Farm Fresh Ideas

Drawing attention, one post at a time

2007-01-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

In a world where urban residents and, for the most part, active consumers are usually three generations removed from farming, is there a future for agriculture in North America?

This is a major question as subsidies, trade actions, failed globalization agreements, and increasingly resultant bi-lateral actions are enacted to level the “playing field”. Ask the average consumer one question: “Where does your food come from?” and the response is inevitably, “the grocery store”. Hundreds of millions of North Americans go about their daily business, eating three square meals in most cases, without realizing that food comes from farmers - and no longer domestically either.

Globalization has led to dramatic changes within the agricultural sector and is threatening the livelihood and economics for generations to come. North American living standards, economic practices, and a growing environmental movement devoid of “real” agricultural experience is creating a dynamic within the industry that is, at best, suspect for consumers.

How, for example, does one compete with labor costs in a number of “free” trading partners who pay workers $1 or $2 a day? Peru, now a major importer into the North American market for items such as asparagus, has forced the continent’s market into chaos because the product is derived from labor intensive efforts. There, workers are paid an average of $5 per day, for nine to 10 hours worth of work, and they must supply their own meals and cutting tools. And, without any food safety infrastructures to assure the general public of what may or may not be taking place, where are the efforts being made so that a potential contamination has not occurred? The answer, it doesn’t exist.

Most North American consumers demand quality, nutrition, and safety from the food they eat. Yet, there is a growing body of evidence that food growing and harvesting practices abroad are not subject to the same regulatory conditions that farmers within North America’s boundaries are expected to follow and comply under. The recent outbreaks in California aside, there are many other examples of food safety issues that are not brought forward through the mainstream media. Even the words surrounding the California outbreak focused upon the crop produced and not the way it was grown - organically versus conventionally or whether there were best management practices followed. Despite assurances that such incidents are rare, they are not - even in a North American society that prides itself on reliability to access of information.

Yes, and most would agree, farmers are producers of the safest food ever conceived of throughout a millennia of human existence, but there are still concerns about the production of food – as it relates through the mainstream media.

Why? This is the crux of the question and fuels arguments. The answer is simple – increasingly demanding consumers have an expectation of perfection. No longer will the words, “leave the spots on my apples but leave me the birds and the bees” echo in song. Instead, consumers have demanded – without recognition of the efforts made in the farming community – that their food be, without fail, blemish free, spotless, perfect, and affordable. And that bottom-line mentality is driving North America farmers out of business in both Canada and the United States.

Unrealistic expectations have also confounded retailers – unsure, anymore of the direction that consumers are heading. That confusion is causing retailers to buy at the cheapest value possible – think of it as the “Wal-Martization” of the industry. Your grocery store food products, coming from sources unknown, with questionable growing methods, questionable production, and questionable handling, is being made available to you because it is the cheapest price going. Kind of like the tendering process for NASA – rockets, space shuttles, and space stations being constructed by the lowest priced vendor.

You get what you pay for – and our food and the lack of any food or agricultural policy to guide it – is now coming from the cheapest sources possible so that the retail giants are able to improve upon their bottom-line at the expense of farmers throughout the world who are exploited by middlemen garnering huge profits while spreading peanuts around to the actual producer.

The answer lies in the newly elected bodies in the United States and with the minority situation that exists at the federal level for Canada. A food and agriculture policy, based upon domestic food security must be enacted – but one that looks at the establishment of a new thought: viewing North America as a food-supplying region rather than a splintered regionalization between states and provinces. If, on this premise, food was grown, produced, and supplied throughout North America, with market availability for all – which is possible when viewed continent-wide, then it is possible for the residents of both countries, with their stringent regulatory systems, to have full, safe access to the same variety of choices that they have come to expect and accept without detriment to the agricultural economy.

Consumers must begin to understand that food is not a cheap, reliable source but rather, an integral part of day-to-day society. With both countries spending approximately 10 per cent of their disposable income on food – a figure dwarfed by countries through the world – consumers have little expectation or fear that their food will not be provided. This is a fool’s paradise – and when an unexpected catastrophic climatic or politically driven event takes place, they may, in the next decade or so, wonder where all of the farmers went.

Truth be known, they sold out to developers and moved to the city because the values and economics placed upon them right now figured into business decisions on the farm that wouldn’t have happened a decade or two ago, and certainly not 50 years past. A nation is defined not just by its actions but its ability to sustain its own population through the advantageous use of its natural resources. Farmers are the rightful stewards of the land and take pride in their efforts but for too long, those efforts have gone unrecognized and unrewarded. Timing, those in the know say, is everything. There is a two-year window of opportunity for a new Congress and House and a weakened federal structure in Canada to undertake dramatic changes that will see farmers and the agricultural industry return to a new dynamic where food security – not just food safety – is paramount for growth, development, and maintaining of an industry that ranks second in economic sustainability in either nation.

Or in our tomorrow’s to come, that $4 apple may actually look like a bonus as food becomes a pleasant afterthought and our continent’s issues with obesity and other food-related diseases is quickly turned around to where malnutrition and starvation replace them as our future’s problems.

Joking around

2007-01-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes humour can be found in the strangest of places. In a year end review, The (Toronto) Star’s humour columnist had one of the best lines of 2006 – in light of the recent Canadian federal cabinet shuffle:

“Meanwhile, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose calls a news conference to announce that the clouds are pretty.”

Ranks right up there with Dr. Fraser Crane’s famous Cheers’ line to fellow bar stool occupier, Cliff Claven: “Cliff, what colour is the sky in your world?”

There are way too many days when I want to say similar comments - because when you hear, read, engage in conversations with some people, you do, really wonder, what colour the sky in their world is.

Another day, another . . .

2007-01-06T12:15:00.000-05:00

I'd like to dollar, but that somehow seems underpriced.

So what is to be done to get consumer buy in regarding the state of farming in Canada or in North America for that matter? How does one go about drawing attention to rural and agricultural plight when the grocery and convenience stores are stuffed with "cheap" food products from around the globe?

Perhaps it is finding a "universally" recognized individual. Not that I am a huge Toronto Maple Leaf fan - I'm, quite frankly not - but here is a quick news item from The (Toronto) Star under the heading, Go Veggies Go.

It would seem Mats Sundin, who happens to be the Captain of said Leafs, eats healthy and balanced meals. Quote: "I eat everything. Very balanced. You talk to all the specialists about nutrition, it's still the same old rules: you need to get a lot of vegetables, you need to eat your potatoes, you need meat for protein, you need carbohydrates."

Notice, if you will, the first two items. I'm sure you can include fruit in the first sentence - but what you have is your spokesperson, talking to a whole generation of young boys (and girls) who love hockey, love the sport, love the Leafs, and love their captain.

If Don Cherry can promote a product rich in Ginseng (Cold Fx) why not look for a well recognized individual who would spend 30 seconds talking about the benefits of healthy diets, healthy living, and using locally grown, locally produced products. Tie in several organizations, from potatoes to beef which reduces the cost to one or more organizations - which is really called co-operative advertising, meaning working together to ensure all get ahead (what a concept) - and you have a commercial that can play throughout the hockey season.

Better yet, why not paint a Zamboni at every NHL arena in Canada (Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver - for those keeping count) with the 5 to 10 a day logo or a message from Freggie or even as simple as Eat fruits and veggies - for the health of it and you have captured a quick audience. Who watches Zambonis anyways? Kids, who can't get enough of them at hockey games. The television audience, when not dashing off for more beer and chips, who watch interviews being conducted alongside the rink for another. That's an average of 500,000 people - for the cost of peanuts. If Pizza, Pizza can do it - shouldn't some of the rest take a look at it.

Don't like hockey - think of the rotating advertisements that circulated throughout the backdrop of the World Series. Each ball team, it seems, as these wandering ads throughout the ball park. And they have individuals who could be representative of healthy eating as well.

We need to start thinking at different venues as opposed to the same old, same old. There are so many new media ways to attract attention, it should be a matter of capturing these with creative concepts.

Even the Internet is a wonderful communication tool - if you know how to use it.

A few years ago, some exceptionally creative people came up with a cartoon that skewed conventional agriculture in favour of organic production. Yes, it was inaccurate, but the number of hits were phenomenal - and clearly, they knew who their audience was: young, progressive, and likely with cash to spare. With the advent of YouTube and other sites like that, posting a truly creative piece of work is just minutes away.

Welcome to the 21st Century. In short, it really is a brave new world - and agriculture needs to link up with it, one way or another. And that means getting those urbanites who are three or four generations away from a farm on-side with agriculture through any means possible.

Welcome to Farm Fresh Ideas

2007-01-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first agricultural blog related to agriculture - for both Ontario and nationally.

This board is for the exchange of ideas, opinions, and free-flowing dialogue - with some guidelines: could we try and keep it a little clean for the benefit of all. Granted, most of the farmers I have ever dealt with are very passionate about what they do, but this is a very open, very visible forum and decorum is required.

Outside of that, there are no other guidelines or rules. Opinions on all topics are welcome, exchange encouraged, and hopefully we'll be able to discussion from the back roads to the forefront of our urban compatriots.

Questions, answers - you'll find them here. Be bold, be brave, and come out with your best thoughts.

Just so you know, I won't edit for grammer, spelling, or such - but I will maintain the right to block slanderous, derogatory comments. Have fun.

I am supposed to put this up: If you would like to automatically receive updates of this blog - please check out http://ofvga.blogspot.com/atom.xml. Technically, this is supposed to work - but who the hell knows.

Jamie