YORKTON - In case you missed it – and it is likely most you would have -- Canada’s Agriculture Day took place across Canada on Feb 11.
Now to be fair thanks to the ill winds blowing out of Washington thanks to near daily nonsense propagated by United States president Donald Trump it has been difficult to consider much beyond just how irreparable the damage will be after four years of his power hungry administration.
In Canada we see the immediate threat of tariffs, but when you read snippets about some militia gang in the US saying it could take over Canada in no time – the security of the nation starts to be questioned – a question we in Canada must be sharing with those in Greenland/Denmark and Panama and the Gaza Strip and frankly the world in general with such a loose cannon president at the helm of formidable military and his finger on the button as they say.
So a day focused on agriculture could easily be pushed to the back-burner this year.
But, it is important too to put some focus on a sector which is at the end of the day the world’s most important.
If farmers don’t farm the rest of us will largely go very hungry.
In fact that is probably the biggest long term concern for agriculture, how does it continue to increase food production to feed a world population that shows little sign of doing anything but growing steadily larger.
Sure a better and fairer distribution of the food currently produced to those who are going hungry would alleviate things greatly but a look at the world politically today there is little hope for such widespread fairness.
Here in Canada agriculture remains a hugely important economic sector, one even more recognizable here in Saskatchewan and the Prairies.
Farmers in Canada do an outstanding job producing healthy and nutritious food with an eye to maintaining a sustainable industry to ensure its future.
So when one checked out the Canadian Federation of Agriculture web page (www.cfa-fca.ca), the line “let’s raise a fork to the food we love and the people who produce it” in relation to the day, it hit the mark nicely.
And, when Lawrence MacAulay, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food states “on Canada’s Agriculture Day, we recognize all of our Canadian farmers and celebrate the great work they do. Canada is a world leader when it comes to agriculture, with a strong food system that is supported by dedicated farmers who work year-round to put top-quality food on our tables,” it too resonates.
The ag sector’s importance cannot be under-stated, and certainly producers and those who support their efforts deserve our collective thanks.
