Remove the name Agriculture

[danm]

I was at a Agriculture Industry college summit last week in Brandon & there was a speaker suggesting that to attract more people to Agriculture schools maybe they should remove the name Agriculture. It was said that now 98% of the population now doesn't live on the farm so they figure they have nothing to contribute & the student doesn't even consider ag.
I came away from day 1 dismayed thinking that maybe everyone is right ag is done, it's a bad business with no future.
On day 2 it was brought up again by a Sask. college that maybe it was a good idea, & wanted discussion. Well I had one sleep & had time to reflect.Maybe the removal was not a bad idea from a marketing point of view from the college but from an industry point of view it would hurt us even more. If learning institions are starting to think that maybe we can get people in the door by not mentioning ag then this would feed down the whole chain & eventually you would have to rename policies & positions since we didn't need them. Eg ag department,ag minister etc. I was really pleased to see that Olds College is just doing fine & is actually taking people out of other provinces since they have a very progressive Ag college.
Throughout the two days I think everyone was realizing just how much industry is taken in by Ag.Its not just farmers & yet it seems some Academics can't get the word out what Ag. is so they would rather delete it.
I think what should happen is Ag industry groups should get together & discuss how they want to promote themselves to 98% of the population.
The Cargail's & Mapleleaf's have it figured out but what about the farmers?
Who is promoting farming? We have lobby groups that defend us & sometimes that has a negative spin on us. Who does promote farming? Do we as farmers,lobby groups,commodity groups?When was the last time you heard a farmer saying its OK to farm or is the media right? I know things are changing on the farm but they are all over even for the other 98% of the population.
Looking forward to comments

[gallard]

Danm: Thankyou for bringing up this subject. It has been a concern for me for a long time that we do a poor job of "promoting" ourselves. Society is getting further removed from it's food source everyday. For example, when our towns wish to expand they just take in the acres and do not look at quality of land merely quantity. Many academics in agriculture have not spent any time on a farm to understand the business aspect nor the emotional tie that many of us have.
Also how many times has a farmer been invited to do a presentation to the local Rotary club as compared to someone from the oil industry? Many urban folks have no idea what goes on in the feedlot or inside the barn of a hog feeding operation. I understand bio-security, however, the public appreciate the opportunity to see good livestock management.
We need articulate people from "agriculture" speaking out about the sucesses and difficulties. No whinning!!

[ValueChainFX]

Good subject folks!

One of the challenges we have in the agriculture business today is to gain much of the credibility we have lost over the years. Cargill and other big companies have a marketing strategy and a well maintained machine to push their goals and vision ahead. They have established a firm knowledge network with information exchange that would blow your mind.

This issue of marketing Canadian Agriculture is high on the list of priorities as a foundation building block. To do this I see their needs to be a real coordinated effort not just at the grass roots (producer) level but throughout the supply chain and support industries.

We all know the producer will not accomplish this by themselves, thus the conundrum (anything that puzzels.)

How does an independent producer maintain his independence and work with other people to build and promote their industry and reputation?

My answer to this question is simple (like most of my thoughts, somehow we make them complicated ... go figure)

Like the old days someone needs a barn you build it as a community, someone needs help you help them, you make a deal with your word and a hand shake, you listen to those who went before you! (Gosh I love to hear those stories from the past.)

Yes my answer is time to get back to some of the values of the past, maintain your independence, but also work with others (the whole industry) to build the future.

Your thoughts

[danm]

Who could tie this all together? We have various commodity groups that seem to keep fighting for their commodity but not their producers.
I have had the opprotunity to sit down with some farmers from Quebec. I know the preception out west is they get all the money but, they have as a province tied all together through the UPA. Milk producers to veggies it all goes through a check off & when the UPA walks into the legislature they go with one voice.That is why the preception is they get everything because they are organized as primary producers.
The thing I hear is "you will never get everyone on board" but they seemed to get it to work.

[ValueChainFX]

danm:
Right you are there is no one in the west that can tie it together at the moment. There are however, steps being taken to put such a unified group in place.

Many of the issues that have divided the Canadian producers are being discussed and there has been wonderful progress in how to address these inequities in the present system.

Many of the present associations seem to be totally focused on their individual group and will cut the legs out from under anyone that does not see eye to eye with their agenda. As we all know it is time to move to some form that looks at the whole industry and takes us all closer to mutually beneficial steps to something that will work. Can we accomplish such a task ??? Well my thoughts are there has been enough progress made that we will see something positive happen soon. It may not match some political agendas but then if it meets the needs of producers I guess we will just have to put some of the political agendas aside.

Your thoughts?

[danm]

ValuechainX
Well I think the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is very present in Ottawa & has alot of respect in the political world so maybe they will keep forging ahead & tying us together.Thats about the only national group I know of any others that should be mentioned in Ag?
I was at an information meeting the other night on the new Ag policy framework,it was very interesting listening to what people where thinking. In the discussions supply management was brought up & it was suggested that they need no safety nets since they look after their own. You have an ag minister telling you that he will go to the wall defending supply mnmngt & everyone else he tells I'll get back to you when I feel like it!
The new NISA/CFIP will require a premium put up by the farmer if he wants a safety net. One way this is a great idea BUT if you are diversified it will be very hard to trigger. I think the gov't does alot of things to separate the farmers & make them feel like they need a handout instead of making them feel proud & needed. They are professional that have alot of talents that are untapped. We(the primary producers) have seemed to lost that passion that drives an entripenuer/pioneer spirit & we have even seemed to convince the public that it's not a good profession.Just think if Cargail promoted their bussiness the same way.
I have rambled on long enough for now keep the comments coming.