Canadian Agricultural Concerns Addressed

*This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote in 2016 for a my Rhetoric class. It is here as an example of some of the topics I have researched and written. If you are looking for more examples of my professional writing, please reach out to me @ just.ag.productions@gmail.com*
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Preface:
This talking points memo relates to issues and concerns that have been personally brought to my attention due to my involvement and expertise in agriculture. I have been fielding questions and concerns since I was a young teenager, regarding Canadian agriculture, ranging in topics from GMO safety to animal production. 

​Most recently I have decided to change my approach to discussing agricultural concerns, in an attempt to create an open and proactive discussion instead of reactive messaging to the consumer.

1. Agriculturalists – farmers, veterinarians, agronomists, salesman, etc. – are just like you and I.
   - We may be only 2% of the population, but we are willing and interested in connecting with the other 98%.
   - Agriculture More than Ever states that “almost 25,000 Canadian farm operators are under the age of 35”.
   - Farmers are well-educated members of society – a vast majority of them have college and university educations, varying in levels and subject matter.
   - 98% of Canadian farms are family owned and operated, with 1 in 8 Canadian jobs being in agriculture and agri-food.
   
   
2. Producers eat the same food that the consumer eats.
   - If farmers/agriculturalists did not feel it was safe for themselves and their family, they would not be marketing it.
   - “All food, regardless of how it is grown, must meet the same inspection and food safety standards set by government.” – Farm & Food Care
   - Farm & Food Care states in their publication that “milk is identified and sampled from every farm before it’s put in the milk truck. [This ensures] each tank of milk meets strict government quality standards.”
   - “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitors drug residues in meat. Thousands of meat samples are regularly tested for residues and results… have confirmed that Canadian meat is free from residues.” – Farm & Food Care
   
   
3. Technology – socially acceptable for anything but agriculture.
   - “Through its science and research, AAFC (Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada) has stimulated innovation in the farming sector for over 125 years.”
   - Society has deemed crop protection products as unsafe, but accepts the usage of smart phones, automated vehicles, etc.
   - Farmers do not have to use biotechnology, although many choose to as they find it works best for their farm.
   
   
4. Animal Agriculture – You call it factory farm, we call it family farming.
   - Factory farms do not exist, the term is an inflammatory remark created by anti-farming activists and does not properly represent what a corporate farm is.
   - Incorporating is a legal business matter; it does not mean animals are treated any differently than a non-incorporated farm.
   - Farm and Food Care states that “48% of Canadian farms report a beef cattle population with an average of 61 beef cows per farm.”
   - “Canada has one of the healthiest cattle herds and most wholesome beef products in the world”, as presented by Farm and Food Care.
   - Grazing livestock are effective in areas where crops cannot grow effectively.
   
   
5. Crop Production – You think Monsanto owns us all.
   - Agriculture More than Ever has collected data showing that “Canadian families save 58% on their weekly grocery bills thanks to modern crop protection and plant biotechnology tools”.
   -  From Agriculture More than Ever - “Canada is the world’s largest canola producer.” – we would not be the world’s top producer if we did not know how to produce healthy and efficient canola crops.
   - “Because of their connection to the land, farmers do more to protect and preserve our environment than almost anyone else. They are some of the best environmentalists around”. – Ike Skelton
6. According to Agriculture More than Ever research “[from] 1987 [on], soil erosion has decreased by 69% in corn production, 49% in soybean production, 50% in wheat production” all due to the use of new crop production techniques and products.
   - The practice of “minimum tillage [has saved] more than 170 million litres of fuel from being burned in Canada annually” according to Agriculture More than Ever.
   
   

References
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2015) We Grow A Lot More Than You May Think
Retrieved from
http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/about-us/publications/we-grow-a-lot-more-than-you-may-think/?id=1251899760841
 
Farm & Food Care Canada (n.d.) [Fact sheet with points regarding Meatless Monday]
Retrieved from
http://farmfoodcare.org/images/pdfs/Meatless%20Mondays.pdf
 
Farm & Food Care Canada (n.d.) [Fact sheet with points regarding Beef Cattle]
Retrieved from
http://farmfoodcare.org/images/pdfs/Beef%20Cattle.pdf
 
Farm & Food Care Canada (n.d.) [Fact sheet with points regarding Field Crops]
Retrieved from
http://farmfoodcare.org/images/pdfs/Field%20Crops.pdf

Farm and Food Care Canada (2014) The Real Dirt on Farming
 
Agriculture More than Ever (n.d.) [Info-graphics with stats and facts relating to
Canadian agriculture]
         Retrieved from
https://www.agriculturemorethanever.ca/resources/fact-photos/