John Cote of Saskatoon is one of five Nuffield Scholarship recipients.
Cote is co-owner of Blackfox Farm and Distillery. He will examine the contributing factors of success in transition from start-up agribusinesses to growth and expansion phase businesses.
Nuffield scholarships are awarded to individuals who are judged to have the greatest potential to create value for Canadian agriculture through a program of international study.
“These five scholars will spend the next two years enhancing their leadership and organizational skills while exploring issues critical to Canadian agriculture,” says Ian McPhadden, Chairman of Nuffield Canada.
More details about the other four candidates can be found below:
Ryan Boyd, B.Sc. (Ag), from Forrest Manitoba, sponsored by Western Grains Research Foundation, is the managing partner of South Glanton Farms, a family farming operation of annual crops and beef cattle. Ryan will study grazing ruminants as a resilient solution for long-term agriculture profitability, productivity and climate change.
Mark Brock, B.Sc. (Ag) from Staffa, Ontario, sponsored by Grain Farmers of Ontario, is the owner/operator of Shepherd Creek Farms Ltd. a 1,600-acre row-crop operation that includes 500 ewes producing lamb for the Ontario market. Mark s study will examine funding and investment models with the goal of creating options for Canadian farmers to confidently make investments that improve efficiencies and return on investment, especially for operations that may find it hard to take advantage of economies of scale.
John Cote, B.Sc. (Ag) from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, sponsored by Nuffield Canada alumni, is co-owner of Blackfox Farm and Distillery. Using the distilling, brewing and wine industries as models, investigation will be done to determine contributing factors of success in transition from start-up agri-businesses to growth and expansion phase businesses.
Scott Holtman from Taber, Alberta, sponsored by Alberta Wheat Commission, is a grain producer and seed grower interested in the interaction between striving to build healthy soils with overall water use, health, quality and yield of crops grown under irrigation. His study will examine the many ways this can be done, including microbiology and increased organic matter through methods that include composting and cover crops.
Dr. Christoph Weder, PhD, from Hudson s Hope, British Columbia, sponsored by Nuffield Canada Alumni, is the owner/operator of Venator, Sunset & Spirit View Ranches where he and his wife Erika manage 1,800 purebred and commercial Angus cows and 500 Plains Bison on 35,000 acres of range and tame pastures in the Alberta and British Columbia Peace Region. Christoph s study will focus on ecological goods and services (EGS) and the development of agri-environmental policy to help conserve biodiversity on farms and ranches.
