Ag not dirty word

Agriculture isn’t a dirty word in Canada. On the contrary, surveys continue to show high mainstream consumer interest in food production and confidence in the safety of food produced on our farms. However, those of us involved in the industry know that people have numerous concerns about how their food is produced; concerns involving herbicide use, genetic modification, animal welfare, antibiotic use, water use and so forth.
In the United States, questions and concerns about agricultural production seem much more strident. My perceptions are doubtless coloured by the material presented in various mailing lists and news releases but they’ve led to a conclusion that certain agricultural methods and practices are under attack in the U.S. This should be a signal to the Canadian industry to pay attention and perhaps take some proactive measures.

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Today I visited a website developed by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, which you can see by clicking here. This group’s concerns about public perceptions toward agriculture led them to organize town hall meetings and engage more public debate in how food is produced.
Should Canadians follow suit? Modern agriculture is necessary to this economy and indeed to global food production. Public understanding and support is needed to sustain it. Have a look at this U.S. site see what you think.