Megz Reynolds invited politicians to her farm through social media
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
So far, one politician has taken a Kyle, Sask. farmer up on her offer to visit her farm and join her in the combine.
Premier Scott Moe accepted Megz Reynolds’s invitation after she posted an open invitation on Twitter last week.
He visited with Reynolds on Saturday where they discussed several topics, including the working relationship between government and the ag sector.
“We covered many different topics on grain farming like crops and weather, but our main topic of conversation was about how agriculture can work with the government to improve the consumer trust issues we are having, with glyphosate being an example,” Reynolds told Farms.com yesterday.
“We also talked about the sustainability of Saskatchewan agriculture. Not just in the sense of what farmers are doing, but also in the equipment and technology that’s being exported worldwide.”
The visit also provided an opportunity for education.
Lentils are part of Reynolds’s crop rotation but she actually found herself learning a little bit about the crop from Moe.
“Premier Moe knows a lot about grain farming and agriculture,” she said. “He talked about how the stalks of the plant will almost never dry down on their own without the assistance of swathing or desiccating.”
Reynolds always thought producers sped up the drying process solely in an attempt to protect the quality of the lentils.
She hopes other producers will follow her lead and invite guests to spend time on their family farms.
Many families are multiple generations removed from the farm and may not be aware of how farmers produce crops or livestock. A transparent approach to farming is a good way to engage with consumers, Reynolds said.
“It is so important that we open up our farms to people outside of agriculture,” she said.
“We are dealing with trust and communication issues between producers and those off the farm. I believe that we can build a strong foundation and work to bridge the gap that has formed by being open and transparent.”
More politicians have accepted Reynolds’s invitations and will visit her farm throughout September, she said.