Jay Lehr was born to talk and he wants you to follow his lead.
Lehr, an enthusiastic and pragmatic defender of the environment, has a message for western Canadian farmers – get out there and tell people that conventional farming is sustainable.
“I’m charging you with making an effort. You’ve got to give up some of the small talk in your life … and tell the story of sustainable farming. It’s public relations, people,” he said.
Lehr was in Winnipeg Feb. 20-21 for the Manitoba Special Crops Symposium. Lehr, the keynote speaker for the event and 72 years old, has a resume that is evidence of his energy.
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He was the first person in the United States to earn a PhD in groundwater hydrology and has published 13 books on environmental science. From 1968 to 1982, he helped the U.S. government establish a long list of rules for water purity, air pollution and waste.
He is known for advocating sane environmental regulations that do not distort reality to the detriment of society. He is also passionate about life and describes himself as a serious skydiver, having completed a jump every month for the last 25 years.
He had a positive message for the 300 producers and trade show exhibitors in the audience, telling them that North American farmers are already doing a good job of land stewardship. The problem is the consumer only hears a contrary message.
“The public still thinks you’re not doing the job you should be doing,” said Lehr, who spoke for 60 minutes without notes.
He added that extreme environmentalists have dictated public debate in North America for the last 35 years and consumers are listening. To illustrate his point, Lehr referred to a trip he recently took to San Francisco. The extrovert stopped people on the street to share his knowledge of fertilizers. When he asked the urbanites what fertilizer was, he mostly got blank stares and a few frightening answers.
“One person thought it was the toxic byproduct of manufacturing,” he said. “They don’t have a clue what N, P or K is.”
To combat the misinformation and distortion, Lehr said it’s time to share the progress made in conventional agriculture, including zero tillage, precision farming and biotechnology. And if farmers are not using the technology, they should be.
“If you’re not using equipment (like automatic steering on tractors) to reduce inputs and improve yield, you are making a mistake.”
Lehr’s message made sense to Curtis Sims, who farms near Portage la Prairie, Man.
“We’ve got a good story to tell …. We are in fact, doing a good job (of environmental stewardship),” Sims said. “And, we’re spending our own money to do it.”
Sims concurred with one of Lehr’s points, that conventionally grown food is just as good as organic.
“We haven’t challenged the organic argument that their food is better.”
Lehr had another message for the audience.
He defended genetically modified technology and said “every negative you’ve ever heard about it, is false.”
He also had a bold prediction about GMOs.
“In 15 years in Manitoba, there will not be a single seed planted that is not genetically modified.”
