You could make a case that every month in Saskatchewan should be Agriculture Month.
After all, agriculture built this province. It brought so many people to Saskatchewan late in the 19th century and early in the 20th century, even before Saskatchewan officially became a province in 1905.
This province’s history is so closely entwined with agriculture. The industry continues to make an enormous contribution to Saskatchewan.
And most people who dwell in urban municipalities still have a close connection with a farm, whether it be through a family member or a close friend.
Each year October is proclaimed as Agriculture Month in Saskatchewan. This year’s theme is Our Food has a Story. It’s a pretty relevant theme for this particular time, because there is so much misinformation circulating about food, how it is grown, and the people responsible for the food supply.
Talk to some people about pesticides, genetically modified organisms for crops, or hormones or antibiotics for livestock, and you’d swear they thought you were talking about the return of the bubonic plague. They’ve read somewhere on the Internet about the evil practices used in modern agriculture, and for some people, they will believe anything when it suits their agenda.
This is why it’s important to explain how the food gets from the farm to the table, and to inform people about the farmers who are responsible for it.
Most Saskatchewan farmers live and practice according to a basic fundamental. They wouldn’t serve anything to us that they wouldn’t serve to their own families. If they don’t believe the crops they grow or the livestock they raise are safe, then they aren’t going to send them to market.
These are responsible, hard-working people with the highest of ethical standards. Their story needs to be shared with the public.
Organic produce and crops are great and they have a place, but that doesn’t mean that non-organic crops should be banned or subject to ridicule.
The Our Food has a Story theme is important for another reason. People have a growing desire to know where their food comes from, and how it is produced. They have more information at their fingertips than ever before, and they have more questions as well.
So let’s give them that information. Let’s answer their questions. Let’s show them their food is safe and it’s delicious.
Let’s show them the standards that are in place in Saskatchewan.
Now is not the time to be withholding information with regards to how our food is grown.
It’s great to see restaurants, grocery stores, markets and other food-related businesses expressing their support of farmers in Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada. It’s also encouraging to see people hold businesses accountable when those companies favour food from other countries.
We have some of the best farmers in the world here. Let’s make sure we’re supporting them.
