As our members and partners know, Farm & Food Care Saskatchewan does all kinds of activities to help consumers to understand more about their food and how it is grown. This includes farm tours, presentations, training for industry and online outreach through Canadian Food Focus.
There is another service that FFC SK provides that is sometimes hard to quantify or explain and that is making connections. We serve as a connector between and across producer groups, government contacts, educators, national associations, youth organizations, businesses, individuals…
It is something we take seriously and are very proud of: the relationships and collaborations that we have with others that make our industry better.
We provide suggestions of possible mentors or mentees that may be looking to share or increase their agricultural expertise. 4-H clubs or classroom teachers ask us for suggestions of farmers that could share their story. FFC SK members have even reached out for advice on board room rental locations.
Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) is the provincial online public school for students from Kindergarten right up to Grade 12. For high school students, Sask DLC offers 14 different agricultural courses including ag production, ag trades, and a new precision ag option. Sask DLC is currently reviewing and updating their Field Crop courses to ensure that content is current and relevant to the industry. Lori Gasper, a programs manager for practical and applied arts with Sask DLC, reached out to FFC SK for suggestions of agronomists to review content on soil health. FFC SK was able to connect them with a Saskatchewan agronomist who had worked with us for a Canadian Food Focus ‘Ask an Expert’ video. That agronomist not only shared her insights, but also connected Sask DLC to other experts in soil health with additional knowledge.
“FFC SK’s referral was a huge help,” Gasper says. “The feedback we gathered on soil nutrients was so valuable and will help our developers as they think through how to present this information.”
She went on to say, “Part of my role here at Sask DLC is to help our course development team reach out to industry and help ensure that our courses are current, relevant and also relatable for people who may not have a background in farming. Farm & Food Care is in a great position to provide that important connection that improves things for the ag sector overall.”
As a group that represents all of agriculture, from crops to livestock to horticulture and everything in between, FFC SK can play a key role to connect people and organizations, to flag possible collaborations where possible and to serve as a general ambassador for agriculture as a whole.
At the heart of it, trust is really about relationships. FFC SK considers our relationships as our most important resource, certainly among all of us in the ag sector as well as our partners in other industries and of course with consumers themselves. Let’s connect soon!