Pushing Boundaries in Agriculture | Rob Saik

Pushing Boundaries in Agriculture | Rob Saik | TEDxRedDeer

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This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Coming Soon! Robert Saik, CEO of The Agri-Trend Group of Companies is a Professional Agrologist and a Certified Agricultural Consultant. As founder of The Agri-Trend Group, Robert has been involved in the development of many new business processes and spearheaded several advancements in technology integration in agriculture. Agri-Trend has been nominated one of Canada’s 2012 Top 50 Best Managed Companies and was recognized by Venture Magazine as one of Alberta’s 2013 top 25 Most Innovative Organizations. Robert is a Director of Westerner Park, 2014-2015 Chairman of Agri-Trade Show, past Director of the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce, and serves on The Red Deer Chamber of Commerce Ag Policy Committee as well as Adviser to The Canadian Management Council, The Farm Progress Show and The Red Deer College. In July 2014, Robert was appointed by the Premier of the Province of Alberta to the Innovation Council, a think-tank on technology integration and innovation leadership. He is a passion keynote speaker addressing audiences on the importance of modern agriculture. He is also the author of the Amazon bestseller, “The Agriculture Manifesto” - 10 Key Drivers That Will Shape Agriculture in the Next Decade. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Comments

Mono culture agricultural practices are killing the planet by sterilizing the soil on a macro scale...not to mention how GMO's are causing untold health problems across the entire planet. Frankenstein foods are not "Feeding"the world, they are destroying the natural system of the health and vibrancy of humanity. This guy is a true psychopath.

Farmers are committing suicide in third world countries due to debt, they pay for seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc to grow crops. In olden days people used to eat what is available locally and grown locally and were not starving. We should live a simple life to save mother earth and not producing more by using GMO crops which are harmful to human consumption.

LOOK AT HIS GUT,HES SUFFERING FROM LIVER INFLAMMATION.LIVER DISEASE.THIS FOOL IS DEAD IN 5 YEARS.

I WANT TO PUNCH THIS FILTH IN THE FACE.AND IM A MICROBIOLOGIST.WHOLE FOODS JUST SIGNED A BIG DEAL TO SELL GMO,S FROM MONSANTO AND BAYER,THIS GUY IS A FILTHY SCUM SUCKING WHORE.

Withheld from them, or made unavailable through massive monetary inputs that is required when dealing with Monsanto

Interesting perspective. Here are my thoughts. 1. Being against GMOs in agriculture is not anti-science. There are serious concerns about some of the tests or lack thereof for new GMO products. 2. Golden rice is actually not available free of charge. In fact, GMO crops in general are more expensive (at least where I have worked), especially when you consider the fact that biotech companies include terminator genes in a lot of their seeds so poor farmers have to keep coming back for more. Oftentimes they also involve a significant disruption of local ecosystems e.g. roundup ready crops lead to the disruption of other crops that are downstream to where you apply round up. 3. Pesticides and herbicides, while helpful, are also harmful. Acknowledging that does not necessarily mean that they should be banned or discontinued. 4. Genetic engineering as practiced through horizontal gene transfer (transgenic products) is not the same as traditional plant breeding that involves vertical gene transfer. Transgenic species, while produced faster, have lots of documented problems. 5. I did a search for the 130 research products that he mentioned. Maybe I am horrible at this but I could not find substantive information on that. I did find a lot of studies by the biotech industries. 6. I think there are strong and weak arguments advanced by people on different sides. Biotech has some advantages in other areas. There is need for caution in others where there has not been enough research. Advocating caution is not a bad idea.

Let's see Monsanto produce other GMOs than those that only support Monsanto's Glysophate? Let's see Monsanto produce seeds that aren't sterile and don't force poor people to "buy" Monsanto over and over because they can no longer reproduce their own seeds as they have always done before? Let's see Monsanto use other mice in their laboratories to prove their non-toxicity and not just those the least sensitive to Round-up?
Let's see Monsanto stop shipping unmarked GMOs across borders so they will "pollute" traditional crops and force the poor to fall into line. Mr Saik, you're marketing is criminal.

he has really great counterarguments!

This is a significant perspective. Although this guy completely disregards the ecological hazards and loss of biodiversity and resilience in his argument, there's definitely something important and worth while to his mindset. I do think GMOs are necessary, but out of the hands of mega corporations that disregard climate change, progressive thought, etc. I find it hard to watch this man share his perspective so smugly while completely ignoring the fact that exponential growth can only go so far, ignoring that we live on a finite planet with finite resources, and ignoring that agriculture plays into so many other facets of our lives and our world. For all of his well-thought-out 'gotcha' moments for pro-organic consumers, he ignored the fact that so many of us choose organic produce because of the standards that certification creates in support environmental stewardship, ecological resilience, and social equity.

I'll call on this propaganda. Yes people ARE dying from GMO's, putting peanut genes in stuff makes for stuff being lethal to people that are allergic to peanuts. And ANYONE that defends Monsanto and it's business plan for any reason is a shill.

Many people died , Man!!!

GMO agriculture can't 'feed the world', that's the empty mantra being chanted since the 90ies. Research what BT cotton did in India, how Monsanto persecutes farmers who crops were infected with GMO pollen. Mr Saik emphasized the all that things that have always been the marketing of GMO producing corporations. He doesn't mention the downside of reduced nutritional value, soil loss, biodiversity reduction, and an unsustainable model of requiring many more calories to create food than produced by the food in the industrial/GMO agriculture model. He basically said what benefited him the most...

Industrial monocultures suck.

unfortunately he's a rich man attempting to justify both sides. celebrate pesticides? you will celebrate over consumption of fossil fuels as well. priveledged white men can justify almost anything. evolve!

How is this even a ted talk.... oh yeah it's independently organized by Monsanto.

"Can agriculture feed 9bn people?" Yes it can, but not with people who want to lecture us about genetics whilst not knowing the difference between a "mutation" and a "modification", who present sloppy researched data to convince the world of his preconceived ideas; and it will certainly not work with companies like Monsanto.

Thank you, this was very informative, keep up the good work.

I switched to an organic diet two yrs ago then one day my grandma want to stop at a resturant to eat she told me to eat as well so I got a salad after being accustomed to my diet I got sick the next day from that salad If I eat anything gmo I get sick plus I detoxed to be safe

Do not be distracted from the real GMO issue: industrialization and monopolization agriculture:
A nice explanation of the mechanisms we have to generate and manage genetic variability and create GMOs. It is also an important point that propaganda is as rampant, and profits just as important, in the organic food sector as it is in any other. The GMO benefits Mr. Saik presents are real.
BUT this guy is an industrial-agriculture junkie spitting the same "feed the world" corporate argument repeatedly used to promote industrial farming methods. The real problem we need to identify with GMO is the corresponding patenting, ownership, and technology-dependence that goes along with it. We cannot allow this technology to be monopolized by M.santo and other companies, allowing these corporations to control global agriculture. Greed is a problem, not GMOs.
GMOs can help our environments by decreasing inputs as well as increase food yields. The safety of SOME GMO crops has been supported with is solid science.

The truth hurts, doesn't it? Thank you, Robert Saik.