Farmscape for December 7, 2017

The Director of Communications with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers suggests, it's important for farmers to be aware of the growing interest among consumers in where their food comes from and how its produced.
The consumers who buy and eat the food that's grown by farmers are becoming increasingly involved in influencing the manner in which that food is produced.
Toban Dyck, the Director of Communications with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers and a columnist with the Financial Post and Grain News, observes politically consumers have a lot of power and, when it comes to influencing public policy, they have big muscles.

Clip-Toban Dyck-Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers:
I think of late there's been a large interest in food with some of the trends coming out of the organic movement and the artismal movement and the farm to table movement have amplified some of these agricultural practices and I think it's important for farmers to understand that of consumers, to understand where they're coming from.
Also, as much as it's important for farmers to understand it and to have a response to it, it's also important to appreciate where consumers are coming from.
It's okay for somebody living in downtown Toronto or Vancouver to want to know where their food comes from.
It's important, it's what they eat, it's how we live, so it is important for farmers to stay in touch with these movements to some degree.

Dyck says when there are big ground swells calling for change in agriculture these movements are going to have government's ear so it is important for the agriculture community to stay in touch with these movements and be quick to respond appropriately to them.
He says the conversation need to be ongoing and if it isn't the gulf between farmers and consumers will widen.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork