FARMERS FEED CITIES!
by Erin Leduc
It’s been a year since I attended one of the most enlightening agriculture conferences I have had the opportunity to attend. The common theme presented through various passionate speakers was agvocating. Production agriculture and farming in general has come under great scrutiny and misinformation over the past decade and this was my first introduction to this concept and the responsibilities it would encompass for me. With my heightened awareness to this topic it became prevalent in each newspaper I picked up, each magazine I read food was always a subject of debate. I was determined to do something about it. Well it’s taken me till now to finally get my chance.
Better late than never right!
I was recently approached by the campaign manager from Farmers Feed Cities to appear on two local T.V. shows in regards to their recent press release in regards to Canadians misconceptions when it comes to certain food choices. Our focus will be geared towards this statistic “less than half (41%) of Canadians believe genetically modified food is safe for consumption.”
She requested my presence to help consumers identify with a local grower who in fact produces gm corn. It should be noted that our family farm is not solely dependant on GM crops but it does make up a part of our production.
I look forward to informing people of the stringent care we take in crop rotations, herbicide programs and that by law we are regulated to allocate an area in our corn fields to refuge corn to avoid resistance in both weeds and insects. We practice due diligence by monitoring and recording all of our crops planted and applications throughout the seasons. We will be pointing out visually they are both relatively identical as we will be bringing along with us a basket of GM corn and non GM corn. We will explain how rigorous research and testing (7-10 years) by organizations such as the CFIA are done before any new GM hybrid is introduced into the market place. And that these products which we typically consume in some form on a daily basis are safe.
The farmers feed cities press release can be found on their website www.farmersfeedcities.com.
Erin helps manage the marketing and sales side of Wanna Make It Farm, a cash crop farm in Moose Creek, Ontario which buys and sells grain, sells Mycrogen seed corn and offers trucking and land clearing services.
For an indepth look at their services: http://wannamakeitfarm.com
Erin brings a strong passion for agriculture and networking with industry stakeholders. She is also a strong advocate for young farmers and for agriculture as a career.
