My perspective - If you eat...

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Published on Thursday, April 7, 2016

By Kate Jackman-Atkinson

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

“If you eat, you’re involved in agriculture,” the saying goes. Despite their “involvement”, 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 Manitoba 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’s attractions are mostly aimed at the general public who pay admission to attend.

There are those farm purists who lament the trade show’s heavy reliance upon cookware and bedding over tractors, but in among the decidedly “city” 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. Manitoba 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’s 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’s farm population accounted for just two per cent of the country’s overall population.

During the six days of this year’s 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’t 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’t have the full story. The general public is concerned about the food they eat and how it’s 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’t know.

In a vacuum, where many Canadians are multiple generations removed from the farm, those yelling the loudest get the most attention. This isn’t how it should be, but it’s 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’s a valuable chance to add our voices to the chorus.