Film looks to address concerns surrounding agriculture
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
A new documentary released by SaskCanola is hoping to increase the transparency and communication avenues between farmers and consumers.
License To Farm features interviews with farmers, industry professionals and consumers while touching on a variety of topics including GMOs, pesticides and industrial farms.
Janice Tranberg, Executive Director of SaskCanola, said one of the documentary’s goals is to remove grey area between what farmers do and what consumers think farmers do.
“This is our avenue to not only address some of the misconceptions that we hear around farming and farming practices but to also encourage farmers to have those conversations,” she said.
Tranberg said the film’s primary audience is farmers, but consumers have watched it and found it interesting.
Before watching the film, Julia Vidotto, who grew up in Port Elgin, Ontario, said she knows people who were raised on a farm and could appreciate the hard, physical work they put in.
After seeing it, she received a small glimpse into the inner workings of agriculture.
“I didn’t realize how risky the business was and all of the politics involved,” she said. “I still have questions, but I now have some knowledge into what those working in the industry have to say about some issues.”
Tranberg said one of the best features about the documentary is its genuine feel.
“This documentary wasn’t scripted,” she said. “When you hear everybody talking, that’s really coming from their hearts.”