Organization distributes four million copies of educational booklet
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Countless Canadians have learned about modern agricultural practices thanks to Farm and Food Care’s latest publication.
To date, the organization has published four million copies of The Real Dirt on Farming, which answers consumers’ questions and addresses misconceptions about the industry, Monday’s release stated.
Through the booklet, which touches on such topics as antibiotics and genetic engineering, Farm and Food Care aims to equip “consumers with the tools and information to make informed choices about their food,” the release said.
The publication even offers readers a glimpse into the everyday lives of farmers through profiles of producers, such as Gilbert and Stacey Matheson of New Brunswick and Bryan and Kyle Maynard of Prince Edward Island.
The booklet helps producers share their stories and can help them answer questions outside of their comfort zones, Madeline Rodrigue, communications coordinator for Farm and Food Care Ontario, told Farms.com yesterday.
“Farmers are the most valuable and credible sources for information about Canadian agriculture. However, they don’t always find opportunities to tell their story or they may not be sure where to start,” she said. “It’s important that Canadians understand the great deal of pride that farmers take in providing safe, nutritious and affordable food.”
To reach more Canadians, the organization distributed copies of the booklet to 200,000 households in the Globe and Mail last month. Readers also received an invitation to share their feedback on The Real Dirt on Farming with Farm and Food Care.
And many consumers offered positive reviews.
“Thank you for the excellent publication I received in my Globe and Mail yesterday. It is full of interesting information. I've read it through once, so far, and plan to keep it to re-read and share with others,” one individual told Farm and Food Care.
“I will use this in talking with my grandchildren about this important part of Canadian life,” another reader said.
Some readers were curious to learn more about Canadian ag and contacted the organization for more answers and resources, Rodrigue said.
The organization also received optimistic responses when it released the previous edition of the publication in 2016, a Better Farming article stated.
To read The Real Dirt on Farming online, click here.
UPDATED JUNE 1, 2018
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