BRIGHTON — Don’t even think about educating the
consumer and don’t expect science to win the day. Because it won’t.
Has that raised your eyebrow?
How about this? There is no cheap food policy in
Canada. Or the small farmer will give up before the corporation.
Peter Doris, agriculture development officer for the
new city of Kawartha Lakes, presented his list in November to a group of
agronomists in Brighton.
1. If only we can educate the consumer.
Don’t even try it, says Doris. There is a plethora of opinion out there
and the best the farmer can expect to do is influence not educate.
2. Decreasing farm population shows farm policy has
failed.
Not true. Look at struggling Nigeria where 70 per cent of the population
are farmers while there are fewer and fewer farms in Canada, all with
increasing efficiency and output.
3. Science will convince people about farm practices.
People will believe what they want to believe. In 10 years, the
genetically modified organisms debate will continue to be a hot issue and
there will be as many diverse opinions about Kyoto and manure as there are
today.
4. Opposition to intensive livestock farms is from
non-farm rural people.
Actually, opposition is often from other farmers who lead the charge
against the intensive farm.
5. Regulations will keep out the corporate farms.
Corporations can afford to pay for the new environmental updates and other
requirements and hire office managers to handle all the new paper work. It
is the family farmer who is more likely to quit under a mountain of paper.
6. Americans are free-traders.
Enough said, Doris jokes.
7. The public does not care about farmers.
That’s not true. One study has revealed that farmers are among the most
trusted in the public eye, after nurses and doctors.
8. The government has a cheap food policy.
When was that policy introduced? asks Doris. It never was because it was
never a policy, he says.
9. Farm revenue is so tight I won’t let my son or
daughter into farming.
Farming is as good as any other career with as many rewards, Doris argues.
This doesn’t mean the son or daughter has to farm because there are
other careers in agriculture.
10. Nutriceutricals and life sciences will save the
family farm.
While this is being lauded by some as the farming of the future, Doris
believes that nutriceutricals are a small market and only 2 to3 per cent
of farms will get involved, in part because the paper work will be a mile
long.
