Thursday, September 6, 2012

Grain farmers urged to get ahead on sustainable lobby



Guelph – Grain Farmers of Ontario needs to get busy on a definition of sustainability for agriculture, says Terry Daynard, former executive director of the Ontario Corn Producers Association.

Henry Van Ankum
Chairman Henry Van Ankum of Grain Farmers of Ontario agreed with Daynard after he made an impassioned plea on the issue during the grain farmers’ annual meeting here today.

Daynard noted that large companies and governments are busy developing their own concepts and definitions of what sustainable agriculture means and said “we need to get ahead on this one.”

He said the hog industry failed to get ahead of the issue of gestation crates for sows and now large corporations are setting the agenda on that issue.

They are reacting to intense lobbying pressure from the Humane Society of the United States.

Daynard said that work on a definition of sustainability may mean that farmers will need to change some things, but said they need to be involved in the dialogue.

He suggested they work with Farm & Food Care, the new name for the merged AgCare and OFAC organizations set up to counter activist opponents to pesticides, genetically-modified crops and modern housing for livestock and poultry.

Van Ankum said it’s important for Grain Farmers of Ontario to develop its ideas about sustainable agriculture.