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Harvesting Impact: Dalhousie Agricultural Business students launch inspiring podcast on sustainable agribusiness

Posted by Stephanie Rogers on January 16, 2025 in News
Students of the Issues in Sustainable Agribusiness class with Dr. Tasha Richard at the Halifax podcast studio.
Students of the Issues in Sustainable Agribusiness class with Dr. Tasha Richard at the Halifax podcast studio.

A team of eight fourth year Agricultural business students are proud to announce the launch of the Harvesting Impact podcast, a student-led initiative developed under the guidance of Dr. Tasha Richard as part of the MGTA 4006 Fall course, Issues in Sustainable Agribusiness.

This innovative project allowed students to explore the impact they aspire to make in their chosen fields of study while gaining hands-on experience in podcast production.

"As part of the Issues in Sustainable Agribusiness course, the Harvesting Impact podcast project was designed to empower students to explore the impact they want to make in the agribusiness sector while developing practical communication skills,” explained Professor Dr. Tasha Richard.  “It was important to provide them with an opportunity to engage with real-world issues, challenge assumptions and share diverse perspectives in a format that could reach beyond the classroom.”

The first episode features Dalhousie's own Jolene MacEachern discussing pressing issues in farming today, including the top misconceptions about agriculture. In the second episode, Class of 2024 graduate Grace Ashworth, shares insights into why some young farmers are choosing not to return to the farm.

“Growing up on a beef cattle and potato farm in PEI, I saw firsthand how deeply agriculture impacts our lives and communities.,” explained Jessica Larsen, a 4th year Ag Business student. “It’s so important to connect people, especially those outside the industry, to the future of food and sustainability. Agriculture affects everyone and this project gave me the chance to bridge that gap and spark meaningful conversations.”

The podcast was produced with the invaluable guidance of Podstarter, a Halifax-based podcast agency, where students recorded their episodes.

“Its wonderful to see the determination and creativity of our students and the faculty who foster their success,” said Dr. Heather Bruce, dean and campus principal.  “I encourage everyone to listen and be inspired by our student voices.”

The entire class of eight students participated in the project with four acting in the hosting role including Savannah Gould, Cassie Kifle, Jessica Larsen, Avery MacLeod, Anthony McLean, Abigail Moir, Zachary Sherman and Peter Woodward.

“Watching them bring their ideas to life through this project has been incredibly rewarding,” added Dr. Richard. "The students and I unanimously agreed we would love to see it continue so I am actively looking at how to support this through a student-led initiative or through my class each year!"

Listen here:

Episode 1: https://lnkd.in/g4uGbENi
Episode 2: https://lnkd.in/gFqrmTMi