b'FROM OUR DESKFall 2021 - Vol. 18, No. 4Advancing the Canadian Potato IndustryMy Regenerative PUBLISHED BY:ISSUES INK Ag Confusion 6327435 Canada Ltd.403-313 Pacific Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3A 0M2Phone: 204-453-1965, Fax: 204-475-5247Email: [email protected] FRIDAY Iwas sitting at my desk doing my usual morningissuesink.comtasks when an email landed in my inbox. It was from a McCainPUBLISHERFoods communications person, and they said the companyShawn [email protected] be making a big announcement the following Monday.EDITORThey sent me the release under embargo. Ashley [email protected] big news was McCain was pledging all the potatoesEDITORIAL DIRECTORit bought would be grown using regenerative agricultureSonja [email protected] by 2030. When I first read it, my jaw dropped. HowMANAGING EDITORASHLEY ROBINSON, Spud Smart editor could potatoes, a crop which required tillage, be grown usingMichelle [email protected] agriculture practices? ADVERTISING SALESMy mind jumped to my own knowledge of regenerativeCraig [email protected] agriculture. From what I knew it required livestock grazing andDean [email protected] little soil disturbancethe exact opposite of potatoSam [email protected]. CREATE CLIENT SERVICESWhen I later talked with Jess Newman, McCains seniorAiden [email protected] director of agriculture and sustainability, she explained theyMARKETINGwere viewing regenerative agriculture as practices such as coverTheresa Ramsoomair, Shelby Colbert [email protected] and reducing pesticide usage. Hearing this made much more sense to me and lined up with what potato growersCREATIVELesley Nakonechny, Kyle Dratowany, Theresa Ramsoomairrepeatedly told me they were already doing on their own farms.When the news became public and I saw reaction on Twitter, ICIRCULATIONDean [email protected] most people were just as confused as I had been about what exactly this announcement included. I did some moreCONTRIBUTORSEugenia Banks, Jim Timlick, Kevin Elmy, Madeleine Baerg and Marc research and found out PepsiCo, who owns FritoLay, had alsoZienkiewiczrecently made a regenerative agriculture promise. Between theEDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARDtwo announcements, I thought it required a deeper look, the resultKhalil Al-Mughrabi, Benoit Bizimungu, Robert Coffin,of which is The Regenerative Ag Debate on pages 6 to 12. Nick Hubbard, Jason Kehler, Keith Kuhl, Kevin MacIsaac,Researching this story was really interesting. I got to talkBill Moons, Rick D. Peters, Janet Porchak, Tracy Shinners-Carnelley, to a lot of people and learn just how confusing the world ofBert Tupling, Peter VanderZaagregenerative agriculture is. Everyone has their own definitions ofSUBSCRIPTIONSSpud Smartwhat it includes, which is what was causing growers stress.is published four times a year.To subscribe, please email [email protected] never met a grower who doesnt care about their soil andCanadian subscription rate is: $45.00/year plus GST. doesnt want to improve and help it in any way they can. Most areInternational subscription rate is CDN$110.00/year.already doing work on their own farms, not because companiesPRINTED IN CANADAare asking them too, but because they want to conserve the soil.Please recycle where facilities exist.Meaning a lot of growers are already doing what companies suchNo part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written as McCains and PepsiCo are asking them to do. permission of the publisher. Spud SmartAs I talked to people for this story, one underlying theme makes no expressed or implied warranties of emerged: almost everyone would just love it if there wasmechantability or fitness for a particular purpose or otherwise, concerning the use of any product and assumes no liability for any one overarching definition of regenerative agriculture. Someinjury or damage, direct or consequential, incurred from the use of companies are taking this work into their own hands to makesuch products or services therein. Federal, provincial and municipal a definition such as McCain and PepsiCo, while others, such aslaws and regulations supersede the information contained within. J.R. Simplot Co., are supporting and working collaboratively withPublications Mail Agreement No. 40030841.industry groups such as the Potato Sustainability Alliance.Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:At the end of the day though, no matter how theyreIssues Ink403-313 Pacific Ave., Winnipeg, MB R3A 0M2approaching it theyre all working towards the same goalconserving land in order to grow the best food. Or at least thatsPRIVACY CODEwhat my conclusion is. Theres a lot of fancy words out there butTo view our privacy policy, visit spudsmart.com.ultimately, I think were all on the same [email protected] Fall 2021'