Telling the story of farming the right way

On a recent Saturday morning, I spent some time telling the story of agriculture with an urban radio station, CJOB in Winnipeg with host Clay Young. The reason is that it is crucial for me just like in other publications that those who are once, twice, and maybe even more times removed from the farm they hear and read about where their food comes from and how they get it.

In the City of Winnipeg, many have never stepped outside the perimeter and maybe never set foot in even a garden that I tell them or present to them in print the story of farming as often as I can.

Case in point. Orion Samuelson, my mentor and a dear friend, talked about how many mainstream media outlets attack our food chain. That is why it’s essential for us to tell the story of farming, and apparently the entire food chain.

Orion said, “We are attacking our food again! Why do we do that? It is something we all need to exist, so why do we frighten people?”

His example is this month’s edition of Consumer Reports magazine where it devoted its front cover to a picture of a grilled steak with the headline – “What’s in Your Meat?” Then, the article begins in the center spread with another photograph of beef with the caption asking – “What’s really in your meat?” implying to him and me there is something terrible for you in meat.

Orion, who is 84 years young and continues to farm broadcast on WGN Chicago in his 58th year and survived on the planet for more than eight decades. During his lifetime people have told him not to eat eggs, not to drink milk or eat any dairy products, not to consume red meat, especially bacon, not to eat potatoes, plus a dozen other foods because they will shorten your life or even kill you.

“Well, I’m still here, and my one challenging health situation is I am diabetic. New research and studies totally or partially reversed the warning on all of the foods I mentioned,” said Samuelson. “Now, back to the article on meat – at the end of this article, they do add a disclaimer saying this probably shouldn’t cause you to not include meat in your diet. But on the front cover in addition to the photo, they list anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and antidepressants, a lot of what we find in the prescription medicines we take to stay healthy. I want to make it clear that I am not a dietician or a medical doctor, but I do consult with two of the best at the Mayo Clinic. Here is what they have told me over the years: Eat a balanced diet in moderation with the two keywords ‘balanced’ and ‘moderation.’”

I agree with Orion let‘s stop putting these ‘scare’ items on the front page of a newspaper or magazine, and enjoy the safest and most nutritious food on the planet since all of the foods he mentioned previously were found ‘not guilty’!

Orion said he would dine on a hot dog or a hamburger, a steak or a pork chop and enjoy what he eats.

“I close with the line I have been using for decades, “If you eat, you die; if you don’t eat, you die.” Thank you, my friend.

The urban broadcaster asked me how is the crop doing in Manitoba how is the harvest going and this is what I told him and their listeners.

“The harvest is going well. Of course, we’ve had some rains. There were some heavy rains in some places. Of course, where it had rained the harvest has stopped, and in other areas, it slowed down. I made a trip to Winnipeg Friday and very little going on at this particular time. But if you look across the province, we’re probably 70 to 75 and in some places 80 per cent complete as far as the harvest. A little less further north. A little less in the northwest area, but at the same time … I was just checking the latest Manitoba ag crop report, and you know what, for the varieties that we have this year, the cereals in most cases were average to a little bit above average. And flax is a bit of average. We’re nicely into the harvest of soybeans and they, of course, are a little bit below average because it was just too dry for the soybeans and too hot at the wrong time. But overall, we’ve got a pretty good crop considering.

That is why I love telling the story of farming and food production in a live one on one setting where no one can distort what I say and this allows me to present the story properly and with credibility. •