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Responsibility. It’s a SIMPLE
word, but loaded with meaning. It’s easy
enough to state that you are responsi-
ble for yourself, your home, your farm,
your family. However, in agriculture the
definition of the word responsibility takes
on added significance. Whether you share
agronomic information and dish the dirt,
actually—dirt, on soil conditions and
moisture rates, help a neighbour finish up
harvest because your crop came off earlier
or babysit kids so family or friends can
have a night out, in farming, the defini-
tion of responsibility runs deep.
Yet being a farmer involves responsi-
bilities that run even deeper than helping
care for your families, friends and com-
munities.
These responsibilities extend to how
you tend to the land. For generations,
you’ve done your best to maximize yields
while minimizing input costs, in addition
to setting up the land for next year’s grow-
ing season. Despite the work farmers do,
how you care for the land from generation
to generation remains an enigma to an
increasingly urban population. People
want to know that farmers are caring for
the land sustainably, and that their food
is safe and well tended before it gets to
the grocery store shelves. So this means a
farmer’s responsibility is to tell the good
news stories about agriculture, even when
nobody’s asking. The new catchphrase is
“
social licence
.” You’ll be hearing that more
and more.
Farmers are also responsible for repre-
senting Canada to the rest of the world.
Groups like the Canadian International
Grains Institute (Cigi) head out each
fall on trade missions around the globe,
armed with samples of grain from each
harvest (
see story on page 22 for details
).
This means that it’s your grains’ excel-
lent quality that imbues Cigi staff with
the confidence they need to show buyers
Canada’s grain with pride. The end result
is that your grain sets a high standard,
which is why buyers from around the
world are always after Canada’s high-qual-
ity wheat to blend with mid-quality wheat
from elsewhere.
It comes full circle with the aforemen-
tioned buyers continually purchasing Ca-
nadian products, and we benefit at home
with a sustained market demand. This
demonstrates your responsibility doesn’t
just end at the farm gate—your check-
off dollars, when invested prudently, are
returned to us 20-fold and the effects are
felt far and wide.
The agriculture community has, and
always has had, a thorough understand-
ing of responsibility. It’s important to
maintain this, especially as the Canadian
government introduces new changes.
From plant breeders’ rights via UPOV 91
to an end-point royalty system, your job is
to be informed and proactive about issues
that affect farmers.
If you’re at a loss for what those oppor-
tunities may be, come check out this fall’s
regional meetings.
Anewtakeon
responsibility
EDITOR'S
MESSAGE
The new catchphrase is “social
licence.” You’ll be hearing that
more and more.
Fall
2014
Grains
West
6
By Trevor Bacque
PublisherS
Lisa Skierka & TomSteve
ManagingEditor
Trevor Bacque:
tbacque@grainswest.com
Editorial Advisory Board
Bryan Adam
Cole Christensen
Lynn Jacobson
Jason Lenz
Greg Porozni
Victoria Russell
Greg Stamp
JohnWozniak
Sales&ProductionCoordinator
TommyWilson:
twilson@grainswest.com
STAFFWRITER
Tyler Difley
COPY EDITOR
Tiffany Sloan
Contributors
Cam Barlow, Stan Blade , Canadian Grain Commission,
Jeff Davis, Eau Claire Distillery, Ian Doig, Jon Driedger, Syd-
ney Duhaime, Brian Fowler, Peter Gredig, Lee Hart, David
A. Harris, David Hill, Canadian International Grains Insti-
tute, Michael Interisano, Larisa Jancewicz, Janet Krayden,
Tamara Leigh, Town of Niverville, Leif Norman,
Mark Orenstein, Matt Palmer, Parrish & Heimbecker,
Jessica Patterson, Richard Phillips, Jerry Poelman,
Scott Rollans, Jeremy Simes, Richard Stamp, Port Metro
Vancouver, Viterra, SarahWeigum and SteveWinkler
GrainsWest
magazine is a joint venture owned and
operated by Alberta Barley and the AlbertaWheat
Commission.
GrainsWest
is published four times per
year by theGrainsWest Publications
Society, an autonomous, incorporated body.
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is published at:
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Calgary, AB T2E 7H7
Phone:
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Toll-free:
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Fax:
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Email:
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Omnemmovere lapidem.
Contents copyright 2014 by GrainsWest
Publications Society, whosemembers include Alberta Barley and
the AlbertaWheat Commission. No part of this publicationmay be
reproducedwithout express written permission fromGrainsWest
Publications Society.