Manitoba Pork Encourages Those in Agriculture to Better Communicate Story of Modern Farming

The General Manager of Manitoba Pork suggests those in agriculture need to work together to dispel the myths surrounding modern agriculture

An article circulated through community newspapers and posted to the Manitoba Pork web site examines the connection between farmers and the “Prove It” generation and the need to better communicate the role of new technology in meeting the need for food.

Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, says, while people trust farmers, they don’t necessarily understand or trust what they do.

“We know that our environmental impact is improving as we adopt modern technology. We know that the financial sustainability of those farms is improving” 

“We don’t necessarily do a good job of portraying what modern agriculture is. You see advertisements with the little red barn and the cabless tractor and three chickens and two ducks in the front yard.

“That’s not modern agriculture and we need to do a better job of talking about, what does a modern hog production facility look like, what are the measures in place to ensure animal welfare?

“People sometimes can be concerned about new technology and there’s this nostalgia for the old MacDonald farm but, in fact, it’s the adoption of new technology and new techniques that are allowing us to improve our environmental footprint and again do the things that governments are looking for, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“We know that our environmental impact is improving as we adopt modern technology. We know that the financial sustainability of those farms is improving.

“The 1950s farmer had a really hard life and because of growth and because of increased technology and the move to modern farming practices that’s changed.

“From all measures modern agriculture is doing a much better job of delivering safe food to Canadians and to consumers around the world.

“Those of us in agriculture need to do a better job of showcasing modern agriculture and modern farming practices.”

Dahl suggests these are conversations that we need to have together not as individual commodities but as agriculture as a whole.

Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers