Basic HTML Version
The Food Issue
2014
grainswest.com
7
ASK A
FARMER
with FRANK ROBINSON
What haveyoualwayswanted
toaska farmer?
Frombeing businessmen and women tomarketers tomechanics to animal care spe-
cialists, the average farmer is more than just a farmer. For some people, what farmers
do on a daily basis is a bit of a mystery. Here to answer your questions is Frank Rob-
inson, a poultry production and physiology professor for nearly 30 years, as well as
vice-provost and dean of students at the University of Alberta. Robinson was raised
on a small mixed farm in southern Saskatchewan.
How many hours a day and for
how many weeks do farmers work
during harvest?
Betty Law, 27
Edmonton
Pharmacist
What are the real differences
between organic and non-organic
agriculture products? Are there
really negative effects to feeding
your family non-organic
agriculture products?
Gillian Pujos-Michel, 32
Calgary
Radio Promotions
What is a crop rotation?
Ryan Jacula, 20
Edmonton
Student
Dear Betty:
There is no one answer if you
are a farmer, because size really does mat-
ter. Big farms means big fields, long days,
but can be offset by using bigger equipment.
The weather can affect how many hours per
day and weeks per year harvesting takes.
Humidity at night and snow in the fall
means premature shutdown of combines
and hard-working families. Hot and dry
weather speeds up the process. It’s not un-
common for a farmer to work 12-plus hours
each day, including weekends, for multiple
weeks to finish harvest.
Are there any heritage seeds left for
grains like there used to be, or are
farmers destined to always use
genetically modified seeds?
Marion McNeill, 58
Calgary
Real Estate Management
Dear Marion:
Plant breeders who select-
ed varieties of grains that would produce
well on the prairies 100 years ago were
genetically modifying plants. Inserting
genes from another plant is a more modern
genetic modification. Today, “heritage”
seeds are kept by some people and traded
or sold through networks. As romantic as
this sounds, expect higher production costs
due to lower yields and a greater likelihood
of problems.
Dear Gillian:
This depends on what
your perception of the word organic
means. The government has a legal
definition. Most people don’t perceive
organic as bad, but remember that farm-
ers feed the world and not everyone can
afford to run an organic operation. It
comes down to use of herbicides, insec-
ticides or preventative medications that
influence production efficiency. Food
safety is a high priority in Canada, and
spray residues are limited by withdrawal
times on food products before harvesting.
Have farmers seen any benefit
to the whole “eating local”
movement?
Locke Vincent, 30
Calgary
Videographer
With the advent of social media,
are farmers more connected to each
other and the general public?
Owen Friesen, 38
Calgary
Construction
Dear Locke:
There has been a benefit for
those farmers who establish a direct link to
consumers. These consumers are likely to
be repeat customers so farmers know they
have a direct market and grow production
confidently. However, the best example of
eating local is the 50- or 100-foot diet. This
is where you have a garden or perhaps some
window boxes with fruits like tomatoes.
Dear Ryan:
Crop rotation does not involve
picking up each plant having it face a dif-
ferent direction each day. It is a long-term
management tool. By planting different
crops in sequential years, advantages can be
seen. Plants like legumes (peas, lentils) “fix”
or naturally add nitrogen in the soil which
can be a big plus for cereal crops each year.
Some plant diseases and fungal infestations
can be stopped in their tracks by planting a
different crop without using chemicals.
Dear Owen:
Definitely. The Internet has
been widely accepted by the agriculture
community for making and maintaining
connections. Twitter is extremely popular
in agriculture and there are many hashtags
farmers use to follow different conversations.
Farmers have forums they frequent to dis-
cuss farm values and operation principles.
They differentiate themselves with state-
ments about their stand on animal welfare,
sustainability and marketing methods. Blogs
are also a common place for farmers to share
and swap information.