When given the opportunity to speak to influential people in the food industry, the agriculture community must step up! During the week of June 12th, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan had the opportunity with our partners to speak to chefs from across the country in Saskatoon. The national Culinary Federation conference brought together hundreds of individual chefs as well as chef instructors and students in the culinary profession.
This opportunity to speak to chefs included an agriculture panel discussion, a trade show exhibit and a farm tour. The panel discussion included Shelby Corey (Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association), Tiffany Martinka (Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan), a representative from Ardent Mills (Reid McEachran) and Clinton Monchuk of Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan. The main topic of discussion for this panel was sustainability in the food industry and was moderated by culinary instructor and chef Shonah Chalmers. This also tied into the World Chef’s Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals course that was edited by Farm & Food Care to improve accuracy of what modern farmers/ranchers are doing to produce food. Of particular interest during the discussion was the understanding that sustainability was not one size fits all and that individual farms/ranches find agricultural practices that work sustainable in their individual operation. What is sustainable – environmentally, economically, and socially is unique to every farm/ranch. There was an undertone with the group that only small farms or organic farms could be sustainable. Explaining to the group how each of our farms have been using new technologies and growing food for multiple generations instilled an appreciation for farmers’ long-term focus. These chefs were eager to receive the information because they field questions from their customers on a daily basis. They also see similarities with how many chefs work very differently but all have a common goal of doing good work and sustaining their operations into the future.
The farm tour involved a smaller subsection of participants that specifically signed up for a tour to see cattle ranching and egg processing. Approximately 30 chefs received a unique experience of driving through pastureland and seeing how beef cattle can thrive on land not suitable for crop production. This brought a deeper understanding of sustainability as Shelby Corey spoke of the challenges and rewards associated with ranching cattle as it related to her own family business. The chefs were amazed with the automation and volume of eggs that are processed through Star Egg in Saskatoon, commenting on how farmers and processors can adapt to changing consumers’ demands.
Along with the conference was a trade show that included FFC SK showcasing Canadian Food Focus. This offered a direct opportunity to speak with chefs about our resources and many were appreciative of the free online courses and videos explaining how food is grown in Canada. Several culinary educators added that they would be sharing Canadian Food Focus information with their respective schools as a teaching resource.
This culinary conference was a great opportunity to engage with chefs from across the country and something that Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan/Canadian Food Focus will continue to partner with going forward.