As consumers strive to become more aware of food-production terms and practices, they often bludgeon farmers with a body of opinions based on quippy distillations of complex research …. and nothing more than a reactionary response to terms such as GMO. Those who live and work in this arena wrestle with how to give them the space to learn — to catch up — like my farm did.
[Editor’s note: Toban Dyck is a farmer in Manitoba, Canada.]
The agriculture industry needs the public to understand what it is, what it does and how it operates, before it makes itself vulnerable to a group that seems ready to pounce. If 2018 was the public’s intro to agriculture class, 2019 will require more from its students.
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I would think twice about offering my opinion on whether I think Monsanto had its hand in and/or attempted to steer pro-glyphosate research submitted to the [Canadian government] until I’m certain my reading public understands that research projects are usually funded through a variety of sources …. And that the researchers accepting these funds do not traditionally allow their credibility to be jeopardized by allowing others to determine outcomes.
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In 2019, let’s commit to cooler heads prevailing and tackling agricultural issues with the open minded, philosophical and scientific rigour they require.
Read full, original article: Agri-Culture: Let’s commit to having cooler heads next year
