We all spend a lifetime improving our reputation by doing good deeds, working hard, giving reliable advice, and helping those in need. However, just tell a few intentional lies, talk behind someone’s back, or take advantage of someone in a transaction and watch your reputation tumble from great to below average.
In general, professions which hold the highest reputation have been farmers, firemen, nurses, and doctors. Used car salesmen and lawyers have had a hard time staying off the bottom of the list of most respected. Did you notice that those at the top of the most respected list are those who do their job regardless of the time of day and continue until the job is done, regardless of how dirty or difficult it is?

Farmers are having an increasingly harder time maintaining their reputation in this “more advanced” world. Farmers have lately had access to chemicals deemed “safe” by our scientists, researchers, and government officials in charge of our health and safety. Some of these chemicals, sprays, and even drugs that have been on the market for several years have been found to cause disease and sickness, not only to the farmers who used them, but also to consumers who bought and consumed products that were subject to contamination! Many of these products have been removed from the market. Some other products declared “safe” by our health agencies have been labeled “questionable” in other countries and even declared “unsafe” by other countries or states and removed from the market. When is a farmer supposed to stop using these chemicals, drugs, etc.? Some of these drugs and chemicals can increase the weight gain of animals and birds, making their use very profitable. Some sprays have completely changed farming methods and reduced costs to produce crops. These savings are passed on to processors, retailers, and the consumers.
Lately, trade wars have brought criticism of Canada’s Supply Management system of marketing dairy, egg, and poultry products. Although it has been deemed the best system of marketing in the world by many countries and consumer associations from all over the world, other countries which do not use supply management seem to be envious and want to destroy it. Some politicians and processors who would gain votes or have access to cheaper raw product also speak strongly against supply management.
These politicians, processors, and other countries fail to mention the billions of taxpayer dollars that countries without supply management use to pay their farmers to produce and sell raw product for less than what it costs to produce. They also fail to mention that dairy, eggs, and poultry products often retail for more money in countries without a supply management system. I can only guess who ends up with the extra money between the farm gates and the stores in those countries!
Consumers are the best allies that farmers have. When this county was settled, 90 per cent of the population were farmers. Today, less than two per cent of our population produce what we eat. Farmers are consumers too. They buy food, clothes, cars, gas, and borrow more money than many will ever make. A farmer’s future depends on his reputation to produce healthy, wholesome, and safe food! My grandfather once said: “if you don’t drink milk produced on your farm, you shouldn’t be allowed to sell it!”
Chris Judd is a farmer in
Clarendon on land that has
been in his family for generations. gladcrest@gmail.com