IT IS the time of peace and goodwill, as well as the time for
reflection. For Western Canada, the past year has brought many
challenges, many of them originating with the weather. There has also
been discontent related to trade challenges, marketing philosophies and
government policies.
Yet in this season we can also see reasons for renewed hope.
A spirit of giving emerged in this country long before the count on
Christmas shopping days began.
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Hay West exemplified the best that one farmer can offer another: the
gift of a helping hand.
Wyatt McWilliams, the eastern Canadian farmer who started the Hay West
campaign, summarized it nicely earlier this year: “It was farmer
helping farmer, Canadian helping Canadian, community helping community.
… It really makes me proud to be a Canadian farmer.”
His idea to send hay to drought-stricken areas of Alberta and
Saskatchewan spread to more than 1,800 farmers from Ontario, Quebec,
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Combined, they sent west more than
35,000 tonnes of hay, which helped about 1,000 farmers.
McWilliams influenced others to show that spirit of giving, among them
the many volunteers who assisted in hay transfer, corporate and
government personnel who organized donations, those who posted hay
listings, farmers who offered to help others by pasturing livestock,
and fundraisers who provided a way for the general public to help.
One such effort, the Say Hay benefit concerts held on Thanksgiving
weekend in Calgary and Edmonton, raised nearly $2 million.
Among the glimmers of hope for the agriculture sector was the
heightened recognition that farmers received from the corporate sector.
Railways, breweries, fertilizer companies, chemical and machinery
companies and the oil sector made donations.
The publicity surrounding corporate contributions ensured the plight of
agriculture received attention from the urban population for an
extended period of time.
Though troubled times brought it about, the trials of the past year
have improved general understanding and appreciation for farmers’
contributions to the national economy.
There were other signs of goodwill this year. Crop yields were down,
yet farmers still managed donations to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank
that will help others overseas.
Western Canadian farmers donated meat to food banks to help those who
need a hand up within this country.
This year proved good stories do emerge – of corporate and public
respect for what farmers do and of farmers helping each other without
thought for profit or glory.
That is a promising sign of peace, goodwill and hope for the future.
