Alta. Ag wants to hear from farmers

Jan 13, 2020

The government is seeking feedback to deliver farmer-led research priorities

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Alberta’s provincial government is looking to farmers for feedback on how to advance industry research.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry is hosting six free public engagement sessions throughout the province to give producers the opportunity to highlight what farmer-led research means to them, research priorities and governance models for delivering said research.

The meetings are scheduled for:

Mon., Jan. 13 in Lethbridge
Fri., Jan. 17 in Grande Prairie
Tues., Jan. 21 in Camrose and Vermilion
Thurs., Jan. 23 in Olds
Fri., Jan. 24 in Calgary

Producers also have the option of completing an online survey by Fri. Jan. 31.

Alberta Agriculture will use the collected farmer input to determine its next steps.

“The information gathered at the sessions and from the online survey will be analyzed and recommendations on the path forward will be developed,” Adrienne South, press secretary for Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen, told Farms.com. “We want to make sure that we support research that is important to farmers and ranchers. Our government’s commitment is to ensure that farmers, not government, set key agriculture research priorities.”

The farmer-led research is in line with the priorities set out by the agriculture ministry after the provincial budget release in October 2019.

Ag groups are encouraging producers to take part in the consultation process.

“We highly recommend that all farmers provide the government with views about how research will help their operations grow in the future,” Team Alberta, which represents the province’s canola, pulse, wheat and barley producers, said in a statement.

Video: Women in Ag. The Promotion of Female Farmers through Social Media | Madalyn Thayer | TEDxBGSU

Less than 1% of Americans are farmers. The majority of those farmers are men. Many people have minimal experience with farms and agriculture. High schools are getting rid of their FFA programs and many colleges, including BGSU, do not have agricultural programs or classes. There is a new social media phenomenon where women are making content based on their farming endeavors and gaining lots of traction. Education is the one of the most important parts of agriculture, because the more people know the more they will emphasize with farmers and create policy that benefits everybody. Female farmers have taken to social media sharing their experience in the agricultural world. These women are breaking stereotypes and educating everyday citizens about farming which is extremely important for the future of agriculture. Madalyn is 19 years old and will be gradated with her bachelors degree in communication on December 2024. She lives on a farm and have spent lots of time working in agriculture. She has her own farmers market and love learning about all subjects, especially agriculture. She was on the BGSU Firelands Student government from 2021-2023 as a CCP Ambassador and was awarded the 3&1 communication excellency award in April of 2024. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.