Farmers benefit when agricultural issues are debated out loud, in public, with different sides of an issue presented for them to consider.
That’s the fundamental operating principle of this newspaper, and it’s an approach we have followed for the 100 years we have been published, and for the nearly 30 years I have been here.
Sadly, fewer and fewer farmer issues are being discussed and debated out in the open. In agriculture, as with much of our society, there has been a worsening clampdown on public discussion of issues by government, industry and even farmer organizations.
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Where once politicians, bureaucrats, company officials and elected farmer representatives thought it was their duty and their pleasure to comment upon the issues that affected farmers, today it is often impossible to even hear about issues that are being discussed before they are dropped on farmers.
Producers deserve more transparency from their governments, from the companies that serve them and from the organizations that live off their membership fees and check-off dollars.
Last week this newspaper revealed the widespread concern within Canadian farming and agriculture about the federal government’s subordination of much critical research funding to its climate change mitigation efforts.
Money previously earmarked for essential farmer-focused agricultural research is now being shunted over to tackling climate change first and improving agriculture second. Only a portion of federal ag funding is required to be mostly about climate change, but researchers say that addressing climate change has now become a significant requirement for any proposal to access federal ag cash. Because many projects demand matching federal money, it has become a virtual veto in many cases.
Researchers, industry organizations and farmer groups have known about this for a couple of years, but frustration has begun bubbling over.
The issue arose at virtually every farm conference this winter, with concerns expressed within many organizations’ meetings. Most farmers only know about this through reporting by media such as this newspaper because few farmers physically attend meetings and conferences.
That’s the purpose of media like the Western Producer. We give you the ability to know about issues that could affect you and that you otherwise might never know about. We let you know about things that others don’t want you to know about. We give you what we can to allow you to make up your own minds about issues.
On this particular issue, some researchers and organizations feel muzzled. They rely upon federal money for their work, some of them work directly for government and they are anxious about offending those who control purse strings and career paths.
Companies and industry organizations tend to like to get along with whatever government is in power for similar reasons. There’s little to be gained from butting heads with the biggest power in the country. Farmer organizations can be the same way, preferring to work quietly in private than noisily in public.
That, however, brings the risk that people outside a small elite of informed insiders will have no clue about what’s happening and no real say on what position their representatives are taking.
I first heard about the research issue a year and a half ago at a Manitoba Pork Council regional meeting. It was just mentioned in passing, as background, so that producers understood some of the constraints on research funding.
The same organization arranged the national Wild Pig Summit last week, which gave people a chance to talk, thrash out issues and debate what they’re doing. They don’t agree on everything, but because this was open to the media, we know about it and you know about it. We can understand the debate and the issues.
That’s healthy and good for farmers. It shouldn’t be a rare situation, but unfortunately these days, there are few who seem to believe farmers can be offered the transparency they deserve.
