In this era of misinformation and mistrust, it’s easy to understand why modern foundations like government, the media and science are viewed with skepticism. Many people on the receiving end of information don’t know what to believe and whom to trust (other than farmers — more on that later), so they side with whomever makes them feel the safest, facts aside.
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This year, global tourism is on track to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Restless travelers are fed up waiting for COVID to disappear (it won’t); they’re spreading their wings and seeking adventures.
That’s great news to world leaders such as Francisco Betti, head of the Global Industries team at the World Economic Forum. At a forum meeting in May, he gushed about this encouraging milestone and its potential impact.
The most compelling stories to come from your farm this fall and winter will not be how you’re getting walloped by external forces, but rather, how you’re fighting back.
You’re facing a real Hydra, a multiheaded monster that has its eyes on your operation. The anticipated drop in farm income, the stalled farm bill, astronomical input costs, record trade deficits and wrong-headed, misguided politicians trying to convince America that the crops you raise are poisoning them and their kids are but a few of the issues beating down your door.
Photo credit: Canadiangeographic.ca
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Farm labour, food production and immigration are inextricably joined, maybe more than ever. The North American agricultural sector is keenly aware of the critical, chronic labour shortage it’s facing. It’s making the problem as clear as possible to elected officials, along with an ultimatum: import labour, or import food.
Photo credit: thegrower.org
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CANADA’S CONNECTION WITH ONE OF ITS FAVOURITE TOURIST DESTINATIONS, CUBA, MAY BE POISED TO REACH A NEW LEVEL — one that could be a changing market opportunity for Ontario specialty grain producers and help save the struggling Caribbean country from economic and humanitarian disaster.
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Owen Roberts is an agricultural journalist and communications instructor based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. He is a trustee on the Global Foundation for Agricultural Journalism and an associate editor (communications) for the Journal of Agromedicine. Previously, Owen was president of the International Forum for Agricultural Journalists, an agricultural communications faculty member at the University of Illinois, and research communications director at the University of Guelph. His programs and research papers have been recognized through awards from the Journal of Applied Communications, the National Agri-Marketing Association, the Association for Communications Excellence and the Canadian Farm Writers' Federation.