFGA) supports the podcast and will launch a podcast sponsorship campaign on Oct. 1.

The sponsorship makes perfect sense, because regenerative agriculture and learning about farming, both at home and abroad, is what the MFGA is all about, Duncan Morrison, MFGA’s executive director, told the Sun.

Hughes’ and Nerbas’ hand-picked guests from both their respective countries who speak to advanced on-farm thinking, Morrison said, so there is a natural alignment between the content flow of their podcast and the interests of the MFGA farmer network.

Neither Hughes or Nerbas sought out corporate sponsorship, so the MFGA’s offer came as a pleasant surprise to them, Morrison said.

“They’re doing it because of their passion for how they farm and how they want to promote farming,” Morrison said.

Having a co-host from the United Kingdom especially exciting, Morrison said.

“Europe is a leader in many respects,” he said. “The agricultural lands there are incredibly diverse. And while our agricultural lands are not the same, the economic and market forces are connected. So it’s important for us to have an understanding of what’s going on over there.”

Nerbas says he and Hughes are excited that the MFGA has come on board.

“The vision of the podcast and the vision of the MFGA align nicely around innovative thinking and creativity leading positive change in the industry, he said.

The podcast will help to educate and inspire people in agriculture and those in other industries as well, Nerbas hopes.

MGFA’s sponsorship of the podcast will cover one year, with the option for extension at the year’s completion. For more information, visit @TOTF podcast on X, or visit sites.libsyn.com/476343.

» mleybourne@brandonsun.com

» X: @miraleybourne