| Farmers – are you frustrated by people who don’t understand what you do on your farm? Do you wish more consumers knew how food was produced or more politicians had a sense of the realities of farming? Many of us in agriculture have had these sentiments at some time and often feel helpless to do anything about them. There is an answer though – social media. It’s easy to use, reaches a wide base of people you wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to interact with and it’s free. Continue reading A difference in 10 minutes a day  Few relationships are more personal than the one we have with our food. We trust that what we eat will sustain us, nourish us and help keep us healthy.
In Canada, public trust in our food supply is high, a fact that’s been proven repeatedly in studies carried out by Ipsos Reid for AGCare and the Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC). But as increasingly fewer Canadians know how food is produced and where it comes from, those numbers won’t stay high forever. This means farmers need to become involved in the discussion about the future of farming and food production that is good for people, animals and the planet. Two food industry experts will discuss the whys and hows of building trust in Canada’s food system at the upcoming AGCare and OFAC annual meeting and speakers’ program. Continue reading The whys and hows of building trust in our food  You’re probably wondering what the connection could possibly be between condoms, food and farming.
At first glance, absolutely none – but the humour and the challenge in this little situation made it a bit too bizarre not to write about. As a blogger and freelance journalist, I receive pitches all the time from PR folks and product promoters, asking me to write about their issue, highlight their product or interview their experts. Ninety-nine per cent of these are absolutely not relevant to the content of this blog – no link to food, farming or Canada. The pitches vary in style, type and frequency but one I recently received was so out there in its lack of relevance that it really grabbed my attention. The product in question was a high end, eco-friendly luxury condom from France, being launched in the U.S. on National Condom Day (which apparently is today, February 10), conveniently a few days before that ultimate day of love, Valentine’s Day. Continue reading Food, farming and condoms We’re almost a month into the new year and some of us have already lost sight of the lofty exercise and weight loss goals we set for ourselves on Jan.1. We all start the year with good intentions — overflowing parking lots at most gyms during the first few weeks of January will attest to that — but as the weeks wear on, many of us fall off the proverbial wagon and end up straying from those resolutions. Overall, most of us think we’re in pretty decent shape. The numbers say otherwise, though. Continue reading Let’s take those new year’s resolutions seriously A new survey shows that our love affair with food and farming in Canada is intensifying. Personally I’ve long been an advocate but now some new Ipsos Reid numbers are showing that I’m not alone – the Canadian public’s positive perceptions of agriculture are on the rise. More than half – 57 percent – of Canadians surveyed have a positive impression of agriculture in this country, a figure that has risen 16 per cent since the survey was first conducted four years ago. In 2006, only 41 per cent of Canadians had a positive impression of Canadian agriculture and 52 per cent reported a positive impression in 2009. Continue reading Canadian love affair with food and farming heating up  Consumers, local food advocates and others ask me why more farmers don’t market their products – grains, meats, fruits and vegetables – directly to the end user.
Building that one-on-one relationship would help boost the availability of local food products, they argue, as well as protect farmers from fluctuating global commodity prices. It’s not quite that simple and it’s not a solution that works for everyone, I usually reply, but there are some farmers who are quite successful with it. Ontario soybean grower Harro Wehrmann is an example of one farmer who follows this model and does so very successfully. I interviewed him recently for a feature story in Ontario Grain Farmer – here’s how he’s found his niche growing and marketing organic soybeans directly to Mississauga food processor Sol Cuisine. Continue reading An Ontario farmer’s direct marketing success story  Curious about where our food comes from? Wondering about hormones, antibiotics, GMOs and other things linked to modern agriculture? Worried about environmental impacts of agriculture? Looking to connect the dots between the food we eat and our health?
A new national publication promises the answers to all these questions and more as it tackles the issues head on and unveils the “real” dirt on Canadian farming – straight from Canada’s farmers. Continue reading Unveiling the “real” dirt on Canadian farming | |
