My perspective - If you eat...
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- Published on Thursday, April 7, 2016
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
鈥淚f you eat, you鈥檙e involved in agriculture,鈥� the saying goes. Despite their 鈥渋nvolvement鈥�, there are many people in Westman, a relatively rural part of Canada, with absolutely no connection to the industry that provides their food. Last week though, people from across the province had the chance to get up close and personal with agriculture during the 109th Royal 水果视频 Winter Fair (RMWF).
Each year, there are many farm shows held across the country, but the majority of them are targeted towards farmers. Opportunities for the public to mix with farmers is becoming increasingly rare and increasingly more important. While RMWF is a farm show, it鈥檚 attractions are mostly aimed at the general public who pay admission to attend.
There are those farm purists who lament the trade show鈥檚 heavy reliance upon cookware and bedding over tractors, but in among the decidedly 鈥渃ity鈥� attractions, there are some real opportunities for both young and old to learn about farming and farmers.
Throughout the week, the Ag Action Stage was kept busy with ag-focused events, such as cattle shows and sheep shearing demonstrations. Dairy producers had a demonstration area where visitors could see and touch different breeds of dairy cows. 水果视频 Pork had information about pork production, as well as some piglets. There were chickens, as well as a variety of heritage breeds on display. You could see how different grains look before and after harvest. You could touch almost everything.
Then there was the extremely popular Royal Petting Zoo, offering children the chance to see and touch a variety of animals, far removed from their household pets.
According to Statistics Canada, in 1851, when Canada鈥檚 economy relied heavily upon agriculture and natural resource extraction, nearly nine in 10 Canadians lived in rural areas. Over the last 160 years, increased urbanization has meant that only 18.9 per cent of Canadians lived in rural areas in 2011 (the year of the last census). When we look more closely, we find that Canada鈥檚 farm population accounted for just two per cent of the country鈥檚 overall population.
During the six days of this year鈥檚 fair, 110,000 people walked through the gates and were exposed to agriculture. This number is up from the year before. Even the casual attendee, someone who didn鈥檛 explicitly seek out farm-related programming, was exposed to agriculture at some level or another.
Events such as this are extremely important in a world where people are quick to react, even when they don鈥檛 have the full story. The general public is concerned about the food they eat and how it鈥檚 produced. They are concerned about the chemicals put on fields, GMOs and the run off from natural and synthetic fertilizers. They are concerned about how animals destined for slaughter are treated and how the decisions made by farmers impact the greater environment. Like anyone, they fear what they don鈥檛 know.
In a vacuum, where many Canadians are multiple generations removed from the farm, those yelling the loudest get the most attention. This isn鈥檛 how it should be, but it鈥檚 the reality. Events such as the RMWF are an extremely important opportunity to educate the general public about farm practices and introduce them to the people on the front lines of food production. It鈥檚 a valuable chance to add our voices to the chorus.
