Agriculture technology is helping to fight COVID-19 and play a role in preparations for future pandemics. A recent article in Nature Biotechnology said the current pandemic shows the need to mobilize efforts on a large scale to ramp up diagnostics and testing. The lead author is Steve Webb, chief executive officer of the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan. Webb will explain how the tools used in plant breeding—like genetic testing and sequencing, are the same as those use in the pharmaceutical and health care fields.

The Canadian Beef Industry Conference usually attract hundreds of cattle producers, as well as the other players in the beef industry to Calgary, Alberta. But instead the conference was held entirely on-line due to COVID-19. The opening keynote speaker was from London, England. David Hughes is an Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College. He is considered an expert in global food issues and opportunities. He spoke about food trends and the steps the cattle industry needs to take in order to be sustainable and strong.