Research from the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity continues to show that the number one trusted source for information about food production continues to be farmers and ranchers. Here at Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan we use this fact to build a tour of different food influencers from across Canada to visit and speak with actual farmers and ranchers to build trust in agriculture.
This year’s tour from July 4 to 6 included 16 individuals with a wide variety of backgrounds. The selection process for who attends is based on that individual’s ability or potential to influence others in their own specific field of interest. The cross-section of different influencers included dietitians, food writers, chefs, educators, curriculum developers and three high-ranking officials from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The tour had classroom-style presentations related to plant biotechnology, sustainable farming practices and chicken farming, and also included visits to grain, egg, dairy and cattle farms. Attendees especially appreciated being able to speak directly with farmers and having hands-on experiences like getting inside farm equipment, picking wheat plants, crushing canola seeds, handling ear taggers, petting dairy calves, and so on.
As with all our events and activities, we track the level of knowledge movement with attendees. One of the biggest indicators of success is if participants feel more informed about farming practices. This year only 38% of our food influencers indicated that they were well or very well informed about farming practices before the tour, while 100% indicated they were well or very well informed afterwards. This shows a strong level of engagement and a meaningful approach to better informing those who are promoting farming practices to others.
Aside from general questions about farming, we ask specific ones such as their knowledge related to on-farm technologies. Questions regarding the use of pesticides, genetically modified crops, hormones, and antibiotics top the list. In every metric, the tour participants indicated that their level of knowledge has increased by a factor of more than 2 points out of 10. These are complicated topics, but attendees took the time to understand them by listening and asking questions.
We also received general comments from participants highlighting their level of engagement.
“Connecting with farmers and actually seeing them and being able to ask questions was incredible. So knowledgeable, authentic, and honest. Loved every minute.”
“I think the environmental care being shown by the farmers to make sure we have a sustainable system for future generations is the priority with the farmers.”
Thank you to our numerous partners for this tour and we look forward to planning the Food Influencer Farm Tour again in 2024!