For Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA) president Jim Brackett, the need to education the community about agriculture has never been greater.
“About 50 years ago most Canadians were one or two generations removed from the farming community,” he said. “Now it’s three to five generations removed. We can’t be complacent and just expect that the general public will know who we are and what we do.”
With that in mind, the KFA has recently completed installing 12 signs throughout Chatham-Kent, highlighting local crops.
Signs have been placed at the edges of fields, explaining the crop that’s being grown and its uses.
The crops highlighted include soft red winter wheat, field corn, soybeans, and machine-harvested field tomatoes.
The field corn sign notes that it is used for animal feed, ethanol fuel, food ingredients, corn oil, starch and sweeteners, as well as bioplastics and other products.
The project was funded by the KFA and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture Revive Fund program with a total cost of approximately $7,000-8,000.
“We saw the signs in Elgin and Middlesex and thought it would be a good idea to use them here,” Brackett said. “Committee chairman Allan Lucier and board members Justin Hawkins, Kevin Bagnall, Jay Cunningham, and myself finished putting them up a couple of weeks ago.”
The signs were installed at intersections with higher traffic levels for greater visibility.
“People may not be aware that corn is the single biggest food source on the planet or that the wheat you see growing here in Chatham-Kent isn’t used for bread – it’s used for pastries because it has different milling qualities,” he said. “There is a lot to learn for most people.”
“We (farmers) are now only about two per cent of the population yet 100 per cent of the population relies on what we do,” Brackett said. “The more we can increase awareness, the better it will be for everyone.”
With that in mind, the KFA is partnering with local realtors, home builders and vegetable growers for a public information session in early September.
“We want to bring in as many people from different areas as we can to learn about local agriculture, our role in the world and our role in Chatham-Kent,” he said. “We hope to have information about the exact location and the program details completed within the next few weeks.”
