Our industry has embraced every tool available in communicating our messages to those outside the agri-food sector. Social media channels such as Twitter give farmers a direct line to global consumers. One remarkable messaging success saw the United Nations declare 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Canada was a leader in advocating for this.

No one ever said farming was going to be easy. Every crop year has its obstacles, and in 2019/20, the biggest challenge is that a significant portion of the crop was left to overwinter. This is estimated to be between five and 15 per cent of total western Canadian acres. Farm economics dictate that every acre that can be harvested should be harvested to ensure financial wellbeing. Assuming that all unharvested acres will be harvested, here are some things to keep in mind.

It’s painfully obvious Canadian agriculture has room to close its domestic labour gap. The message has been repeated often enough that it’s starting to fall on deaf ears. However, the industry may need to listen up if it wants to stem the exodus of domestic workers.