Government policy makers had a view this past summer of just how critical are temporary farm workers to Canada’s food supply. A shortage of 3,800 means some crops were not planted or harvested, and food processing lines were short staffed. Photo: Niagarathisweek.com
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There have been too many farm-related accidents and fatalities happening lately. Safe farming practices are critical, and those that aren’t safe have to change. Anyone setting foot on a farm must be aware of the risks that farm equipment, in particular, can pose.
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A new Organic Resource Hub is being developed that will provide growers and consumers with a go-to website for all things organic food-related. It’s spearheaded by the Organic Council of Ontario with support from federal and provincial agri-food departments. With lots of content to gather and contacts to include, they hope to roll it out next winter. Photo: Organic Council of Canada.
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When grocery shelves were depleted early in the pandemic, the concept of food security suddenly became very real. We began to wonder about the wisdom of relying on imports. Take fruits and vegetables, for example. We’d prefer to buy home-grown produce, but that’s not always possible year-round. It all comes down to cost. Photo: Adaios
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There’s no doubt that we’re increasingly receiving more of our information from on-line sources. And COVID19 seems to have accelerated the trend, with traditional conferences and industry events replaced by virtual gatherings. But what will happen after the pandemic? Will the benefits of our face-to-face interactions be outweighed by on-line safety and savings? Photo: The Grower.
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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.