The ways in which farmers produce have certainly changed over the past 50 years, not only in regards to technology and technique but also in the ways regulations and demands are made towards how farmers operate, noted Paul Meldrum, a General Manager of McGill University’s Macdonald Campus Farm.

Meldrum was invited by the Quebec Farmers’ Association (QFA) to give a talk and discuss who determines how the . . .

agricultural industry is run. On Jan. 19, community members joined the conversation virtually, which was hosted by Andrew McClelland, Farm Food Forum Co-ordinator/Reporter. The event saw about 60 attendees, a mix of community members and farmers.

The QFA has been holding events like this for over five years now. And in 2019 they went fully online realizing they can attract more attendees.

Over the years the QFA has invited a whole host of people to join their talks such as government workers, professors from universities, or others from the farming industry, as long as that person was an expert on a topic farmers were interested in, explained McClelland. In recent years they have noticed that producers like hearing from other producers so they have made an effort to invite those sorts of presenters.

“Often, farmers are better communicators than government officials or politicians, and that makes a better meeting, so recently we’ve switched to having more talks that feature producers,” said McClelland.

Meldrum, a former dairy farmer and columnist for the Quebec Farmers’ Advocate explained that government regulations dictate how farmers operate, as well as research. He explained that he supports new research as things are always improving. But also as a farmer you have a wealth of knowledge and shouldn’t accept anything unless you have done your due diligence. “We need to make sure that those who are doing the research have a good idea of what we’re doing as farmers and why we’re doing it before they recommend changes.

Another aspect is consumer demand and how that impacts changes for farmers. He added that there will be time when changes are asked of a farmer and if they do not adjust they may risk falling behind. “If the market demands that we have cage free eggs, guess what? We’re gonna have cage free eggs,” he said.

When asked how agricultural producers and farmers can be at the forefront of their narrative he pointed out that it is something that farmers have to be proactive about rather than leave it up to someone else to do. With the advent of the internet and the speed in which information can be shared, that can also cause challenges. “People have become self appointed experts, whether or not they actually have the credentials and so once people say they’re an authority and they put it on the internet that almost becomes fact,” said Meldrum.

To ensure that the stories of farmers who are doing the work and ensuring the safety and health of their crop and herd are seen, they have to tell their story, urged Meldrum. “We can’t sit back and wait until we’re criticized, we have to get out, we have to tell our story, we have to say how we’re farming, why we’re doing the things we’re doing, the measures we’re taking to take care of our animals and why that’s important.”

He asks, “should we lament the fact that social media can make us look bad, like peeing into the wind, it’s not really going to accomplish anything except frustrate you.” He reiterates that farmers and producers need to be proactive and put their stories out there.

Meldrum recalled something his father told him as a young boy it went like this, “the only thing that doesn’t change is the fact that there will always be change, And so you have two options. You can fight that change, or you can look at the change, figure out where it’s going and determine how you are going to thrive in that change and make it work for you.”

He underlined that farmers need to market themselves as the experts and the champions of the environment and animal welfare. “The researchers can be experts in their field, but we are the experts in agriculture. Because we’re doing this day after day.”

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