Todays agricultural pioneers break ground with solutions sown in science and technology

Still-fresh federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz revealed to delegates at an Ottawa conference this week he's experiencing little trouble latching on to the new mantra of Canadian agriculture.

"When my grandfather built his farm, his hands were on the plow handles," Ritz told a crowd of about 300 people gathered at the Congress Centre. "Today, the pioneers in agriculture use microscopes and computers."

Ritz picked the right place to show off his new-wave prowess: He was speaking to the 3rd annual Agri-Food Innovation Forum, where the theme was "The Business of Green Solutions."

"Happily, as this forum shows, we've put the days of hewers of wood and drawers of water behind us," he said.

With as much agriculture being conducted these days in boardrooms and research centres as in the fields, the forum was all about new technologies and opportunities in food production which are not only profitable, but environmentally beneficial.